China cremates revered Tibetan monk against family wishes

Chinese authorities have cremated the body of a revered Tibetan monk against his family's wishes, rights groups said Thursday, after protests erupted following news of his death.

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body has been cremated, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) confirmed, citing relatives in India.

"Today, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body was cremated at a secret prison, located approximately 5km from Chuandong prison in Chengdu, at around 7am local Beijing time by the prison authorities as reported by his family members," the group said in a statement. 

"The cremation took place against the wishes of his family to release the body in order to perform the final Buddhist rites in his hometown Lithang."

About 30 relatives and students were allowed to view the body before he was cremated and his family described the prison conditions as "worthy for a beggar.”

They performed a short prayer and all of his belongings were burned, the group said. Several protests in Delek's hometown and in the southwestern city of Chengdu, where he was jailed, have taken place since his death was announced, according to the US-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and other Tibetan rights groups.