12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest

[News_Editor]

12th Tibetan sets himself on fire in anti-China protest

2011-12-03 09:08:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

DHARAMSHALA, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- A former Tibetan monk set himself on fire on Thursday in protest against Chinese rule in Tibet, a rights group reported on Friday. He is the twelfth Tibetan to have self-immolated this year.

According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), former monk Tenzin Phuntsog set himself on fire on Thursday in the town of Chamdo in the eastern Tibet Autonomous Region of China. He is believed to have survived the incident and has been hospitalized.

Few other details about the incident were available, but Phuntsog is the latest in a series of Tibetans who have self-immolated this year. Since March, ten current and former monks and two nuns have set themselves on fire in China, most of them in Ngaba Town in Sichuan province.

The first incident happened on March 16 when 21-year-old Phuntsog from Kirti Monastery set himself on fire in Ngaba. It happened on the third anniversary of protests in Ngaba during which at least 13 people were shot dead by Chinese security forces. Phuntsog later died.

At least six of those who set themselves on fire were killed, but the conditions of the others remain unknown. Chinese media, which is strictly controlled by the government, has not reported on the controversial incidents.

In October, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay expressed his concern about the incidents. "The incidents are a clear indication of the genuine grievances of the Tibetans and their sense of deep resentment and despair over the prevailing conditions in Tibet," he said. "It is therefore of the utmost urgency that every possible effort be made to address the underlying root causes of Tibetan grievances and resentment."

The Dalai Lama has resided in the Indian city of Dharamsala, which is now the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile, since 1960 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule of Tibet. Dharamsala is also referred to as 'Little Lhasa', referring to the capital of Tibet.

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