SABIN CHANDRA ACHARYA
KATHMANDU: At least 15 persons have been arrested and 20 others injured in a scuffle that took place between police and Tibetan exiles at Boudhanath in Kathmandu on Thursday.
Police baton-charged the Tibetans who had gathered at the Buddhist shrine of Boudhanath to attend a special prayer organised by the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office at 9.30 am.
The prayer had been organised to mark the 52nd anniversary of the uprising against the Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959, the failure of which forced their spiritual Dalai Lama along with thousands of his followers to flee the homeland.
Around 1,500 security personnel from Armed Police Force in and around the Chinese Embassy, the Consular Section, the Swoyambhu and Boudha areas have been mobilised to prevent Tibetan exiles from taking to the streets. The local administration has also issued a prohibitory order on sit-ins, mass assembly and public demonstration in the areas.
On Wednesday, the Nepal Police had said it would crack down on any anti-China protest that could possibly happen in Kathmandu on the eve of the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising.
