Zero Tibetans: a China – Nepal Nexus

The Tibetan Community in Nepal: A Historical Overview

Nepal’s Tibetan community of about 15,000-20,000 is made up of the relatives and descendants of an initial wave of refugees who arrived in Nepal following the Dalai Lama’s escape to India in 1959, and of periodic flows since then of new refugees and migrants coming from Tibet or returning from India (Smith, 2009). Since the Tibetan uprising in 2008, China has tightened its grip on the Tibetan community in Nepal. As a result of this pressure, Tibetans face excessive use of force by police, preventive detention, torture and ill-treatment when detained, and intrusive surveillance (Human Rights Watch, 2015).

'Zero Tibetans: A China–Nepal Nexus'

There are reports of excessive human rights suppression at the hands of the Chinese authorities. Nepal, which has elevated its friendship with China to a whole new level in this decade, has signed several security and "intelligence-sharing" agreements with China since 2008 (International Campaign for Tibet, 2012). They have operationalized border security cooperation, partially enforced a ban on Tibetan public demonstrations, implemented close monitoring of the Tibetan community, its leaders, and real or perceived activists, and deployed intimidating numbers of Nepali armed police in Tibetan neighborhoods on politically sensitive dates, such as the anniversary of the Dalai Lama, International Human Rights Day (December 10), or during high-level visits by Chinese dignitaries (Amnesty International, 2018).

The Personal Account of Chodak Namgyal

The story of Chodak Namgyal, a former Tibetan monk in his twenties, briefly describes the suffering of Tibetans at the hands of the Chinese. The bone-chilling account of the young monk is as follows: Chodak arrived as a refugee in Nepal in January 2009. A former member of the Tongkor monastery in Amdo, he had spent several months in hiding following a clash in April 2008 in which Chinese security forces shot at a crowd of Tibetan protesters, killing up to a dozen people (Smith, 2010). Many monks and participants in the protest, fearing arrest, fled into the mountains, where they remained in hiding, living in harsh conditions for many months, to escape the large and sustained operation by the local Chinese authorities to capture fugitives, whose pictures were on wanted posters in the area. Relatives were monitored and pressured for information about their relatives. Chodak and a companion decided to flee Tibet. They made their way to the border with Nepal, first hiding in the back of trucks and then continuing on foot, walking only at night. In January 2009, a Tibetan guide on the Chinese side near Dram took them overnight across the border.

Life in Nepal: The Struggles Continue

From there, they went to Kathmandu, traveling by motorbike and circumventing by foot numerous Nepali police checkpoints on the road. The two men took refuge in a Tibetan monastery in the Kathmandu valley for several weeks before having to leave and hide in a Tibetan district in Kathmandu. Tibetans caught by the Chinese authorities for crossing the border irregularly from Nepal are subjected to detention and imprisonment in abusive conditions. From the moment they are arrested, detainees are beaten by the police. When they are in detention, interrogators and guards routinely beat and torture detainees to coerce confessions or obtain information. Physical abuse, ill-treatment, and torture are also used on detainees to terrorize them and break them psychologically (Human Rights Watch, 2013). This ongoing cycle of persecution and fear underscores the precarious situation faced by Tibetan refugees in Nepal.

References:

• Amnesty International. (2018). Annual Report: Nepal 2018.
• Human Rights Watch. (2013). Under China's Shadow: Mistreatment of Tibetans in Nepal.
• Human Rights Watch. (2015). World Report 2015: Nepal.
• International Campaign for Tibet. (2012). A Year of Repression in Tibet.
• Smith, W. (2009). Tibet’s Refugees: The Status of Tibetans in Nepal and India.
• Smith, W. (2010). Escape from Tibet: A Refugee’s Story.