Read the original news in: Nine Tibetan pilgrims held at the border…
The Chinese border police have forcibly expelled a group of Tibetan pilgrims who were trying to return to their country from Nepal, after confiscating their residence permits and having held them for a week.
It is estimated that there are some 20.000 Tibetan refugees in Nepal, and Beijing is increasingly aggressive, demanding the Kathmandu government to restrict their activities and take repressive measures against them.
The group of pilgrims expelled to Nepal was originally from the Tibetan prefecture of Nagchu and consisted of five men and four women., from among 20 and 50 year old. All of them received brutal beatings for two days by the Chinese police and were then handed over to the Nepalese immigration authorities.. A Chinese officer personally accompanied them to Kathmandu.
Now, Nepalese officials demand large sums of money to free them, asking first 9.000 rupees (some 82 euros), after 10.000 (92 euros) and finally 100.000 rupees to each of them (which translates into almost 8.200 euros in total, a real fortune for a Tibetan).
As stated by Sambhu Lama, from the Nepalese human rights organization HURON, The group first arrived in Kathmandu in mid-December, apparently with the intention of staying. Tibetans have the full right to stay and live in Nepal, since according to a UN resolution, They are considered political refugees: “They lived in the Tibetan Reception Center and registered there”, says Sambhu Lama.
They were identified as the Tenzin Chonzom women (49), Quma Tenzin Sangmo (44), Sonam Lhandon (20), Luse (40) and the Tamding men (23), Tenzin Higual (26), You Wang (20), Lu Sang (25) and Dam Cheng (20).
Before being interviewed to grant asylum, The group decided to travel to India in January to attend the Kalachakra celebration, led by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to return later to Tibet: “They went to Kalachakra, They made a pilgrimage through India, and they stayed there for a few months because rumors reached them that re-education camps had been established [chinese patriotic] in Tibet for pilgrims who had been to Kalachakra. They only decided to return to Tibet when they learned that those pilgrims were already being released and the situation seemed to have calmed down.".
The police stopped them on the border between Nepal and Tibet because, according to Chinese agents, They didn't have “the right pass.”” to re-enter. The group was held and mistreated for nine days before being returned to Nepalese authorities..
They now face fines for entering Nepal illegally - let us remember once again that Tibetans have the right to enter and seek asylum in that country- and other alleged “misdemeanors”, says Sambhu Lama, explaining that when they can pay the fines they will be transferred to the border with India, accompanied by a Nepali immigration officer.
"However, The detainees do not have any money to pay the fines, So we have contacted Tibetan organizations in Kathmandu to help us.”, dice.
