A Tibetan man sets himself on fire Thursday evening near the Kirti Monastery of Ngaba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan province.
Sources tell VOA that the action was an apparent protest against Chinese rule. This is the second self-immolation this year, making the total number of known self-immolators since February 2009 to 127 Tibetans from various parts of Tibet.
Palden, a Tibetan exile who has close contacts in the area, tells VOA's Tibetan service that there are not many details known about Thursday's self-immolation, including the man's name, his whereabouts, or weather he is dead or alive.
Tibetan sources also say that a number of Chinese security personnel have arrived in the area and local communications lines have been reportedly restricted. The Tibetan Administration in Dharmsala has urged Tibetans not to take such drastic actions, and the U.S. government has called on China to resolve the Tibetan issue with a resumption of dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama.
Chinese officials have not commented on Thursday's self-immolation.