Dharamshala/New Delhi, Aug 8 : While China is all set to celebrate its ancient past and modern power with the Olympics, looking to put criticism over the suppression in Tibet behind it as world leaders arrive in Beijing, exiled Tibetans in India continue to protest.

Many Tibetan monks and nuns and others assembled today in the main Buddhist temple in Dharamshala to protest against what they see as China''s illegal occupation of their homeland and took part in peaceful protests.

The protesters, who have been staging unique protests like street plays and mock funerals, are using the Beijing Olympics as the backdrop to garner the attention of the international community towards their cause.

The protesters said the fact that China has been allowed to host the Olympics despite the Tibetan protests is wrong.

"Everybody knows that there is no human rights and freedom of speech in Tibet. Despite absence of all these, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has given opportunity for China to host. So, We are protesting," said Tenzin, a Tibetan.

Meanwhile in New Delhi, authorities have stepped up security measures in and around the Chinese Embassy as a precautionary measure.

Policemen braved the heavy downpour and guarded the walls of the Embassy, which the exiled Tibetans have attempted to scale many a times.

Many Tibetans are expected to gather in the national capital to participate in a mass demonstration campaign and appeal the world community to boycott the Beijing Olympics.

China has controlled Tibet since People''s Liberation Army troops marched into the region in 1950 and Beijing considers Tibet as an integral part of its territory.

Critics accuse China of repressing Tibetans' religious aspirations, especially their veneration for the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

China says it has spent billions of dollars developing the impoverished Himalayan region, and raised its living standards.

ANI