Besieged by nerves

As China gears up to host the Olympics next year, its nervousness about Tibetan protestors is increasing. A couple of weeks ago, the Chinese Embassy in Delhi sent frantic messages through diplomatic channels seeking more security as it anticipated Tibetans in India would plan some mischief this month. Not much has happened so far, but the Embassy has turned into a fortress, making it among the more highly secure compounds on Shanti Path. The only difference is that while the US, UK and Israel fear attacks by Islamic fundamentalists, China fears embarrassment at the hands of young Tibetan protestors who have twice dared to scale the walls of its mission here.