Two more Tibetans self-immolate in China, say rights groups
Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet and London-based Free Tibet said in separate releases that two Tibetan men died after setting themselves ablaze in China
Two more Tibetans have died after setting themselves ablaze in China, Western rights groups said on Monday, the latest in a string of self-immolations carried out in protest against Chinese rule.
The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) and London-based Free Tibet said in separate releases that a man identified as Tsesung Kyab set himself on fire in front of a Buddhist monastery in western Gansu province.
The man, believed to be in his late twenties, died on the final day of the Tibetan New Year, ICT said, adding that he was related to another Tibetan who died after setting himself on fire in December.
Separately, ICT and US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) also reported that another Tibetan set himself ablaze on Sunday in China’s Qinghai province. ICT said in its report on Monday that the man, Phagmo Dundrup, had died.
More than 100 people have set themselves on fire in protest at China’s rule since 2009 and at least 87 have died, according to reports.
Many Tibetans in China accuse the government of religious repression and eroding their culture, as the country’s majority Han ethnic group increasingly moves into historically Tibetan areas.