Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Fiji police arrest women protesting over Tibet outside Chinese embassy

Posted at 08:06 on 10 April, 2008 UTC

Police in Fiji have arrested 17 people protesting in support of Tibet outside the Chinese embassy in Suva.

Those arrested are mainly women who had gathered peacefully.

Our correspondent says a gathering of three or more is in defiance of regulations which require a permit.

She says after the arrest of the first small group, others arrived at the embassy only to be also led away by police.

Those taken in by police include a human rights commissioner, Shameema Ali, academic Claire Slatter, Edwina Kotoisuva from the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, and a number of other well known activists in Fiji.