Tibetans intensify Nepal protests before Olympics

Reuters[Monday, August 04, 2008]

KATHMANDU, Aug 4 - Nepali police detained at least 80 Tibetans in Kathmandu on Monday as the exiles stepped up anti-China protests four days before the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Police arrest Tibetan protesters near the Chinese consular office in Kathmandu August 4, 2008. Tibetans in Nepal were protesting against Chinese actions in Tibet while the preparations underway of the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar (NEPAL)

Police said the exiles were rounded up when they tried to march to a Chinese consular office and were being held at a police training centre.

"All of them will be released later," said one police officer, who asked not to be identified.

The Himalayan republic is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans, many of whom fled their homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

They have been regularly protesting since the Chinese crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet in March.

On Sunday, Nepali police detained 253 protesters, including Tibetan monks and nuns, who tried to stage a silent march in front of a Chinese visa office.

Nepal says Tibet is part of China, an important trade partner and aid donor, and does not allow anti-China activities. Yet the exiles have managed to organise regular protests against Beijing.

A Tibetan protester reacts in police van after he was arrested during a protest near the Chinese consular office in Kathmandu August 4, 2008. REUTERS/Gopal Chitrakar (NEPAL)

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Bappa Majumdar and Paul Tait)