Wen visit: 34 Tibetan protestors detained

Thirty-four Tibetans were detained in New Delhi on Thursday when they attempted to stage protests at various locations where visiting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao was present.

The first protest was at Hyderabad House where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Wen were holding talks at around 11:30 am. Four Tibetans tried to enter the premises but were prevented by policemen.

The protesters claimed that the visiting leader has no right to talk about border issue.

"Jiabao has no right to talk about the border issue. China has no border with India. The border is between Tibet and India. This is the key message of today's protest," Tenzin Norsang, one of the protesters, said.

The second protest took place in Sapru House, which houses Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), in the afternoon where Wen was addressing a gathering which included External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.

Twenty-six activists staged the demonstration outside the Sapru House at around 3:45 pm as police prevented them from entering the building.

"The agitators were detained and taken to Tilak Marg police station," a senior police official said.

Norsang said the choice of Sapru House was significant as it had hosted an Asian Conference way back in 1947 in which Tibet had participated.

"The Tibetan flag was displayed in an international platform for the first time then. A Chinese delegation was also there. This proves that Tibet was a separate country," Norsang claimed.

In another incident, four Tibetans were detained when they climbed on top of an under construction building in Barakhamba and threatened to jump from there.

"The protesting Tibetans were detained," a senior police official said.

Tibetans have been protesting against the visit of Jiabao since Wednesday to highlight their demand for freedom from China.

Six Tibetans were detained on Wednesday as they staged a demonstration outside Taj Palace Hotel, where Jiabao is staying, while a large group of people marched through the streets here to protest his visit.

The demonstrators say their protest is to tell the visiting Chinese leader that Tibet does not belong to China and it should vacate their nation.

A large group of Tibetans also marched from Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, to Jantar Mantar on Wednesday where they held a meeting.

Police have stepped up security outside Chinese embassy and the hotel where Wen is staying to ensure that the protests do not mar his visit.