info

Towards the last two months of my last visit to India in the spring of 2012, I encountered the Tibetan community in exile in India experiencing painful news of their people self-immolating in fire one after another in China-occupied Tibet. My experiences in the past visits in India (drawing a cremation site in Varanasi, documenting fire pits, cremation alters, and contemplating on life and death around fire) synchronized with this particular movement, an extreme way of ‘offering’ their bodies to ‘fire’ for asking freedom and peace.I could not help drawing large and small drawings as emotional response and with a sense of mourning.

After coming back to Vancouver, the self-immolation kept happening and I felt that my personal and professional task is not finished.

I have come back to India to continue to document and draw under the same theme. tomoyoihaya@hotmail.com

23 July 2026

For Lobga Rangzen - Justice


 For Lobga Rangzen. Veteran Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen who self-immolated in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York on July 2 at around 5:49 pm. He sustained severe burn injuries and was immediately rushed to Bellevue Hospital for emergency treatment. 

He succumbed to his injuries at approximately 7:04 pm the same evening. He was a Tibetan refugee who lived in New York and worked as a cab-driver. He also served as the President of Tibetan National Congress’s New York/New Jersey chapter. 

His death comes a day after the implementation of China’s new so-called “Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress Law,” a sweeping legislation that exile Tibetans describe as codification of genocide in Tibet. 

In a video posted on his personal Facebook account prior to the act, Lobga Rangzen issued a detailed political statement addressing Tibetans in exile and expressing strong criticism of Chinese repressive policies in Tibet. He also called on Tibetans in exile to unite and work collectively for Tibetan independence and to remain united in the ongoing freedom struggle movement.

(Excepted from the news on Phayul on July 3rd 2026)

https://phayul.com/tibetan-independence-activist-lobga-rangzen-dies-after-self-immolation-in-new-york/

A picture of him walking to the site before he self immolated.



  Offerings of flowers and Kathaks at his self immolation sites by Tibetan people. The altar keeps growing and there is a daily protest beside the site.