Man holding Tibetan flag dies after setting himself on fire outside UN

Man described by campaigner as ‘a tireless advocate for Tibet’ pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.A man has died after setting himself on fire while holding a Tibetan flag outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, police said.The New York Police Department said on Thursday that law enforcement personnel responding to an emergency call made at about 6:30pm local time (22:30 GMT) found a 52-year-old man with severe burns throughout his body.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Xi Jinping makes rare visit to Tibet as 60 years of Chinese rule celebratedlist 2 of 3China starts construction of world’s biggest hydropower dam in Tibetlist 3 of 3China says Tibet-related issues a ‘thorn’ in relations with Indiaend of listThe man was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said, adding that an investigation was ongoing.A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement to the AFP news agency: “We are saddened by this tragic and horrific incident, and offer our condolences to his family.”US media and a pro-Tibet activist said the individual was a pro-Tibet campaigner. Police did not confirm this claim or provide any potential motive for his action.Tencho Gyatso, president of the Tibet" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="158033" data-entity-type="organization">International Campaign for Tibet, named the deceased man as Lobga Rangzen.“Lobga was a tireless advocate for Tibet who devoted himself to peacefully raising awareness of the human rights crisis in Tibet,” Gyatso said in a statement to AFP.Gyatso said Rangzen had condemned China’s new “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” that Beijing said aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups.Overseas campaigners have argued it will further degrade the rights of ethnic minorities, like Uighurs and Tibetans, that Beijing is accused of persecuting.The United States and the European Union have also expressed concern about the new law, which gives Beijing the legal basis to also take action against people outside its borders.