The first self-immolations protesting Chinese rule are reported in Tibet’s capital Lhasa.
Two young Tibetan men set themselves on fire in Lhasa Sunday in protest against Chinese rule—the first self-immolations reported in the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, according to sources.
They burned themselves in front of Jokhang Temple in central Lhasa—reputedly the ultimate pilgrimage destination for Tibetan pilgrims—and were swiftly bundled away by security forces who arrived in several vehicles and cleared the area within 15 minutes, the sources said.
One of them died and the other was injured, state media reported.
“They used a firemen’s hose to douse the fire on the two,” a Tibetan man from Lhasa told RFA, saying no one was permitted to go near the site.
“Some who tried to go close to the site were also detained and taken away while mobile phones of those who were close to the site were confiscated,” the man said.