Nepal’s Tibetans squeezed as China flexes muscles

By Claire Cozens (AFP) , Oct. 7, 2009-

KATHMANDU — As Beijing marked the 60th anniversary of Communist rule last week, police in Nepal quietly rounded up dozens of Tibetan exiles they said were suspected of planning to hold anti-China protests here.

The pre-emptive arrests in early morning raids across the capital Kathmandu were the latest sign of an increasingly hardline approach by Nepalese authorities to the country’s Tibetan population.

Nepal is home to around 20,000 exiled Tibetans, who began arriving in large numbers in 1959 after their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled Tibet following a failed uprising against the Chinese.

Those who arrived before 1990 were given permission to stay and have often integrated successfully, building profitable businesses selling carpets and other traditional crafts, although they do not have full citizenship rights.

But in recent months the exiles say their lives have become increasingly difficult as Nepal — reportedly under heavy pressure from Beijing — has sought to restrict their activities.

Tsering Thundup, a Tibetan craft seller who lives on the outskirts of Kathmandu in an area popular with the exiles, said that there used to be few police officers in his neighbourhood — but that has changed.

“Nowadays there is a heavy police presence around our area. They conduct regular patrols and interrogate Tibetans,” the 45-year-old told AFP.

“My friends have been interrogated by police over the past few months. It has created an atmosphere of fear and I am very unhappy with the way the situation here has changed.”

Landlocked Nepal upholds Beijing’s “one China” policy — that Tibet is an integral part of the country — and has said it will not tolerate anti-China demonstrations.

In August, the government reiterated its opposition to activities aimed at “undermining the friendship between the two countries,” seeking to preserve friendly ties with its northern neighbour, a major aid donor……. (more details from AFP)