| Phayul[Monday, March 31, 2008 21:26] | By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, March 31: Tibetans in Nepal staged their biggest demonstration in front of the Chinese Consulate in Kathmandu today to protest against Chinese rule and the ongoing crackdown on Tibetan demonstrators in Tibet.
Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world marked Monday as the "Global Action Day for Tibet".
In Nepal, the protesters continued their shout for “Free Tibet”, and demanded China to end human rights violations and open dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the peaceful resolution of Tibet issue.
Over 300 Tibetans coming from different directions of Hattisar Road split into different groups to storm the Chinese consular office in the Nepali capital. This is the third consecutive day and fifth time of the Tibetan protest before the consular office.
As usual, Nepali police beat pro-Tibet protesters with sticks, and resorted to kicking and punching to break the protest. Some 245 Tibetans were arrested during the protest, which lasted for about an hour. Among the arrested there were several school-going students.
Four other Tibetans, who protested in front of the UN building at Pulchowk, were also arrested and detained at Jwalakhel Police Station. Another there were arrested from Durbar Marg Road, and arrested were detained at Durbar Marg Police Station and were released later.
“Police arrested three of us, beat us and detained us,” Ngawang, one of those arrested from Durbar Marg Road told Phayul, adding “One Police said if we protest again they would beat us again”.
“Refugees cannot protest in Nepal. So, we were not given anything to eat or drink while in detention for about 6 hours” he said.
Five Nepali monks, who were near Hattisar Road during the protest, have also been arrested and detained with the Tibetans. Two Tibetans sustained injuries; one had an epileptic fit and was given medical attention after prolonged delay.
Earlier this morning, nuns of Thukje Choling nunnery were not allowed to go to Bouda to attend mass prayer session. Similar restrictions are also placed on Tibetans in and around Boudha, where quite many Tibetan refugees live.
Later in the evening, about 150 – 200 ex-pats and foreigners offered butter lamps and prayer on top of Boudanath Stupa in solidarity with the Tibetan uprising movement.
One participant, who spoke on anonymity, said: “We organized this to show our solidarity with the Tibetan people. We offered 300 butter lamps and read the prayer ‘Sublime Golden Light Sutra’. Some of us were carrying Tibetan flag and some were wearing t-shirts with Tibetan flag but the guard came and didn’t allow us to carry flags, so we put the flags bag in our bags.”
In a major protest held before the Consular office here yesterday, 140 Tibetan protestors were arrested and four were injured.
Exiled Tibetans in Nepal have intensified their protest against China ever since a deadly riot broke out in the Tibetan capital Lhasa on March 14 followed by demonstrations in other Tibetan areas outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Tibetans are also agitated by reports of continuing crackdown by Chinese authorities in Tibet. |
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