Kathmandu, Oct 11 (IANS) For the first time since the
government of Nepal closed down the office of the Dalai Lama's representative in
Kathmandu, a top envoy of the exiled Tibetan leader is on a fact-finding mission
in the new Himalayan republic, a move that is bound to anger Nepal's giant
neighbour China.
Chope Paljor Tsering, the 'health minister' of the Dalai Lama's
'government-in-exile', arrived on a low-key visit in Kathmandu Wednesday from
Dharamsala in India to interact with foreign officials, NGOs and Tibetan
refugees living in settlements spread across Nepal. He will be in Nepal till Oct
23.
The 'health minister' of a government that is not recognised by
any country is meeting representatives of the Tibetan diaspora in the main
settlements in Kathmandu valley, Pokhara, the Terai and even the remote northern
Mustang district adjoining Nepal's border with Tibet. He will be studying the
health and living conditions of the people there.
He is also scheduled to meet officials of the United Nations'
Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), diplomats and
NGOs.
After his inspection, Tsering will fly to India's Bangalore city
to discuss the findings with the authorities at the Manipal Medical College for
preventive health care measures.
The visit comes at a time Nepal's new Maoist government has
reiterated its commitment to the One China policy of Beijing that considers
Tibet to be an inalienable part of China.
In August, within a week of taking oath of office, Nepal's Maoist
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' visited China along with
Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and pledged to
take sterner action against the Tibetan protesters demonstrating against China
in Kathmandu.
Soon after the promise, Nepal's police in an unprecedented move
arrested over 100 Tibetan demonstrators and handed them over to the UNHCR,
asking the UN agency to verify how many of them possessed bonafide documents
entitling them to reside in Nepal.
The UNHCR has been asked to send those without papers back to the
places they came from.
The Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu is likely to lodge stiff protests
with the UN agencies and western embassies that hold meetings with Tsering.
The visit puts Nepal in an awkward position. On one hand, the new
government wants good relations with China and has just been provided a military
bounty worth NRS 100 million (over $1.3 million) by Beijing.
On the other hand, if it cracks down on the visit, it would affect
the Prachanda government's ties with the US at a time Nepal's Finance Minister
Baburam Bhattarai is in New York. He is seeking the help of the US and other
countries for development in Nepal, especially for providing free education till
high school that is estimated to cost nearly NRS 50 billion.
