20-year-old Tenzin Wangmo, the first woman known to have self-immolated in the region, died after setting herself on fire Monday outside Dechen Chokorling nunnery in Sichuan province's Aba prefecture where a number of other self-immolations have taken place this year.

The London-based rights group Free Tibet claims that "in the past seven months, eight current and formal monks and a nun have set themselves on fire in eastern Tibet. Four have died."

As she set herself alight the nun was heard chanting slogans calling for greater religious freedom and the return of Tibet's exiled Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's highest spiritual leader, has lived in exile since he fled to India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule over Tibet.

A Free Tibet spokeswoman said that "Information from Tibet suggests there are more who are willing to give their lives to draw global attention to the persistent and brutal violations Tibetans suffer under Chinese occupation. The acts of self-immolation are not taking place in isolation. Protests have been reported in the surrounding region and calls for wider protests are growing."

In a separate incident, security forces shot two Tibetans during a protest outside a police station in Sichuan's Garze prefecture on Sunday. They have been named as Dawa and Druklo. Many Tibetans use just one name. According to a press release from Free Tibet, "one was shot in the leg, the other in the torso."

Lobsang Sangay, the new Tibetan leader in exile, said in a statement, "The incidents are a clear indication of the genuine grievances of the Tibetans and their sense of deep resentment and despair over the prevailing conditions in Tibet."

The two incidents could not be verified independently Tuesday. Tensions have been high across the region since widespread anti-government protests in 2008. Communist government officials gave no comment when contacted by the AP new agency.

Agencies: dpa, AP, AFP / ai
Editor: Grahame Lucas