KATHMANDU: A pair of teenage Tibetans passed away on Monday after setting themselves on fire outside the Kirti monastery the predominantly Tibetan area in Sichuan province as part of their protest against Chinese policies, the London-based Free Tibet group said in a statement. The two self-immolations raise the total number of Tibetans who have set themselves ablaze to over 50, the rights advocacy group for Tibet said. The two deaths were an 18-year-old monk and a 17-year-old former monk. They are the 50th and 51st self-immolations by Tibetans since the community began setting themselves on fire in 2009, in what Tibetans here in Nepal say is “a last resort for our struggle. We have nothing else to do and this is the only way to get attention.” At least 25 of those who have set themselves on fire have perished as a result, Free Tibet said. “Free Tibet has grave concerns for the well being of the hundreds of Tibetans who we know are in detention following protests,” Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said in comments published by Reuters news agency. China largely refuses to answer questions related to the immolations and has dubbed those setting themselves on fire “terrorists” and criminals. The Beijing government has condemned the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community, as promoting the self-immolations, despite the Dalai Lama urging Tibetans not to set themselves on fire and using other protest methods.
