EMBASSY RAISES TIBETAN REFUGEE PROBLEM

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 002728 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR SA/INS, PRM E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/06/2015 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF NP SUBJECT: EMBASSY RAISES TIBETAN REFUGEE PROBLEM REF: KATHMANDU 2633 Classified By: Charge Elisabeth Millard. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Home Secretary and Foreign Minister Promise to Look Into the Matter -------------- ¶1. (C) On December 5, the Charge spoke with the Foreign Minister and the following day with the Home Secretary to urge His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN) to resume normal transit of Tibetan refugees (reftel),flagging the severe overcrowding at the Tibetan Reception Center (TRC). In both cases, the officials responded that they would look into the matter. The Nepal office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) continued to encourage HMGN to issue exit permits for Tibetans transiting to India. UNHCR reported that the Indian Embassy had agreed to increase processing to 20 Tibetan refugees a day. However, the Indian Embassy could not begin processing more refugees until HMGN resumed issuance of exit permits. Fines Paid for 18 Tibetans -------------- ¶2. (C) The Department of Immigration planned to release into UNHCR custody 18 Tibetans arrested on November 28, after a donor from the Netherlands paid a fine of 115 USD for each individual (reftel) on December 2. UNHCR was looking at temporarily renting space in other buildings to ease overcrowding at the TRC. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) The Embassy will continue to press HMGN to issue exit permits to processed refugees to ease the severe overcrowding at TRC. MILLARD