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Tibetan monk burns himself to death in China
Agence France Presse - August 15, 2011
The 29-year-old monk set himself on fire in Sichuan province's Daofu county and died of his injuries, the official Xinhua news agency reported, quoting local authorities. A hotel receptionist near the scene confirmed the incident.
"I saw a monk lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county government building. Before setting himself on fire, he was distributing leaflets," the receptionist, who refused to be named, told AFP over the phone.
An official at the Daofu government office refused to comment when contacted by AFP.
Many Tibetans in this area of Sichuan bristle against what they say is repressive Chinese rule – a claim Beijing denies – and the region has experienced several bouts of unrest over the past few years.
According to the London-based Free Tibet rights group, the monk – called Tsewang Norbu – came from the Nyitso monastery. He drank petrol, sprayed himself with the flammable liquid and set himself on fire, the group said.
He was heard calling out "We Tibetan people want freedom", "Long live the Dalai Lama", and "Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet" before he died, it added.
This is the second reported self-immolation this year in this area of Sichuan, where many monks revere the Dalai Lama – Tibet's spiritual leader – who fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
In March, a young monk called Phuntsog set himself on fire and died near Kirti Monastery in Aba county – around 200 kilometres (124 miles) from Daofu – in apparent protest against the government.
Monks and civilians staged a protest after the incident, prompting an immediate crackdown on the monastery in which exile groups say two Tibetans died. The restive area was closed to foreigners.
According to Free Tibet, authorities "forcibly removed" hundreds of monks following Phuntsog's death, imposed curfews, undertook house searches and set up military road blocks around the town where Kirti is located.
Xinhua reported at the time that local authorities had started a "legal education" program at the monastery due to the "problems" there and "illegal activities" committed by some monks.
Stephanie Brigden, head of Free Tibet, said she was concerned the same crackdown would happen in Daofu.
"In the last few hours telephone lines have been cut and Internet cafes closed in an effort to control news spreading across Tibet and to prevent news being shared with the outside world," she said.
"We have received reports that the army has surrounded the monastery. We call on the Chinese authorities to act proportionately."
Resentment over Chinese rule runs deep in many Tibetan regions of China. Many Tibetans are angry about what they view as increasing domination by China's majority Han ethnic group, and accuse the government of trying to dilute their culture.
Tibetan resentment spilled over into violent demonstrations in March 2008 in Tibet's capital Lhasa, which then spread to neighbouring areas. Authorities have increased security in the region since then.
China however says Tibetan living standards have improved markedly in recent decades, pointing to the billions of dollars in spending on infrastructure and development projects. The local government in Daofu has launched an investigation into the monk's death, Xinhua said.
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