Number of Tibetan refugees coming to India declines

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, February 24

The number of Tibetans seeking refuge in India has reduced drastically in the past few years. The Tibetan reception centre created by the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to shelter refugees wears a deserted look. The CTA has created an impressive complex to house Tibetans till the time they are registered in India and are able to lead a normal life in exile.

Data collected by The Tribune revealed that last year, 212 new Tibetan refugees were registered in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile. These included 113 (90 born in India and nine orphans) who came using special entry permit through Nepal border from Tibet.

The number of refugees coming to India from Tibet through the Nepal border used to be about 1,500 annually before 2008. However, it reduced consistently over the years and came down to 112 last year.

Additional Secretary (Security), CTA, Karma Rinchen who is entrusted with the work of handling Tibetans coming out Tibet, said after protests in Tibet during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government had adopted stringent measures to stop Tibetans from fleeing to India.

Nepal is the only land route through which Tibetans can come. But now Nepal has a China-friendly government. Security has been increased along the Nepal border and the government is also deporting the refugees through their country. In the recent past, the government deported 18 Tibetans who had fled from Tibet into Nepal, he said.

Karma Rinchen said due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese government, many Tibetans having families back home are finding it hard to meet them. During the Kalachakra teachings held by the Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya, 2,000 Tibetans had come. However, they were threatened by the Chinese authorities that in case they did not return before December, their relatives would be punished, he alleged.