New Delhi, March 29: Even as news of Jamphel Yeshi's death began to spread around the world, another young Tibetan in the beleagured Ngaba region of Tibet passed away in a fiery protest on March 28.

The exile base of Kirti monastery in Dharamshala said that Sherab, a 20-year-old monk set himself on fire in the main street of Cha township raising protests against the Chinese government.

"At about 7.10 pm (local time) on March 28, Sherab, a 20 year old monk, set himself on fire in the main street of Cha township in Ngaba county, shouting protests against Chinese government repression," the release said. He died at the site of his protest.

Chinese security personnel present at the scene forcibly removed his body, ignoring pleas of local Tibetans who wanted it to be returned to his family.

"As soon as he died, local people were going to take his body away (for funeral), but armed police and other security forces arrived on the scene and forcibly removed the body, ignoring repeated pleas to hand it over to his family members," the release said.

Sherab had become a monk at the Ganden Tenpeling monastery in Raruwa at the age of nine and joined Kirti monastery for higher studies last October.

Sherab had returned to his home township from the Kirti monastery on March 26.

"Immediately after the incident took place, armed police imposed a security clampdown on the township," the release said.

Following the ongoing wave of self-immolations in Tibet and particularly in Ngaba, 300 Chinese government officials “of undisclosed position/rank” have been stationed at the Kirti monastery, and throughout Ngaba.

This is the second self-immolation in Cha Township, this month. On March 5, an 18-year-old named Dorjee also set himself on fire and died in the township, which is around 70 km from Ngaba Town.

31 Tibetans have set their bodies on fire in Tibet since 2009 demanding the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile and freedom in Tibet.

On March 26, Jamphel Yeshi, a 27-year-old Tibetan set his body on fire in front of hundreds of Tibetans gathered in New Delhi demanding international intervention in the ongoing crisis in Tibet and protesting Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit. Jamphel Yeshi passed away in the morning of March 28.