Two Tibetan females self-immolate in China

BEIJING, March 5 (UPI) -- A Tibetan widow and a schoolgirl set themselves on fire and died in Chinese provinces in weekend protests demanding Tibet's freedom from China, witnesses said.

The self-immolations were reported in Sichuan province and Gansu province.

Chinese authorities clamped down security in the provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region in advance of Tibet's "Uprising Day" Saturday, which marks the Dalai Lama's 1959 flight into exile and deadly riots of 2008, Radio Free Asia reported Sunday.

In Sichuan province, a 32-year-old widow and mother of four set herself on fire in front of a Chinese police surveillance station at the main gate of the Kirti monastery, where hundreds of monks have been taken into custody since early last year, sources told the broadcaster.

On Saturday, a middle school student set herself on fire at a vegetable market in Gansu province. Witnesses said Chinese vendors threw stones at the child's burning body.

The Chinese have called Tibetan self-immolators terrorists and blamed the Dalai Lama, saying he is encouraging the acts of protest that run counter to Buddhist teachings, Radio Free Asia said.

The Dalai Lama has blamed China's "ruthless and illogical" policy toward Tibet.