KATMANDU - Nepalese soldiers and police guarding the slopes of Mount Everest are authorized to shoot to stop any protests during China's Olympic torch run to the summit.
Chinese climbers plan to take the torch to the summit of Everest - the world's highest peak on the border between Nepal and Tibet - in the first few days of May. During that time, other climbers will be banned from higher elevations.
A Nepalese government spokesman says police and soldiers "have been given orders to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary," adding deadly force is authorized only as a last resort. The troops will first try to persuade protesters to leave and will arrest those who don't.
Twenty-five soldiers and policemen have already established several camps on the mountain, with the possibility more troops could be sent if needed.
The torch relay - the longest in Olympic history - has been seized on as a platform to protest China's human rights record, most notably the crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet in March.
Tibetan exiles have protested almost daily in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu in front of the United Nations office and the Chinese Embassy.
