Romanians attempt suicide to protest poverty

Romanians attempt suicide to protest poverty

2011-01-20 01:03:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

BUCHAREST (BNO NEWS) -- Two Romanians attempted suicide by self-immolation to protest inadequate living conditions, the Mediafax news agency reported on Wednesday.

A 31-year-old man set himself on fire in a village in the eastern region of Vaslui, claiming he no longer had the financial possibilities to raise his children. The man was hospitalized with severed burns after the neighbors extinguished the fire.

Another man, who was homeless, set himself on fire when he was refused entry to a shelter. The man was slightly injured after the fire was extinguished quickly.

In December 2010, a 41-year-old man jumped from a balcony of the Romanian parliament to protest welfare cuts during Prime Minister Emil Boc's speech on austerity measures.

Romania posted the highest annual inflation rate among the 27 European Union member states in December, hitting 7.9 percent, while the EU average was 2.6 percent, the EU statistical office Eurostat reported last week.

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