BY JEREMY PAGE

BEIJING—Two Tibetan monks in southwestern China set themselves on fire, the government and Tibetan freedom activists said, the latest in a spate of such self-immolations that the campaigners said represented an unprecedented escalation of protests over curbs on religious freedom.

China's state-run Xinhua news agency said the two monks were in stable condition after being "rescued" by police on Monday morning. The London-based Free Tibet group said their condition and whereabouts were unclear.

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday also rejected a weekend statement from the Dalai Lama in which the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who is now 76 years old, ...