KATMANDU, Nepal: Nepalese police detained a Norwegian man and a British woman protesting against Chinese rule in Tibet outside Beijing's embassy visa office in Katmandu on Saturday.
The two protesters had just begun to chant "Free Tibet" when they were grabbed by police, dragged a few feet (meters), loaded in a truck and driven away to a police station.
Hundreds of policemen surrounded the embassy and visa office, which are in two different locations in Katmandu, to enforce a ban on protests outside the buildings.
Nepal has ramped up security to deter demonstrations during two sensitive anniversaries. Saturday marks one year since protests against Chinese rule in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa turned violent. This week also saw the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising that sent the Dalai Lama into exile.
It was not clear how long the two detained would be held in custody. The district administration office, which usually decide these matters, was closed for the weekend.
Police only gave the protesters' nationalities but would not release any other details about their identities.
Nepal's government has increased police presence, imposed restrictions and issued strict warnings this year at Beijing's request.
Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal and thousands more are allowed to pass through on their way to Dharmasala, India, where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile.
Many Tibetans insist they were an independent nation before Chinese communist troops invaded in 1950, while Beijing says the Himalayan region has been part of its territory for centuries.
The Associated Press: March 14, 2009
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