Eight Tibetan refugees who were earlier held by Nepal since around a year have now arrived in Dharamsala, the Tibetan exile headquarter based in India last week. With intensive border patrolling in the Tibetan borders by Chinese border police supplemented by increasing Chinese influence in Nepal, the primary gateway to exile has been heavily locked for Tibetans.

“A group of Tibetan refugees whose departure to India was earlier delayed by Nepalese immigration authorities citing “security concerns” have finally reached Dharamshala on Monday.” said the report in Phayul on August 14 adding that the group arrived at Dharamshala in the morning of August 13 via Delhi with their passage from Nepal primarily handled by the ‘Tibetan reception center’, an office of the Central Tibetan Administration responsible for reception of Tibetans fleeing into exile.

Nepal government was all set to send eight Tibetan refugees to Dharamsala at the end of July this year. The government had been coordinating with its Indian counterpart and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in this matter. However, the process has been delayed by the government citing security as well as sensitivity reasons and they have now been sent to India.

While these Tibetans had entered Nepal from border points in Dolakha and Rasuwa less than a year ago verified as Tibetan refugees on July 20 by Tibetan Reception Centre at Halchok, Kathmandu, the government had detained two Tibetan refugees; Wanbo, 20, a resident of Shigatse, and Kunga, 25, from Lasha from Tatopani border in Sindhupalchow and they have been sent to Dharmashala.

Nepal is host to around 20,000 Tibetan refugees and there have been many instances of arresting many Tibetans fleeing out of China occupied Tibet into exile through Nepal border. Since Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959, Nepal has been the route for thousands of Tibetans who fled into exile across the world from China occupied Tibet.

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