Chinese leader warns Tibetans against separatism

A provincial Communist Party chief warned Tibetan monks and residents to oppose separatism and obey the law as he visited a monastery and restive communities that have been at the centre of many recent self-immolation protests. The Sichuan Daily newspaper said on Friday that Sichuan Communist Party chief Liu Qibao visited Aba and Ganzi prefectures, Tibetan areas where most of the 21 Tibetan self-immolations over the past year have taken place. The paper says Liu asked monks at the Kirti Monastery in Aba to support the leadership of the Communist Party and be law-abiding. Liu says that according to Buddhist teachings, life is precious and "there should be no reason to destroy an innocent life”.