Tibetans protest again in Nepal capital

by Sanjay Jha | May 16, 2008 at 07:50 am | 160 views | add comment

Tibetans have been protesting everywhere before the arrival of Olympic torch and they have been doing so almost daily in front of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu.

Hundreds of Tibetan exiles calling for freedom in their homeland demonstrated in the Nepalese capital Friday until police stopped them.

About 500 Tibetans, many of them women, marched on the outskirts of Katmandu for about two miles, holding banners that said, "Free Tibet, Tibet for Tibetans."

Police at first tried to detain some of them, but after scuffles lasting several minutes, the protesters returned to their refugee camp at the southern edge of Katmandu. No one was arrested.

Tibetans have been protesting almost daily in front of the Chinese Embassy and United Nations since March 10 against the Chinese crackdown in Tibet. Friday's march, however, was far from their usual site of protest.

Nepal's police have broken up almost all anti-China protests by Tibetan exiles during the past several weeks and detained participants. Officials say they will not allow protests that could harm Nepal's friendly relations with neighboring China.