'Pressing Nepal on Tibet uncalled for'

KATHMANDU: An influential figure who advises the congressional Nepal caucus in Washington today said Nepal was doing its utmost on the Tibetan refugees issue given its proximity with China and piling pressure on Nepal at this point of time was not called for.

Jemes Rinaldi, who has also been helping Tibetan refugees reach India and the US for the last 20 years, said it was unfortunate that one his country’s congressman warned to cut aid to Nepal over the Tibetan refugee issue. Rinaldi was referring to a statement from Republican Congressman Frank Wolf, warning that his country will cut aid to Nepal if it did not grant visas to Tibetan refugees. “If they’re not willing to do it, then they don’t share our values. If they don’t share our values, we do not want to share our dollars,” Wolf had said.

Not only do such warnings undermine Nepal’s long support to the cause without affecting its relations with its northern neighbour but will also be counterproductive, held Rinaldi, international director at Himalayan Aid, an NGO working in for Tibetan refugees, told this daily. The congressman had argued that as Nepal was bound by a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with western powers and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to grant safe passage to the Tibetan refugees and allow UNHCR to take them to India. But Rinaldi said there no such agreement was ever made. “Nepal is acting only on humanitarian grounds given its historical ties with Tibet,” he said. If the West piles undue pressure on Nepal, it will also face similar pressure from China, he said. “This will ultimately be counter-productive for Tibetans.”

Renaldi flayed ‘Tibetan support groups’ that were using western funds to serve their own vested interests. Aid reaching the refugees has plummeted in the last five-six years, he said. But the expenses of the organisations working to ‘helping refugees’ has increased significantly, he added.

“China says there’s an influence from outsider groups,” said Rinaldi, adding “I should say sadly that China is right. It is the Tibet groups who are forcing Nepal to use adopt tough measures. But they say Nepal is acting under pressure from China.”

Accusing Nepal of failing to help refugees and inciting refugees in Kathmandu unnecessarily at a time when the country has been granting passage to refugees and of facilitating refugees to reach UNHCR will only augment problems for Nepal, he reckoned. “With Tibetans agitating, the government will have to deploy more security personnel bowing to Chinese pressure,” argued Rinaldi.

Tibetan lobby groups are wrong, he said. Nepal has done a fair job handling the issue, he said. Threats such as the one issued by Wolf, a member of the House Appropriation Committee related to America’s foreign aid, are not called for, said Rinaldi. “Handling the situation is already a tough ask for Nepal.” The Nepali government been reiterating its one-China policy time and again. Rinaldi said, “If they push harder, it will make Nepal’s job at the border more difficult.” “Nepal is doing its best given the circumstances. Nepal can do more and should do more. But we understand they’re under pressure,” he said, adding, “Wolf’s comment on Nepal is extremely excessive.”


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