Another Tibetan man has died in the third self-immolation in four days, Voice of America reports. Fifty-seven year-old Dorjee Rinchen set himself on fire near the Labrang Monastery in Gansu. A day earlier, a 61-year-old farmer, Dhondup, also self-immolated near the monastery. On Saturday, another man set himself on fire elsewhere in Gansu. These deaths bring the total of self-immolations since 2009 to 58, according to exiled Tibetan groups, though the exact number differs by source. From the VOA report:
Witnesses say 57-year-old Dorjee Rinchen set himself on fire Tuesday outside of the military headquarters in Labrang, not far from highly respected Labrang Monastery. They say onlookers shielded Rinchen’s burning body from Chinese authorities to make sure it could be returned to his family.
Activists say Rinchen was well-respected and had been the appointed leader of the village of Sayue. He leaves behind a wife, a son and a daughter.
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The monastery is located in China’s northwestern Gansu province and was the scene of deadly protests against Chinese rule in 2008.
Free Tibet and International Campaign for Tibet have both compiled lists of 58 self-immolators since February 2009. Read more about these cases via CDT.
