A Tibetan woman has killed herself by self-immolation three kilometers outside Ngaba County of eastern Tibet (Chinese: Aba County, Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province) on Monday around 1PM local time, said Tibetan exile sources with contacts in the area.
Tenzin Wangmo, the 20-year-old nun of Mame Dechen Chokorling nunnery (also known as Mame nunnery), called for the return of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibet when she set herself on fire. She is reported to have died at the scene. The nun was from Nyitse family of Shakoma village in Ngaba.
The same sources say Chinese authorities have intensified military presence at Mame nunnery and the local town.
It is the ninth such self-immolation incident since March.
On Saturday, a Tibetan man set himself on fire Saturday to protest China's tight grip over religious practices in Tibet.
Tensions have bristled in eastern Tibet since the March protest and the later disappearance of some 300 monks whom witnesses said were rounded up by authorities and taken to undisclosed locations. Beijing acknowledged the disappearances in June, saying the detained monks were undergoing "legal education."
The U.S. State Department said last week that Washington is concerned about recent self-immolation of Tibetan monks, and the clear anger and frustration this trend represents. Washington has repeatedly urged China to respect Tibet's unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity.
China routinely rejects such warnings, calling them an interference in its internal affairs.