Protests outside Chinese Embassy are banned

The Nepalese government has advised that all protests outside the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu have been officially banned. Authorities released a public statement warning the thousands of Tibetan exiles in Nepal that all public demonstrations outside the Chinese diplomatic office would be prohibited because of the "sensitive" security situation. The announcement came as the Tibetan community was preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of the exile of the Dalai Lama. Clashes between protesters and police officers broke out in mid-2008 as Buddhist monks staged several massive protests in Kathmandu to condemn Chinese rule over Tibet.