Tibetan activist sets himself on fire

A Tibetan protester set himself on fire at a demonstration on Monday in the Indian capital of New Delhi ahead of a visit by China's president. The protester was engulfed in flames as he ran near the speakers at the rally outside the Indian parliament. Fellow activists tried to put out the blaze with Tibetan flags they were carrying. The protester was being treated for severe burns at a city hospital, a Tibetan organiser said. Chinese president Hu Jintao is expected to arrive in India later this week for a summit meeting. More than 600 protesters carrying banners marched across New Delhi to a central plaza near the Indian parliament to hold a protest meeting. Some carried posters saying "Tibet is burning" and "Tibet is not part of China". At the protest venue a big poster with Hu's face with a bloody palm print on it said: "Hu Jin Tao is unwelcome". As speakers addressed the crowd, the protester set himself ablaze and ran across the venue. He ran about 50m before he collapsed. Tibetan protesters crowded around the man, some trying to beat out the flames with Tibetan flags, while others poured water on him. They initially prevented police from taking the man to hospital, before officers forcibly took him away from the protest site. "This is what China faces unless they give freedom to Tibet," said Tenzin Dorjee, a young onlooker. At least 30 people in Tibet have set themselves on fire over the past year to protest against Chinese rule.