Protests Continue in Kathmandu - 120 arrested

whatabouttibet.com

By Luke Ward
Thursday, August 28, 2008

Kathmandu, 28 August - Today over 120 Tibetan protesters were arrested on Hattisar road, close to the Consulate of the 'People's' Republic of China. Most of the protesters arrived in a hired bus, pulling out swathes of Tibetan flags as they walked towards the Consulate. However, the Nepalese police were already waiting.

Protesters throw paper with slogans into the air.

The protesters, joined by others who were waiting in the area threw paper signs with slogans such as 'Free Tibet', 'Tibet is not part of China' and 'Allow free press in Tibet' into the air, whilst others brandished TCHRD posters with pictures of victims of China's bloody crackdown in Tibet. Some protesters staged a die in, symbolic of the suffering of their brethren in Tibet. The protesters chanted various slogans including 'Hu Jintao, liar, liar!' and 'UNO wake up, wake up!' whilst UN 'observers' stood by. The protesters demands were that Hu Jintao meets the Dalai Lama face to face to resolve the ongoing Tibet issue, and guarantee the safety and freedoms of Tibetans in all of 'historic' Tibet- Amdo, Kham and Ü-Tsang.

Following largely peaceful protests throughout the Tibetan plateau in March and April this year, the Chinese government has launched a bloody crackdown against ethnic Tibetans. Many monasteries, including the 'three seats', Ganden, Drepung and Sera remain inaccessible to foreign tourists and media alike, and there are reports from Tibet that these and many other monasteries are completely locked down, with basic resources such as water, electricity and food denied to the monks inside.

A Tibetan brandishing the Tibetan flag, which is banned in Tibet and China.

Thousands were arrested in the aftermath of these protests, the most widespread rebellion against Chinese rule since 1959, when the Dalai Lama and thousands of other Tibetans fled to Tibet. However, reports are difficult to verify as China has failed to allow the international media free access to Tibet, and brushed away international demands for an impartial fact finding mission.

The protest lasted around thirty minutes, before the Nepalese police, who greatly outnumbered the protesters managed to round up the final few Tibetans. Nepal's 'One China' policy means that Tibetan protests are illegal in the valley, despite Nepal supposedly adopting 'democracy'. In recent months, the Nepalese police have often reacted violently against the Tibetan protesters, and many Tibetans in Kathmandu fear their situation could worsen after the leader of Nepal's Maoist party, Prachanda was elected as Nepal's new Prime-Minister. Many feared that today's protests would be met with extreme violence, as the Maoist party, leading Nepal's governing coalition seeks to show it's loyalty to their Chinese donors. One protester reported from prison that all of the protesters were fine, and that they expected to soon be released.

A policeman threatens arrested protesters with his latthi

He and his fellow protesters, from the self-organised, consensus based 'Volunteer Organisation' had organised the protest four days after the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Their message was clear- the Olympics might be over, but the Tibet issue has yet to be resolved.