Self-immolations: Dalai Lama blames desperate conditions under Chinese rule

The desperate conditions Tibetans face under Beijing's rigid controls are behind the spate of self-immolations in south-west China, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has said.

At least 11 Tibetans have set themselves ablaze this year in a heavily Tibetan part of China's Sichuan province that has become a focus of defiance against Beijing rule. "Including many Chinese from mainland China who visit Tibet, they all have the impression things are terrible ... Some kind of culture genocide is taking place," the Dalai Lama told a news conference in Tokyo on Monday.

Chinese officials have conducted a hardline policy against Tibet in the past 10 to 15 years, he added. "That's why, you see, these sorts of sad incidents happen, due to the desperateness of the situation," he said.

In the latest incident, a Tibetan nun burned herself to death last week, while another Tibetan suffered burns to his legs on Friday when he set himself ablaze outside the Chinese embassy in India.