Thousands of people gathered in eastern Tibet Sunday to mourn the death of a farmer who set himself on fire Saturday to protest China's policies in the region.

Witnesses told VOA that protesters demanded freedom, human rights for Tibet, and the return from exile of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The 44-year-old farmer and father of three set himself on fire near the town center of Rongwo, the capital of Rebkong County in eastern Tibet. His act followed another self-immolation protest earlier in the week by a monk in southwestern China's Sichuan province, where many Tibetans live.

The London-based Free Tibet rights group quoted an eyewitness as saying “This is the biggest gathering of people I have ever seen in this place. People are pouring in from the villages.”

March has long been a tense time for China and its Tibetan areas, as the month marks key anniversaries in the Tibetan struggle for more freedom.

Thirty Tibetans, mostly Buddhist monks, have set themselves on fire in the past year to draw attention to what they describe as Beijing's oppression of the Tibetan religion and culture. At least 20 have died.

The Chinese government has described the self-immolations as barbaric and terrorists acts. It accuses overseas groups and the Dalai Lama of inciting separatism. Beijing also has also portrayed those who have set themselves on fire as outcasts and criminals.