APSN | Tibetan exile sets self on fire in Indian capital

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Tibetan exile sets self on fire in Indian capital

Associated Press - November 4, 2011

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Ashok Sharma, New Delhi – Police overpowered a young Tibetan exile who set himself on fire outside the Chinese Embassy in the Indian capital Friday in solidarity with Tibetans who self-immolated in China recently.

Police grabbed 25-year-old Sherab TseDor and put out the fire engulfing his trousers. He shouted "Free Tibet, Stop Killing in Tibet," as officers took him in a jeep to a hospital.

The man suffered minor burns, according to a police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

At least 11 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China in recent months protesting Chinese restrictions on the Tibetan religion and culture. At least six died and the conditions of the others are unknown.

Although there is no tradition of self-immolation as a form of protest in Tibetan society, the suicides are seen as a sign of growing desperation in the ethnically Tibetan region, where tensions have been high since massive anti-government protests in 2008.