Kirti Monastery Stupa, Sichuan, China
Self-immolation by Tibetan Buddhist monks had not been used as a sign of protest since the 1990s, until this past week during the Tibetan New Year, when a monk set fire to himself in western China. Reports indicate that immediately after the monk set himself on fire, police officers fired three shots, and the monk collapsed. It is unclear if the shots injured or killed the man, who was taken away by the police. The monk was living at the Kirti Monastery, which in the past has staged demonstrations for Tibet’s independence. All across Tibet, and in areas of China with large ethnic Tibetan populations, police presence has increased due to the fact that the 50th Anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama is soon approaching. Click here for more.
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