July 7, 2011
Worldwide, while millions of devotees celebrated the Dalai Lama’s 76th birthday, Nepal prevented exiled Tibetans from doing the same in Kathmandu.
Hundreds of riot police blocked Tibetans from entering a school where celebrations were planned. Only students in uniform were allowed entrance, while other Tibetans, including monks and nuns were shunned.
Across the capital, all public celebrations for the Dalai Lama were prohibited.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone monitoring the anti-Tibetan trend currently choreographed by Nepal’s Maoist Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
Under Mahara, any display of pro-Tibetan activism has been hugely restricted, and the Nepalese troops on the China border have taken to pushing back Tibetans headed for Dharamsala through the Nepal route. Particularly in the last two months, Tibetans have not been allowed to cross over to Nepal for onward travel to India, in deference to standing instructions from Mahara to discourage anti-China activism and protests in Nepal.
Beijing should be pleased. This year, China recalled its ambassador to Nepal, Qiu Guohong, before the envoy had completed his full term in Kathmandu amidst speculation that Beijing was unhappy at the way anti-China protests had continued in Nepal. Qiu's successor Yang Houlan, who arrived last month, has already been active in meeting Nepal's Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal and the chief of the Maoist party, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda as well as Maoist Home Minister Mahara.
The Nepali government is taking no chances. Three days before the Dalai Lama’s birthday – a sacred event in the eyes of the Tibetan community – 47 Tibetans were taken into custody in Kathmandu as a preemptive measure.
And in another sign of greater repression, police prevented followers from publicly celebrating the 27th birthday of another Tibetan religious leader, the Karmapa. It was the first time that the Karmapa's birthday celebrations were disrupted in Nepal. Would-be celebrants were not allowed to parade photos of the Karmapa and the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan national flag or banners. They were also forbidden to sing the Tibetan national anthem.
In a new report published by the Jamestown Foundation, (a conservative Washington think tank analyzing events and nations strategically important to the United States), its conclusion read:
The ongoing political paralysis in Nepal caused by the small Himalayan nation's inability to draft a Constitution coupled with the rise of Maoists as a major political force in Nepal’s mainstream politics have created the ideal conditions for Beijing to increase its leverage and influence over Nepal.
Security and information sharing agreements initiated in 2010 between China and Nepal have serious implications for the safety of both long-staying and transiting Tibetan refugees in Nepal. On July 26, 2010, the first "Nepal-China border Security and Law Enforcement Talks" concluded with Beijing and Kathmandu agreeing to establish high-level intelligence sharing capabilities targeting ‘anti-China’ activities and border management, in addition to a pledge from Beijing for an annual aid package to enhance Nepal’s handling of ‘anti-China’ activities.
Greater cooperation between Chinese and Nepalese security forces regarding intelligence sharing and border enforcement raises concerns over Nepal’s commitment to ensure the safety of Tibetans transiting through Nepal and increases the threat of forced repatriation. The first known case of forced repatriation since 2003 occurred in July 2010 when three Tibetans refugees were apprehended in Nepal and flown to Tibet by helicopter accompanied by a Nepalese politician and policeman.
Ironically, according to Minister Mahara’s press coordination Manoj Magar this week, Mahara said that he appreciated China´s policy of non-interference in Nepal´s internal affairs – that the Nepali people appreciated China´s policy of allowing them to decide their fate on their own.
Whatever Mahara may claim is the Nepali people’s disposition, he has helped to place Nepal shoulder to shoulder with China on its policy on anti-Chinese protests; a breach of international human rights and free speech.
(Note: For those interested in supporting the Tibetans’ plight in Nepal, please watch the video promotion for my new book, CAUGHT IN NEPAL: Tibetan Refugees Photographing Tibetan Refugees.
LINK HERE FOR: MIKEL DUNHAM'S VIDEO
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