[06. January 2012] Radio Free Asia

Two Tibetans set themselves on fire on Friday [6 January] in restive Ngaba (in Chinese, Aba) prefecture in China’s Sichuan province, protesting against Chinese rule and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, according to sources and an advocacy group. One of them, a monk, is believed to have died, they said.

They were the first self-immolations this year after a dozen such incidents in 2011 stemming from, according to rights groups, the “desperate” situation facing Tibetans as Chinese authorities pursued a security clampdown.

“One layperson and a monk did set their bodies on fire at Ngaba town,” a Tibetan who witnessed the incidents told RFA.

“The layperson [performed the self-immolation] at the upper part of Ngaba town and the monk did at the middle of the town,” the eyewitness said. “The Chinese security forces rushed to the scene and dispersed the crowd that had gathered. The monk could have died.” Read more