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Biggest Tibetan protests in Kathmandu since the eve of Beijing Olympics

By Jampa Tsering

An elderly Tibetan woman during a protest in Kathmandu on 9 August, which later turned violent after police used excessive force to drive away the Tibetans from the Chinese consulate on Saturday. Tibet Sun/Jampa Tsering/Nepal

Hundreds of security forces also reached the venue. The forces initially behaved in an aggressive and violent manner by dragging away the tarpaulin sheet used as mattress for the protesters, and damaging and pulling down some big posters bearing the demands of the protests and the portrait of the Dalai Lama.

Due to the presence of some Human Rights defenders and UN personnel, the violence soon calmed down but after causing minor injuries to a few of the protesters. The Tibetans have set up a group of hundreds of volunteers to control the frustrated youth protesters and also to check the intruders if any. This has contributed highly to the calmness of the sit-in protest programme of the day. The security forces however arranged some trucks and slowly ferried the protesters to the detention centres. Nearly 2000 protesters were detained in various detention centres and the remaining hundreds who were released marched back to Boudhanath.

Most probably due to the damage caused to the portrait of the Dalai Lama, a large number of Tibetans gathered around Hattisar (the Chinese consulate) as early as 8 a.m. the next day. Knowing the security forces would immediately arrest the Tibetans on seeing them around the Chinese consulate premises, the Tibetans broke down into smaller groups and moved to the streets one after another which made the protest the longest so far since March this year. The protest lasted till 4.30 p.m.

A total of 1657 people were arrested and held in detention on this day. Among them, 1100 were held in Ghan II (Maharajgunj), 418 in Mahendra Police Club, 70 in Gaushala Police station, 60 in Boudhanath police station and 9 in Anamnagar Police station. All the arrested were later released in the night around 11 p.m.

Seeing that the number of protesters had increased the next day on 9 August, the security forces have strengthened their numbers, who took severe measures to stop the protest by using unnecessary and excessive force injuring at least 18 persons severely. The act breached recommendations made by Human Rights Watch to show restraint. (http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2008/07/23/nepal19946.htm)

The security forces set up strict surveillance all around the corners that lead to the street in front of the Chinese consulate. Yet Tibetans were in many small groups near the Chinese consulate. Protesters who braved to cross the deadly bar of the police were kicked, punched and beaten severely with batons prior to their arrest. Police accused one person of tearing the hood of the police van and he was held separately from the group.

A total of 811 people were arrested and held in detention. Among them 500 were held in Ghan II (Maharajgunj), 270 in Mahendra Police Club, 30 in Boudhanath police station, 9 in Anamnagar Police station and 2 in Durbar Marg Police station. All the arrested were released later in the night between 10:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Copyright © 2008 Jampa Tsering

Published in Tibet Sun