Made in China: Tibet flags

POLICE in southern China have discovered a factory manufacturing the ‘Free Tibet’ flag, the BBC reported yesterday.

The Snow Lion flag is the national flag of Tibet and is band in China.

It has become synonymous with Free Tibet protestors, seen around the world in recent months as the Olympic torch embarked on its journey to Beijing.

The factory in Guang- dong was completing overseas orders for the flag. Workers said they thought they were just making colourful flags and did not realise their meaning.

Others saw TV images of protesters holding the flag and alerted the authorities, according to Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper.

The factory owner told police the flags had been ordered from outside China, and he was not aware that they stood for an independent Tibet, the report said.

Workers who were suspicious of the emblem checked its meaning online. However, thousands of flags had already been packed for shipping.

Police believe some may have already been sent overseas, and could appear in Hong Kong during the Olympic torch relay there on Friday.

The authorities have intensified their inspection of vehicles heading to the Shenzen Special Economic Zone and Hong Kong.

The torch will travel to a series of cities in main- land China before arriving in Beijing. It’s journey has been disrupted by pro-Tibet protests in several cities, including Paris, London and San Francisco.

Rallies began the Tibetan capital, Lhasa on 10 March, led by Buddhist monks. Over the following week protests spread and became violent.

Beijing forcefully suppressed the protesters, sending in hundreds of troops to regain control of the restive areas.

But it has since agreed to resume talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama.