Tibetan Activist Dies After Setting Himself on Fire Near UN

A man died in New York on Thursday from severe burns after setting himself on fire near the United Nations headquarters. Tibetan media in exile and activists identified him as Logba Rangzen, a campaigner for Tibetan independence and unity.

Rangzen worked as an Uber driver and arrived at the scene carrying a Tibetan flag. According to witnesses from the local community, he was enraged by the restrictions imposed by the Chinese government on his compatriots. His act came just after a new Chinese ethnic unity law took effect this week.

The law creates a common national identity for 55 minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, while giving Beijing a legal basis to act against people outside its borders – a move that has raised concern in both the US and the European Union.

China seized control of Tibet in 1950. Since 2012, Beijing has tightened institutional control in the region and expanded surveillance for signs of alleged separatism. International human rights groups and exiles accuse China of oppressive rule in Tibetan areas, while Beijing rejects such criticism.

(Reuters, Max)