Two former Tibetan monks set themselves on fire in protest against Chinese rule

A child of the Tibetan community in Bodhgaya, north India, at a candle-lit vigil on 8 January held in memory of self-immolations in Tibet.

Two former Tibetan monks have set themselves on fire in western China, in the latest of several self-immolation protests against Chinese rule, activists have said.

The Xinhua news agency said a man burned himself to death in a hotel room on Friday. On the same day, a 22-year-old set himself on fire at a crossroads in Aba prefecture, Sichuan, suffering serious burns.

The London-based Free Tibet group said the men were protesting about the tight Chinese restrictions controlling Tibetan life and culture. At least 14

At least 14 monks, nuns and former monks are believed to have set themselves on fire in the past year, mostly in traditionally Tibetan areas of Sichuan that have been focal points of opposition to central government control.

Most of the activists called for Tibetan freedom and the return of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

China rogularly blames supporters of the Dalai Lama for encouraging acts of opposition. Xinhua cited a Tibetan expert as saying "the Dalai Lama clique" had "instigated and enticed" the two men to set themselves on fire.

The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government in exile say they oppose all violence.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/08/tibetan-monks-fire-protest-chinese-rule

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