China Denies Firing at Tibetan Refugees

BEIJING (AP) — China denied a report Thursday that its border police fired upon a group of Tibetans trying to cross a mountain pass to exile in Nepal.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular briefing that he checked into the report and found it was "made up, fabricated news."

Liu was responding to claims by the International Campaign for Tibet, which said Tuesday a group of more than 30 Tibetans, including Buddhist monks, nuns and two children, came under attack from China's People's Armed Police while trying to enter Nepal using the icy Himalayan Nangpa Pass last month.

The Washington-based activist group said the information came from several people who managed to reach Katmandu in Nepal.

The group said there were no reported injuries or fatalities, but that several people, including three monks, were taken into custody.

The report follows a similar case in September 2005 when a group of international climbers witnessed a Buddhist nun being shot dead at the same location. The incident was captured on video by a Romanian cameraman climber, leading to international condemnation.

About 2,000 Tibetans arrive in Nepal each year, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. Many attempt to reach Dharamsala, India, the base of the Tibetan government in exile led by the Dalai Lama.