Norbu Gualtsen Rangzen (28) sustained injuries on his head, arm and back from police beatings during March 10, 2008 demonstrations in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Since March 10th 2008, Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, has witnessed a series of anti-Chinese protests from the substantial community of Tibetan exiles living here. The protests have repeatedly been condemned by Nepalese government officials, without regard to human rights such as freedom of expression and a Nepal Supreme Court verdict stating that “chanting slogans does not harm peace and security”.

Protesters throwing themselves in the street, trying to avoid being dragged away by the police.

The crackdown and mass arrests on demonstrators in Kathmandu are obviously attempts to appease Nepal’s big Northern neighbour, China. And this week it paid of for the Nepalese government. On an official visit to Nepal, the Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi thanked Nepal for sticking firmly to her “One China” policy and not allowing any anti-Chinese activity to take place on Nepalese soil. The Chinese foreign minister pledged to promote Chinese business and tourism in Nepal, along with a check of 1.2 billion Nepalese rupees (approximately 20 million US dollars) in grant assistance and another 16 billion NPR (approx. 250 million USD) on favorable loan conditions. Minister Yang also expressed commitment to “provide equipment and necessary training to strengthen the security situation in Nepal”. The pending 50 year anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s exodus from Tibet next year “seemed to be a special concern for them,” said a Nepalese official who participated in the meetings.

Tibetan girl demanding human rights in China

Tibetan monk being detained by police

Tibetan protests in front of the Chinese consulate were for long time a daily occurrence. Hundreds would be arrested as soon as they approached the consular building, detained and usually released the same evening or the following morning. It was chaotic scenes with police and protesters trying to outmaneuver each other, like a game of cat and mouse. But the police would eventually always win. Human rights groups have alleged that Nepal Police occasionally resorted to excessive force. These photos show some of the protests outside the Chinese consulate in Kathmandu.

Olympic Protests

On the opening day of the Olympic Games in Beijing, mass protests were again arranged. But this day the Nepal Police took even stronger measures than usual, setting up road blocks around Tibetan community locations in the capital and making preemptive arrests of anyone looking Tibetan. I was embedded with a group of approximately 100 Tibetans trying to sneak by police roadblocks. But they were eventually all intercepted and arrested. Here are the photos:

Exercising freedom of speech

Intercepted by armed police

Confrontation

Protesters loaded onto police trucks

Crowded police truck

Taken away to prison.

The Tibetan protests that were almost a daily occurrence in the Nepalese capital have now died down. Three months ago the Nepalese government handed over more than 100 arrested Tibetan exiles to the UN Refugee Agency to determine their refugee status. The implicit threat of deportation to China has had it’s effect.