Eighty Tibetan refugees are reported as having escaped from Tibet into India in 2018, a marked contrast to a decade ago when, on an average, 3,000 Tibetan refugees arrived in India each year. Fewer than 50 Tibetans left Tibet in 2017.
The Times of India, in an article dated January 17, has reported on the situation saying, “Tibetan security agencies have witnessed 97% drop on the arrival of Tibetans from Tibet to India”. The article stated that the number started reducing after 2008 when Beijing hosted the Olympics. Extensive Tibetan demonstrations that year saw the start of the crackdown that continues to this day and a subsequent drop in the numbers of escapees.
The Times of India quotes Karma Rinchen of the Tibetan Government-in-exile’s security department as saying, “Chinese authorities have taken the passports of many residents living in border areas of Tibet after 2012”.Since then the numbers have continued to drop as the crackdown intensifies in the wake of the self-immolations taking place in Tibet. Karma Rinchen expressed concern about Tibetans living in Tibet who face travel restrictions even within their own country. He also mentioned the number who move abroad after arriving in India, but said they do not have a complete record of these.
An historical photo taken during His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet in 1959
Refugees normally arrive in Nepal, then make their way to Dharamshala and other Tibetan communities through Delhi. Reception centres in Kathmandu and Delhi provide support on their arrival. However, Nepal is reported as increasingly complying with China’s demands and the difficulties of escaping are increasing. The Chinese government has asked for joint security patrols along the Nepal-Tibet border; in 2006, footage came to light of the Chinese border patrol firing at escaping Tibetans and killing a woman. Nepal is increasingly returning refugees who make it over the border and warning Tibetans who do reach Nepal against travelling on to India.
The Times of India article concludes by saying that there are about 128,000 Tibetans living in exile – this includes around 95,000 who live in India.
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