HEARING COURT: Local Tibetan residents attend the trial of Lorang Konchok and Lorang Tsering on January 26 (WEI YAO)

After two rounds of debates, the two suspects and their attorneys expressed no further objections. The two suspects made their last statements. Lorang Konchok admitted his guilt and said that he was very repentant for it. He begged the court to relieve his sentence. Lorang Tsering said that he regretted committing the crime due to his illiteracy and ignorance of the law. He hoped to start life again after serving the deserved sentence.

The court did not make a verdict on January 26 and announced an adjournment.

Echoes

Around 130 people, including some family members of the two suspects, journalists and representatives of the public, audited the trial.

Gong Mingfeng, 50, a local Tibetan farmer, said that she was astonished by the crimes of the two suspects.

"The two suspects violated the Buddhist doctrines and the law. I am disgusted with their acts. It was especially pitiful that the victims who set themselves on fire were only 19 years old," Gong said.

Huang Xiaorong, 46, another visitor who is a Tibetan resident in Aba, said that Lorang Konchok, being a monk, should have taught people to do good deeds rather than incite them to sacrifice themselves for splitting the country.

"Despite the rumors made by the suspects, Tibetans always enjoy the freedom of religious belief. Moreover, the living standards of Tibetan people in Aba improve year by year. I have a strong aversion to such crimes of inciting self-immolations," Huang said.

The two suspects' behaviors also caused their families great distress. Lhamotso, Lorang Konchok's elder brother and a common herdsman, revealed deep sorrow on his face. The only thing he wanted to say is to hope his brother could be given a lenient sentence through expressing remorse for his guilt.

Soerjang, 70, uncle of Lorang Tsering, said that his nephew went the wrong way because of his ignorance of law and lack of education. He hoped Lorang Tsering could correct his guilt in prison.

Though the trial was conducted smoothly, the investigation of the case was not easy, said Zou Gangjun, a local prosecutor.

Zou has dealt with 30 self-immolation cases since 2009. All of these cases have completed judicial procedures, he said.

"It is difficult to obtain evidence during investigation by the procuratorate. We spent several months collecting evidence," Zou said.

"As we made every effort to obtain much key evidence, the suspects had to admit their guilt. Thus, the trial went smoothly today," Zou said.

Other cases

Outside Aba, police authorities have also detected self-immolations of Tibetans in Qinghai and Gansu provinces.

Xinhua News Agency reported on January 24, the Qinghai police aborted a self-immolation in Tongren County and arrested two suspects. On November 19, 2012, a witness called police after finding gasoline bottles and lighters in a hotel room in Tongren County. Local police moved quickly and captured an instigator named Phagpa and detained a victim.

Phagpa, 27, is a local resident of Tongren. He snuck into India in 2005 and received training at a secessionist organization for six years. In 2011, Phagpa returned to Tongren and began to incite self-immolations among local Tibetans until he was arrested last November.

Xinhua also reported on January 15 that the Gansu police took seven suspects into custody for organizing and inciting self-immolations. These suspects colluded with secessionist organizations of the Dalai Lama clique in India. At the request of secessionists abroad, the suspects incited a local Tibetan to set himself on fire and caused his death on October 6, 2012.

The cases show strong connections with "Tibetan independence" organizations abroad. The police will step up their work and crack down on such criminal acts, as convincing innocent people to burn themselves to death is not in line with the law or Buddhist doctrine, Xinhua said.

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