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Twenty-five Tibetans have now set themselves on fire since March of last year, protesting what some call Communist Party violations of their rights. Many focus on the limitations that Party authorities place on their freedom to practice religion, and especially to pay respects to the Dalai Lama.
Yet, according to some Chinese authorities, the problems Tibetan protestors complain about are non-existent, unimportant, or, perhaps, simply a smokescreen for dark political motives. It's an interpretation that very few in the world outside of China believe, yet seems to be common among Party members who speak on the issue.
Even as Party authorities put a lockdown in place in the Aba prefecture of Sichuan province, where the most Tibetan self-immolations have occurred, they held a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday, aiming to discredit the protest movement. Aba prefecture's administrative head, Wu Zegang, called the protestors "outcasts" and "criminals".
He also indicated that the painful deaths were part of a plot to split up China, and suggested that they were induced by cash payments from the Dalai Lama.
Meanwhile, Sichuan Communist Party Secretary Liu Qibao shared his view that "public complaints about cultural repression do not exist." Despite the dozens of people giving their lives to protest the Party regime of which he is a part, Liu did not see any conflict in the area, claiming that "on the contrary, Tibetan culture is flourishing."