Tibetan exiles hold anti-China protests amid tight security

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

DPA
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Tibetans shout anti-China slogans during a protest in Kathmandu March 10, 2010. Tibetans in Kathmandu protested during the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will appeal to the elite in the Chinese-run Himalayan region in a speech on Wednesday, inviting them to visit communities of exiled Tibetans. (Photo: Reuters)

Kathmandu - Tibetan exiles marked the 51st anniversary of their failed uprising against China with a protest in Kathmandu Wednesday despite government attempts to prevent the demonstrations.

A small group of exiles defied a government ban to gather outside the Chinese embassy's consular section in the Nepalese capital, which led to the arrest of about a dozen protestors, the police said.

A gathering of about 1,000 Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, nuns and students, was held in an eastern suburb amid tight security.

The demonstrators chanted free Tibet slogans and called for greater international efforts against the continued Chinese rule in their homeland.

Sporadic clashes between Tibetan exiles and police erupted and a few demonstrators were detained.

Police sealed off the area to prevent the Tibetans from protesting elsewhere in the city.

Nepal has been under growing pressure from China to control Tibetan activities, saying they are aimed at destabilizing Tibet.

Earlier this week, Nepal increased security along its northern border and banned protests near the Chinese embassy.

Nepal has 20,000 registered Tibetan refugees living mainly around Kathmandu and the western town of Pokhara.

Tibetans shout anti-China slogans during a protest in Kathmandu March 10, 2010. Tibetans in Kathmandu protested during the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will appeal to the elite in the Chinese-run Himalayan region in a speech on Wednesday, inviting them to visit communities of exiled Tibetans. (Photo: Reuters)

Police arrest Tibetans shouting anti-China slogans as they try to storm the Chinese Embassy Consulate in Kathmandu March 10, 2010 . Tibetans in Kathmandu protested during the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet 's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will appeal to the elite in the Chinese-run Himalayan region in a speech on Wednesday, inviting them to visit communities of exiled Tibetans. (Photo: Reuters)

Police arrest Tibetans shouting anti-China slogans as they try to storm the Chinese Embassy Consulate in Kathmandu March 10, 2010 . Tibetans in Kathmandu protested during the 51st anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Tibet 's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama will appeal to the elite in the Chinese-run Himalayan region in a speech on Wednesday, inviting them to visit communities of exiled Tibetans. (Photo: Reuters)