NEPAL: Tibet Olympic protesters say they were intimidated while in Chinese custody

Five Americans detained and deported by China for demonstrating for a free Tibet and protesting against the 2008 Beijing Olympics at the base of Mount Everest say they feared for their safety while in custody. The five, including a Tibetan-American, were detained on the Tibetan side of the world's highest peak which is being used by a Chinese team doing trial runs to take the Olympic torch up the mountain. "They searched all of our belongings. After they searched all of our belongings, they brought us pieces of paper and said this is a search warrant.. After they searched everything. And then they made us give them back the pieces of paper and they burned all of them in the bathroom of my hotel room," said Shannon Service, one of those detained. The Americans, who arrived in the Nepali capital late on Friday (April 27) after being detained by the Chinese for more than two days, said the guards detained them in freezing conditions, initially without food or drink. Service said she was told that she had to sleep on a concrete floor in a freezing cold room. One guard pointed fingers in the shape of a gun to her head. They said they were quizzed separately and asked the same questions repeatedly. A Chinese embassy official in Kathmandu said he had no knowledge of the accusations and would not make a comment. The five Americans were detained after they had unfurled a banner reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008" in English, and one in Tibetan and Chinese saying "Free Tibet". "One World, one Dream" is the motto for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Beijing has ruled Tibet since People's Liberation Army troops occupied the region in 1950 and has vowed to bring economic prosperity to the poor Himalayan region.

ITN Source | April 29, 2007

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