Tibetan Nun Sets Self Ablaze

Woman dies after 9th clergy self-immolation since March
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 18, 2011 6:00 AM CDT
Tibetan Nun Sets Self Ablaze
Exiled Tibetan Buddhist monks carry portraits of Tibetans who have self-immolated themselves in Tibet this year, during a protest rally in Dharmsala, India, last week.   (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

A Tibetan nun protesting China's policies has died after setting herself on fire outside a nunnery in Sichuan province, the Free Tibet group says. The 20-year-old woman, who called for religious freedom in Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama, is the ninth Buddhist clergy member—and the first woman—to set herself on fire since March to protest China's policies, CNN reports. Five have died.

In a separate incident, two Tibetans were shot and injured during a protest outside a police station yesterday, according to Free Tibet. "The acts of self-immolation are not taking place in isolation, protests have been reported in the surrounding region, and calls for wider protests are growing," the group says. Chinese government officials in the region contacted by the AP said they knew nothing about the incidents. The officials refused to provide their names or titles, saying they weren't allowed to speak to foreign media. (More Tibetans stories.)

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