Section 1: Chronicle of the Iron Hare year fire protests
government”, Zhu said. There is scarce information on the two Tibetans who self-immolated on January 6 at around 2:40 pm Tibet time in the distraught Ngaba region of eastern Tibet. Eyewitness accounts say that the two people, a monk and a layman, were together when they set themselves ablaze. “With folded hands they faced towards Kirti Monastery and raised a number of slogans amongst which the audible ones were- ‘Long live His Holiness the Dalai Lama’ and ‘We want the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet,’” a Tibetan in Bodh Gaya had said quoting eyewitnesses. Another Tibet with contacts inside the Ngaba Kirti monastery told Phayul that one of the self-immolating Tibetans had wound his body with barbed wire before setting his body on fire in order to avoid being easily grabbed by Chinese security personnel.
Tibetan pilgrims searched and questioned Tibetans returning from pilgrimage and visits to relatives in India and Nepal this year were stopped at a series of 12 checkpoints set up along the road from the Nepal border town of Dram to Lhasa. These checkpoints were manned by soldiers and security officials specially sent from the travellers’ home regions, who searched belongings and strictly investigated individuals. Any religious articles, such as objects used in worship, rosaries and Tibetan medicines they had bought with their own money were confiscated. Dozens of Tibetans were detained at Dram and Nyelam, and hundreds were taken in for questioning and reeducation in Lhasa. Detainees were required to pay for their own accomodation and food for the duration. 171