A Tibetan monk in Tawu, Kardze, Tibet self-immolated yesterday while calling for Tibetan independence and the Dalai Lama’s return. The monk’s name was Tsewang Norbu.

Since Tsewang Norbu’s death, there has been a massive influx of police and military forces into the town in Kardze where Norbu’s monastery is and surrounded it. Over 10,000 Tibetans have come to the monastery and are also surrounding it.

This is really a tinder box and the Chinese government’s reflexive show of force is not likely to reduce the chances of further conflict or, for that matter, more Tibetans reaching the breaking point and seeing self-immolation as the logical choice of protesting the brutal Chinese occupation.