Nepal Cancels Tibetan Studies Conference Amid Reported Chinese Pressure

Nepal: Planned conference on Tibetan studies cancelled amid reported Chinese concerns

Kathmandu, Aug 6

The 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) - the premier global gathering for Tibetan scholarship - was scheduled to be held in Kathmandu from August 23 to 29.

The Himalaya Centre for Asian Studies, Kathmandu University, and the Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute were preparing to host the event in collaboration with the IATS.

Professor Sagar Raj Sharma of Kathmandu University, one of the event's chief conveners, told IANS that the university withdrew after receiving a directive from the Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karki to suspend the conference, citing the prevailing environment and circumstances.

"The Chief Secretary informed the university that the current environment and circumstances are not appropriate, so the programme should not be held for the time being," Sharma said.

Karki also told 'The Kathmandu Post' that the government had advised the organisers not to hold the event.

"It could be sensitive, several concerns might arise, and it could pose security risks. So we advised the organisers, in good faith, to cancel the event," he said.

Although organisers had confirmed that one of the largest delegations was expected to come from China - including representatives from institutions affiliated with the Chinese government - the conference ran into difficulties amid reported Chinese concerns, according to local media reports.

The leading Nepali daily, quoting an anonymous source, reported that Beijing's concerns were linked to possible protests by Tibetans against China's new Ethnic Unity Law, which came into effect on July 1.

"There have been major protests against China's new Ethnic Unity Law. That is why Beijing intensified its lobbying and used its influence to prevent any untoward incidents in Kathmandu," an organiser was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The report also said that in recent weeks Chinese diplomats had expressed concerns about the conference during meetings with Nepali officials.

On July 21, Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming met with Nepal's Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai to discuss the conference, during which the Ambassador reportedly urged Nepal to remain "vigilant" about participants who might make pro-Tibet statements.

Later, on July 29, Venerable Master Yinshun - a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), former Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, and abbot of the Chinese Temple of Nepal - arrived in Kathmandu.

A senior security official told The Kathmandu Post that Yinshun discussed the seminar during his visit, which also included a trip to Lumbini. Following his visit and another meeting between Foreign Secretary Rai and Ambassador Zhang, about half a dozen Tibetan scholars from the Tibetan Policy Institute in India, associated with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), reportedly withdrew from the conference.

Until recently, Home Minister Sudhan Gurung had maintained that the seminar would not be cancelled and that participants would only be subject to security vetting.

Sharma, however, said the university had no knowledge that the decision was linked to Chinese objections.

"We did not experience any direct pressure or concern from the Chinese side. As for the actual reason behind the decision, the government would probably know better. Since you have access to government officials, I suggest you ask them. We genuinely have no information about it," he said.

He stressed that the conference had no political objective.

"The event was purely an academic conference. It is the university's role to organise academic debates, intellectual discussions and conferences. We regularly conduct such academic events. Beyond that, we had no other objective or vested interest," Sharma said.

He also noted that one of the largest delegations was expected to come from China itself, dismissing suggestions that the conference would have become an anti-China platform. The organisers were expecting to welcome 600-700 delegates from around the world.

Meanwhile, after visiting India in June at the invitation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) President Rabi Lamichhane is expected to visit Beijing later this month at the invitation of the Communist Party of China (CCP) as part of efforts to strengthen party-to-party relations.

— IANS