By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, April 30 – Tibetans in Nepal adopted a new method of protesting at the Chinese Consulate today. Over 150 activists embarked on a ‘China-Get Well Soon Campaign’ led by the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of Kathmandu in the morning. They poured out into the streets with white roses and cards reading ‘China, get well soon from violating human rights and sickness of press restriction’. The cards also read ‘We are pro-Tibet, not anti-China’.
Some Tibetans came on bikes and in cars, leaving flowers and cards at the gate before getting away. When RTYC President Drakpa Tenzin, Vice President Latri Lhakpa Gyaltsen, Executive members and other Tibetans came in a group of over 100 people, they were stopped from delivering the white flowers. No slogans were raised during the entire period but they were denied permission by the police and asked to leave the area. Upon protest the police arrested them with minimal physical force.
A total of 118 people including RTYC members were detained, 95 are held at Mahendra Police Club, 17 at Anam Nagar Police Station and 6 at Kamal Pokhari. All activists were later released the same day around 08.00 pm.
RTYC President while talking to Phayul from the detention center said, “China has this disease of violating human rights, so we wish them to get well by offering flowers, we are following the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and will stay totally non-violent. We did not even resist arrest today. We are also requesting people from all over the world to stand united in our cause and support Tibet, especially Nepal and China.”
The 110 people who were detained yesterday for protesting at the Consulate were released around noon today from the Metropolitan Police Barrack NO.2. All of them walked back to Boudanath in a peace march covering a distance of about 7 kilometers. Norbu Gyaltsen one of the detainees said, “We were not given any reason for overnight detention,Tibetan volunteers provided us with food and blankets for the night”.
Many Tibetans were restricted from traveling within the Capital earlier today, reason being the special program organized by the Nepal National Sports Council at Basantapur Durbar Square for the success of 2008 Beijing Olympics which saw the Chinese Ambassador taking part. Officials from the Nepal Olympic Sports Council, NSC and other personalities from the world of sports participated in the rally which took off from the National Sports Council and ended at the Square. Addressing a gathering of top sports officials and players, Subash Chandra Nemwang, Speaker of the Interim Parliament wished a grand success to the upcoming Games and also reiterated Nepal’s ‘One China’ policy.
