Bangalore Police take two Tibetan youth leaders into custody

India News, Bangalore: Two Tibetan youth leaders were taken into custody by police as a precautionary measure as part of the tight security in place for the visit to the city Saturday of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Bangalore Police Commissioner S. Marisamy said the two leaders of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC) - its president Prema and vice-president Alex - were taken into custody.

They were detained "to prevent them from mobilising their members and supporters," Marisamy told IANS. The Tibetans have decided to stage a protest against the Chinese occupation of Tibet during Wen's two-day stay here.

A Tibetan spokesman alleged that police had laid siege on the Tibetan hostel in the city suburb where about 120 Tibetan students are staying.

"About 40 policemen descended on the hostel and locked up the gates. They are holding up our students, who are preparing for their examinations," a Tibetan spokesman said.

The police, however, denied the charge and said they were only monitoring the movement of the students.

"We are keeping a vigil on them after their threat to stage demonstrations against the visiting dignitary," a police official said.

Earlier, police deputy commissioner G.B. Chebbi said that the Tibetan organisations, led by RTYC, had been denied permission to hold a 24-hour hunger strike in the city against Wen and his 100-member delegation.

However, Friends of Tibet (India) general secretary Tenzing Tsuendue told reporters here that about 200 Tibetans have decided to hold peaceful protests Sunday against the Chinese occupation of their motherland.

"Though the police have cancelled the permission granted earlier for the strike, we intend to stage impromptu protests. We want to tell Wen Jiabao there will be no peace in Tibet till the Chinese leave our country," Tenzing said.

Meanwhile, police have banned any gathering of people or groups on the 10-km route Wen would be taking from the airport to a five-star hotel for the night halt.

Karnataka Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and select invitees will be hosting an official dinner to the visiting premier and his delegation.

Wen has a hectic schedule in the city Sunday, beginning with hour-long visits to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) facility at Whitefield on the outskirts of the city, the Satellite Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Huawei Technologies, the only Chinese software firm in India.

Before leaving for New Delhi Sunday evening, Wen will spend an hour at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for a first hand account of the premier institute's R&D activities.