A police handout photo of Tashi Namgyal, who committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in Emmenbrücke, Switzerland, on 7 September 2017. Hand out/Luzerner Police
Tibet Sun Newsroom
McLEOD GANJ, India, 13 September 2017
A Tibetan man allegedly committed suicide by lying on train tracks outside the Emmenbrücke station in Switzerland last Thursday.
The local police were not able to identify the person, but have recovered two suicide notes allegedly left behind by him. They suspected the deceased to be of Tibetan origin.
The Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has confirmed the man to be Tibetan, and has seen the two notes the man has left behind.
Unconfirmed reports say that the man’s name was Tashi Namgyal, who was in his 30s, and has failed in his attempts to get asylum in the country.
The President of the Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein issued a note confirming Tashi Namgyal as the man, and said that the suicide note written by Tashi Namgyal was in two parts.
According to the President, in one note Namgyal has called for the United Nations to take up the Tibetan issue, and for the Dalai Lama to be able to return to Tibet.
In the second note he has called for the Swiss government to grant asylum for the Tibetan asylum seekers, and that he had decided to end his life at his own will.
Reports say that the Swiss government has rejected asylum applications of 500 Tibetans. About 7,000 Tibetans have been integrated into the Swiss system and live there as legal citizens.
In response to Tibet Sun’s Questions to Swiss State Secretariat for Migration regarding the issue of the status of asylum seekers, the Swiss authorities said the policy with regards to granting asylum to Tibetans who are at risk of persecution inside Tibet remains unchanged. But the authorities are not likely to grant asylum to those Tibetans who cannot establish their origin or from regions where they face no threat to their safety. Under such circumstances, they would be not eligible for asylum and will be deported, the authorities said.
The Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein has organised prayer services for the deceased.
I was wondering why CTA did not find any other alternative to help these helpless Tibetans. HH the Dalai Lama and Dr. Lobsang Sangay have good connection with all/many European countries, even the USA. This is all Chinese economic pressure to squeeze Tibetans and our leader. One day, our leader will beg to China to let him return to Tibet without any conditions.
Rip hero and compatriot. Thanks for your sacrifice.
I have to respect his decision but I can’t thank him for this.
It’s just sad that he had to take this route. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.
He didn’t even apply for asylum. Police didn’t find his data in the system.