Tibetan monk in Kathmandu becomes 100th to set himself alight
Exiled man's protest against China's 'oppression' shocks tourists at a restaurant in Kathmandu
A Tibetan monk doused himself in petrol and set himself on fire in a Kathmandu tourist area yesterday - the 100th self-immolation attempt in a wave of protests against Chinese rule since 2009.
Police spokesman Keshav Adhikari said the exile burned himself at a restaurant near Kathmandu's Boudhanath Stupa, one of the world's holiest Buddhist shrines, terrifying tourists who were having breakfast.
"At around 8.20am, a man in his early 20s arrived at a restaurant, went to the toilet and poured petrol over his body and set himself alight," he said.
At around 8.20am, a man in his early 20s arrived at a restaurant, went to the toilet and poured petrol over his body and set himself alight
He was taken to hospital in a critical condition. "His entire body was caught in the flames. At the hospital he tried to speak but couldn't," Adhikari said.
The officer said it was not yet clear if the man had been shouting slogans protesting against China's rule in Tibet when he set himself alight. The Tibetan government in exile, based in the Indian town of Dharamshala in the foothills of the Himalayas, previously put the total of self-immolation attempts since 2009 at 99, with 83 of them ending in death.
The wave of protests, most cases of which occur in Tibetan-inhabited areas of China, are seen as a sign of desperation in the community over perceived religious persecution.
Before yesterday's case, the prime minister of the Tibetan exile government, Lobsang Sangay, blamed Chinese authorities and called for the international community to take note.