By IANS,
Dharamsala : The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Tuesday made an appeal to the people of Tibet to refrain from self-immolation protests.
It also urged the Chinese government to address the underlying causes which are pushing Tibetans to set themselves on fire.
“The CTA is extremely concerned over the increasing self-immolations by Tibetans in Tibet,” Dicki Chhoyang, minister for information and international relations, said in a statement.
She said: “It’s high time for the international community, especially the United Nations, to take tangible actions to press the Chinese leadership to find a lasting solution to the crisis in Tibet.”
Urging the Tibetans to desist from self-immolations, Chhoyang said: “We also reiterate our appeal to Tibetans inside Tibet not to resort to drastic actions.”
According to the CTA, 54 Tibetans have now set themselves on fire since 2009.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet along with many of his supporters and took refuge in India when Chinese troops moved in and took control of Lhasa in 1959.
India is home to around 100,000 Tibetans.