By Tenzin Choephel
Phayul Correspondent
Kathmandu, November 24 – On 21st November, the Immigration Department of Nepal sent an official to escort four newly arrived Tibetans from Pelbar County of Chamdo Prefecture in Tibet including a 9 year old boy to the Nepal-India border after detaining them for seven days. A Tibetan official accompanied them to help them go to the Tibetan Reception Center in New Delhi. On November 13, Nepal Immigration office at Kodari, bordering Tibet arrested two police personnel of Kodari Police Office and four newly arrived Tibetans on charge of assisting four Tibetans to cross border and enter Nepal illegally. They were brought to the Department of Immigration at Kathmandu on November14. The police officials were charged of taking bribe amounting to 3000 Yuan. It is not yet known whether the officials were found guilty and punished.
Normally, in the past any newly arrived Tibetans who were arrested by Nepal Immigration were detained and released only after receiving heavy penalties. However, this is probably the first time that such a swift transit facility was provided and that too without any penalty. We could probably assume that it is probably a supportive move by the Immigration Department or they want to keep it low because two police officials were involved in the incident.
The Government of Nepal has neither acceded to the 1951 Convention / 1967 Protocol nor adopted national refugee legislation. Refugee rights are governed by the Aliens Act and administrative directives that are caseload-specific and incomplete. Those Tibetans who arrived after 1990 are not accepted by Nepal and all new arrivals are permitted to remain in Nepal only for the transit period. Normally, all newly arrived Tibetans from Tibet have to stay at the Tibetan Reception Center for sometime from where their travel to India are processed with the help of UNHCR and permission from Nepal Government and Embassy of India.
With the Comprehensive National Peace Treaty signed and a new Nepal Government in the offing, the above facility might indicate that the new Nepal Government would adopt a more tolerant approach to Tibetans in Nepal and Tibetan refugees might get support to pending Tibetan issues in Nepal like registration of the Tibetan Welfare Office, child birth registration, travel document etc.
