Tibetan Self-Immolation: Nun Qiu Xiang Dies After Setting Herself On Fire

BEIJING -- A Buddhist nun died after setting herself on fire Thursday, Chinese state media reported, in the 11th case of self-immolation among Tibetans in western China in recent months.

The official Xinhua News Agency said it was unclear why the woman, about 35 years old and identified as Qiu Xiang, killed herself along a road in Sichuan province's Garze prefecture.

But the nine other men and one women who have set themselves on fire since March were seen as having acted in protest to Chinese restrictions on the Tibetan religion and culture.

Xinhua said the local government was investigating the latest case. Phone calls to Garze authorities rang unanswered Thursday evening.

Although there is no tradition of self-immolation as a form of protest in Tibetan society, the suicides are seen as a sign of growing desperation in the ethnically Tibetan region, where tensions have been running high since massive anti-government protests in 2008.

Most ignited the flames while calling for Tibetan freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama, who fled to India amid an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Aged in their late teens and twenties, at least six died of their injuries, while the condition of the others is not known.

(This version Corrects to say in 3rd paragraph only one other woman self-immolated since March.)

Comments

[trekie70]

11:33 PM on 11/07/2011

Seems like to me that setting oneself on fire is self-defeating. The wording of the article's title makes it seem almost like her death was unexpected.

[annedyth]

01:06 PM on 11/07/2011

Setting yourself on fire like she did, takes both desperation and guts. I don't think I'd ever have the
nerve to do it to myself....

[Left-Populist]

02:23 AM on 11/07/2011

No s*it sherlock

[bbertaud]

08:44 PM on 11/06/2011

That's what celibacy does to people.....

[firstamendment3]

03:22 PM on 11/06/2011

This gives me an idea for "hot" nuns of Buddhism calendar.

[xiaozhang]

06:51 PM on 11/04/2011

All civilizations have expansionist tendencies, and China hasn't been an exception. This is the same sort of thing that's been going on throughout history. The Tibetans could not contend with China, and they lost out. They need to get over themselves.

[Mr Anonymous]

07:42 PM on 11/05/2011

I'd like to see you go over there and say that to them and see what happens.

Hey, you don't even need to go to China, just go to the closest reservation and see what they have to say about. I hope you make it off the rez if you have the cojones to do it.

[Stephen G Ford]

06:25 AM on 11/06/2011

One more SCALP nailed to the wall won't make that much DIFFERENCE... but seeing this "PERSON'S" posts I think that if ANYONE needs to have theirs REMOVED... it's a VERY GOOD candidate!

[Stephen G Ford]

06:24 AM on 11/06/2011

You better MOVE there then... and show those POOR MISGUIDED people what they need to do to deal with being SUBJUGATED! If NOT... you're a COWARD! *SMOOCH*

[bigtalk111]

03:30 PM on 11/04/2011

If a Muslim sets himself on fire in front of the Iraqi or Afghan Embassy in Washington, DC, and shouts "Allahu Akbar, god is great, free Afghanistan, free Iraq" I'm willing to bet 90% of Americans would be saying "good riddance, another extremist gone, at least he didn't take anyone with him."

So why would a Buddhist doing the same against China be any different?

[Andy Jon Anderson]

10:13 PM on 11/04/2011

you basically said it yourself ... if one commits suicide for a cause without intentionally meaning others harm it can invoke sympathy among any public or nation. the key here is martyrdom without murder. If your hypothetical statement did occur it should invoke the same entities for either zealot. You are just helping the spread of intolerance, for and towards all peoples, by making resent filled comments. All nations should be free but it will come from cooperation not condescension.

[bigtalk111]

05:01 PM on 11/05/2011

The thing is this: When people set themselves on fire protesting against the US government, Americans laugh at them and say "good riddance". At least no one in China says "good riddance" to Tibetans. I'm not spreading intolerance, I'm just reminding you that Americans aren't so good and holy.

[iLdoRight]

07:16 AM on 11/04/2011

Well, I hope she learned her lesson and won't do that again. Sorry, some religious thinking can be deadly, better she would have considered "true" Christianity as an option.

[ZenGardner]

09:37 AM on 11/04/2011

Half of me said, "Shame on you" Half of me chuckled. And half of me agreed.

[Mr Anonymous]

07:47 PM on 11/05/2011

"True" Christianity? How is Christianity any more true than Jewish or Muslim beliefs? They all pray to the same god. How is it more true than Native Amerian Church, Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, or any number of religions throughout the world?

Just because you happened to be born to christians and grew up in the church it doesn't mean that your religion is any better or more right.

[iLdoRight]

08:37 PM on 11/05/2011

The best way for you to find the answer to your question is to get a recorded audio copy of the Bible and listen to it all the way through several times, paying attention to all the differences between what the Scriptures say and what the various religions say that claim to take their authorization from the Holy Scriptures. You will find significant differences.

[iLdoRight]

08:46 PM on 11/05/2011

Here are two locations where you can see something important as to the differences between Islam and "true" Christianity. You can get a copy of the Bible on DVD for less than $20 including postage by doing a net search.

http://www.truechristianityevangelism.org/hell.html

http://www.truechristianityevangelism.org/koranhell.html

[OneBurbon]

12:23 AM on 11/04/2011

How about that Occupy Wall Street, you’re not that hardcore?

[jmoser1973]

06:38 AM on 11/04/2011

i would hope not

[John Culbreath]

12:08 AM on 11/04/2011

why won't you post what everyone knows? huffpost is the last I would accuse of violation of the first amendment but, there it is ( sorry for the partciple).

[Mr Anonymous]

07:48 PM on 11/05/2011

You signed up for teh terms and agreements when you made the account, thus choosing to let them censor you. If you don't like what they choose to allow on their website, then you can always leave.

[John Culbreath]

12:00 AM on 11/04/2011

why was my comment about no oil deleted, are you that constipated about our military goals?

[SoldAmerican]

11:38 PM on 11/03/2011

This is the usual christian persecution complex. She did it for herself... her choice!

Good for her.

[SoldAmerican]

12:07 AM on 11/04/2011

sorry! wrong thread.

[ZenGardner]

09:39 AM on 11/04/2011

I had to LOL...

[MIKEinNYC]

09:37 PM on 11/03/2011

Aren't nuns married to god? How come her husband didn't save her?

[kooldalai]

12:05 AM on 11/04/2011

No, these are Tibetan nuns, They are not "married" to anyone...not to God, not to Buddha. Buddhists do not recognize a supreme being or God.

[plansmaker]

12:39 AM on 11/04/2011

Not true...Buddhist do believe in "supreme beings"...just not single God like Heavenly Father.
Very different concept as Christianity or Islam...

[kooldalai]

12:12 AM on 11/04/2011

They're Tibetan Buddhist nuns,,,not Christian nuns. They are not married to God.

[valamaldoran24]

05:03 PM on 11/03/2011

Fight, like faith, means not death, but endurance!

[Mr Anonymous]

07:51 PM on 11/05/2011

I think you might have missed a lot of the concepts about Jesus and the New Testament.

[Dipin Damodharan]

01:10 PM on 11/03/2011

why america is not ready to sent their soldiers to liberate tibet?

[Nizhenben]

02:19 PM on 11/03/2011

NATO should liberate Tibet.

[SoldAmerican]

11:39 PM on 11/03/2011

Why liberate Tibet? so you can send in the missioneries to convert them too?

LOL :)

[Francois Bergeron]

04:47 PM on 11/03/2011

Risk war with China?
Come on now.