A father of three set himself on fire and died in eastern Tibet on February 13.

Self-immolation will continue as long as the Tibetan struggle is ignored. (Mataparda, Creative Commons)

The same day, a Tibetan monk in his twenties set fire to himself at Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Most recently, two Tibetan teenagers were reported of also setting themselves on fire in Tibet’s Ngaba area on February 20th. So far, 104 Tibetans are known to have self-immolated since February 27, 2009, when a young monk became the first to set himself on fire in the name of Tibetan independence.

Non-violent protests against Chinese rule in Tibet have persisted in Tibet, Nepal, India and countries around the world, however, a lack of foreign government or civil society intervention has driven Tibetans living both in the province and in exile to resort to more self-destructive measures.

The act of self-immolation has become the signature tactic in recent years for Tibetans to voice their frustrations with Chinese rule. However, after over one hundred self-immolations resulting in at least 82 deaths, very little has changed. The Chinese authorities continue to severely constrain the Tibetan community and crack down on anything they perceive as dissent.

There is a high probability that these self-immolations—a desperate and haunting moral cry against Chinese oppression—will continue. The plight of Tibetans remains largely ignored by the international community, as China promotes to foreign countries the development it has brought to the Tibetan plateau, making them hesitant to intervene in support of Tibet's independence.

Furthermore, the majority of protests against the Chinese government—including self-immolation—take place within the borders of China, where media access is heavily controlled. Much of what we hear about the issue instead comes from advocacy groups based outside of the region, making it arduous for civil society to know exactly what is going on in Tibet.

A recent paper released by the Tibetan Policy Institute, “Why Tibet is Burning,” reported that many of those choosing to set themselves on fire are young teenagers and 20-somethings. They are students, aspiring clerics and farmers. In a foreword to the study, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsang Sangay, urges Tibetans “not to resort to drastic actions, including self-immolations, because life is precious.” However, the study ultimately blames Beijing for these desperate acts:

The reason [for self-immolations] lies in China’s massive policy failure in Tibet over the course of more than 60 years of its rule. The revolution that is brewing in Tibet is driven by political repression, cultural assimilation, social discrimination, economic marginalization and environmental destruction.

The potential for a Tibetan revolution is continuously stymied by Beijing’s crackdown. Chinese authorities have already started detaining and jailing Tibetans they claim are promoting self-immolation. Earlier this month, China detained 70 suspects in Tibetan regions. Even in India and Nepal, where the largest populations of Tibetans in exile reside, local authorities are ruthlessly suppressing protesters from ruthless measures in order to protect their nations’ relationships with China.

Despite the detentions, however, the frequency of self-immolations is only increasing. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetans in exile, has always promoted nonviolent resistance, urging Tibetans not to carry out self-immolations. However, many angry Tibetans have given up on the Dalai Lama’s policies, leaving self-destruction, especially for Tibet’s heated youth, one of the few means of seeking change.

When one man overwhelmed with social and economic despair set himself on fire in Tunisia in 2010, uprisings swept across the Arab world. After 104 self-immolations, however, Tibetans continue to be ignored in their struggle for separation. How many self-immolating Tibetans will it take to make a difference? The Tibetan plight needs an uprising supported by civil society groups, akin to the Arab Spring, or else the freedom they are fighting for will remain forever out of reach.

Reach Contributor Naina Sethi here.