4 foreigners ordered to leave after Tibet move

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-07 07:17

Two US and two British nationals were ordered to leave China after they broke security and Olympic Games rules to display "free Tibet" banners in Beijing Wednesday.

Two of them were supposed to leave Wednesday night and the others Thursday, according to a statement of the Beijing public security bureau. "They disrupted public order and Chinese laws," it said on Wednesday.

The three men and one woman gathered at the Beichen overpass near the National Stadium around 5:47 am, and two of the men climbed up two lampposts to unfurl the banners, a police officer said.

One banner in English read "One World One Dream Free Tibet", and the other, "Tibet will be free" in English and "Free Tibet" in Chinese.

Police rushed to the spot immediately after being informed by residents and detained them for questioning.

The four entered the country on a tourist visa.

Sun Weide, a Beijing Olympics organizing committee media official, criticized the foreigners' action, saying: "We resolutely oppose it."

The Olympics is a grand international sports gathering and "we are resolutely against any attempts to politicize it".

"China has stipulated laws and regulations on gatherings and demonstrations. We hope foreigners who come to China would observe its laws and regulations," Sun said.