Hundreds of people have been detained in Lhasa after two men set themselves on fire in the Tibetan regional capital, a US-based broadcaster said, as a young mother became the latest Tibetan to self-immolate.
Radio Free Asia said Chinese security forces had rounded up hundreds of residents and pilgrims in the wake of Sunday’s incident, the first major protest in the heavily guarded city since deadly anti-government riots in 2008.
It quoted a local source as saying about 600 Tibetans had been detained and those from outside the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) had been expelled.
Foreign journalists cannot go to the TAR without special permission and the report could not be independently confirmed. A security official in Lhasa said by telephone that she did not know anything about the reported detentions.
On Wednesday, a Tibetan mother of three self-immolated in front of a monastery in Sichuan Province’s Aba County, where many of the protests have taken place, Free Tibet and Radio Free Asia reported.
Free Tibet, a London-based campaign group, said the woman was in her mid-30s and died at the scene.
More than 30 people have set themselves on fire in Tibetan-inhabited areas of China since the start of March last year in protest at what they say is religious and cultural repression by the Chinese authorities.
Sunday’s protest took place as Lhasa was filled with Tibetan Buddhist pilgrims who had traveled to the city to celebrate Saga Dawa — the anniversary of Buddha’s birth.
Two Tibetan men, who were both from outside the TAR, set themselves on fire in front of the famed Jokhang Temple, a popular pilgrimage destination in the center of the city.
Police immediately put out the flames and one of the two men survived, according to Xinhua news agency. His current whereabouts are not known.
Sunday’s incident was the first of its kind in the Tibetan capital, which has been under tight security since the 2008 riots.
The state-run Tibet Daily yesterday reported that a senior Chinese Communist Party official had ordered authorities to crack down on “criminal activities” in Lhasa and on rumors spread via mobile phone and the Internet.
Residents of Lhasa said the city was under even tighter security than usual following Sunday’s protest, with police and paramilitary officers out in force, although the streets were calm.
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
The partisan standoff over President William Lai’s (賴清德) proposed defense budget has raised questions about the nation’s ability to adequately fund its own defense, the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a report released on Tuesday. The report, titled Taiwan: Defense and Military Issues, said the government has increased its defense budget at an average annual rate of 5 percent from 2019 to 2023, with about 2.5 percent of its GDP spent on defense in 2024. Lai in November last year proposed a special budget of about US$40 billion over eight years, and said he intends to increase defense spending to
RSS