The UN said earlier this week it was concerned over the excessive use of force by police against Tibetan protesters in Nepal. Tibetans said they wanted to pressure the UN to investigate a crackdown by Beijing against the March protests.
The US humanitarian group Human Rights Watch condemned Nepal for using what it also said was excessive force against Tibetan protesters.
Some 20,000 Tibetan refugees have lived in Nepal for decades after large numbers starting coming over the icy Himalayan mountain range in 1959. The exiled Tibet Buddhist political and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, called on Sunday for an international probe into the situation in Tibet, which he also fled in 1959, Voice of America reports.
India, Nepal, and Tibet share ancient cultural affinities. Indian missionaries originally brought Buddhism to Tibet in the 10th and 11th centuries. In turn, Tibet served as a repository of rare Buddhist teachings.
Nepal, with only 28.9 million people, is sandwiched between India's 1.1 billion and China's 1.3 billion people. Some 2,500 Tibetans arrive each year after fleeing across the Himalayas. Nepal officially recognizes its neighbor's "One China" policy that sees Tibet and Taiwan as part of China. Most such refugees pass through Nepal to Dharamsala in northern India, the home of the Dalai Lama and his government-in-exile.
