'Political goal'

"For the exiled 14th Dalai Lama and his group in India, instigating self-immolation is just a means of realizing their political goal of splitting Tibet from China," said Wang Chengxian, deputy Party secretary of the Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture. "About 80 acts of self-immolation have happened in Aba prefecture since 2009. Some people even refer to areas with a high number of self-immolations as 'hero counties'."

A monk at Gomang Monastery in Aba county of Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture of Sichuan province. Photos by Feng Yongbin / China Daily

On Nov 26, 2011, the Dalai Lama told the BBC, "There is courage - very strong courage" in those who set themselves on fire. On Oct 19 last year, he presided over a dharma assembly, where he praised and supported the "brave and fearless" self-immolators and the leaders of the self-styled "Tibetan government-in-exile".

After what the police referred to as "brainwashing", Phuntsog, Tsering Tenzin and two other young monks from Kirti Monastery, who regarded Tapey as a hero, formed a group called "The Madmen's Gang". On March 2, Phuntsog and Tsering Tenzin, 22, decided to commit self-immolation. The other members offered to assist the pair by helping them buy petrol and perfumes to disguise the strong smell, according to the police.

Three days before Phuntsog set himself on fire on Qiatangxi street - Aba county's main commercial thoroughfare - on March 16, two members of the gang revealed the plan and sent photos of Phuntsog and the group to a contact abroad via QQ, a popular Chinese instant-messaging service, ready for publication after the event. One of the photos of Phuntsog was later used in media reports abroad.

After witnessing Phuntsog's self-immolation, Tsering Tenzin was gripped by fear. Although the young man had already swallowed some petrol in preparation for the act, he decided not to go through with it.

In late August, 2011, Tsering Tenzin was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his part in the "intentional homicide", while another gang member was sentenced to 10 years. In a separate trial, an uncle of Phuntsog was sentenced to 11 years for intentional homicide after he concealed the badly burned monk for more than 11 hours, delaying medical treatment. The 19-year-old died in the hospital early on March 17.

The judge that presided in Phuntsog's case at the court in Barkam county, the capital of Aba prefecture, said the family of the victim was unaware of his intentions. "They told me that they would have done everything to stop him if they had known," she said.