An 18-year-old Tibetan woman has been confirmed dead after she set herself on fire Saturday evening in Raruwa township of Ngaba County in eastern Tibet (Chinese: Aba County, Aba Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province).
Tibetan exile sources say Tenzin Choedron, a nun of Mame nunnery shouted slogans against the Chinese government when set herself ablaze.
Reports say police came and immediately took Choedron towards Barkham (Ngaba prefecture).
Chinese authorities have intensified military presence at Mame nunnery, according to the same sources.
Mame nunnery is the largest nunnery in Ngaba with about 350 nuns. In March 2008, Mame nuns staged a protest into the county town carrying a portrait of the Dalai Lama before them, after which many nuns were arrested, detained and sentenced to imprisonment.
22 people have burned themselves since March last year in desperate protests against China's growing repression of Tibetans.
The immolations that have taken place mark a dramatic escalation in the tactics opposing Beijing’s rule, and the Chinese government has been very critical of the actions.
The Chinese government has condemned the self-immolations, calling them a form of terrorism. Beijing has also accused Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of supporting such acts.
The Dalai Lama has denied encouraging self-immolations. In an interview with the BBC television last year, the 76-year-old Buddhist leader said those who set themselves on fire were brave, but that their sacrifice was not wise because it resulted in a tougher crackdown by the Chinese authorities.
The Dalai Lama fled into India in 1959 and has lived in exile for more than 50 years after fleeing a failed revolt against Chinese rule in Tibet.
Tibetans have long sought greater freedom from Beijing's rule, with some seeking complete independence and others wanting greater autonomy within China.
