BEIJING — Fifteen Communist Party officials in central Tibet who were accused of taking part in separatist activities last year have been punished for violating party discipline, the Chinese news media reported on Wednesday.
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The central government and the local authorities have been increasing the presence of security forces across Tibetan areas of China since 2008, when a mass uprising took place throughout the region. In recent years, scores of frustrated Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protestChinese Communist Party rule. The rate of self-immolations slowed for a period, but there has been a resurgence recently in Tibetan areas of Sichuan Province. More self-immolations have taken place in Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces than in the Tibet Autonomous Region, which is more tightly controlled.
