Reports: Tibetan Monk Sets Himself on Fire in China

Posted February 13th, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
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An 19-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk set himself on fire Monday in China's troubled southwestern Sichuan province.

Tibetans in exile said Lobsang Gyatso shouted slogans of protest against the Chinese government before burning himself at about 2 p.m. local time.

Reports say Chinese security forces moved in quickly to extinguish the flames and took the teenager away. His condition or whereabouts are not known.

He was the second teen to self-immolate near the besieged Ngaba town. On Saturday, 18-year-old Tibetan nun, Tenzin Choedon, set her self on fire. She later died.

Gyatso's self-immolation brings to at least 21 the number of Tibetans who have set themselves on fire in the past year. Activists say at least 12 Tibetans are believed to have died from their injuries.

Recent months have seen an upsurge in anti-Chinese protests in Tibetan areas of China, the worst since 2008.

The Chinese government accuses the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, and overseas organizations such as the London-based Free Tibet movement of instigating the unrest.