Refrain from self-immolation, says Tibetan administration

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Friday appealed to Tibetans to refrain from extreme measures including self-immolation.

"We have repeatedly appealed to the Tibetans not to take drastic actions, including self-immolation," said a CTA statement here.

CTA officials told IANS that another self-immolation was reported in Tibet this week, which takes the total number of self-immolations to 119 since 2009.

A Tibetan nun set herself on fire in Tawu county in Karze in eastern Tibet Tuesday, says the CTA quoting media reports and human rights groups.

The nun set fire to herself outside Nyatso monastery where thousands of monks from different monasteries are taking part in a religious gathering.

According to the CTA, the people in Tibet have been killing themselves to protest "Beijing's repressive policies and demand the return of the Dalai Lama to his homeland".

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, now touring Australia, told the media there that "the situation is very, very sad (in Tibet)".

"These drastic actions are the symptom of a cause, which the Chinese authorities should investigate and take steps to resolve," he said in Sydney Thursday.

The Dalai Lama lives in exile along some 140,000 Tibetans, over 100,000 of them in India. Over six million Tibetans live in Tibet.

The Tibetan exile administration is based in this northern Indian hill town but is not recognised by any country.