Saudi man dies after setting himself on fire

[Joanne98]

Source: AP

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A Saudi man died after setting himself on fire in the southwestern town of Samta, local media said Saturday, in what could be the latest example of a rash of self-immolations sweeping the region following events in Tunisia.

It would be oil-rich Saudi Arabia's first such incident since an unemployed man set himself on fire in Tunisia last month protesting the economy and sparking riots which brought down the government.

Since that time there have been a wave of copycat immolations across the region, though with few fatalities.

Civil defense spokesman Capt. Yahia al-Qahtani said in a statement carried by Saudi newspapers that the man, in his sixties, set himself on fire Friday and died in the hospital.



Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9463425

[lonestarnot]

1. eee gads, few with fatalities.

[Countdown_3_2_1]

2. This is a form of protest I could never support.

No matter how upset I am with unemployment...setting myself on fire is never going to be an option.

ouch.

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
There are a 100 better ways to indicate my disapproval with govt policy.

[GliderGuider]

4. Most people would share your position

Imagine how much pressure they must be under be for this to become a common form of protest.
They live under much different conditions than we do.

[Jkid]

5. And many of those 100 better ways will either backfire or useless.

Considering the person lived in Saudi Arabia, where criticism of the monarch is unacceptable. I also have to disagree with the fact that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Some people who commit suicide had problems that are permanent or long lasting. Even if their problem ends eventually, the result of their is permanent.

[Mz Pip]

6. Well, suicide is

a pretty useless solution. It really doesn't solve anything except makae you dead, which really isn't much of a solution.

[Jkid]

8. So is it better to endure various bullshit in life

Even if it means not seeing any real relief in the long-term? There are people out who know that real help is generally unreachable due to circumstances beyond their control.

[Mz Pip]

11. Depends on the bullshit

and setting one's self on fire is hardly a peaceful way to go.

Ican't imagine that anyone would be seriously justifying doing something like this because present unfortunate circumstances appear to be out of one's control.

[Turborama]

9. It was the self-immolation protest by a student in Tunisia which brought about a revolution

So, even though he never found out, his protest did bring about some permanent change in his country,
and possibly the region: http://warisacrime.org/content/tunisian-self-immolation-burning-question

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. Easy for you to say.... This country is still a democracy with a functioning judiciary.

Saudi Arabia is not... He probably did what he felt could be done given the circumstances

[postulater]

3. Darwin.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. Darwin? He was in his sixties.

If he hasn't reproduced by now ...

:hi:

[MrSlayer]

10. That'll teach 'em.

Setting yourself on fire is among the dumbest ways to protest anything.

[Turborama]

12. Lam Van Tuc

Hòa thượng Thích Quảng Đức ; born Lâm Văn Tức (1897 – 11 June 1963) was a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon road intersection on 11 June 1963. Thích Quảng Đức was protesting against the persecution of Buddhists by South Vietnam's Ngô Đình Diệm administration. Photos of his self-immolation were circulated widely across the world and brought attention to the policies of the Diệm regime. Malcolm Browne won a Pulitzer Prize for his iconic photo of the monk's death, as did David Halberstam for his written account. After his death, his body was re-cremated, but his heart remained intact.<2><3> This was interpreted as a symbol of compassion and led Buddhists to revere him as a bodhisattva, heightening the impact of his death on the public psyche.

Thích Quảng Đức's act increased international pressure on Diệm and led him to announce reforms with the intention of mollifying the Buddhists. However, the promised reforms were implemented either slowly or not at all, leading to a deterioration in the dispute. With protests continuing, the Special Forces loyal to Diệm's brother, Ngô Đình Nhu, launched nationwide raids on Buddhist pagodas, seizing the holy heart and causing deaths and widespread damage. Several Buddhist monks followed Thích Quảng Đức's example and burned themselves to death. Eventually, an Army coup toppled and killed Diệm in November. The self-immolation is widely seen as the turning point of the Vietnamese Buddhist crisis which led to the change in regime.

Full article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%ADch_Qu%E1%BA%A3ng_%C4%90%E1%BB%A9c

Plus, see post #9 above.

[Hardrada]

13. I remember this making me wonder why we were having anything to do with Viet Nam.

[buckrogers1965]

14. And yet here we are, talking about him and what he believed in.

So at least it did something.

It woke up us lazy Americans to the fact that there is _some_ serious issue with our amazingly good friends the Saudis.

We are starting to ask why someone would be in such horrible conditions that burning yourself to death is a better way out.

I am wondering when this will start happening here.

[saras]

16. There are worse things than dying

To me, someone who says there are no conditions bad enough to commit suicide for is saying they would, if told to, spend the rest of their life torturing innocents to death.