A Tibetan monk set himself on fire and died on Monday in southwest China, state media and a witness said, months after another self-immolation in the restive area sparked a crackdown by authorities.The 29-year-old monk set himself on fire in Sichuan province's Daofu county and died of his injuries, the official Xinhua news agency reported, quoting local authorities. A hotel receptionist near the scene confirmed the incident.
"I saw a monk lying on the ground and burning, he died right in front of the county government building. Before setting himself on fire, he was distributing leaflets," the receptionist, who refused to be named, told AFP over the phone.
An official at the Daofu government office refused to comment when contacted by AFP.
Many Tibetans in this area of Sichuan bristle against what they say is repressive Chinese rule -- a claim Beijing denies -- and the region has experienced several bouts of unrest over the past few years.
According to the London-based Free Tibet rights group, the monk -- called Tsewang Norbu -- came from the Nyitso monastery. He drank petrol, sprayed himself with the flammable liquid and set himself on fire, the group said.
He was heard calling out "We Tibetan people want freedom", "Long live the Dalai Lama", and "Let the Dalai Lama return to Tibet" before he died, it added.
This is the second reported self-immolation this year in this area of Sichuan, where many monks revere the Dalai Lama -- Tibet's spiritual leader -- who fled China in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
