Tibetan sets himself on fire outside Lhasa

Beijing: A US broadcaster says a Tibetan man protesting against Chinese rule set himself on fire outside the tightly controlled region`s main city of Lhasa.

Radio Free Asia reported today that the man self-immolated Saturday outside an old community hall in Dangxiong county.

The report cites an unidentified source in Lhasa city as saying the man shouted slogans in support of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

About 40 people have set themselves on fire over the past year and a half in ethnic Tibetan areas of China in protest of what activists say is Beijing`s heavy-handed rule in the region.

Officials in Dangxiong either refused to comment or said they had not heard about the case.

PTI