[The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said in an email that Dorje Rinchen, a farmer in his late 50s, set himself on fire Tuesday on the main street in Xiahe and died later. China's official Xinhua News Agency also reported that a 58-year-old man died after self-immolating Tuesday afternoon in Xiahe near the Labrang Monastery, but did not provide his name.]
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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| Exiled Tibetan monks in India hold a vigil after this week's first self-immolation near the Labrang monastery. BBC photo |
BEIJING (AP) — A Tibetan farmer has died after setting himself on fire in remote northwest China, in the second self-immolation death near the Labrang Monastery in two days and the latest of dozens of such anti-China protests by Tibetans.
The monastery in Gansu province's Xiahe county is one of the most important outside of Tibet, and was the site of numerous protests by monks following deadly ethnic violence in Tibet in 2008 that was the most sustained Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in decades.
The Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet said in an email that Dorje Rinchen, a farmer in his late 50s, set himself on fire Tuesday on the main street in Xiahe and died later. China's official Xinhua News Agency also reported that a 58-year-old man died after self-immolating Tuesday afternoon in Xiahe near the Labrang Monastery, but did not provide his name.
Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves on fire since March 2011 in ethnic Tibetan areas of China to protest what activists say is Beijing's heavy-handed rule in the region. Many have called for the return of the Dalai Lama, their exiled spiritual leader. The government has confirmed only some of the self-immolations.
China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday reiterated its claim that supporters of the Dalai Lama have been inciting the immolations.
"In order to achieve their separatist goal, the Dalai clique has showed no hesitation in inciting self-immolations," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a regular press briefing. "This is despicable and deserves people's condemnation."
The Dalai Lama and representatives of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile in India say they oppose all violence.
Chinese authorities routinely deny Tibetan claims of repression and have accused supporters of the Dalai Lama of encouraging the self-immolations.
Following Tuesday's incident, International Campaign for Tibet sent a photo allegedly showing Dorje wrapped in blankets after the immolation, his neck and head badly charred and swollen. It was not clear whether he was still alive when the blurry, poorly lit picture was taken.
Two other photos obtained by the London-based Free Tibet group that appeared to be taken by someone on the sidewalk in front of Dorje show his body engulfed in flames. One shows him mid-sprint, his entire frame covered in flames except for one leg. The other shows him still in flames but lying face down on the paved street.
Free Tibet said the self-immolation occurred in front of the Xiahe Public Security Bureau. A woman who answered the phone at the bureau refused to answer questions about the self-immolation and the phone of the local Communist Party propaganda office rang unanswered Wednesday. The number for the Labrang Monastery appeared to not be in service.
On Monday, a Tibetan herdsman died after setting himself on fire near the monastery.
[The U.N. estimates their number at 800,000. But the government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic groups, and so — like Bangladesh — denies them citizenship. Human rights groups say racism also plays a role: Many Rohingya, who speak a distinct Bengali dialect and resemble Muslim Bangladeshis, have darker skin and are heavily discriminated against.]
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Skirmishes between Muslims and Buddhists in western Myanmar have spread to two new districts where authorities are struggling to douse flames from burning homes, the government said Wednesday.
Rakhine state spokesman Myo Thant said clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists — reported in other parts of the coastal region Sunday — engulfed the townships of Kyaukphyu and Myebon late Tuesday.
The unrest is some of the worst reported in the region since violence swept the area in June after the alleged rape and murder of a Buddhist woman by three Muslim men in late May. Although clashes have been rare since then, tensions have simmered in part because the government has failed to find any long-term solution to the crisis other than segregating the two communities in some areas.
The skirmishes this week began Sunday in Minbyar and Mrauk-U districts, both located north of the regional capital, Sittwe. The government says up to three people were killed and more than 1,000 homes burned down.
Myo Thant said fighting began Tuesday in Kyaukphyu and Myebon and continued Wednesday.
"Houses are burning and clashes between the two communities are ongoing," Myo Thant said. "The most important thing is to put out the fires. We are trying to control the situation."
Kyaukphyu and Myebon are located about 95 kilometers (60 miles) and 50 kilometers (30 miles) south and east of Sittwe, respectively.
There was no immediate word on whether there were any casualties in the two townships, and Myo Thant had no details on the extent of arson attacks there.
The crisis in Myanmar's west goes back decades and is rooted in a dispute over where the region's Muslim inhabitants are from. Although many Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations, they are widely denigrated as foreigners — intruders who came from neighboring Bangladesh to steal scarce land.
The U.N. estimates their number at 800,000. But the government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic groups, and so — like Bangladesh — denies them citizenship. Human rights groups say racism also plays a role: Many Rohingya, who speak a distinct Bengali dialect and resemble Muslim Bangladeshis, have darker skin and are heavily discriminated against.
The conflict has proven to be a major challenge for the government of President Thein Sein, which has embarked on democratic reforms since a half century of military rule ended in 2011.
Clashes in June in Rakhine state left more than 90 people dead and 3,000 homes destroyed. Today, there are about 70,000 displaced from the conflict, mostly Muslims. The two communities are now almost completely segregated in towns such as Sittwe, where the Rakhine are able to roam freely while the Rohingya are mostly confined to a series of camps outside the city center.
[The Prime Minister, in a message on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami festival today, stated that durable peace, stability and new constitution are the common aspirations of all the Nepalis home and abroad and underlined the need of support and cooperation from all sides to meet such aspirations.]
KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai has extended hearty best wishes for peace, happiness and prosperity of all the Nepali people within the country and abroad on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami-2069 BS.
The Prime Minister, in a message on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami festival today, stated that durable peace, stability and new constitution are the common aspirations of all the Nepalis home and abroad and underlined the need of support and cooperation from all sides to meet such aspirations.
Similarly, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress senior leader Sher Bahadur Deuba has extended best wishes to all the Nepalis home and abroad on the same occasion.
In the Vijaya Dashami greetings today, leader Deuba has wished that this festival may bring peace, prosperity and happiness among the Nepalis and inspire them to promote mutual amity and trust. "The nation is passing through hard times and may such transition end soon with the promulgation of democratic constitution", Deuba said in his message.
