Tibetan Sets Himself Ablaze in Front of Chinese Embassy in India

Tibetans Holding Posters of Those Who Set Themselves Ablaze

The Tibetan protest against the Chinese rule has reached another stage as a young Tibetan set himself ablaze in the capital of India, New Delhi, in front of the Chinese embassy, protesting the occupation of Tibet and expressing solidarity with the other Tibetans who set themselves on fire recently as part of the same protest.

The man was overpowered by the police and the fire was put out. He suffered minor burns and was out of danger. He is 25 years old, his name is Sherab TseDor, and before he set himself on fire he shouted “Free Tibet, Stop Killing in Tibet.”

His protest comes one day after a 35-year-old nun set herself on fire in Sichuan, a province in China with a large Tibetan community. Her name was Qiu Xiang, and she died as a result of the immolation. Xiang was the 11th person to commit such an act in Tibet since March.

Although the Dalai Lama specifically disapproved of the self-immolation practice as a sacrilege to the sanctity of life, people continue to use this kind of protest, demanding that Tibetans be allowed to practice their religion and preserve their national culture.

Last month Dalai Lama observed a daylong fasting and presided over a 90 minutes prayer in memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Tibet. The spiritual move was deemed by the Chinese government as a “support of terrorism” by the spiritual leader of the Tibetans.

The Prime Minister of Tibetan government in exile urged China to let Tibetans live according to their customs and teachings, and to stop crackdown against monks in the restive monasteries. The same thing was demanded by the American authorities, who told the Chinese government to make sure the human rights of Tibetans are being observed.