Laid-off worker sets self afire in Tiananmen Square

Asian Economic News, Oct 6, 2003

BEIJING, Oct. 1 Kyodo

A laid-off worker set fire to himself in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Wednesday morning, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Yang Peiquan, 49, from central China's Hubei Province, set fire to himself at about 7:45 a.m. at the square's southeast corner, police were quoted as saying.

The fire was immediately put out by the patrolling police in the square and Yang suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized, they said.

Police are investigating Yang's motive, the report said, noting that another man was with him when the self-immolation occurred.

On Sept. 15, a 45-year-old man from Anhui Province set himself on fire in Tiananmen Square to protest the demolition of his home in the eastern province of Anhui. He was hospitalized with slight burns on his back and arms.

The square, a symbolic downtown landmark usually full of tourists, is a common place for protesters to seek attention.

Followers of the banned Falun Gong teachings, including some people who tried to immolate themselves, also have demonstrated in the square.