Tibetan monks, nuns prepare to protest at China border against 'killings' © AP

2008-07-01 05:39:11 KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - A group of Tibetan monks and nuns trekked for days through the treacherous Himalayan mountains from Nepal's capital and were set to protest at the Chinese border Tuesday against a crackdown in their homeland. Tashi Dorje, an activist coordinating the march, said the group of 42 people reached the border point at Tatopani, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Katmandu, late Monday. The protesters avoided walking along the main highway from the capital fearing they would be arrested by Nepalese police. «The demonstration will be to demand a free Tibet and to protest killings in Tibet,» Dorje said. Anti-government demonstrations broke out in March in Tibet. China says 22 people died in violence in the capital Lhasa, while foreign Tibet supporters say many times that number were killed in the protests and a subsequent crackdown. Since then, near-daily demonstrations against Beijing's rule over the Himalayan region have occurred in neighboring Nepal, where thousands of Tibetan refugees live. The China-Nepal border point is heavily guarded by Chinese troops who stepped up security since March. It was not clear if Nepalese police planned to stop Tuesday's protest. Dorje said the group of Buddhist monks and nuns would begin hunger strikes if they were detained. Tibetan refugees have protested almost daily in Katmandu since March, but it was the first time they moved demonstrations to the border. Nepal banned protests against China saying it would not tolerate demonstrations against any friendly nation. The United Nations and international rights groups have criticized Nepal for using what they say is excessive force to stop the protests. Police have beaten people with batons and dragged them through the streets while detaining them. China insists Nepal has not done enough to quell the demonstrations. Every year thousands of Tibetan refugees cross into Nepal. Most eventually move to India, where Tibet's government-in-exile and the Tibetans' spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, are based.

=> Mise à jour 11:35 p.m. :

Nepalese police detain Tibetan monks, nuns at China border to stop protest march By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA Mise à jour 11:35 p.m. ET June 30, 2008 KATMANDU, Nepal - Nepalese police detained a group of Tibetan monks and nuns Tuesday who were marching toward the Chinese border to protest China's crackdown on dissidents in their homeland, officials said. The 42 protesters were about seven miles (11 kilometers) from the China-Nepal border when police blocked their path. Police asked them to return around, and when they refused, they were all detained, said police official Birendra Shahi. An Associated Press cameraman at the scene said police did not use force while detaining the Tibetans, loaded them into trucks and drove them to the nearest town. They are all likely to be driven to the capital Katmandu later on Tuesday, Shahi said.