As Xi visited Nepal, police arrests 22 Tibet activists

Kathmandu: Nepal police have arrested 22 Tibet activists in Kathmandu as the country is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for the two-day visit.

Police have arrested 22 free-Tibet movement campaigners and human rights activists from Kathmandu over the past three days. They were planning to hold protests during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Nepal, The Himalayan Times reported.

Five people were arrested from Swoyambhu, nine from Bouddha, six from Pharping and two from an undisclosed location in Kathmandu. Those arrested from the Boudhha area were donned in tracksuits with “Free Tibet” Slogan while others were carrying Tibetan Flags and Bags with “Free Tibet Slogans, as per the Metropolitan Police Range, Teku.

According to the Nepal Police, out of the 22 arrested, 11 are confirmed to be Tibetan refugees while others are Nepali.

The Chinese President was on a two-day stop-over state visit to Nepal on his way back from India after holding an informal summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

While, similarly in Tamil Nadu, India, ahead of the Chinese President visit for the informal summit on October 11, Tibetan Youth Congress president Gompo Dhondup and five other members of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) were arrested.

Xi arrived at Nepali capital Kathmandu from Chennai, India, late Saturday afternoon and was received by the President of Nepal along with other Ministers and high ranking officials.