A Tibetan monk in his late twenties, Sonam Topgyal or Tobgya, set fire to himself in the main square of Kyegudo (Yushu) on 9 July 2015, in an atmosphere of heightened security imposed around the period of the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday on 6 July. Tibetan exile sources reported that Sonam Topgyal was taken away by armed police while still alive and is believed to be in hospital, although his whereabouts and welfare are not known.