06. Nov 2009
Tibetans protest in Tianjin
(RFA) Radio Free Asia's (RFA) Tibet service reports that police have arrested nearly 100 Tibetans protesting outside the headquarters of a company called TIENS in the northeastern municipality of Tianjin, in China, that they say cheated them through a pyramid scheme: The protesters were beaten, handcuffed, and dumped into vehicles, before being transported, probably, to Chengdu in Sichuan, Tsephel, a spokesman for the group said in a telephone interview. "I think we will (...) be handed over to our respective local authorities", he said. "We are going to press the local government to compensate our losses. We cannot remain quiet and silent. Each of us should be compensated with 100,000 Yuan (UK£8,870; US$14,644; EUR€9,858)", he added. Tibetans reportedly staged similar protests in several Chinese cities against TIENS, a purported health-products company.