Tibet government-in-exile to skip Nepal conference amid Chinese pressure
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, has decided not to send its official delegation to the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) Conference, which is set to take place in Kathmandu.
Tibet's government-in-exile has decided to withdraw its official participation from an upcoming international gathering of Tibetan scholars in Kathmandu amid reported Chinese pressure on the Nepalese government.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, has decided not to send an official delegation to the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) Conference, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from August 23 to 29.
The CTA had initially planned to send five representatives from its think tank, the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), led by then-director Dawa Tsering and including researchers Dr Chewang Dorjee, Dr Tsering Dolma, Dr Karma Tenzing Dhalia and Dr Rigmon Tsering Samdup.
However, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while the TPI had earlier informed it through emails about the proposed participants, none of those names completed the formal registration process when registrations opened. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri Paudel said preparations for the conference had been underway for nearly a year and participating institutions had been informed well in advance.
Dr Sagar Sharma, Director of Kathmandu University's Himalayan Centre for Asian Studies (HiCAS) and the conference coordinator, also confirmed that none of the names earlier communicated by the TPI had registered. He added that the TPI later proposed another set of participants, whose identities were being withheld for security reasons.
The clarification came even as security officials maintained that the CTA had subsequently decided not to send an official delegation after concerns were conveyed by the Chinese side.
According to a senior security official, China's Ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming, met Nepali Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai on July 20 and expressed concerns after learning that some CTA representatives were expected to participate officially.
"The ambassador did not ask for the conference to be cancelled, but expressed concern that it could become a platform for anti-China rhetoric. Perhaps to avoid placing additional pressure on the Nepalese government and to ensure the conference proceeds smoothly, the CTA decided not to send its official representatives," the official said.
A second security official said the CTA took the decision at a meeting in Dharamshala on July 21 to respect Nepal's foreign policy and avoid creating an uncomfortable situation. However, scholars who have already registered may still attend the conference in their personal capacity.
Tibet's government-in-exile has decided to withdraw its official participation from an upcoming international gathering of Tibetan scholars in Kathmandu amid reported Chinese pressure on the Nepalese government.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, has decided not to send an official delegation to the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) Conference, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from August 23 to 29.
The CTA had initially planned to send five representatives from its think tank, the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), led by then-director Dawa Tsering and including researchers Dr Chewang Dorjee, Dr Tsering Dolma, Dr Karma Tenzing Dhalia and Dr Rigmon Tsering Samdup.
However, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while the TPI had earlier informed it through emails about the proposed participants, none of those names completed the formal registration process when registrations opened. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri Paudel said preparations for the conference had been underway for nearly a year and participating institutions had been informed well in advance.
Dr Sagar Sharma, Director of Kathmandu University's Himalayan Centre for Asian Studies (HiCAS) and the conference coordinator, also confirmed that none of the names earlier communicated by the TPI had registered. He added that the TPI later proposed another set of participants, whose identities were being withheld for security reasons.
The clarification came even as security officials maintained that the CTA had subsequently decided not to send an official delegation after concerns were conveyed by the Chinese side.
According to a senior security official, China's Ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming, met Nepali Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai on July 20 and expressed concerns after learning that some CTA representatives were expected to participate officially.
"The ambassador did not ask for the conference to be cancelled, but expressed concern that it could become a platform for anti-China rhetoric. Perhaps to avoid placing additional pressure on the Nepalese government and to ensure the conference proceeds smoothly, the CTA decided not to send its official representatives," the official said.
A second security official said the CTA took the decision at a meeting in Dharamshala on July 21 to respect Nepal's foreign policy and avoid creating an uncomfortable situation. However, scholars who have already registered may still attend the conference in their personal capacity.
Tibet's government-in-exile has decided to withdraw its official participation from an upcoming international gathering of Tibetan scholars in Kathmandu amid reported Chinese pressure on the Nepalese government.
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamshala, has decided not to send an official delegation to the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) Conference, scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from August 23 to 29.
The CTA had initially planned to send five representatives from its think tank, the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), led by then-director Dawa Tsering and including researchers Dr Chewang Dorjee, Dr Tsering Dolma, Dr Karma Tenzing Dhalia and Dr Rigmon Tsering Samdup.
However, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that while the TPI had earlier informed it through emails about the proposed participants, none of those names completed the formal registration process when registrations opened. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lok Bahadur Chhetri Paudel said preparations for the conference had been underway for nearly a year and participating institutions had been informed well in advance.
Dr Sagar Sharma, Director of Kathmandu University's Himalayan Centre for Asian Studies (HiCAS) and the conference coordinator, also confirmed that none of the names earlier communicated by the TPI had registered. He added that the TPI later proposed another set of participants, whose identities were being withheld for security reasons.
The clarification came even as security officials maintained that the CTA had subsequently decided not to send an official delegation after concerns were conveyed by the Chinese side.
According to a senior security official, China's Ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming, met Nepali Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai on July 20 and expressed concerns after learning that some CTA representatives were expected to participate officially.
"The ambassador did not ask for the conference to be cancelled, but expressed concern that it could become a platform for anti-China rhetoric. Perhaps to avoid placing additional pressure on the Nepalese government and to ensure the conference proceeds smoothly, the CTA decided not to send its official representatives," the official said.
A second security official said the CTA took the decision at a meeting in Dharamshala on July 21 to respect Nepal's foreign policy and avoid creating an uncomfortable situation. However, scholars who have already registered may still attend the conference in their personal capacity.
