Special Report: Focus on Tibet

    KATMANDU, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese police on Saturday detained three westerners who were staging an anti-China demonstration near the Chinese embassy's visa office on the anniversary of the Lhasa incident.

    The three, who police said were from Britain and Norway, were arrested near the Snake Temple soon after they started the demonstration.

    Meanwhile, dozens of Tibetan separatists on motorcycles were stopped and detained on their way to the visa section, which is not in the same part of the city where the embassy is located.

    The Nepalese government has consistently adhered to the one-China policy, firmly supporting China on the issue concerning Tibet. It also has declared that it would never allow any activity detrimental to China's interests in its territory.

    The Katmandu District Administrative Office earlier issued orders against holding any gatherings in areas surrounding the Chinese embassy and its visa section.

    The prohibitory orders were imposed considering the sensitivity of the area and challenges in maintaining security, according to an earlier press release from the DAO.

    Nepalese police have beefed up security in the areas around the Chinese embassy and the office of the Chinese consular in Katmandu since March 9.

    This year marks the 50th anniversary of the democratic reform in Tibet.

    Fifty years ago, the central government of China foiled an armed rebellion that started on March 10 by the Dalai Lama and his supporters to block reform of the feudal serfdom in Tibet and split the region from China.

    On March 28, 1959, a new local Tibetan government was formed, freeing millions of Tibetan serfs and slaves, who accounted for more than 90 percent of the population in the region at that time.

    The Dalai Lama and his followers, since their exile, have continued to pursue either disguised or undisguised activities to separate Tibet from China and restore feudal serfdom in the region.

    On March 14, 2008, followers of the Dalai Lama staged riots in Lhasa to put pressure on the central government. The violence resulted in the deaths of 18 civilians and huge property losses.