A man set himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday evening in an apparent act of political protest linked to Tibet, leaving him in a grave condition in hospital as police and UN security launched an investigation.
The incident occurred at around 7pm on East 43rd Street and First Avenue in Manhattan, directly outside the UN complex. UN surveillance footage captured the man planting a Tibetan flag on the pavement before the self-immolation took place, according to sources cited by the New York Post. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in a critical condition. The Tibetan flag remained in place at the scene for at least an hour after the incident as officers investigated, with papers reportedly bearing messages including “China Out of Tibet” also found nearby.
The man who set himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday evening has been identified as Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen, who is pictured wearing a pendant bearing the image of the Dalai Lama.
Rangzen, who is being treated at Bellevue Hospital in a grave condition, is understood to be a committed Tibetan independence campaigner. The Dalai Lama pendant visible in the photograph is consistent with the Tibetan flags and papers bearing messages including “China Out of Tibet” found at the scene following the protest.
Self-immolation has historically been used as an extreme form of political protest, most notably by Tibetan activists and Buddhist monks demonstrating against Chinese rule. Tibet has been under Chinese control since 1950, with repeated international criticism over Beijing’s suppression of Tibetan culture, language and religion. Dozens of Tibetans have set themselves alight in protest over Chinese policies in the region in recent decades.
This is a developing story.
