Personal viewpoint
By Thupten. S. Shastri
Naturally it is a sad fact for anyone going further and further away from his own real home, that too with uncertain return. But as the world is becoming more and more interdependent and closer day by day from each other, the most likely resettlement of Tibetan refugees from Nepal to the United States of America is taken here in Nepal by most Tibetan refugees “ a timely good news;” from Dharamsala and Washington.Tibetans refugees have been staying here in Nepal for more than four decades now, and during most of their time Nepal has been reasonably kind to them. But since the last couple of years the situation has changed, and is changing with a fast pace.
For any erudite historian there could be many reasons for this change, But the most apparent and widely accepted view could be of two: First, Nepal is politically going under a very hard time for the last almost one decade, mainly due to the Maoist insurgency and continuous internal political instability, which actually resulted in frequent change of ineffective unsuccessful governments. Second, Tibetans and wide range of international community believes China is putting pressure to Nepal over the Tibetan issue. If this holds actual water, then it could be said that china has been and is taking the full advantage of Nepal’s internal political instability to achieve its goal of changing the situation of Tibetan refugees in Nepal, “good to bad and bad to worse”. Since from the last couple of years Nepal’s policy towards the Tibetan refugee community here is becoming more and more restrictive. Among many instances of restriction by Nepal over the Tibetan refugee community’s social, political and religious activities, two instances inflamed international concern: the deportation of 18 newly-arrived Tibetan aslyam-seekers from Kathmandu to China in 2002, instead of the general norm of providing them transit to India; and the recent closure of almost half a century old Representative Office of Dalai Lama in kathmandu. According to the Nepali scholar-writer Dr. Hari Bansh Jha’s book “ Tibetans in Nepal”, first published in 1992, It says on page 24
“ The office of the representative of His Holiness The dalai Lama was set up in Kathmandu in 1960 with the twin objectives of looking after the interests of Tibetan community in Nepal and maintaining close and cordial relations between HGM ( His Magisty’s Government) of Nepal and the Tibetan Administration-in-exile. All the Tibetan institutions in Nepal including refugee settlements, handicraft centers and CTC fall under its jurisdiction. It is also responsible for providing necessary information about different aspects of the Tibetan affairs such as religion, education, culture and literature ….”
The author of the book, Tibetans in Nepal, in brevity, is a prolific writer, and he has served as Economic Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Member of the Central Tariff Board in the ministry of finance, Director of the Institute of Third World Economic Studies and Special Officer in the Royal palace.
Whatever it is, if anything can go wrong, it will. Today the situation of the representative office of Dalai Lama in Nepal doesn’t look that glossy of when it was first set up, and for that matter the situation of Tibetan refugees in Nepal. So the most-likely resettlement of certain number of Tibetan refugees from Nepal to the United states of America has direct or indirect relevance to the changing political beurucracy in Nepal, and its bilateral relations with its neighbours, though neither Washington nor Dharasamla stated so in media till date. It (the resettlement policy) also goes to light-up how international and regional political nature has been changing, atleast during the last decade, and the urgency to sail inaccordiance with where the wind is blowing and where there is a way, because the present primeminister of the Tibetan exile-government Venerable Professor Samdong Rinpoche is an ardent view-expresser then, against the policy of one thousand Tibetans immigrating to the united states in 1991.
Now, there might be some possible social and political fallouts for Nepal with the resettlement of Tibetan refugees from Nepal to the United Sates. Nepal is still one of the most wonderful country in the world, Despite the political turmoil. And of course, for those Tibetan refugees who have lived in Nepal for now more than forty five years of their exile-life, for them, this country surely is the most grateful country in the world, which gave them almost everything when everything of their (Tibetans) real home is lost under invasion. Within the span of forty five years, the Nepali people and the Tibetan refugees have evolved into a very cordially-inter-woven peaceful social structure: today there are Tibetan refugees who speak the language of Nepal as if the Nepalis themselves, There are bosom friends between Nepalis and Tibetan refugees, there are who share the same home, and there are business enterprenoures in collaboration; social, religious, educational and cultural linkages….quite a lot of important aspects which one cannot notice not.
So whatever be the beurucratic turns and decisions in the future, the true tenacity between the Nepali people and the Tibetan refugees will take a long long way to go vain, even if ever there is a possibility for that. The climax of the fact is very clear even in the words of Tibetan exile-officials, recently in kathmandu when the exile Tibetans celebrated the 45 th observation of Democracy Day under the Nepali Authority’s restriction which compelled them to do it in the puja hall of a monastery, Mr.Wangchuk Tsering- the representative of Dalai Lama in Nepal while addressing the gathering said this:
“Years ago we used to hold such programs at the boudha stupa itself, and also at some other venues. We have sought permission this time too and it was granted, but at the last minute they disallowed us, particulary His Holiness’s photo. It is not that the Nepali government and the Nepali people dislikes the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people, but it is because of pressure from outside .”
So it could be concluded that Tibetan people have, whatsoever, no resentments against Nepal and its people. Neverthless, the Nepali Authority’s twist in the treatment of Tibetan refugees, particularly in the recent years, and the most-likely resettlement of certain Tibetan refugees from Nepal to the United States might damage (to some extent) Nepal’s image as a humanitarian country in the eyes and minds of the international community. It is unfortunate for this wonderful country and its wonderful people; rich in culture, frank, kind and simple brave honest people.
And one more possible political impact would be, though the issue of Tibetan refugees in Nepal may not be the Jack of cards in the Nepal-China political relations and gambling, but its hard to deny it “a bit influencial card.”. So if in the near future, though I think it very unlikely, but if the Tibetan refugee population and the Tibetan issue becomes minimal in Nepal, then the value of the aforementioned “a bit influencial card “ will be lost, and infact the two sides i.e, Nepal and China will loose a card to play for ever, and in such a scenerio Nepal may fall in the receiving end.
Finally, Though the Tibetan refugee community in Nepal for the last 45 years has been very successful in the field of religion, education, culture, business area, and more importantly, peacefully co-existing with the people of Nepal, they (Tibetans) have failed in building a conglomerated voice of the vast majority of grass-root Nepali mass for Tibet and Tibetan issue, not necessarily for Free Tibet, but for Tibetan refugee humanitarian concerns, Tibetan cultural and religious concerns and human rights concerns. Tibetan writer-activist Mr Tenzin Tsondue when he visited Nepal from India early last year , he has had interactions with Nepali interllectuals, writers, poets and students, and he also has had interactions with the Tibetan refugee community here including youths, and he was of the same view then that Tibetan refugees in Nepal have failed in this area to some extend. If they have been bit more successful in this area the issue of Tibet and Tibetan refugee situation in Nepal could have a more positive face, because ultimately the voice of the people is heard loudest in Nepal even today.
