104 Tibetans, including 20 minors, have set themselves on fire since 2008More self-immolations in Tibet in protest of what they see as Chinese occupation, this time two teenagers. AsiaNews has the story:
Dharamsala (AsiaNews / Agencies) – Two young Tibetan teenagers set themselves on fire and died in Ngaba (Sichuan Province), calling for the end of the Chinese regime and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. Rinchen (pictured) and Sonam Dargye – these are their names – were 17 and 18 years old and lived in the city of Kyantsa. Radio Free Asia (RFA) report the incident occurred yesterday afternoon. The victims died on the spot and their bodies were immediately taken away by their families.
Of the104 Tibetans who from 2008 to present have chosen to set themselves on fire, at least 20 are young people of 18 years of age or minors. According to Dicki Chhoyang, Information and International Relations Minister of the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, "he self-immolations are sending an unequivocal message to the world about the gravity of the situation in Tibet."