BEIJING, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Tibetans, angry at Chinese authorities over the self-immolation by one of their monks, paraded his remains on the streets in Qinghai province, witnesses said.

Earlier, the hundreds of protesting Tibetans had forced Chinese police to hand over the remains of 42-year-old Sopa, a respected monk who had killed himself Sunday in front of a police station in the western province's Darlag area, Radio Free Asia reported. Prior to dying, he had shouted slogans calling for Tibet's freedom and the long life of Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, the network quoted witnesses as saying.


Sopa's death was the 15th Tibetan self-immolation since March of last year, Radio Free Asia said.

China has beefed up security in the Darlag area as there could be a memorial service for Sopa at his monastery.

"Only the head and chest parts [of the body] are intact, the rest were in pieces when Tibetans received the remains from the police," the report quoted a source as saying.

"These latest self-immolations confirm that what we are currently witnessing in Tibet is a sustained and profound rejection of the Chinese occupation," Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden said before Sunday's Darlag incident, the network said.