Nepal detains 253 Tibetans as Olympics near

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal detained 253 protesters, including Tibetan monks and nuns, who tried to stage a silent protest march in front of a Chinese visa office in Kathmandu on Sunday, days before the Olympic Games open in Beijing.

The protesters carried Tibetan flags and banners demanding "free Tibet" and some that read "we want religious freedom". They were dragged away by police and put in waiting vehicles to be taken into custody. Some were seen weeping and begging.

Police said the 253 Tibetans would be freed later on Sunday.

Tibetan refugees began regular protests after deadly anti-government riots broke out in the Tibetan capital Lhasa and other areas in China in mid-March, to mark the anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Nepal says Tibet is part of China, an important trade partner and aid donor, and does not allow anti-China activities. Yet the exiles have managed to organise protests against Beijing regularly.

More than 20,000 Tibetans live in Nepal, which is the second-biggest home for Tibetans outside of Tibet after neighbouring India. Many of the refugees had fled their homeland after 1959.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Bappa Majumdar)