A Tibetan man set himself alight and died today in Tsoe city, Malho county of Amdho region, to protests against China's repressive policies.Tamdrin Dorjee, over 50 year old, was from Khasok Lhungwarma town near Tsoe City, Kanlho.Tamdrin Dorjee self-immolated near a Tibetan Buddhist stupa close to Tsoe City on Saturday afternoon, and later passed away.Witnesses say that he also shouted slogans demanding freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, while setting himself on fire at a local marketplace.The local Tibetans refused to hand over his body to Chinese authorities and they took his body back to his home. As a mark of respect, they then gathered to pay their last respects to Tamdrin Dorjee and offered traditional scarves to his body.

Tamdrin was grandfather of 7th Gungthang Rinpoche, a highly respected Tibetan master, as the second most senior religious leader at Labrang monastery. The Buddhist monks in the area offering prayers for Dorjee who sacrificed his life for Tibetans and Tibet.

The Tsoe area has witnessed many protests against Chinese rule in the past, with mass demonstrations in 2008 and 2010.