By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, April 29 – Tibetans in Nepal have been protesting continuously from March 10 against China’s atrocities in their homeland. They took to the streets yet again demonstrating at the Chinese Consulate in Kathmandu this afternoon. They have been rallying against China at different locations in the capital including the Chinese Embassy and UN House for the last 50 days since the initial unrest in Tibet broke out. They are persistently calling for China to stop executing and persecuting Tibetans in Tibet, stop violating human rights and also to allow independent fact finding delegation inside the volatile region. Their effort for a free Tibet has been the most active within all the Tibetan communities in exile. As a result of their endeavor a total of 110 Tibetans were detained at Metropolitan Police Barrack No. 2 at Maharajgunj overnight and with two sustaining injuries.
So far the Chinese Embassy in Nepal has turned a deaf ear to all the Tibetan protests except for holding a press conference condemning the uprising in Lhasa and lauding the Nepal Government for suppressing all the Tibetan rallies in Nepal.
A group of about 40 Tibetans mostly monks and nuns emerged from the Jai Nepal Cinema end, and started protesting on reaching the gates of the Chinese Consulate at Hattisar. The police were already stationed in the area and after 10 minutes of scuffling, all the Tibetans were arrested. Many were assaulted by the law enforcement officers for resisting arrest. This was immediately followed by a bigger group of over 80 Tibetans who came from Kamal Pokhari reaching the Consulate. They too were arrested within 15 minutes of protest. Many of them were punched, kicked, pulled by the hair, dragged and thrown into police vehicles. Police noticeably did not use any baton, however, one monk and a woman sustained injuries.
The injured were taken to the hospital by fellow protestors and volunteers where they were immediately attended to. The lady received injury on her head while the monk required three stitches on his hand. A female protestor who accompanied them to the hospital told Phayul, “She was hit on the head many times by police and her head is swollen. The monk cut his hand in the tussle and needed stitches. He was reportedly kicked on his ribs and hit on the head. The medical reports seem alright and the doctor has advised bed rest for them”.
