BEIJING, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- China accused the Dalai Lama of encouraging his followers to burn themselves to death, as 14 have reportedly done since March.
An exile group, Free Tibet, said the 14th victim set himself on fire in Sichuan province Friday, The Guardian reported. Another main was reportedly foiled by soldiers who put out the flames.
The group said eyewitnesses described the survivor being taken into detention. The witnesses said the man called for the return of the Dalai Lama and then set his clothing on fire.
Another man reportedly succeeded a short time later. Both incidents took place near the Kirti monastery, whose abbot, Kyabje Kirti Rinpoche, is in exile.
Free Tibet says 14 people have died since March, most of them monks and nuns and mostly near the monastery. China has accused the Dalai Lama of encouraging the protests, although he has publicly opposed self-immolation.
The Dalai Lama, who has been in exile for more than half a century, and his followers accuse China of "cultural genocide" in Tibet by refusing to allow Tibetan Buddhists to practice their religion freely and choose their own leaders. The Kirti abbot says monks at the monastery are under "virtual martial law."
