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US Asks Nepal For Tibetan Refugees Free Passage To India
By KTM Metro Reporter
February 15, 2011: On her South Asia trip, US under-secretary of state for democracy and global affairs Maria Otero has met with Nepalese Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal yesterday and has expressed her concern for the Tibetan refugees in Nepal during the meeting.
Miss Otero also serves as the Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues, has highlighted the need for the Government of Nepal treating Tibetan refugees in Nepal following the international human rights obligations and the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ the UN has reached with the Government of Nepal on letting Tibetan refugees passing through Nepal without hindrance.
Under the Chinese pressure Nepal has failed in honoring the "gentlemen’s agreement". So, Nepalese police have repeatedly arrested the Tibetans passing through Nepal and have even returned them to the Chinese authorities.
Nepal has strictly followed the one-China policy means recognizing Tibet and Taiwan as the integral parts of the People’s Republic of China, and does not allow the Tibetans to peacefully protest against the occupation of Tibet by the Chinese, and forcibly seized the ballots papers from the polling stations during the election to the Tibetan parliament in exile shamelessly violating the fundamental human rights of the Tibetans.
According to the prime minister’s foreign relations advisor Milan Tuladhar, Prime Minister Khanal has responded the concerns of Miss Otero for Tibetan refugees stating that he will deal the issues following the concerns of both the northern and southern neighbors. Thus, the Nepalese Prime Minister has given the priority of the neighbors than following the fundamental human rights of Tibetans.
Miss Otero has also expressed her concern to the Nepalese prime minister for the children of Tibetan refugees living in Nepal for several years and they have been facing problems of getting identity cards. Concerning the identity cards, the prime minister has said that his government will deal the problem following the international human rights obligations.
Miss Otero accompanied by the American ambassador in Nepal has visited Tibetan Reception Center in Kathmandu and met with Tibetan refugees. Some of them have been waiting for clearance to go to Dharamshala in India to meet their spiritual leader Dalai Lama that has been living there since he fled Tibet after the unsuccessful uprising against China in 1959.
