Tibetan sets fire to self at protest

NEW DELHI -- A Tibetan exile lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in the Indian capital yesterday, just before a visit by China's president and following dozens of self-immolations in China in protest of its rule over Tibet.

Police swept through the New Delhi protest later, detaining scores of Tibetans.

The man was engulfed in flames when he ran past the podium where speakers were criticizing China and President Hu Jintao's visit.

Fellow activists beat out the flames with Tibetan flags and poured water on him. He was on fire perhaps less than two minutes, but some of his clothing had disintegrated and his skin was burned by the time he was driven to a hospital.

About 30 such protests have occurred over the past year in ethnic Tibetan areas of China, and a Tibetan self-immolated last year in India, where many exiles reside. Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama for inciting them.

Activists said the exile who self-immolated yesterday is Jamphel Yeshi, 27, who escaped from Tibet in 2006 and has been living in New Delhi for two years. He was burned on 98 percent of his body and his condition is critical, according to the Association of Tibetan Journalists.

Hu is to arrive Wednesday for a five-nation economic summit. Activist Tenzing Norsang called on the summit to discuss Tibet. "Hu Jintao is responsible for what is happening there," he said. -- AP