Countering the paper's assertions, the political leader of Tibetan exiles says "it's just official propaganda".
"There is a growing sympathy for Tibet amongst young liberal-minded Chinese. While His Holiness (the Dalai Lama) has been wrongfully vilified by the authorities and the state-sponsored media, he is increasingly popular amongst Chinese intellectuals, especially those abroad," Tibetan government-in-exile's Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay told IANS.
"We have already appealed to Tibetans to refrain from such drastic form of protest. But if Beijing ends harsh measures, self-immolations will abate automatically," said the 43-year-old Harvard educated Sangay.
