Dharamsala, Aug 31: Nepalese police have detained two Tibetan activists posting “anti-Beijing leaflets” ahead of a planned protest against Chinese rule of their homeland, according to a media report.
Both were being held under public security laws that allow for preventive detention, though one faces charges of resisting arrest and assaulting police officers, Govind Pariyar, police chief in the Boudha area in Kathmandu where thousands of Tibetan refugees live, told AP.
The activists — identified as Kelsang Nordup and Tashi Dawa — are members of the New Age Network, a group involved in organizing anti-China protests in Kathmandu, the report said.
Dawa would likely be released after Thursday’s planned protest, while Nordup could be jailed for a few months if convicted of the charges, Pariyar said.
On Thursday, Tibetans around the world will mark their 50th anniversary of the establishment of democracy in exile.
As part of the celebration, Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on behalf of the Tibetan people will honour the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama with a ‘Golden Seal’ for his years of tireless service to the Tibetan people.
The official event will take place in Bylakuppe, the largest Tibetan settlement located in the south Indian state of Karnataka. Over 30 parliament members from 14 different countries, legislators of Karnataka and local dignitaries will also join the the celebration.
Tibetan exiles in Nepal have regularly staged demonstrations in the streets of Kathmandu since a 2008 uprising in Tibet. Nepal has banned the gatherings, saying it cannot allow protests against friendly nations including China.
Those violating or planning to violate the law are generally detained for a few hours to a few days before they are released by police.
Nepal has accommodated Tibetan exiles for decades, but has come under increasing pressure from China to crack down on the political protests.
Under Beijing’s influence and lack of stable government in the impoverished nation, rights groups say Tibetans refugees in Nepal are increasingly vulnerable and at risk of arrest and repatriation.
The latest arrests follow Nepal’s deportation of three fleeing Tibetan refugees to Tibet recently.
In June Nepal handed over three Tibetan refugees over to Chinese authorities in Tibet, a move that sparked international condemnation.
