CTA denies allegations of funding self-immolations

The Central Tibetan Administration has trashed the allegations that the Dalai Lama has been funding self-immolations by Tibetans across the world.
The allegations were made by Padma Choling, Chairman of the standing committee of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Regional (TAR) People's Congress in China.
"CTA has always discouraged self-immolations and any other forms of drastic actions," a CTA release on the eve of Tibetan uprising day said.
The Congress had earlier alleged that the Dalai Lama was providing money to Tibetans to encourage self-immolations
"The Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay of the Tibetan government-in-exile here is concerned as there have already been 107 immolations for the cause of Tibetan freedom since 2009 and does not want the number to touch 108 as it was considered especially auspicious Tibetan Buddhism and rosary to count mantra recitations comes with 108 beads," the release said.

Holding the Chinese administration responsible for self-immolations, Sangay was quoted saying in official website of CTA that "Life is precious, we have always discouraged drastic action and don't want 108 to become inauspicious with addition of one more immolation".
According to the CTA, self immolations in Tibet started in 2009 with a single case but there were 13 cases of self-immolations in 2011 while majority of cases took place in 2012 and 28 cases in the month of November alone.