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US Tibet protesters vow to step up campaign

KATHMANDU: Five Americans expelled from China after staging an illegal protest at Mount Everest base camp in Tibet vowed on Saturday to step up their campaign for a “free Tibet.”

China has lodged an official protest with the United States over Wednesday’s protest, in which the Americans called for Tibetan independence and voiced outrage at the 2008 Olympic torch passing through the Himalayan region.

“There are people all over the world who are Tibet supporters and this is just the first of a cascading waterfall of actions,” said Shannon Service, one of the five detained and questioned for two days before being kicked out Friday. At Wednesday’s protest, the Americans unfurled banners demanding a “free Tibet” and sang the anthem of the Tibetan government-in-exile before the Chinese detained them, said protestor Tenzin Dorjee, an American of Tibetan origin.

The protest came a day before the Beijing Olympic Games organisers formally announced plans to bring the Olympic torch to the top of the world’s highest peak as part of a relay that also takes in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. The five were questioned for hours and made to sign a document apologising for their actions, before being expelled into neighbouring Nepal Friday, said the activists from the US-based Students for a Free Tibet.

“We were told we had endangered the security of China,” said Kirsten Westby, another protester.

After questioning the five were paraded in front of Chinese state-run media, then taken in a large vehicle convoy to Nepal’s border with Chinese-controlled Tibet. “It was a very frightening and confusing experience, and only a glimpse into what the Chinese would do to a local Tibetan,” said Service.

Beijing has lodged a protest with the United States over the incident and demanded that Washington prevent similar events in the future.

“Tibet is an inseparable part of China and the Chinese government and people will never tolerate any activity aimed at splitting China,” China’s foreign ministry said Friday.

The activist group would continue to stage protests both inside and outside China in the run-up to the 2008 Games, group director Lhadon Tethong said. afp

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