By Tendar Tsering
DHARAMSHALA, November 15: Following the self-immolation by a Tibetan monk in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, the Himalayan kingdom is reportedly mulling over restricting even the fundamental human rights of Tibetan refugees.
Talking to the Telegraph Nepal, a senior Nepali official said that the government might “slash all the facilities being granted to the Tibetans residing in Nepal” including their freedom of movement.
“The government of Nepal is committed on its one-China policy. We will not allow any activities that go against the interest of our neighborus,” said Sudhir Kumar Sah, spokesperson for Nepal’s Home Ministry.
“This will lead to a situation where the government may have to slash all the facilities being granted to the Tibetans residing in Nepal, such as that of their freedom to move even,” said the spokesperson.
A Tibetan monk in Kathmandu last week had set himself on fire protesting China’s continued occupation of Tibet and demanding the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.
The revelations by Sah comes in the wake of a proposed visit by the Chinese Premiere Wen Jiabao to Nepal in the coming weeks.
Representative Frank Wolf, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee that determines US funding, while speaking to reporters earlier this month, had warned the Nepali government that he would try to block funding to Nepal unless it grants exit visas to Tibetans who seek refuge in the United States.
“We’re not just going to cut them, we’re going to zero them out,” Wolf told reporters.
“If they’re not willing to do it, then they don’t share our values and if they don’t share our values, we do not want to share our dollars,” added Wolf.
Nepal is home to around 20,000 Tibetans and a major transit point for Tibetans escaping Chinese repression enroute to India.
Phayul is getting reports of surprise checks in Tibetan houses and arbitrary detention of Tibetans in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu.
