By Sudeshna Sarkar

Defying the possibility of imprisonment or even death, over three dozen Tibetan monks and nuns have begun a secret "freedom march" to Tibet from Nepal to draw the world’s attention to their demand for freedom and respect for human rights on the eve of the Olympic Games in China.

A resolute group of 23 monks, 17 nuns and two novices began the dangerous journey under secrecy last week from the outskirts of Kathmandu in a bid to evade arrest by Nepal police, who have been put on high alert to stop anti-China protests in Nepal.

In the first deed of its kind, the "suicide squad" will attempt to cross frozen mountain passes and untrodden routes in northern Nepal to reach the former Buddhist kingdom of Tibet that China invaded and annexed in the 1950s.

The trek is a reverse of the flight by Tibetan refugees who dared freezing cold, starvation and firing by Chinese border troops to cross over into Nepal.