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Tibetan teen self-immolates on revolt anniversary
A teenage Tibetan monk set himself on fire on the anniversary of failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Beijing: A teenage Tibetan monk set himself
on fire in protest on the anniversary of the failed Tibetan
uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, an overseas activist
group said on Tuesday.
The London-based Free Tibet group said 18-year-old Gepey self-immolated on Saturday in Aba, a town that is under heavy security lockdown in western Sichuan province. The group says Gepey was a monk from the town`s Kirti Monastery, the scene of numerous protests against the Chinese government over the past several years.
Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region on March 10, 1959, during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.
More than two dozen Tibetans, including several teenagers, have set themselves on fire in China over the last year, protesting China`s suppression of their religion and culture and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama.
Gepey died after self-immolating behind a military camp, Free Tibet said. The group said locals tried to take his body away but security personnel removed it. A woman from the county Communist Party propaganda department said she had no information about the incident. Calls to the prefectural Communist Party department and police and county police rang unanswered.
A man who answered the phone at the Kirti Monastery hung up when he was asked about the self-immolation.
The London-based Free Tibet group said 18-year-old Gepey self-immolated on Saturday in Aba, a town that is under heavy security lockdown in western Sichuan province. The group says Gepey was a monk from the town`s Kirti Monastery, the scene of numerous protests against the Chinese government over the past several years.
Most are led by monks who are fiercely loyal to the Dalai Lama, who fled the Himalayan region on March 10, 1959, during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule.
More than two dozen Tibetans, including several teenagers, have set themselves on fire in China over the last year, protesting China`s suppression of their religion and culture and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama.
Gepey died after self-immolating behind a military camp, Free Tibet said. The group said locals tried to take his body away but security personnel removed it. A woman from the county Communist Party propaganda department said she had no information about the incident. Calls to the prefectural Communist Party department and police and county police rang unanswered.
A man who answered the phone at the Kirti Monastery hung up when he was asked about the self-immolation.
PTI