Chinese police kill Tibetan after two set themselves on fire – report

 

Police in far western China have beaten a Tibetan man to death during a clash after two of his compatriots set themselves on fire, the US broadcaster Radio Free Asia said on Tuesday.
The violence occurred on Monday in Sichuan province's Aba prefecture, where dozens of self-immolations have taken place over several years. The area, home to the influential Kirti monastery, has been flooded with security forces but they have been unable to stop the protests.
Radio Free Asia said in an emailed statement that a Kirti monk named Lungtok and another man identified as Tashi set themselves alight on Monday evening. It cited a Tibetan in the Aba area who was not identified by name and other unidentified people inside Tibet.
The report said a large number of police tried to clear the protest site and ended up fighting Tibetans. One man was beaten to death, the station said, but gave no other details. There was no way to independently confirm the report.
Radio Free Asia said the two men who self-immolated were taken to a hospital by Chinese security forces and their condition was unknown.
Nearly 50 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China since 2009, with many shouting anti-government slogans and calling for the return of their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. At least 17 have been monks or former monks from Kirti, according to the International Campaign for Tibet.
In January a series of clashes in Sichuan left six Tibetans dead, according to activist groups – Chinese authorities said two rioters were killed.
China is entering a sensitive period, with the top leaders of the ruling Communist party set to change by the end of this year.