Tibet’s Government In Exile Withdraws From IATS Conference As China Puts Pressure On Nepal
Tibet’s government in exile has withdraw their official participation from IATS as China puts pressure on the host country, Nepal. However, scholars will be participating individually. The event is scheduled for 23 August to 29 August.
New Delhi: Tibet’s government in exile has cancelled its participation in an upcoming international gathering of Tibetan scholars in Kathmandu due to Chinese pressure on the Nepal government.
Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has decided not to send its official delegation to the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) Conference, which is scheduled for 23 August to 29 August in Kathmandu.
CTA earlier planned to send a five member deligation from its think tank, the Tibet Policy Institute (TPI), to the conference. The delegation was to be led by TPI Director Dawa Tsering and included researchers and scholars, Dr. Chewang Dorjee, Dr. Tsering Dolma, Dr. Karma Tenzing Dhalia, and Dr. Rigman Tsering Samdup.
As per media reports, China’s Ambassador to Nepal, Zhang Maoming, met with Nepali Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai and raised concerns regarding the conference after learning that some CTA representatives were expected to participate officially.
The report cites, "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."
However, the CTA has decided not to participate in the conference officially, but scholars who have already registered may attend the conference in their personal capacity.
A security official stated, "Respecting Nepal's foreign policy and to avoid creating an uncomfortable situation, the CTA decided at its July 21 meeting in Dharamshala not to participate officially. However, it has indicated that Tibetan scholars and experts may still attend the conference as private individuals."
This was the first time Nepal was going to host the IATS Conference. Earlier, the conference was held in Asia in Japan (1989) and Mongolia in 2013.
