Monk immolates himself in China for Tibet independence, says RFA

A Buddhist monk immolated himself this week in China, demanding freedom for Tibet and protesting against the Chinese government, reported Radio Free Asia, or RFA, Wednesday.

According to RFA, this is the first immolation recorded this year in the Tibetan regions of China, taking the number of such instances to 144 since 2009.

The monk, Kalsang Wangdu allegedly set himself on fire around 4:00 p.m. on Monday, close to his monastery located in the Tibetan prefecture of Ganzi, in the southwestern province of Sichuan, said RFA, a media outlet which is partly financed by the U.S. government.

While he was in flames, he shouted aloud his demand for complete independence for Tibet, said an RFA source, on conditions of anonymity.

People present at the scene tried to intervene and take the monk to the hospital but he died en route to Chengdu, the provincial capital.

The incident comes after a 16yearold Tibetan student, living in India, set himself on fire Monday to protest against Chinese “occupation,” although he is still alive, according to reports from RFA and other organizations of exiled Tibetans.

China claims Tibet has been an inseparable part of its territory for centuries, although Tibetansinexile maintain the region was independent for hundreds of years before it was occupied by communist troops and incorporated into the People’s Republic in 1951.

While Tibetan communities living abroad accuse China’s oppressive policies against Tibetan culture and religion for these immolations, Beijing in turn, blames those in exile, including their leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in India, of encouraging the suicides.