Interesting turn this thread has taken (gosh, I sound like Yoda)...well, what the heck, let me ramble... I don't think anybody can deny that Tibetans (refugees, immigrants and Nepali citizens), along with Tamangs, Gurungs, Thakalis, Sherpas, Newars, etc. have contributed to Nepal's economy in a major way with carpet industry. Also, I think to some extent, because of Tibetan Buddhism, Nepal has become a place to go to. I know for certain that lot of high lamas, the rimponches, do spend considerable time in various places in Nepal (Boudha, Mustang, Manang, Pharping, Rhisingo, etc.) as well as other places in India like Sikkim, Darjeeling, Bhutan (hehehehe), and Dharmasala. So, Nepal has become one of the major centers of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, which in turn, pulls in lot of tourists like Richard Gere, et al. BTW, from what little I know of Richard Gere, I don't think he has ever spoken against Nepal. China, yes, but not Nepal. He did raise the issue to the congress when Tibetan refugees were being arrested and handed over to Chinese authorities. So did Diane Feinstein and many other senators. But I don't think they were overtly or covertly against Nepal. As far as the Mongolians go, Nepalis (particularly those in Kathmandu) do have tendency to lump them as Bhotes, with subtle tone of disdain, sometimes obvious even here in Sajha. A rana-magar friend of mine used to hate it when his friend, a rana-chetry, used to call him bhote. Not that bhote, in a word itself, is derogatory, but the implication that comes with it - that by sayng bhote yo are Tibetan, thus not Nepali, thus someone who is less civilised, boka bhanda ganaune - is what my Mongolian friends seem to dislike the most.