Kathmandu and Washington at odds over support for Tibetan refugees
Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - The fate of Tibetan refugees in Nepal has cooled relations between Nepal's Maoist government and the US diplomatic mission in Kathmandu. Nepal's Foreign Ministry has criticised Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O. Blake for meeting Tibetan exile leaders without the authorities' permission, angering the Maoist government.
Nepali authorities are irritated by US support for refugees and the meeting with Tibetan leaders. Kathmandu accuses Washington of breaching diplomatic protocol.
"We condemn any meetings without prior information and permission from the Government of Nepal. Such meetings are serious in bilateral relations," Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha said.
The Nepalis are concerned about relations with China, which has heavily invested in Nepal. The latter has responded by adopting repressive policies vis-à-vis the Tibetan community.
According to US diplomatic sources, Nepalis authorities had been informed of the meeting with Tibetan leaders, whose purpose was to find out about the situation of the Tibetan community and show US support for them.
Assistant Secretary Blake urged Nepalis authorities to relax its policies towards the refugees who are denied papers and prevented from finding work.
During his visit in Nepal, Blake met Maoist Prime Minister Babhuran Bhattarai, and Gaurav Sjb Rana, new Chief of Army Staff.
Nepal has a 1,414-km border with Tibet. Between 1990 and 2006, Tibetans were allowed to move freely inside the country when it was governed by a parliamentary monarchy.
The Dalai Lama and members of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala (India) have visited Nepal on several occasions.
Some 20,000 Tibetan refugees are registered with the United Nations mission in Nepal.
Following the abolition of the monarchy in 2008 and the takeover by Maoist and Communist parties, Nepal has changed direction. It has abandoned its traditional Indian ally in favour of closer relations with China.
In exchange of economic assistance, Beijing has called for a closure of the border with Tibet and a crackdown on anti-Chinese protests.
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