KATHMANDU, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Nepali police on Sunday afternoon detained
over 100 Tibetan separatists involved in anti-China activities in the Nepali
capital of Kathmandu.
At around 3:10 p.m. local time (0925 GMT), the separatists thronged the
visa office of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal, shouting anti-China slogans and
waving the so-called "Tibet independence" flag.
The shops, travel agencies and airline offices near the visa office had to
suspend their business after the Nepali police blocked the street and tried to
confine the rally to the sidewalks.
Traffic police had to evacuate the jammed vehicles by a one-way lane.
"Nepal's law allows arresting those whose activities are adversely
affecting the general public. We have arrested them to maintain law and order in
the city," Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu Jayamukunda Khanal said the
general public of Nepal was suffering from the protests, when interviewed by
Xinhua reporter on July 22.
"We are facing many disturbances from the continuous agitation. The daily
activities in the capital are disrupted. Traffic is halted in places they
protest," said Khanal, the administrative chief of Kathmandu.
Nepali policemen on duty told Xinhua reporter that around 150 Tibetan
separatists were detained, who are supposed to be released after inquiry in
police stations.
Observers here noted that the Tibetan separatists are taking advantages of
Nepal, the youngest republic in the world, at its historic turning point. A
republic government has not been established since Nepal declared a republic on
May 28 by its Constituent Assembly.
The Nepali government has repeatedly said that Tibet is an inalienable part
of China and that it will not allow anti-China activities on its territory.
Tibetan separatists have staged anti-China protests since mid-March in
Kathmandu, which occurs at around 3 p.m. local time on every Friday. The
activities often went ugly, disrupting the city traffic and causing conflicts
and injuries.
Chinese Ambassador Zheng Xianglin said earlier that some Tibetans who
refused to participate in anti-China activities became targets of criminal acts
of beating and smashing.