Turkish man sets self on fire in anti-China protest

ANKARA (Reuters) – A Turkish man set himself on fire during a protest by ethnic Uighurs in front of the Chinese embassy in Turkey on Friday against China’s rule in the region of Xinjiang as Beijing opened the Olympics.

The man was sent to an Ankara hospital after police put out the flames, state Anatolian news agency said.

Uighurs are a Turkic people who share linguistic and cultural bonds with central Asia.

Xinjiang is home to 8 million Muslim Uighurs, many of whom resent the growing presence and economic grip of Han Chinese.

Exiled Uighurs have campaigned for an independent country.