Tibetans clash with Nepal police, 200 held

Tue Aug 19, 2008

KATHMANDU, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Nepali police detained about 200 Tibetan exiles who tried to march to the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu on Tuesday protesting against China's crackdown in their homeland in March, police said.

Protesters, including nuns and monks, shouted "China, thief, leave our country" and "We want free Tibet" as they were picked up by police

Protests have been staged regularly since March but the Tibetans have intensified their anti-China demonstrations since the Olympic Games began in Beijing on Aug. 8.

Nearly 10,000 refugees have been detained in Nepal so far. Most are released after a day or so.

Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans. Thousands fled Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Nepal considers Tibet as part of China and bans political activities by the exiles. Despite this, Tibetans regularly stage protests calling for freedom in their homeland.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Paul Tait)