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Tibetans protest Chinese president's visit to India

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published November 24, 2006

BOMBAY, India - A Tibetan independence activist set himself on fire Thursday outside the hotel where Chinese President Hu Jintao was courting Indian business leaders eager to boost trade between Asia's emerging giants.

The protester, Lhakpa Tsering, suffered only minor burns before police put out the flames and detained him and six other Tibetan activists.

The incident was a sign of increasing frustration among Tibetans in India who feel their cause has been abandoned by Indian officials eager to foster closer ties with China, which forcibly absorbed Tibet in 1950.

Throughout Hu's four-day visit, Indian authorities went to great lengths to make sure he was not confronted with any anti-Chinese sentiment, erecting tight police cordons and banning gatherings of more than five people in areas where he was traveling.

Thursday's demonstration was the closest Tibetans got to Hu, who addressed 300 Indian and Chinese business leaders at the hotel before flying to Pakistan.

Tsering and six other Tibetan youths drove up in two taxis to Hu's hotel in downtown Bombay. They jumped out in front of a barricade, unfurled Tibetan flags and shouted "Get out of Tibet!"

Tsering then doused his pants with a liquid and set them on fire. Several police officers jumped on him, rolled him on the ground and doused the flames. They detained all seven activists.

Asked about the protests, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in Beijing: "Tibet is part of China. This is a widely recognized consensus of the international community."

[Last modified November 24, 2006, 01:12:17]