Attempt to Silence Tibetans Worldwide

October 26, 2026

A second assault in three

the representative of Dalai

Lama in South Africa, is

being seen as yet another

attempt by the Chinese authorities to

silence Tibetan activists all over the

world.

According to a report, petrol bombs

were hurled at the residence and office of

Dhundup Gyalpo in the Centurion suburb

of Lyttelton Manor, not far from Pretoria

late on October 14.

Flames rose from the building,

shattering windows and turning a

diplomatic outpost into a scene of

devastation.

Inside, Gyalpo awoke to the

unmistakable sound of breaking glass.

Smoke was already thickening the air.

The corridor that should have led him

to safety had become a tunnel of fire. He

forced open a bedroom window, climbed

out, and escaped into the night, sustaining

minor injuries from broken glass. The

image of a man representing one of the

world’s most respected spiritual leaders

fleeing through a shattered window is not

easily forgotten.

Emergency services arrived quickly,

but the damage was extensive. Rooms

were charred, furniture destroyed, and

official documents reduced to ash. In a

video recorded after the blaze, Gyalpo

walked through the ruins, documenting

the destruction with the calmness of

someone who has already understood that

the material loss is only part of the story.

There are nights when violence speaks

more clearly than any communique,

wrote Massimo Introvigne, an Italian

sociologist of religions, in Bitter Winter.

It might have been intended to convey

a political message.

According to Introvigne, the incident

would be alarming enough on its own

but becomes “more troubling” when

placed alongside another episode from

July 6 this year when the same property

was reportedly targeted with three petrol

bombs.

That attack coincided with the 91st

birthday of the Dalai Lama.

The damage then was minimal. The

symbolism was not… In a country where

ordinary crime is tragically common, the

suggestion of political intent is not made

lightly. Yet the repetition, the timing, and

the choice of target raise questions that

cannot be dismissed as coincidence.

While South African police have

opened an investigation, no suspects have

been identified, no motive established,

and no link formally drawn between the

two attacks so far.

The absence of answers, however,

does not diminish the gravity of the

situation. When a representative of the

Dalai Lama is forced to flee a burning

building twice in three months, the issue

transcends local criminal patterns and

enters the realm of transnational concern.

The Tibetan cause has long been

marked by attempts to silence voices

abroad. While no evidence currently

points to a specific perpetrator, the

pattern of Chinese intimidation familiar

to Tibetan activists worldwide inevitably

casts its shadow over the events in

Centurion.