Nepal has been a home for 20,000 Tibetan Refugees and internationally we feel proud, we keep on saying that, we looked after them in spite of our own difficulties. Nepal being landlocked country has to depend on two giant neighbors and therefore allowing anti-china or anti-India activities is harmful to its foreign policy, a fact shared by the Tibetans too. Like many Nepalese in North America we live with the Tibetans as one community for a longtime and shared their sorrows and happiness and also understood their issue quite well. But when i was recently back in Nepal to be with my relatives for some time, i had an uncomfortable feeling i keep hearing at least three political rhetoric against the Tibetan that has attained gigantic proportion to almost comical height.
Joseph Geobbels propaganda Minister of Hitler said. “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it people will eventually come to believe it. “Whatever a Nepali leader visits China or Chinese leaders visit Nepal the Gayatiri Mantra must be recited first by the Nepali leaders is that they strongly believe in ‘one china policy. “What is one china policy anyway and what is that to do with the Tibetans?
The one china policy relates to the controversy which dates back to 1949, when the victorious communists established the people’s Republic of china on the mainland, land the defeated nationalists fled to Taiwan where they continued to claim sovereignty over all of China. China holds that there is but one china and that Taiwan is part of china. The leaders of both countries have long subscribed to the one-china policy – each insisting on their own government’s legitimacy. One China policy has nothing to do with Tibet or Tibetans.
Tibetan in Nepal have been celebrating the birthday of the Dalai Lama, who is also our spiritual master and electing their community leaders through democratic process ever since they came to exile 60 years back. Only recently these activities are termed as ‘FREE TIBET movement’ and the riot police in full war gear are immediately rushed to ban these activities just like the Chinese would do in Tibet. as a matter of fact Dalai lama has abandoned the demand for independence since 1979 and is asking for genuine autonomy under the constitution of people’s republic of china. the document called memorandum of genuine autonomy submitted to china by the representative of the Dalai lama states ‘We are seeking a solution to the Tibetan problem through genuine autonomy, which is compatible with the principles on autonomy in the constitution of the people’s republic of China (PRC). The protection and development of the unique Tibetan identity in all its aspects.
We have read that negotiations are regularly held between the representative of the Dalai lama and the people’s republic of China. this is still continuing. Therefore, linking the Dalai lama to ‘FREE TIBET movement’ is outdated, absurd and now a lie.
Thirdly, during the last one year another myth is churned in Nepal. It is said in some of the media that India is preparing to launch anti China activity by using the Tibetan refugees in Nepal and reviving khampa warriors at the border. Recently sudan karki. The general secretary of Kirat national liberation front, said on September 5 2010, “The Indian ambassador Mr. Sood’s visit to the Himali region is intended to provoke the third Khampa revolt”. (Telegraph Nepal)
Historically it is a fact the Khampa fought the Chinese since 1949. According to Mikel Dunhams book ‘Buddha’s warriors” from 1955/56 Tibet’s freedom fighters were assisted, with varying degrees of success by the CIA, until the eventual collapse of organized resistance inside Tibet in 1962. Many were killed and tortured, survivors escaped and regrouped into western Nepal to carry on the struggle with renewed american support until 1969 when aiding the Tibetans fell hostage to President Nixon’s rapprochement with China.
The last remnants of Tibetan resistance eradicated the winter of 1974/75 in Mustang, as the king of Nepal under pressure from Beijing demanded the Tibetan surrender.”On the request of King Mahendra, the Dalai lama send a taped message to the warriors to surrender. Many committed suicide while others resisted and were gunned down by Nepal soldiers under a turquoise Himalayan sky.
That was the end of the resistance by brave Khampa warriors.
Much water has flown down the Bagmati river in these 35 years, few surrendered Khampas were settled and granted citizen by the government and live happily, his holiness the Dalai Lama is honored with Nobel Peace Prize and has become the symbol of international peace. to imagine that he is now raising army of planning to fight the Chinese from Nepal soil is beyond imagination and Nepal as a sovereign nation must speak its own mind.
Unfortunately, Tibetan living in Nepal is the victims of those outdated political rhetoric and they have no voice or means to clarify their stand. i believe, that our leaders are not naive either, they know the reality but why do they have to fake all the time and blow the trumped for other people is another mystery in any case i do not understand why there are dual statuses of refugee in one country. One hundred thousand Bhutanese refugees are well looked after by the government, even has a special program to voice their feelings in some FM channels and are migrated to western countries with all care and expenses paid. On the other hand the Tibetan refugees who are the oldest refugees and have actually made substantial contribution to Nepal’s economic in initial carpet industry and generated enough employments opportunities suddenly became subjects for humiliation and looked down like a leprosy patient.
just as we automatically react when one Nepali is mistreated in foreign country like Qatar or anywhere, there are about 4 million Tibetans races that live as our neighbor and are closely watching our action. they may not have voice today but they are human beings and certainly have feelings just like ourselves. They will not be amused with our treatment of their brothers and sisters in Nepal no matter what political color the refugees hold after all blood is thicker than water.
