TSO PEMA LING

A young Tibetan nomad set himself on fire near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa on Saturday, a campaign group has said.

More than 40 monks, nuns and lay people have self-immolated in Tibetan areas of western China in the last year and a half, according to exiles. But the new case is only the fourth to have taken place in the Tibet Autonomous Region.

The Free Tibet campaign named the young man as Tsewang Dorjee, 22. It said he set fire to himself in a market place in Damshung county – known in Chinese as Dangxiong – near Lhasa. Security personnel put out the flames and took him to hospital, but his condition and whereabouts were unknown, the group added.

Another source told US-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) that the man had called for the long life of the Dalai Lama. Chinese authorities have accused the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader of inciting the self-immolations, while he has blamed Beijing's policies. He said this week he had to remain "neutral" on the issue.

Free Tibet added there were reports that witnesses to the latest self-immolation had been detained. The group's director, Stephanie Brigden, said: "China's determination to maintain 'internal' stability is exposed by the extreme response to Tibetan acts of protest: arbitrary detentions, communications blackouts and banning foreigners.

"The media and international observers do nothing to address Tibetan grievances nor to convince the international community that all is well in Tibet."

The group said Damshung residents had been told not to discuss what had happened and both the group and a source cited by RFA said a security crackdown had cut off all telephone lines to Damshung.

RFA said an officer at the Damshung police station denied the incident. Officials in Damshung and Lhasa could not be reached.