Kathmandu, Mar 10: Nepalese riot police today clashed with Tibetan exiles who demanded the end of Chinese rule in Tibet, with over two dozen Buddhist monks and nuns injured in the capital.
Tibetan protestors shouting "Free Tibet" slogans at a monastery near Buddhanath stupa were baton charged on the outskirts of the capital.
Around two dozen Tibetan exiles sustained serious injuries as police clashed with protesters during a programme to mark the failed uprising by Tibetans in March 1959, witnesses and reports said. Half a dozen protestors were also detained as they demanded freedom and human rights in Tibet.
The exiled community marks March 10 as the Tibetan Uprising Day in remembrance of the revolt that erupted in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Tibetans in exile claim that Chinese forces killed 87,000 during the revolt.
Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans and the capital has been the scene of several anti-China protests in the past.
Nepal supports 'one-China policy' that views Tibet as an integral part of China. It has repeatedly assured its giant northern neighbour that it will not allow its territory to be used against the communist nation.
Theses protests have been a source of embarrassment to Nepal's government, which wants strong ties with China. Beijing has repeatedly asked Nepal to better control the Tibetan refugees within its borders and stop the protests.
However, Nepal has been under pressure from Western nations to allow the protests. Despite tight security enforced by the Nepalese and Chinese government in the border areas, every year some 2,500 Tibetans cross the border on their way to meet their spirtual leader Dalai Lama, who is based in Dharamshala.
Security around the Chinese Embassy has been stepped up, with police guarding all roads leading to the area. PTI
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