Police arrest over 400 Tibetans in Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Aug 8 (UNI) Over 400 'pro-independence' Tibetans were arrested when they staged protest rally in Kathmandu today just a few hours before the Olympic games began in Beijing, China.

Police arrested the Tibetans most of them monks in red robe immediately after they started demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy's visa office at Hattisar, Naxal in Kathmandu.

The demonstrators demanded the release of the monks and nuns, stop human rights violations in Tibet and free Tibet.

Tibetans have been demonstrating in the Nepalese capital since China started a crackdown on the Tibetans last year.

In the past, the arrested people used to be released on the same day after after being asked a few questions and they were kept at the Nepal Police Club and few other police station.

Nepal government has time and again said that anti China activities were not permitted from Nepalese soil. National and international human rights groups have raised concerns over the treatment of the police towards Tibetan protesters.

More than 20,000 Tibetan refugees have been living in Nepal since China took control of Tibet in the last 1950s.

UNI XC SB UCS1418