By Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon
Phayul Special Correspondent
Geneva, July 19 : A senior United Nations Refugee Agency official is expected to raise the issue of the Nepalese government’s position on whether to allow the exit of thousands of Tibetan refugees at the request of the United States’ Government. Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins, the Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees (Operations), at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees based in Geneva, began an official visit to Nepal today.
According nepalnews.com, during her talks with the Nepalese leaders it is expected that Ms. Cheng-Hopkins “would discuss the issue of the Nepal government’s decision to send some 5,000 Tibetans to the US for settlement. The northern neighbour, China, opposed the Nepal government decision to send Tibetans to the US.”
Earlier this month, in response to questions by Nepalese Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Human Rights Committee, Mr. K. P. Sharma Oli, Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, revealed China had expressed its concerns with his government about the development of “vulnerable” Tibetan refugees currently in Nepal being resettled in the United States.
According to another Nepalese website, Kantipur Online, the parliament committee was also told that China is sending its Vice-Foreign Minister, Wu Dawei, to Nepal for a three-day visit from July 27 onwards to officially lodge its complaint with the Nepal government. “This is the major agenda of the Vice-Foreign Minister,” Mr. Oli added.
In a recent report about the situation of Tibetan refugees, especially those fleeing from Tibet, the International Campaign for Tibet said : “In mid-2005, the US President included in the annual notification to Congress concerning refugee resettlement, the intention of the State Department to (re)settle certain Tibetans from Nepal in the United States. However, at end, instability in Nepal and within the US-Nepal relationship made impossible to initiate the US Tibetan refugee resettlement program.”
Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon can be reached at drakgya@yahoo.com
