Lhamo Kyeb, 27, the married father of two young children, set himself on fire in Bhora to protest Chinese repression and to demand the Dalai Lama's return. A few hours earlier, 50-year-old Dhondhup did the same. Self-immolations reach 57 in China's Tibetan areas despite appeals from the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile. For Free Tibet director, the "Tibet Spring is not going to go away because international governments choose to ignore it."

Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - Despite the Communist regime's repressions, the wave of self-immolations continues in Tibet. Lhamo Kyeb, 27, set himself on fire around 2 pm (local time) today to protest against China's occupation of his land and to demand the Dalai Lama's return.

He is the 57^th Tibetan to opt for this extreme form of protest. Both the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan government-in-exile have called on Tibetans to respect life at all cost. They have however acknowledged the terrible situation Tibetans face.

A few hours before the 27-year-old set himself on fire, another man, 50-year-old Dhondhup, also decided to set himself on fire, near Labrang Monastery, a well-known lamasery in eastern Tibet, in opposition to Chinese policies.

Back in 2008, Labrang monks carried out anti-Chinese protests during a visit by Western journalists, but Dhondhup's self-immolation is the first to occur in the area.

Lhamo's self-immolation occurred in the village of Bhora, Sangchu County, Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Eastern Tibet. He leaves a wife and two daughters aged 10 and 7.

According to an eyewitness, Lhamo Kyeb set himself on fire and ran towards Bhora monastery. State security forces, who were standing by the roadside, immediately ran after him and tried to extinguish the flames but were stopped by Lhamo Kyeb. Eventually, he fell to the ground and died. Before that, he shouted slogans calling for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.

Since 1959, Tibet's foremost religious leader has lived in exile in Dharamsala, India, which is also the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

China's Communist authorities have blamed the Dalai Lama and the government-in-exile for the spate of suicides. However, at a recent pan-Tibetan summit, exiled leaders called on Tibetans at home to choose peaceful forms of protest.

After Lhamo's death, villagers and monks carried his body to Bhora Monastery where they offered prayers for him. Later, residents from nearby villages came to the monastery to take Lhamo back to his home village of Dokabma.

"Protests against China's brutal suppression of Tibetan culture and identity have now reached a point where the international community must speak out. This Tibet Spring is not going to go away just because international governments choose to ignore it," Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said in reporting the incident.

• tibet
• china
• protest
• self-immolation