Hundreds of Tibetans protest in Nepal

Associated Press
Kathmandu, Nepal

Hundreds of Tibetans exiles, including Buddhist monks and nuns, protested in Nepal's capital Saturday, chanting slogans against China and demanding an end to its rule over their homeland.

The protest marked the anniversary of the date Beijing crushed a 1959 Tibetan uprising, sending the Dalai Lama over the Himalayas into exile and placing Tibet under its direct rule for the first time.

Police did not stop the 500 protesters _ who were holding candles, waving banners and chanting "Stop killing in Tibet" _ from marching for about an hour on the outskirts of Katmandu.

"We are here today to offer our prayers for those killed in Tibet and demand that the Chinese authorities stop killing and torture in Tibet," said Tashi Tshering, 35, a refugee living in Katmandu. "We are also demanding basic human rights and the release of all political prisoners in Tibet."

Nepalese police have been ordered to stop all Tibetan street protests against China, but the demonstrators avoided arrest by staying close to a Buddhist shrine.

Security was stepped up around the Chinese Embassy and visa offices, with traffic diverted from the area to prevent any protests there.

There have been few protests by Tibetans in Nepal this year. Last year, there were almost daily demonstrations against a Chinese crackdown in Tibet that followed anti-Beijing riots. Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal, while thousands more are allowed to pass through the country on their way to Dharmasala, India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.

Tibetans protest in Nepal's capital

KATHMANDU (AFP) — Some 150 Tibetan exiles screaming "Free Tibet" staged a protest in Nepal's capital Tuesday as they marked the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against China, police said.

Protesters including monks and school children, screamed "Stop the killing in Tibet" and "Long live the Dalai Lama," as they scuffled with riot police inside a monastery.
Around six protesters were detained and bundled into a waiting police truck but were released minutes later, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

"Today is a very sad day for me because we Tibetans have lost our identity for the past 50 years due to China's military rule in Tibet," protester Sonam Tashi, 32, told AFP as he waved the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile.

"We want our identity and freedom back."

Earlier in the day, around 1,000 Tibetans gathered at the monastery amid tight security and recited prayers for peace in their homeland while commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's escape to exile.

Government officials said extra police were mobilised around the Chinese embassy building and the monastery to stop any possible anti-China demonstrations in Nepal's capital.
"Security has been kept on high alert and additional police have been deployed to prevent any pro-Tibet protests," said home ministry spokesman Nabin Ghimire.

Nepal, which has a democratically elected Maoist government, has repeatedly said it will not tolerate anti-China activity as it seeks to preserve friendly ties with its northern neighbour.
Sandwiched between India and China, Nepal has upheld Beijing's "One China" policy that views Tibet as an integral part of China.

Some 2,500 Tibetans used to make the dangerous trip from Chinese-controlled Tibet to Nepal every year. But the number has fallen sharply since China mobilised its military in Tibet in March 2008, activists say.

The country is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans who began arriving in large numbers in 1959 after the Dalai Lama fled the region after a failed uprising.

Worldwide protests erupted last year after China's crackdown on demonstrators inside Tibet marking the March 10 anniversary of the failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Copyright © 2009 AFP.