China praises Nepal for stopping Tibetan protests

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

The Associated Press
By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA
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KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) -- Beijing praised Nepal on Wednesday for banning anti-China protests by Tibetan exiles earlier this year and detaining demonstrators, actions that helped bring the Olympic torch to the top of Mount Everest.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, left, shakes hands with Nepal 's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda during a meeting in Katmandu , Nepal , Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2008 . Jiechi is on a three-day long visit to Nepal . Officials say China is happy with Nepal 's stopping of protests by Tibetan exiles earlier this year and its help in getting the Olympic torch to Mount Everest . (AP Photo/Binod Joshi)

Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal where they discussed the Tibetan protests and other issues, Dahal's spokesman Hira Bahadur Thapa said.

"The Chinese foreign minister said China appreciates Nepal's alertness and role in controlling anti-China protests," Thapa told reporters after the meeting.

" China also urged Nepal to continue with the policy," he said.

Nepalese authorities banned anti-China protests by Tibetan exiles in the months preceding the Beijing Olympic Games in August and detained hundreds of protesters.

Tibetan exiles in Nepal staged almost daily protests in March to show their support for the unrest that erupted in Tibet's capital, Lhasa. The demonstrations were among the biggest in almost 50 years of Chinese rule.

Beijing clamped down with a huge mobilization of paramilitary police. China's government said 22 died in the violence, while supporters of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said the death toll was 140.

Police stop an injured Tibetan protester trying to reach a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu August 10, 2008. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar

Many Tibetans insist they had an independent nation before Chinese communist troops invaded in 1950. Beijing says the Himalayan region has been part of China's territory for centuries.

" Nepal is an excellent neighbor, friend and partner of China," the Chinese minister said in brief remarks after the meeting.

Police drag a Tibetan protester by her hair as she tries to reach a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu August 10, 2008. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar

A police officer kicks a Tibetan monk trying to reach a Chinese consular office in Kathmandu August 10, 2008. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar

A Tibetan monk, injured by police beating while trying to reach a Chinese consular office, is seen in Kathmandu August 10, 2008. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar