“A Tibetan inside Tibet confirmed that as soon as Norbu set himself on fire, Chinese security officers sprang into action and took him away.”
Tsewang Norbu was 25, a well-known singer, and he set himself on fire in front of the Potala Palace on February 25. The news took weeks to reach the outside world. Surveillance in Lhasa is so tight that nobody can share a photo or come forward as a witness. Beijing’s version of Tibet is whatever survives the censors.