A group of Tibetans and an Australian senator who staged a peaceful protest vigil next to the Sandton library were sent packing by police on Tuesday, apparently at the behest of Chinese delegates.
The Tibetans were protesting during a speech by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji to the Johannesburg World Summit, which was bneing shown on a big screen next to the library.
However, no action was taken against a smaller group of Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) members who were staging a silent meditation protest against the torture of their members by Chinese government officials.
The Tibetans carried placards and had black cloth tied over their mouths to highlight the refusal of the UN to accredit three Tibetan groups from India and the United States.
Tsering Yangety, a Tibetan exile living in India, said some of the monks were chanting prayers when police arrived and "escorted" them out of public view to the car park and kept them there for nearly an hour.
Australian Senator Bob Brown, who joined the protest, was also told to leave the area. John Isom, a member of the International Campaign for Tibet, said he was convinced a member of the official Chinese delegation who confronted the Tibetans earlier, had asked authorities to disperse the group.
Police spokesperson Henriette Bester said a number of protesters had been told to leave the security zone of the Summit, but she was not aware of the circumstances which led to the eviction of the Tibetans.