Beijing - Chinese security personnel detained five US pro-Tibet activists after they unfurled a banner in Beijing's Olympic Park, and another six activists who planned similar protests were arrested or missing, a rights' group said Wednesday. The banner, which used blue lights to display the message "Free Tibet" in English and Chinese, was displayed for about 20 seconds late Tuesday before being taken down by officials.
The five demonstrators belong to Students for a Free Tibet, and the organization's deputy director, Tenzin Dorjee, accused the Chinese government of trying to turn the world's attention away from its abuses in Tibet as the Olympics take place.
"The Chinese leadership must realize that the only way it can make the issue of Tibet disappear is to acknowledge the demands of the Tibetan people and work with them to bring an end to China's occupation of Tibet."
US political artist James Powderly and five other US citizens were detained or missing on Tuesday, Students for a Free Tibet said.
Powderly sent a message indicating he was in detention and his whereabouts remained unknown.
He had planned to use laser-based "Stencil" technology capable of projecting messages measuring up to three stories high onto flat surfaces, the group said.
Police separately detained videographer Brian Conley and his friend Jeffrey Rae early Tuesday, while three other US "bloggers and activists" were missing since Tuesday morning, it said.
"The five 'citizen journalists' and activists were in Beijing to support and promote human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom for the Tibetan people," it said.
The organization has staged seven peaceful protests in Beijing over the past two weeks to try to place the issue of Tibet onto the Olympic agenda.
The protests have included a banner being hung near the Bird's Nest Stadium, a display of Tibetan flags near the Bird's Nest just before the opening ceremony and a symbolic die-in at Tiananmen Square.
The group has also organized a protest by a Tibetan woman with flags outside Tiananmen Square, a blockade of the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park and a "Free Tibet" banner hung outside the headquarters of China Central Television.
More than 40 members and supporters had been detained and deported before Tuesday's detentions.
