Bølgen af fortvivlede tibetanere, der sætter ild til sig selv i protest mod Kinas angivelige undertrykkelse, vil tilsyneladende ikke lægge sig – endnu to unge tibetanske mænd har nu taget tilflugt til den gruopvækkende selvdestruktion.
Two Tibetan men have died after setting themselves on fire in front of a monastery in Sichuan province, south-west China, rights groups say. Sonam Kyap and Choephak Kyap were both in their twenties, reports BBC online Friday.
There have now been at least 34 self-immolations (selvbrændinger) over the past year, primarily among Buddhist monks and nuns – most of them have died. The region has seen a string of self-immolations to protest against Beijing’s rule of Tibet.
After they set themselves on fire, the two men appeared critically injured and were taken away by local residents. Rights groups said the men later died.
Verifying these accounts is difficult, as foreign media are not allowed into the area.
China’s leaders say the Tibetan areas are an inseparable part of the country, and that its sovereignty over Tibet goes back centuries.
They also claim that the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ exiled spiritual leader, is responsible for inciting the self-immolations and encouraging separatism, something he denies.
Many Tibetans claim that Tibet is an independent country that was colonised by China, and accuse China of political and religious repression.
