Tibet - Another Monk Sets Himself Afire

A Tibetan monk set fire to himself on Wednesday in the town of Rongwo in the Chinese province of Qinghai to protest rule by Beijing, according to Free Tibet, an advocacy group in London. The monk, Jamyang Palden, who set himself on fire in a square in front of the Rongwo Monastery, is believed to have survived. He was said to be in his 30s. The authorities took him to a hospital, but monks brought him back to the monastery for fear that he would be arrested, Free Tibet said.

At least 27 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze in the last year, and at least 18 have died. About 500 monks gathered in the square after the self-immolation on Wednesday, and some held up pictures of the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of the Tibetans, Free Tibet said. The International Campaign for Tibet, another advocacy group, said its sources had confirmed the self-immolation, which took place about 9 a.m. Rongwo is in the county of Rebkong, called Tongren in Chinese, an area on the border of Tibetan and ethnic Han lands.