A Buddhist nun died after self-immolating in southwest China, becoming the first woman and the ninth Tibetan in the area to set herself on fire to protest perceived repression, rights groups said. Tenzin Wangmo called for religious freedom as she set herself on fire in Sichuan province’s Aba town, according to the London-based Free Tibet. Eight Tibetan monks have set themselves alight in Aba since the self-immolation of a young monk at a Buddhist monastery in the town in March sparked major protests that led to a government clampdown. Free Tibet said the nun’s death came a day after security forces shot and wounded two Tibetans during a weekend protest in another part of Sichuan, which is home to a large population of ethnic Tibetans. “The acts of self-immolation are not taking place in isolation, protests have been reported in the surrounding region and calls for wider protests are growing,” the organisation said in a statement. Many Tibetans in China are angry about what they see as growing domination by the country’s majority Han ethnic group.
