UN 'Concerned' Over Nepal's Forcible Repatriation of Tibetan Refugees

Dharamshala: The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the Nepalese government's move to forcibly deporting three Tibetan refugees to Chinese border police in early June this year.

“It is a very serious issue and we are extremely concerned," Nini Gurung, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency in Kathmandu, was quoted as saying by AFP.

The UN refugee agency said it had written to the Nepalese government about the incident in early June.

Two of the refugees, a Buddhist monk and a young woman, are serving jail sentence in Tibet after they were detained in western Nepal and handed over to Chinese security forces in Tibet, according to International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).

Nepal is duty-bound under the “Gentlemen's Agreement” with the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) to ensure the safe transit of Tibetan refugees through its territory," said ICT president Mary Beth Markey.

"We urge the Nepal government and the UNHCR to work together to investigate this incident, including China's extra-territorial role, and to adopt remedies that prevent future occurrences of refoulement (forced return) from Nepal."

ICT published in June this year a detail report on the deteriorating situation for Tibetans – both those in transit and those residing in Nepal - due to increased Chinese pressure on the host government. (click here to read ICT's Dangerous Crossing: Conditions impacting the flight of Tibetan refugees 2009 Update)

The report made a set of recommendations to the UNHCR to urge the Nepal government to adhere to the principle of non-refoulement of Tibetan refugees by taking the adequate policy and administrative steps, which include written policy instruction to all the border immigration and police, and training of Nepalese police, security forces and immigration authorities in proper procedures (as per the Gentlemen's Agreement) and international human rights standards.

Tibetans who arrived in Nepal after the 1989 amnesty date and without proper documents face routine threat of detention and deportation, and the government uses heavy handed approach in dealing with peaceful demonstrations by Tibetans against China's repressive rule in Tibet, the report said.

The UN agency was called on to press the Nepal government on finding durable solutions for the long-staying Tibetan refugee population in Nepal, including issuance of Registration Certificates.

The report recommends the UNHCR to make every effort, in concert with supportive governments such as the US and EU, to preserve the Tibetan Refugee Reception Center in Kathmandu and its integrity as a secure place of temporary refuge and respite for Tibetans fleeing Tibet through Nepal and onward to India.

source tibet.net