Dharamshala: Eighteen Tibetan refugees were released from government custody in Nepal on Monday. The 18 were members of a group of 25 or 23 who had been arrested earlier in March for trying to storm the Chinese Embassy's visa office in Kathmandu the capital of Nepal, during the Tibetan National Uprising.
"A meeting of the Kathmandu District Security Committee on Monday decided to release them. The decision was took after an security assessment that said they were no more security threat at the present context," Laxmi Dhakal, chief district officer in Kathmandu, told Republica.
The prisoners were "very happy" to be released, Sonam Lama, 35 told AP reporter. "We will not be deterred by these setbacks," Norbu Dorjee, another of the protesters. "We will continue our nonviolent protests against China demanding there should be talks between Dalai Lama and the Chinese government."
The protesters were reportedly released on the grounds that they no longer posed a threat to the public well-being, said Kathmandu chief administrator Laxmi Dhakal. Three other activists were released last week by the Nepalese Supreme Court for the same reason.
