Twin self-immolations occurred in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa over the weekend, the first time in the city, as Tibetan unrest under Chinese rule continues to grow.
The immolations follow an increasing number of similar acts, with at least 34 self-immolations having been reported since March 2011. One of them men is reported to have died and the other hospitalised.
Many have occurred within Tibetan areas of China, but this incident marks only the second time that self-immolations have been reported within Tibet itself. The immolations took place in front of the famous Jokhang Temple, as the religious month of Saka Dawa approaches.
Robert Barnett, a scholar of modern Tibet at Columbia University, commented,
See our earlier post:
Thousands of Tibetan protestors mourn self immolator (19 Mar 2012)
Cultural genocide fans self-immolations – Dalai Lama (07 Nov 2011)
The immolations follow an increasing number of similar acts, with at least 34 self-immolations having been reported since March 2011. One of them men is reported to have died and the other hospitalised.
Many have occurred within Tibetan areas of China, but this incident marks only the second time that self-immolations have been reported within Tibet itself. The immolations took place in front of the famous Jokhang Temple, as the religious month of Saka Dawa approaches.
Robert Barnett, a scholar of modern Tibet at Columbia University, commented,
“We’re now seeing self-immolations that seem to be political expressions that are in sympathy with the core incidents that happened earlier.”He went on to state that the immolations are being “driven by an idea, a political goal”, saying,
"For the Chinese authorities, it has very serious implications and suggests that the movement is spreading among Tibetans. It could lead to an increased severity of restrictions and controls."Hao Peng, head of the Communist Party's Commission for Political and Legal Affairs in the Tibet Autonomous Region told reporters that the latest immolations were,
Photograph: From Chinese writer Tsering Woeser, claiming to show the immolations at Lhasa. See here
"a continuation of the self-immolations in other Tibetan areas and these acts were all aimed at separating Tibet from China"Meanwhile Liu Weimin, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry blamed foreigners and “terrorists” for aiming to destablise the region, saying that their efforts were "unpopular with all the people in Tibet" and that "the economic and social development of Tibet has been making continuous progress."
See our earlier post:
Thousands of Tibetan protestors mourn self immolator (19 Mar 2012)
Cultural genocide fans self-immolations – Dalai Lama (07 Nov 2011)
