A Tibetan exile doused himself with gas and set himself on fire during a protest at the Jantar Mantar Observatory in Delhi, a day before a visit by the Chinese president to India. More than 500 demonstrations marched across the city of Delhi, protesting against the visit by the Chinese premier, Hu Jintao, who attended a two-day economic summit in the capital with leaders from Brazil, Russia, and South Africa.

The man was identified as Jampa Yeshi, 27, who had been living in New Delhi for the past two years. Almost 85 percent of Yeshi’s body was burnt from the fire. By the time his fellow protesters attempted to extinguish the flames, his clothes had disintegrated, and his skin was mottled with black patches. He was taken to the hospital.

The Tibetans say that the Chinese crackdown against Tibet is so cruel that there is no other alternative to show their resentment than self-immolation. Dhondup Lhadar, an activist at the Tibetan Youth Congress, said, “Martyr Jampa Yeshi’s sacrifice will be written in golden words in [the] annals of our freedom struggle.”

In recent days, the Tibetan protests against China have increased dramatically with 30 acts of self-immolation inside Tibet over the last 15 months, their agony growing because of Chinese dominance over Tibet. China says that Tibet is an integral part of its territory, whereas the Tibetans say that the Himalayan region has been virtually independent for centuries.

Geographically, Tibet is located in the northeast by the Central Plain of China with Kashmir, India in the west and Nepal, India and Bhutan in the south. China fervently claims that Tibet has been a part of China from the mid-thirteenth century, so it should be ruled by China. China believes that Tibet has remained part of its territory since the Yuan Dynasty.

However, the Tibetans accuse China of suppressing their culture, heritage, freedom of expression, and most importantly, their freedom to worship however they please. The Tibetan government is in exile in India.

The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet amid a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, has blamed China’s ‘ruthless policy’ for the acts of self-immolation. The Dalai Lama won the Noble Peace Prize for his efforts in 1989. Beijing faces the heat of resentment, not just from Tibet, but from Taiwan and the Uighur Muslims from the Xinjiang Province in China.

The article Tibetan Man Performs Self-Immolation appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Rescue efforts are well underway in the Himalayan state of Sikkim, the epicenter of an earthquake that shook parts of Tibet, Nepal and Bangladesh on Sunday, September 17. The quake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, has taken the lives of 118 people and injured many more.

Helicopters are being used to deliver food as well as relief material to affected areas within Sikkim. At least 5,000 people are being sheltered in government camps. The Teesta Hydro Electro Project employees feared dead have mostly been counted for and 400 tourists stranded in the remote North have been rescued.

“Rescue workers have now reached most of the villages that had been inaccessible since the quake on Sunday, “ said government spokesman K.S. Topgay. Power in quake epicenter Mangan (district capital of North Sikkim) has been restored, but roads beyond that have been badly affected making it difficult to reach the interior.

Medical teams are being flown in with food and medical supplies, but nine villages still remain completely cut off. Sikkim falls within Zone IV, a high damage risk zone, of the seismological map of the Indian subcontinent.

State finance minister Badal Choudhury said, “Central government should set up at least one station in each of the capitals of all the eight northeastern states with an adequate number of NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) personnel.” Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram also visited the quake-hit areas on Thursday to review the situation.

He said that the prime motive was to provide relief to the 5,000 – 6,000 survivors in camps, and to restore connectivity and water supply. The overall death toll has risen to 118, including 75 in the Himalayan state, while West Bengal has reported 15 deaths, nine in Bihar, 11 in Nepal, seven in Tibet and one in Bhutan.

Tibetan Spiritual leader, H.H. The Dalai Lama has donated 500,000 rupees to affected areas. “I was saddened to learn about the loss of life and damage to property that the recent earthquake has caused across isolated Himalayan regions, particularly in Sikkim.

I offer my sympathy and condolences to all those families, who have been directly affected by what I understand is one of the worst earthquakes in recent memory,” His Holiness said in his letter dated September 20, 2011. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and repairs to the area will cost an estimated $22 billion.

Sikkim is the least populous area in India. Many tourists are drawn to the area for it’s Buddhist monasteries and adventure activities. Sikkim experienced a 3.8 tremor around 10:15 pm Thursday night. East Sikkim district collector D Anandan said, “People came out on the roads and were afraid to go back inside their homes.”

Unfortunately, monsoon weather continues to interfere with rescue efforts to the mountainous region.

The article Rescue Efforts Drudge On After 6.8 Himalayan Earthquake appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.