DHARMSALA, India (AP) -- Chinese repression has lead to the self-immolations of nearly two dozen Tibetans and deadly clashes with Chinese authorities, the head of Tibet's government-in-exile said Wednesday.
"Tibetans inside Tibet are giving up their lives. They're saying, 'I choose to die,'" Lobsang Sangay, the leader of the self-declared exile government, said after an afternoon prayer vigil at the main temple in this Indian hill town.
China on Tuesday vowed to crack down on unrest in Tibetan areas and accused overseas activist groups and the Dalai Lama of fomenting the recent violence.
More than a dozen monks and nuns have set themselves on fire in ethnic Tibetan areas of Sichuan over the last year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Early Wednesday, hundreds of Tibetan activists marched through the streets of New Delhi, calling for freedom for their homeland and decrying Chinese rule. The government-in-exile had called for vigils to be held Wednesday amid the immolations and clashes.
(33 images)
"Tibetans inside Tibet are giving up their lives. They're saying, 'I choose to die,'" Lobsang Sangay, the leader of the self-declared exile government, said after an afternoon prayer vigil at the main temple in this Indian hill town.
China on Tuesday vowed to crack down on unrest in Tibetan areas and accused overseas activist groups and the Dalai Lama of fomenting the recent violence.
More than a dozen monks and nuns have set themselves on fire in ethnic Tibetan areas of Sichuan over the last year. Most have chanted for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Early Wednesday, hundreds of Tibetan activists marched through the streets of New Delhi, calling for freedom for their homeland and decrying Chinese rule. The government-in-exile had called for vigils to be held Wednesday amid the immolations and clashes.
(33 images)
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Tibetan monks and supporters throw dust in the air in honor of the dead monks and protesters self-immolated or killed in clashes with Chinese security forces during a vigil in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012. Lobsang Sangay, the head of Tibet's government-in-exile, called for worldwide vigils on Wednesday, following a series of self-immolations and bloody clashes between Tibetans and Chinese forces. AP / Wally Santana
Continue reading Tibet's government-in-exile, calls for worldwide vigils.
