FOUR foreigners, two Americans and two British nationals, were ordered to leave China “within a prescribed time limit” after displaying “Free Tibet” banners near an Olympic venue in Beijing yesterday, local police said.

    Two were expected to leave yesterday night and the other two today.

    The four gathered at around 5:47 a.m. at the Beichen Overpass near the National Stadium, or Bird’s Nest, in Chaoyang District. Two men climbed up two electricity poles to display the banners, said a police official.

    One banner carried large black letters “One World One Dream Free Tibet,” and another banner with “Tibet will be free” in English and “Free Tibet” in Chinese.

    The police rushed to the scene 12 minutes later and persuaded them to leave, said the official.

    A preliminary investigation showed the two Britons and two U.S citizens had entered China on tourist visas.

    Sun Weide, a media official with the Beijing Organizing Committee of the 29th Olympic Games (BOCOG), later expressed strong disapproval of the foreigners’ behavior.

    “We resolutely oppose such behavior,” Sun said. The Olympic Games were a grand international sports gathering and “we are resolutely against any attempts to politicize the Games.”

    “China has stipulated laws and regulations concerning gatherings and demonstrations. We hope foreigners who come to China can observe China’s laws and regulations,” Sun said.

    The case was still under investigation, Sun said.

    Also yesterday, three American anti-abortionists staged a sit-in and shouted slogans outside the National Museum of China to the east of the Tian’anmen Square in downtown Beijing in the afternoon.

    The three, including two men and a woman, were persuaded by police to leave about 30 minutes later.

    (Xinhua)