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UK parliament hears Tibet question

Leading rights activist voices concern over suicides of Dalai Lama followers
UK parliament hears Tibet question
Published: October 20, 2011 03:50 AM GMT
Updated: October 20, 2011 07:21 AM GMT

The Catholic peer Lord Alton tabled a question in the House of Lords yesterday asking the British government about the recent deaths of four followers of the Dalai Lama in Tibet. Lord Alton, a noted rights activist, is also asking whether the government has raised the issue with Beijing. The latest death – of a 20-year-old nun -- was on Monday near Ngaba Town. In the past seven months, according to the Free Tibet organization, three men have also died. They are among eight people who have set themselves on fire in eastern Tibet. The first victim was a monk who died after setting himself on fire on March 16 in Ngaba. On August 15 another monk burned himself to death, this time in Tawu, about 150 km away. Then on September 26, two monks aged 18 were badly burned when they set fire to themselves in Ngaba. One is the brother of the first man to die. On October 3 a monk aged 18 was badly burned and four days later two former monks aged 18 and 19 set themselves on fire in Ngaba. The 18-year-old died. On October 15 a former monk aged 19 suffered severe burns. All were shouting demands for the return of the Dalai Lama as they burned. The whereabouts of the survivors is not known. “It is now evident there are many courageous young Tibetans who are determined to draw global attention to one of the world’s greatest and longest-standing human rights crises,” Free Tibet said yesterday. “Rumors are circulating that dozens of monks are now ready to sacrifice their lives.” Free Tibet is organizing a protest march on Saturday from the Chinese embassy in London to the prime minister’s residence, 10 Downing Street.

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