Horrifying moment Tibetan set himself on fire at Kathmandu tourist site: Monk is 101st person to self-immolate in protest against Chinese rule
Worldwide, Daily news | ankakh | February 14, 2013 12:41A Tibetan protester in monk’s robes doused himself with gasoline, set himself ablaze and chanted anti-China slogans as he ran down a street in Nepal’s capital this morning.
Witnesses in Nepal said the man entered a cafe in Kathmandu’s Boudhanath district – home to many Tibetan Buddhist temples and monasteries – and asked to use the bathroom.
After spending some time there, he went onto the street and lit himself on fire.
The dramatic protest marked the 101st time since 2009 that a Tibetan monk, nun or layperson has set themselves on fire, according to officials from the Tibetan exile government, based in India.
The protesters are calling for Beijing to allow greater religious freedom and the return from exile of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in India.
Another man died after setting himself on fire last March in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
Police official Keshav Adhikari said police and residents were able to put out the flames and rush the man to a hospital.
Wednesday marked the third and one of the most important days of the Losar festival, which is celebrated by the Tibetan community. Many Tibetans in Nepal visit Boudhanath for the event.
Penpa Tsering, speaker of the Tibetan exile parliament in India, said that with China cracking down on self-immolations inside Tibet, Tibetans were beginning to move their protests to other countries.
Thousands of Tibetan exiles live in Nepal and occasionally protest against China.
The Nepalese government has banned such demonstrations, saying it cannot allow any activities against friendly nations to take place in Nepal.
Nepal also allows Tibetans to pass through Nepal, traveling from their homeland to Dharmasala, India, where the Dalai Lama lives and the government in exile is based.
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