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http://www.dossiertibet.it Tibetan jumps to his death to protest Chinese mine A Tibetan stabbed himself and jumped to his death from the roof of a building in Tibet’s Chamdo prefecture on Wednesday after authorities tried to halt his protest against a Chinese mine being built in the area. Phakpa Gyaltsen, 32, died instantly after throwing himself from a building in Dzogang prefecture’s Tongbar town.After telling local Tibetans that he would do something to oppose Chinese mining in Dzogang, Gyaltsen went to the town center, climbed onto a high building, and called out for Tibetan freedom.When attempts were made to stop him, he stabbed himself twice and jumped off the building, dying instantly. Tibet has become an important source of minerals needed for China’s economic growth, and mining operations in Tibet have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms of disrupting sites of spiritual significance and polluting the environment as they extract local wealth. Chinese mining operations at a site near Madok Tso called Ache Jema began almost two months ago. Tibetans decided to stop the plan, and every day three Tibetans were sent to guard the area, working in rotation.Some of those watching the site were later detained by police in Tongbar. Authorities also tried to convince area residents not to oppose the mining by offering each family 10,000 yuan in compensation but the Tibetans argued that mining would have negative impacts on the area. Phone connections to the area are now blocked, and it is difficult to learn anything more about what is happening.
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