Self-immolation death: Tibetan woman sets herself on fire in protest against Chinese rule

A Tibetan woman has set herself alight in protest against China's rule over Tibet.

The incident occurred in Sichuan province's Aba county, known in Tibetan as Ngaba, where Tsepe Kyi, 20, killed herself because of "China's repressive policies," Free Tibet and US-funded Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported.

Activists said the self-immolation is the second in the area this month, as a father-of-three killed himself earlier in December.

There have been more than 130 cases of Tibetans setting themselves on fire in China since 2009.

The latest self-immolation came a few months after a county in Sichuan issued guidelines aimed at punishing family members of Tibetans who burn themselves in protest against Chinese rule.

According to the guidelines issued by the Ruoergai county, known also by its Tibetan name Dzorge, relatives and partners of Tibetan self-immolators are barred from travelling, running a new business, and obtaining a loan and social security benefits.

Villages or districts where the immolation occur will also face punishment. The respective administrative division have to pay a security deposit of between 10,000 (£986) and 500,000 yuan (£49,337) to the county government, which would only be returned if no further self-immolation occurs.

Tibet was occupied by Mao Zedong's forces in 1950. The Dalai Lama has been living in exile since a failed rebellion against Beijing rule in 1959.

More than two million Tibetans have been relocated in the Tibet Autonomous Region.