Riot police clear a street with smoke bombs while clashing with demonstrators in Ferguson
Riot police clear a street with smoke bombs while clashing with demonstrators in FergusonReuters

A group of exiled Tibetan monks have joined the protesters at Ferguson, Missouri, where a curfew has entered its second day, after an unarmed black teenager was shot to death by the police last week.

Six Buddhist monks, accompanied by two other unidentified Tibetans, were seen in the Ferguson area which has turned into a battle ground, with heavily armed police personnel firing tear gas and rubber bullets.

Michael Brown was shot dead by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson on 9 August. The 18-year-old was shot multiple times and was finally killed by a mortal wound to the head.

Since the death, the Ferguson residents have taken to the streets to protest, what many view as unfair treatment of the black community.

But the local police have responded with a highly armed presence, meant to contain demonstrators. 

Following several violent outbreaks, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in Ferguson on Saturday and set a curfew from midnight to 5 am.

But the violence has continued despite the curfew. One person was reportedly injured after being shot by the police, while seven protesters have been arrested, LA Times reported.

In a clear sign that the situation around Ferguson has gotten out of the hands of the armed St Louis Police, Governor Nixon has now sent in the National Guard to the town, BBC reported.

The Governor signed an order to "help restore peace and order and to protect the citizens of Ferguson", following which the National Guard was dispatched.

However, now with the Tibetans joining in to support the Ferguson protesters, it is time that the White House realised that the situation has turned into a major human rights violation.

Recently, Twitter users from Gaza also compared the situation in Ferguson to the unrest in their country. They even offered tips on how to face tear gas attacks.

Tibet, a country that has been occupied by China for decades, is facing one of the world's longest-standing human rights crisis. And despite the human rights violations, the Tibetans have been protesting with non-violent means against the Chinese government.

In the last few years, however, there have been several reports of Tibetans resorting to self-immolation to protest against the Chinese repression.

Till now, around 131 self-immolations have been reported in Tibet since 27 February 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan.