Two Tibetan teenagers self-immolate and die
A Free Tibet candlelit display showing the pictures of Tibetans who died of self immolation is seen during a protest in front of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on February 22, 2012.
Two Tibetan teenagers died today after self-immolating in protest of China's occupation of Tibet.
Free Tibet reported: "Lobsang Kalsang, an 18-year-old monk, and Damchoek, a 17-year-old former monk, set themselves alight outside Kirti Monastery in Ngaba."
Free Radio Asia said witnesses heard the two denounce China's rule of Tibet as they burned.
"Witnesses saw them run about 20 steps with their bodies on fire, and then they fell to the ground," two monks in India said, according to the BBC.
China's state media rarely reports on self-immolations. Activist say since March 2011, about 51 Tibetans have set fire to themselves. This number could not be confirmed.
Yesterday, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Beijing needed to "meet the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people within China to protect their human rights, to protect their way of life, and to work on these issues through dialogue."
The story you just read is available for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll get us one step closer to our goal of raising $25,000 by June 14. We need your help now more than ever!