Dharamshala: - Tibetan writer Driru Gudup set himself on fire and died Thursday morning around 10.00 am in Nagchu County, approximately 40 kilometers away from the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. He called for China to end its repressive policies in Tibet."Gudup, 43, was orignally from the Yungkarlha area, Shagchu township, Driru county of Eastern Tibet. He self-immolated in a market in the county on 04 of October, 2012, and later passed away. Many people who were at the scene saw the writer self-immolating," Geshe Jamyang from Nepal told The Tibet Post International Thursday afternoon.
The Chinese authorities have so far refused to hand-over Gudup's body to his family and relatives. In recent months, Tibetans have become more forceful in their protests against China’s repressive policies targeting Tibetans in their homeland, with a dreadful series of more than 50 self-immolations by Tibetan protesters since 2009, 43 of which have resulted in death.
Mr Ngawang Tharpa, a Tibetan in exile from his home area said that "Driru Gudup called out for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, freedom in Tibet, and shouted that there was no freedom in Tibet. Chinese authorities not handed over his dead body to his family members".
Gudup left a letter stressing the sufferings that Tibetans are facing nowadays: "My brothers and sisters of the land of snows, looking back to our past, there is no happiness, but only regret, anger, sadness, and tears. I pray that the coming new year brings you health, success and fulfilment."
In the letter, Gudup also called for a strong "Unity" amongst Tibetans, saying "keep our strength and energy together, no matter who win or lose."
Gudup studied at Sherab Gatsel Lobling School in Dharamsala, India before returning to his homeland in 2005 upon completion of his studies. He was a prolific writer who wrote under a pen name that translates as "Youth of the Snow.”
Gudup had a great interest in the political issues concerning the current crisis in Tibet and regularly read Tibetan history books.
