{image-olympic torch_21042008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Kathmandu, Apr 21: The Nepal government has deployed additional security personnel on the base camp of Mt Everest in view of the Tibetans' threat to disrupt the Olympic torch relay in the run up to the Beijing Games starting August 8.

Security men with logistics and mountaineering equipment have already been moved to the area, Annapurna Post daily quoted an official as saying. The soldiers have been given orders to shoot if necessary, the paper said. The government has already decided to send at least an army personnel and a policeman as liaison officers with each mountaineering expedition this season to prevent any untoward incident on Everest. Ang Tshering Sherpa of Nepal Mountaineering Association is coordinating the torch relay in Nepal.

The Chinese government had requested Nepal to ensure safe passage to the torch relay and ban ascent to Mt Everest until May 10 when the torch reaches the summit. The Government has banned Mt Everest ascent between May 1 and 10. The 20,000-strong Tibetan community living in Nepal has been constantly demonstrating against Chinese policy in Tibet for the past few weeks.

UNI