Self immolation bid foiled; 18 Tibetans arrested

Thursday, November 03, 2011

By Utpal Parashar | Hindustan Times

Kathmandu, Nepal-- Nepal Police arrested 18 Tibetan refugees on Wednesday and foiled an alleged self-immolation bid in support of Buddhist monks who have immolated themselves in their homeland.

Sonam Choedon (green shirt) trying to set herself on fire with kerosene.

Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the Free Tibet activists at Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu and recovered a jerry can filled with kerosene from their possession.

“We had information that these activists were likely to commit criminal activities. They have been kept at the metropolitan police range for more investigation,” reports quoted police officials.

A photo released by Reuters showed friends stopping a Tibetan woman as she tried to burn herself during a protest on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s action by the Tibetan activists was in response against arrest of 58 refugees by the police from Lalitpur on Tuesday while they were planning to carry out a hunger-strike in support of the dead monks.

Incidentally, these developments come during the ongoing Nepal visit of Wu Yingjie, Executive Deputy Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region in connection with a Nepal-China-Tibet trade fair.

Nepal police stop a gathering of exile Tibetans who were shouting anti-China slogans in tribute to the Tibetans who died in the recent self-immolation, in Katmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2011. Nepal police detained more than 100 Tibetans exiles who were protesting against Chinese rule over their homeland. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

The visiting leader met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and several senior ministers including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha all of whom reiterated Nepal’s ‘One China’ policy.

Nepal is home to nearly 20,000 Tibetan refugees. In recent years, Nepal government under pressure from China has kept a strict tab on their activities and prevented them from congregating or praying collectively.