Editor's note: an ordinary Tibetan young man, a young lama practicing Buddhism, who nearly set himself on fire and was about to be abandoned by the instigators. What role does the "Tibet government-in-exile" play in this case? What are the lies and the truth behind the flames? From the story of a young Buddhist, a potential self-immolator,Gyatso,one can see a clear picture of the "Tibet government-in-exile".

I was coerced by "Tibetan government-in-exile"

Acting on the instructions of the Dalai Lama and his followers, Gyatso was scheduled to burn himself on the Jokhang Temple Square in Lhasa while Thubten, his "assistant" to photograph the scene and then send the video tape to foreign media liaison team, a "Tibet independence" organization of the Dalai Lama group for publicity.

But as a result of accidental disclosures, Gyatso and Thubten were captured by the police and then incarcerated, which marked the failure of the self-immolations.Full Story

No turning back

From the first time when he got the "passion" for self-immolation, to the second time when he felt fooled, and then to the third time when he came back to commit self-immolation in Tibet, Gyatso had embarked on a path with no return without any other choice.Full Story

How I become a fanatic

Now, self-immolation on the Jokhang Temple Square in Lhasa, the most unforgettable thing for Gyatso , the potential self-immolator, is still the last thing he wants to mention.Full Story

Bewildered to lie“Hans bully Tibetans”

After explaining his family conditions and the reason why he sneaked into Nepal, Gyatso was asked some "connotative" questions.

He was asked to tell how terrible the life was in China and to list some examples of how "Hans bully Tibetans".

Gyatso was bewildered as he had never met such issues before in his hometown. He didn’t know whether he should make up one and only said he did not know.Full Story

“Han people invades Tibet”, definitely wrong

In Dharamsala, the first stop for the stowaways was the "Reception Office of the Tibetan government- in- exile in India", where they were asked to talk with an old man.

The talk was nothing new but just repeatedly to emphasize how the "Han people invade Tibet", which confused Gyatso as he thought it had nothing to do with him.Full Story

Being marginalized suspect

 In Gyatso’s mind, life there was far away from the quiet and simple life back home that learning Buddhism in Tsangar Monastery without any worries.

These “newcomers” like Gyatso felt like just moving to a complete dissimilatory place, where they thoroughly became the helpless “marginalized men”.Full Story

I become a “professional hunger-striker”

Then, Gyatso already clearly knew that the hunger-strike activities were held as a kind of acting showed to the outsiders. Therefore, they were paid and allowed to eat.

In Gyatso’s mind, such an activity was completely a kind of cheating. However, he didn’t refuse the assignment as it was a gravy train for him.Full Story

Self-immolation postponed for the sake of Americans

Lhamo Ja said:“we decided to cancel the self-immolation as the United States had given us great support, and we should not bring any trouble to them. But I can assure you that you still have opportunity to contribute to the "Tibetan independence" cause. Please wait for my further information for a bigger plan”. Full Story

Finally arrested

He went to Lhasa with a man named Thubten, who was also appointed by the“Dusum Legong” and asked to shoot the scene when Gyatso committed self-immolation.

However，after all the careful “preparations”, Gyatso and his allies were arrested before they arrived in Lhasa. Gyatso was brought to the police station as he was extremely nervous and didn’t have any certificate.Full Story

Scheme behind the scenes

Gyatso once had a delusion that Thubten might come back to save him. He was afraid to mention the connection with Thubten for fear of revenge. But Gyatso finally confessed everything after he had known that Thubten was also arrested.

During the trial, Gyatso admitted that he was sent to commit self-immolation in Lhasa by the“Dusum Legong” (or the Security Department of the "Tibetan government-in-exile").

“To be honest, I did not really want to die. I felt relieved when I heard that I was sentenced to eight years.”

At present, Gyatso said that his biggest wish was to live a new life after being released as early as possible. Full Story