Chinese officials have detained “major suspects” in Qinghai province bordering Tibet for instigating self immolations.

The suspects were arrested in recent joint operations between the local prefecture authorities and the provincial public security bureau, official media here reported on Friday without providing details.

Authorities also launched a campaign to confiscate illegal satellite TV antennas, as it says local herdsmen have been watching foreign “anti-China” programs by using those antennas, state-run Global Times reported.

Simultaneously, Chinese official media has launched a major campaign against self immolations highlighting the arrest of a Buddhist monk and his nephew for instigating the self-immolations at the instance of Monks from India.

National broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has shown a half hour documentary on self-immolation featuring confessions of the detained monk, nephew, as well as survivors of immolations.

The documentary, titled “Facts About Self-Immolation in Tibetan Areas of Ngapa (Aba),” contains interviews with the “masterminds and victims of the self-immolations”.

The documentary states that the “Dalai (Dalai Lama) clique” masterminded the self-immolations in order to split China.

So far about 98 self immolations have been reported from Tibet and its prefectures. Tibetan overseas groups say the self-immolations was aimed at protesting the Chinese rule and calling for return of the Dalai Lama from exile.

Besides the media campaign, officials also organised local party cadres and prestigious monks and religious personages to promote the teaching of Buddhism, exposing the “anti-social, anti-humane and anti-religious nature of the self-immolation”, the report said.

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