Tense times continue in Tibet

The tense situation on the Tibetan plateau is not getting any better in the days leading up to when Tibetans traditionally celebrate the new year.

Tibetan rights groups outside of China report that another nun set herself on fire this weekend to protest Chinese rule in the region, where unrest has spread far beyond the borders of what China defines as Tibet.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua confirmed the incident, which took place in Aba, a heavily Tibetan part of Sichuan province.

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Though China hasn't confirmed all of the self-immolations, Tibetan activists say this case marks the 23rd in two years. Both Free Tibet and Xinhua say the 18-year-old nun has died of her injuries.

The number of deaths and scale of protests, along with the scope of the security response, are all particularly hard to pin down. China has gone to extreme lengths to bar all but official government-run media from reporting in the Tibetan region, making confirmation of the incidents nearly impossible.

But given the massive security response and China's efforts to stymy foreign journalists from entering the area, it's clear that serious problems remain.

More from GlobalPost: Video of Tibet self-immolation (GRAPHIC)