09 July 2008
British Tibetan woman deported from Beijing
(Reuters) Beijing has defended its decision to deport an ethnic Tibetan woman who is a British citizen, saying she was a key member of the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress and had engaged in unspecified illegal activities in the country. Dechen Pemba, 30, was escorted onto a plane to London after being interrogated by Chinese security officials in Beijing, where she had been living for two years. She told Reuters by telephone from her family's home in London that she was innocent and said the deportation was made by a paranoid government less than one month before the start of the Olympics. The Tibetan Youth Congress denied she was a member, and she also issued a statement denying any association with the congress.