Mikel Dunham: Update on the Fate of Tibetans Detained in Nepal, Awaiting Deportation

Mikel Dunham offers an update on all that is happening in Nepal right now. As I mentioned in a post from a few days ago, Nepalese officials recently announced that they would begin deporting Tibetan exiles living illegally in their country. While most long-standing exiles have been granted refugee status in Nepal, new refugees are now usually sent on to India. This new action on the government’s part would send Tibetans back to Tibet, where they would almost certainly face harsh punishment from the Chinese government. Mikel gives us the short of things at this very moment:

    The good news: Those currently in detention who do not possess Refugee Certificate (RC) cards will be deported to India rather than China.

    The bad news: If it hadn’t been for American and UNHCR swift intervention, the detainees seemed destined to be shipped off to China.

    The question now arises: Where will the next group of Tibetans who are arrested be sent? Will all future deportations require last-minute interventions by the American Embassy and the UNHCR?