A Tibetan exile in Dharamsala, India, weeps as the body of Jamphel Yeshi is carried for cremation inside the Tsuglagkhang temple, in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamsala on March 30, 2012.
Yeshi, 27, a Tibetan man, set himself ablaze on Monday at a protest criticizing China’s President Hu Jintao’s visit to India. He died in a local hospital from his injuries, the general secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress said in a statement. Born in Tibet but living in exile in India, Yeshi was an activist with the youth organization, which seeks independence for the Himalayan region, under Chinese rule for more than six decades. A photograph of Yeshi as he set himself on fire is below.
More graphic images here.
Tibetan settlements throughout India were “fortified” with heavy police presence following the incident. Within three days, two more Tibetan monks in China set themselves on fire in a similar act of protest.
Dozens of Tibetans have self-immolated in the past year to protest Chinese oppression. In addition to dousing themselves with fuel, some drink kerosene, so that the flames will explode from within.
More on the ongoing phenomenon, and why the world doesn’t seem to be paying much attention: Associated Press, CNN, NYT.
A response to the latest protest-suicides in the state-controlled China Daily proposes a solution for Tibetans: “embrace the goodwill of the central [Chinese] government.”
(REUTERS)
