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Another monk sets himself ablaze

Published:Thursday | October 27, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Buddhist monks make their way on a sidewalk of a flooded road near Mahathat temple in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. Flood waters inched closer to a terminal at the Thai capital's second largest airport yesterday, leading many who had sought refuge at a shelter there to flee amid warnings that parts of Bangkok could be inundated by up to 5 feet (1.5 metres) of water. - AP

BEIJING (AP):

A British human-rights group says another Tibetan Buddhist monk has set himself on fire in a protest against Chinese rule over the Himalayan region in the 10th self-immolation this year.

The monk set himself ablaze early Tuesday outside a Tibetan monastery in southwestern Sichuan province's Ganzi prefecture, the London-based Free Tibet group said in a statement.

Immolation condemned

The group said it was unable to confirm the monk's age or name. It was unsure of his condition and whereabouts.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday that the ministry had noted reports about the alleged incident, but was unable to confirm it had happened.

The ministry has condemned the immolations and accuses Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama, and his supporters of encouraging them. Jiang reiterated the government stance, telling reporters at a regular press briefing that "inciting people to kill themselves in such a cruel manner is a violent and terrorist activity".

At least nine Tibetans in their late teens and 20s have self-immolated since March, with five or more of them dying from their injuries. All but one of those occurred in Aba, a town in Sichuan near Tibet that has been the site of a series of protests.