Ellen Bork
US News
April 16, 2014
Nepal is doing China’s bidding by mistreating Tibetans.
In late 2011, I visited Kathmandu to look into the situation of Tibetan refugees. Nepal provides a home to a community of approximately 20,000 refugees who left Tibet after the 1959 departure of the Dalai Lama; in 1989, no longer willing to allow settlement by newly arrivals, it became a way station to Tibetan refugees on their way to India. The 1989 change in policy was made in response to Chinese pressure, and I’d heard that under even greater pressure, Nepali authorities were mistreating Tibetan residents and even intercepting and repatriating refugees to China.
I didn’t have to wait long to see some evidence first hand. While on my way to call on an unofficial representative of the Dalai Lama, my driver got a call saying that the representative had been taken to the police station. He was later released. On the same day, a visiting U.S. official working for an undersecretary of state with responsibility for the Tibet issues portfolio also encountered police at her various appointments in the Tibetan community. Later we were advised that the harassment was probably related to the holding of a Tibetan mourning ceremony for a prominent figure and that Beijing had signaled its displeasure, leading to the harassment of various Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama’s unofficial representative was released later that day, and the incident was, by comparison with others, comparatively minor. However, during my visit I heard about many other, worse episodes involving Chinese cooptation of the Nepali government. Some of these incidents and others are included in a new and detailed report by Human Rights Watch, “Under China’s Shadow: Mistreatment of Tibetans in Nepal.” The report presents an alarming picture of the extent of Beijing’s efforts to force Nepal’s participation in anti-Tibet activities as well as evidence of direct action by Chinese operatives inside Nepal.
After rioting spread through Tibetan regions in 2008, Beijing intensified its security controls inside Tibet. That repression only brought about more resistance, including a wave of protests by self-immolation; the most recent took place on March 29 by a nun in Kardze. Not content to crush Tibetan resistance in areas under Chinese control, Beijing struck out in Nepal, putting pressure on Kathmandu to adopt Beijing’s agenda on Tibet and end Nepal’s traditional role of support for Tibetan refugees.
Among other disturbing details in the report:
Chinese security personnel function inside Nepal, seizing Tibetan refugees and taking them back to Chinese territory and engaging freely with Nepali police outside of normal diplomatic channels.
Senior Nepali officials parrot Beijing’s priorities on the Tibet issue, saying they will prevent “anti-China” activities and respect the “one China” policy. In a breathtaking interview with a Chinese newspaper cited by the report, a senior Nepali police official describes intelligence cooperation, surveillance of the Tibetan community and preventive arrests of Tibetans in Nepal during visits by Chinese officials.
One figure in the report gives a stark illustration of Beijing’s success in Nepal. Before 2008, an average of 2,200 Tibetan refugees reached Nepal. In 2013, the number was 171.
The picture is grave, but not entirely without bright spots. Some Nepali nongovernmental organizations are attempting to maintain the values of their society by working to protect the rights of Tibetans. They too are at risk from official pressure and retribution. Likewise, Nepal’s judiciary has ruled favorably on habeas petitions to protect the rights of Tibetan refugees.
China’s intrusion into Nepali affairs has far-reaching implications not only for Tibetans but also for Nepalis’ efforts to consolidate democratic institutions and freedoms. Nepal itself is emerging from a period of great instability. It has just selected its sixth prime minister since becoming a republic in 2008 and settling a civil war in 2006. Just as China seeks out and rewards those willing to pursue Beijing’s agenda, it is important to bolster and protect Nepalis working on behalf of human rights and the rule of law.
Beijing’s expansive definition of its “core interests” shows that its claims to Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang and the South China Sea can extend even further afield and justify its undermining of other countries’ sovereign affairs and in violation of international norms, in this case those regarding refugees.According to a former Nepali government official cited by the Human Rights Watch report,
The level of pressure from China is great, and often not seen. … Over the years I have seen how a low-level Chinese person has high-level access on the Nepali side. It’s completely unequal. Nepal has no capacity to fight back against this pressure. The US is the only international actor who speaks up on the issue.
Human Rights Watch has done a valuable service by bringing what’s happening to Tibetans and their Nepali hosts into view. Now it’s up to other countries who care about Nepal’s ability to consolidate democracy and continue its historic role in protecting vulnerable Tibetans to do their part.
Ellen Bork is the director of democracy and human rights at the Foreign Policy Initiative.
