A life up in flames at Tibetan protest

A Tibetan man set himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in New Delhi yesterday – the latest in a series of self-immolation protests against Chinese rule in Tibet.

Jamphel Yeshi, 27, doused himself with flammable liquid and was engulfed in flames as he ran past a podium where speakers were criticising China and President Hu Jintao's visit to the Indian capital, which starts today.

Fellow activists beat out the flames with Tibetan flags and poured water on Mr Yeshi as police battled to control the crowds. He sustained burns to 98 per cent of his body and his condition was critical, the Association of Tibetan Journalists reported last night.

About 30 people – many of them monks or nuns – have set themselves on fire in ethnically Tibetan areas of China over the past year, calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, and in protest at Chinese rule over their homeland.