Nepal police detain more than 200 Tibetans trying to storm Chinese Embassy visa office
By BINAJ GURUBACHARYA | Associated Press | May 8, 08 5:11 AM CDT
Three hundred Tibetan protesters tried to storm the Chinese Embassy visa office in Nepal on Thursday, kicking the gates and throwing debris inside the fortified compound. About 200 were detained.
Thursday's protest was the latest in series of demonstrations by Tibetan exiles in Nepal and one of the largest in front of the Chinese Embassy's visa office. The office is in the heart of the Nepalese capital of Katmandu.
Protesters were able to slip past the police line and reach the compound, kicking the metal gates and throwing banners and wood into the office compound until police pushed them back.
"We want our freedom. Stop China," they chanted as they tussled with police. Many in the crowd were Tibetan monks and nuns.
The police had visible difficulty controlling the protesters. They occasionally kicked and slapped them.
Hundreds of police have been posted around the building since Tibetans began protesting there in March.
Nepal has said it will not allow protests against China that might jeopardize close relations with its giant neighbor to the north. Police have broken up almost all protests.
Detained protesters are generally freed at night.
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