By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 15: 41 Tibetans travelling in a private operated bus crossing into India have been detained by the Nepalese police in Dhangadhi town near the Indian border for not having proper papers on Monday, according to Nepalese media. The Tibetans, if the picture attached with the story is anything to go by, seem to have arrived from Tibet. However, this could not be independently verified.
The Kailali District police have sent all detained Tibetans to the Department of Immigration, Kathmandu for “further investigation and necessary legal actions,” according to My Republica, a national daily in Nepal.
Superintendent of Police Rajendra Bista told MR that the Tibetans who were intending to visit Buddhist temples in Varanasi, Kushinagar and Bodh Gaya, “had no identification documents and travel documents,” when they were arrested in Dhangadhi city which is just 392 kms away from New Delhi. The Chinese government issues visas for Tibetans inside Tibet to visit Nepal with whom they share strong ties.
Many fear that the detainees will be deported soon. In May 2003, a group of 18 Tibetans were handed over to the Chinese police in the border town of Dram by Nepalese authorities.
With the upcoming Kalachakra over a month away, Tibetans who plan to come for the foremost Buddhist teachings given by the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya in January, are likely to face stiff control in Nepal.
Observers say that Nepal which receives lucrative patronage from China have begun to shift their policy when it comes to the treatment of the Tibetan refugee in the tiny Himalayan nation.
