I'd like to first thank you very much for the opportunity to speak in front of you today.
The people inside Tibet who self-immolate do so for two main reasons. One is that we consider Tibet to be an independent country. They do not agree with China's occupation of Tibet and are calling for an end to it.
Secondly, China is destroying our Tibetan culture and our environment. Tibetans are not able to exercise their own rights inside Tibet, and they consider His Holiness to be the spiritual leader of Tibet.