In Nepal, 253 arrested at Tibet rally
KATMANDU, NEPAL — Police detained 253 protesters, including Tibetan monks and nuns, who tried to stage a silent protest march Sunday in front of a Chinese visa office here, days before the Olympic Games open in Beijing.
The protesters carried Tibetan flags and banners that read "Free Tibet" and "We want religious freedom." The demonstrators were dragged away, some weeping and begging, and put into waiting vehicles. Police said the detainees would be freed later in the day.
Tibetan refugees began regular protests after deadly anti-government riots broke out in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, and other areas in China in mid-March, to mark the anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Nepal says Tibet is part of China, an important trade partner and aid donor, and does not allow anti-China activities. Yet the exiles have managed to organize protests against Beijing regularly.
More than 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal. Many of the refugees had fled their homeland after 1959.
- 3 Tibetan activists jailed in Nepal for anti-China protests, hundreds more detained Jun 22, 2008
- Air Service Resumes Between Tibet, Nepal Apr 03, 1990
- Tibet Independence Demonstrations Told May 22, 1992
