Two Tibetans set themselves on fire in China

The latest acts of self-immolation bring the number of extreme protests against religious controls imposed by the Chinese government to 14 since March 2011. At least six of the incidents have been fatal.

Eyewitnesses saw a man set himself on fire near the Kirti Monastery in the Sichuan province. Reportedly the man called for the return of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, before Chinese security forces put out the flames and removed him. The condition of the man was not known.

A second self-immolation happened nearby however it is reported the person died on the scene before security forces arrived.

Chinese officials branded the self-immolators "terrorists" and said the Dalai Lama, whom it condemns as a supporter of violent separatism, should take the blame for the "immoral" burnings.

Other Tibetans have set themselves on fire in the past 10 months, most of them Buddhist monks, nuns and some former clergy. These extreme acts of protest call for the freedom of Tibet and the return of the 76-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled to India in 1959.

For the Chinese government, the protests are a small but destabilizing challenge to its regional policies, which it says have lifted Tibetans out of poverty and servitude.

The Dalai Lama has not condemned or condoned the burnings but said the desperate conditions Tibetans face under Beijing's rigid controls in what amounted to "cultural genocide" have led to the spate of self-immolations. He denied that he supports violence and separatism and insists he wants real autonomy for his homeland.

China has ruled Tibet since troops marched in 1950 and says Tibetans are free to practice their Buddhist faith. However, since then Tibetians have struggled to gain autonomy as they accuse the Chinese government of repression and human right violations,