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Myanmar junta arrests 48 protesters

Filipino protesters display a picture of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and mock Olympic torches during a rally in front of the Chinese consulate yesterday in the financial district of Makati. They called on the Chinese government to stop supporting Myanmar’s military junta. PHOTO: AP

Nepalese police said they had arrested at least 1,400 Tibetans protesting near Chinese embassy buildings yesterday, hours ahead of the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

“We want to give the millions of people who will watch the opening as well as the hundreds of athletes taking part the message that there are no human rights in Tibet,” said Tashi Tsering, a 20-year-old Tibetan student.

Some protesters screaming anti-Chinese slogans had tried to break through a police cordon outside the Chinese visa and trade section before being hauled away in police vans.

The Tibetans, including scores of monks and nuns, shouted “Shame shame, Hu Jintao [胡錦濤],” referring to the Chinese president, and “Tibet belongs to Tibetans,” as they were rounded up near the embassy buildings.

“1,272 are now in custody and another 100 we just detained are on their way there,” senior police officer B.K. Upadhaya said.

“This is the largest number of protesters detained in one day since the protests began in March,” he said.

More arrests were expected as organizers said they would keep up their protests throughout the day.

“The Tibetans continue to try and protest in small groups and as long as they keep coming we will detain them,” senior police officer Ramesh Thapa said.

Some protesters scuffled with police, who kicked and hit the Tibetans with bamboo poles as they tried to break through a police cordon.

Other protesters shaved their heads and painted their faces and scalps with the flag of the Tibetan government-in-exile and wore headbands calling for a “Free Tibet.”

“Tibetans have been dismayed at China’s interference in Tibet for a long time. This day is an opportunity for us to attract the world’s attention,” said Nima, a 19-year-old nun who goes by one name.

The exiled Tibetans have been protesting virtually daily after deadly unrest erupted against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region in March.

“I’ve been coming here nearly every day for the past three months and I will continue,” Tsering said before being dragged into a police van.

Meanwhile, a British man was arrested in Hong Kong yesterday after climbing on to the city’s largest bridge and unfurling two protest banners.

Matt Pearce, 33, climbed on to a narrow girder in the center of the bridge wearing a horse costume — a nod to the Olympic equestrian events being held in Hong Kong — and carrying a guitar.

He unfurled two large red banners that read: “The People of China want freedom from oppression” and “We want human rights and democracy.”

Police closed the bridge to traffic and set up a giant inflatable safety mattress beneath the girder before climbing after Pearce and arresting him.

“We sent officers to the scene after receiving a report at 8:21am that a person had hung banners on the Tsing Yi Bridge,” a police spokeswoman said.

Hong Kong media dubbed Pearce “the Spiderman” after he climbed on to a giant TV screen in the central business district in 2005 to protest the Tiananmen Massacre.

Pro-democracy Legislator Emily Lau (劉慧卿) and other activists were expected to protest later yesterday near the Olympic equestrian venue.
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