TIBETAN MAN DIES AFTER SELF-IMMOLATION OUTSIDE UN IN NEW YORK

A man died from severe burns after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday evening, according to police. New York City police officers responded to an emergency call made at approximately 6.30pm ET and found the man badly burned near the building. He was transported to Bellevue hospital where he was pronounced dead. Police did not name the man and said they were still investigating the circumstances of his death.

Exiled Tibetan activists and Voice of Tibet, a media outlet serving the exiled Tibetan community, identified the man as Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan activist. According to local news site amNewYork, Rangzen was an Uber driver who went to the scene carrying a Tibetan flag. Lobsang Paljor, a fellow Uber driver who knew Rangzen from gatherings in the Tibetan community, told the news website that Rangzen "was enraged by the restrictions the Chinese government had placed on his countrymen". Voice of Tibet stated that Rangzen's action constituted an appeal for Tibetan independence and unity.

The incident occurs as China's new ethnic unity law entered into effect this week, which the US and European Union have expressed concern about. The law creates a "shared" national identity among China's 55 ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs. Tibetans around the world have opposed the legislation. Self-immolation by Tibetans in protest against Beijing's policies in Tibetan areas and nearby regions has occurred previously. China seized control of Tibet in 1950, which it describes as a "peaceful liberation", while international human rights groups and exiles have condemned what they characterise as oppressive rule in Tibetan areas.