Dozens of Tibetans in Taiwan and supporters of Tibet's autonomy  staged a demonstration outside the Japanese representative office in Taipei on Wednesday.

They protested the arrest in Japan of Tashi Tsering, an exiled  Tibetan holding a Taiwanese passport. Tashi is the vice chairman  of the Tibetan Youth Congress in Taiwan and he was detained for his attempt to approach the Olympic torch during the torch relay in Nagano in central Japan last Saturday.

Noting that Japan is a democratic country, the Taipei Tibetan Exchange Foundation said the right to free expression should be respected there.

Tashi reportedly did not threaten to forcibly remove or damage the Olympic torch; his protest was peaceful and non-violent.