Nepal police arrest Tibetan trying to burn themselves

Nepal Police arrested 18 Tibetan refugees on Wednesday and foiled an alleged self-immolation bid in support of Buddhist monks who have immolated themselves in their homeland. Utpal Parashar reports.

Updated on: Nov 4, 2011, 02:32:19 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu Kathmandu

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Nepal Police arrested 18 Tibetan refugees on Wednesday and foiled an alleged self-immolation bid in support of Buddhist monks who have immolated themselves in their homeland.

Acting on a tip-off, the police arrested the Free Tibet activists at Lalitpur on the outskirts of Kathmandu and recovered a jerry can filled with kerosene from their possession.

“We had information that these activists were likely to commit criminal activities. They have been kept at the metropolitan police range for more investigation,” reports quoted police officials.

A photo released by Reuters showed friends stopping a Tibetan woman as she tried to burn herself during a protest on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s action by the Tibetan activists was in response against arrest of 58 refugees by the police from Lalitpur on Tuesday while they were planning to carry out a hunger-strike in support of the dead monks.

Incidentally, these developments come during the ongoing Nepal visit of Wu Yingjie, Executive Deputy Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region in connection with a Nepal-China-Tibet trade fair.

The visiting leader met Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and several senior ministers including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha all of whom reiterated Nepal’s ‘One China’ policy.

Nepal is home to nearly 20,000 Tibetan refugees. In recent years, Nepal government under pressure from China has kept a strict tab on their activities and prevented them from congregating or praying collectively.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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