http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tibetan-women-latest-immolate-dies-17750406#.UKksx4XDzOc
A Tibetan woman set herself on fire in protest of the long standing Chinese occupation of Tibet this past week. She is roughly the 75th person to self-immolate since February 2009 and marks a recent spike in public demonstrations while China has been undergoing their once-a-decade obligation of handing power down to the new cast of Standing Committee heirs and a new Communist Leader, Xi Jinping. Chinese Foreign Minister and other officials have stated that the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, is responsible for inciting the wave of self-immolations, however he's been a consistent advocate for non-violence and denies all accusations.
The majority of suicidal protests have been occurring near Tibetan monasteries and in Chinese provinces with large populations of Tibetan nationals. Tibetans doing so are protesting the illegal Chinese occupation and oppressive control of their home country since 1949, and are advocating their returned independence and autonomy. As of now, Tibet is legally independent but operating under strict Chinese control. It is still a sovereign state but in title only as their is overwhelming evidence of severe human rights abuses. The list of grievances include the prohibited exercising of their rights to assembly, free speech, self-determination, and religious and cultural expression. Tibetan prisoners endure harsh conditions, torture, food and sleep deprivation, as well as unreasonable imprisonment for peaceful dissension. Since almost all of the newly "elected" members of the PRC's Standing Committee are descendants of old members and other Communist Party elites, the chances for progressivism and open-mindedness any time soon looks bleak.
The Chinese claim that the two nations were united under Mongolian rule centuries ago, and that there's a certain commonality in culture and ethnicity. However the relations between Genghis Khan's Mongols and Tibet were peaceful, and the two nations mutually considered each other equals. The PRC marched into Tibet in 1949 and imposed their 17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. This agreement effectively made Tibet a Chinese province with almost no chance at self-governance, but because the document was signed under duress it is rendered illegitimate and illegal by international standards.
The Bush administration facilitated a hopeful reemergence of talks between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama after a ten year political stalemate, but tensions between the US and China over their own respective elections have brought another period of inactivity between the three nations. The US has supported the sovereign wishes of the exiled Tibetan government, but the nature of their support has been ambiguous and flimsy at times. The US maintains their "one-China policy" which is at odds with Hong Kong's off-shore administrative role in the "two-China" identity the PRC upholds, but so far this has yet to amount to anything other than a declaration of foreign policy. US humanitarian aid has been provided for Tibetans, and the US State Department has created an office solely dedicated to the Tibet issue, but so far no stern sanctions have been issued towards China through the US or any other international force. The US needs to maintain their strict stance and support of Tibet, but actively engage more of the international community in the conflict. This would be a further reversal of the US' reputation as a lone and indignant actor in the global arena, while also garnishing the support Tibet needs to oppose the over-protective decisions of a powerful regime like China.
Additional sources:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/tibet/9168885/Dalai-Lama-behind-Tibet-protest-self-immolation-says-China.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/18/teenage-tibetan-monk-dies-china?intcmp=239
http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/tibets-horrifying-persistent-fire/
http://www.savetibet.org/resource-center/all-about-tibet/history-tibet-before-chinese-invasion-1949
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/27/tibet-self-immolation-china
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