Tibet self-immolation protests against China on rise

Peoplesetting fire to themselvesin Tibet has become an almostdaily occurrence, a dire form of protest against what many in the autonomous territory call an oppressive Chinese influence.

In this video report, CBC News Beijing correspondent Catherine Mercier travelled undercover into the picturesqueHimalayan,andmainly Buddhist, area which borders with China to the north. Thedisputed traditional Tibetan homeland stretches 2.5 million square kilometresand hasbeenclaimed by theChinese for centuries.

According to advocacy groups,since 2009 almost a hundred people have set themselves on fire in protest of the Chinese administrationin Tibet, and are reported to have government informantsheavily monitoring monasteries.

The rate of people choosing self-immolation was almost daily last month. The Chinese government blames theDalai Lama,the spiritual leaderof Tibet'sgovernment-in-exile in India.

The Tibetan government has denied any claims of its involvement, saying theChinese forced the confessions.

Inamonastery where self-immolation had occurred, Mercier spoke to several peoplewho agreed only to speak off camera, saying they would continue to protest.Punishment foranyone caught denouncing the Chinese can be severe.

Reportssay thatmonks are beingforced into re-education sessions where they must pledge loyalty to the Communist Party. Mandarin has also crept its way into the school system in place of the Tibetan language.

But the people of Tibet are resistant to the changes, fighting to preserve their culture, and willing to sacrifice their lives to do it.