Tibetan monk sets himself on fire to protest Chinese rule

The 26-year old unidentified Buddhist monk set himself on fire near Boudhha Stupa on the outskirt of the capital while shouting anti-Chinese and 'Free Tibet' slogans as hundreds of onlookers gathered around the monk.

Some five to six Tibetans tried to extinguish the fire, according to the police. The monk was adminsitered first-aid treatment by his friends. He received partial burn injuries. The police said the Tibetan is out of danger.

Sporadic anti-China protests have been observed in the capital in recent weeks. The Tibetans have been protesting the crackdown by Chinese government in Tibet, where at least ten Tibetans have set themselves on fire demanding religious and political freedom.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans and the exiled community has intensified their anti-China protest in Nepal in the last few years, amid stepped up pressure on the government from Beijing to halt such activities. During the recent visit by a Chinese delegation led by Liu Qi, a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of China, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had underlined his government's "one-China policy" that views Tibet as an integral part of China.

He made it clear that Nepal would not allow any activity directed against the northern neighbour on its soil. Every year some 2,500 Tibetans illegally enter Nepal, crossing Tibetan border on their way to Dharamshala to meet the Dalai Lama.