Nepali police arrest dozens of Tibetans

KATHMANDU, Nepal (CNN) -- Nepali police Tuesday broke up protests by exiled Tibetans, arresting 86 after dragging and carrying them into police vans in front of the Chinese embassy.

There has been a steady parade of protesters in Kathmandu since China began a crackdown on anti-Chinese demonstrators in Tibet two weeks ago. But Tuesday was the first time that the protests were held in front of the Chinese embassy despite a heavy police presence.

Earlier protests were in front of the United Nations offices and the Chinese embassy's visa office.

Police said the 86 arrested Tuesday were expected to be released in the evening.

The protests began when about 50 demonstrators -- including several monks -- arrived in a bus and were dropped off near the embassy. They started marching towards it, waving the Tibetan flag and shouting "Stop killings in Tibet" and "We want justice." Watch as Nepali police arrest protesters »

They held placards saying, "Resolve the crisis in Tibet through dialogue" and "U.N. send fact finding mission to Tibet."

Within 20 minutes, the protests were over.

Half an hour later, another group of about 30 -- mostly women and school-age girls -- started running toward the Chinese embassy gates shouting similar slogans and carrying a few Tibetan flags.

The police forced them away from the gate and put them in police vans, again dragging and carrying them.

Police officers at the scene told The Associated Press the were ordered to block any protests by the Tibetans.

There was a third group waiting nearby but it dispersed when it started raining heavily.

On Monday, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International wrote a letter to Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala expressing concern over the use of excessive force by the police. Nepal strictly controls any anti-Chinese activity on its soil.

Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama and his followers for violence that erupted amid protests for Tibetan independence earlier this month, but China has drawn international criticism for its crackdown on the protests that began peacefully.

Last week, China offered some media organizations -- not including CNN -- a carefully managed tour of Tibet's capital, but ran into a public-relations roadblock when a group of Buddhist monks began screaming protests at a holy shrine. E-mail to a friend

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