Free Tibet Campaign is calling on the Nepal and China offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
(1) to investigate immediately allegations made by a western climber that the Chinese Army opened fire on defenceless Tibetan refugees.
MountEverest.net, a climbers’ website, has quoted a “trusted source” as reporting that he witnessed the Chinese Army shoot at a line of Tibetan refugees as they made their way to the Nangpa La Pass at the border with Nepal.
The witness, a climber attempting to scale the Cho Oyu summit, said: “Early morning of September 30. Š.I saw a line of Tibetans heading towards the start of the passŠŠThen, without warning, shots rang out. Over and over.
Then the line of people started to run uphillŠ.2 people were down, and they weren’t getting up. Then more Chinese army swarmed through the Advanced Base Camp(ABC).”
(2)The climber said that, according to Tibetans who were on the mountain, up to seven Tibetans may have been shot dead before their bodies were thrown into a crevasse not far from Cho Oyu Base Camp.
MountEverest.net claimed that, despite climbers reporting hearing shots in the past, this was the first time a westerner had reported witnessing Tibetans being shot on their way to the Nepal border.
“We know that approximately 2,500 Tibetans annually flee over the Himalayas into exile, escaping the brutality of the Chinese occupation” said Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet Campaign. “It is difficult to know how many are caught or shot at by the Chinese border authorities. Previous similar allegations have remained uninvestigated. It is essential that these eyewitness reports are treated seriously and the relevant agencies work to ensure the safety of Tibetan refugees fleeing into Nepal.”
