DANGEROUS CROSSING: - International Campaign for Tibet

DANGEROUS CROSSINGS: CONDITIONS IMPACTING THE FLIGHT OF TIBETAN REFUGEES, 2011
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trial was imposed on 18 of the Tibetans, they were released after 20
days following dialogue between HURON and the Nepali authorities. 214
In 2011, observers reported Nepali riot police using “undue force” as
Tibetans gathered to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Tibetan
Uprising Day. Beginning in the early morning hours of March 10, more
than 1,000 police were reportedly deployed in an effort to stop the
Tibetan community in Kathmandu from marking the anniversary. Hundreds
of police in riot gear gathered around key Tibetan centers such
as monasteries and schools in order to prevent Tibetans attending the
anniversary event held at Samtenling monastery. Nepali police could be
seen kicking and beating unarmed Tibetan demonstrators who took
to the streets in video posted on Euronews.net and on the website of
the UK’s Telegraph newspaper. The Telegraph cited local media reports
that at least 15 people were detained and 20 injured in the day’s altercations.
A Tibetan residing in Kathmandu described the environment
as “tense” adding that “people were incredibly nervous; it was terrifying.”
In an additional incident, several Tibetans, including a monk, were
witnessed being beaten severely by Nepali people, not police, near the
Boudha stupa.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International
Commission of Jurists issued a statement calling on Nepali authorities
to abide by its international obligations and its own domestic laws in its
treatment of the Tibetan community. Highlighting the issues of “preventive
arrests and policing restrictions on demonstrations and freedom
of movement that deny the right to legitimate peaceful expression and
assembly during anniversaries and festivals marked by the Tibetan community,”
the groups cited the strong pressure Nepali authorities receive
from the Chinese government. 215
c) Disenfranchising refugees
Nepal’s restrictive attitudes to peaceful protest have been mirrored in its response
to entities relating to Tibetan governance in exile, headquartered in
northern India. Until recently headed by the Dalai Lama, the government –
while not officially recognized - is respected by many of the world’s states
and, in ambassadorial style, fields representative offices across the world. In
2005, Tibetan representation was closed in Kathmandu and remains so, despite
repeated attempts to negotiate the reopening of the Tibetan Welfare
Office, including from the international community. This closure was a huge
blow to the Tibetan refugee community and substantially weakened their
situation, by rendering them leaderless in Nepal.