Nepal: 90 Tibetans are jailed, Beijing warns of suicide bombers
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) – Nepalese police have confirmed the arrest of 90 Tibetan exiles yesterday in Kathmandu, while the government has underlined that they “will not allow further pro Tibet protests – in order to maintain good relations with China”. At the same time Beijing is continuing its campaign against the Dalai Lama, accusing him, once again of being the “real brain behind the protests” and has launched the alarm: “There are suicide bombers ready and waiting to totally destroy Chinese harmony”.
Basanta Rajouria, a Nepalese police officer explains: “The arrests took place outside the Chinese embassy during a pro Tibet protest. The government has been very clear on this point: Tibetan exiles in Nepal risk deportation, if they fail to respect our laws and undermine our relations with other nations”.
Those arrested were carried away in police trucks shouting “respect the rights of Tibet” and “stop the bloody repression”. Overnight a group of about 50 protesters gathered around the police station where the others are being held asking for their release.
In the interim, China continues its campaign to discredit the Buddhist leader. Yu Heping, spokesperson for the Chinese office of public security says: “In Tibet and surrounding regions, armed groups are preparing themselves to battle for independence. These, at the instigation of the Dalai Lama, intend to use suicide bombers to carry out their attacks and destroy our nation’s social harmony”.
From the seat of the exiled Tibetan go9vernment in Dharamsala, the head of Tibetan Buddhism has consistently denied all accusations of sedition, and has put forward the hypothesis that the violence in Lhasa was provoked by Chinese police dressed up as Buddhist monks, in order to justify the repression that followed. The Tibetan people, says the Dalai Lama, “are not violent people. My mind turns to what happened in 1959. A photograph that shows a Buddhist monk holding a sword, but it isn’t a traditional Tibetan sword. We know that hundreds of Chinese soldiers dressed up as monks”.
India, it seems has chosen to believe Beijing and has asked the Dalai Lama to “refrain from indulging in political activities that can upset China”. Pranab Mukherjee, Indian foreign minister underlines: “The Buddhist leader is our respected guest, and we will continue to offer him hospitality. However, during his stay here, he must not under take political activities or any other actions that can undermine relations between Beijing and New Delhi”.
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