NEW TIBETAN WELFARE SOCIETY REGISTERED BUT IN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002930 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/02/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL SOCI CH NP SUBJECT: NEW TIBETAN WELFARE SOCIETY REGISTERED BUT IN JEOPARDY REF: A. 05 KATHMANDU 584 ¶B. 05 KATHMANDU 616 ¶C. 05 KATHMANDU 837 ¶D. 05 KATHMANDU 891 ¶E. 05 KATHMANDU 1183 ¶F. 05 KATHMANDU 1248 ¶G. 05 KATHMANDU 1901 Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C/NF) Tamdin Dorje Tuladhar, a Nepali Citizen, told the Ambassador on October 26 that he, Tuladhar, had registered the Bhota Welfare Society (BWS) as an NGO with the Government of Nepal (GON) on June 29, 2006. Tuladhar said that he had formed the NGO to take the place of the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office (closed in 2005) and the Tibetan Welfare Society (TWS) (refs A-G),whose registration was never approved by the GON. According to Tuladhar, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu initially registered BWS without difficulty, but later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs put pressure on the CDO to revoke the registration. Tuladhar told Emboff that he would not return the registration unless it was demanded through a legal means. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Oli informed the Ambassador on November 1 that the Society's registration had been a mistake. Oli added that the Home Secretary had told him the Home Ministry had already revoked the registration. BWS Formed To Replace TWS -------------- ¶2. (C/NF) On June 29, 2006, Tamdin Dorje Tuladhar, a Nepali citizen whose mother is Tibetan and father is Nepali, registered a group called the Bhota Welfare Society (BWS). In a meeting with the Ambassador on October 26, Tuladhar explained that the BWS was intended to replace the Tibetan Welfare Society (TWS). (Note: The Deuba government closed the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office in early 2005 and subsequently the King's government refused to register the TWS. End note.) BWS Runs Into Problems -------------- ¶3. (C/NF) Tuladhar claimed to the Ambassador that after the registration had occurred, Zhang Song, a Chinese journalist and chief correspondent in Kathmandu of Wen Hui Daily, discovered the GON had registered BWS. Zhang had pushed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and Home Ministry to revoke the registration. Tuladhar said that the MFA had ordered the CDO to retrieve the registration and revoke it. (Note: The authority for registration of NGOs falls under the Home Ministry, so the MFA had no authority to compel the CDO to revoke the registration. End note.) Foreign Minister Says Registration Already Revoked -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C/NF) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Oli informed the Ambassador on November 1 that the CDO had mistakenly registered BWS. Oli stated that the Home Secretary told him that the registration was a mistake and SIPDIS had already been revoked. The Ambassador cautioned Oli against restricting the right of association of Nepali citizens by revoking the registration of an organization that was registered by Nepali citizens under completely legal means. Oli explained that Nepal had a commitment "not to let people use our land against our friends" and said that China was concerned about actions that the group might take against Chinese interests in Nepal. The Ambassador said he did not believe the group had undertaken any actions inimical to PRC interests. KATHMANDU 00002930 002 OF 002 BWS Claims To Be Humanitarian Only -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) On November 1, Tuladhar told Emboff that the Home Ministry had required him to sign a letter during the registration process promising not to engage in any activities that would "harm the good relations between China and Nepal." Tuladhar claimed that the new BWS was not connected to the political branch of the Tibetan "Government in Exile." He insisted that the work of BWS would be purely humanitarian in nature, helping Tibetan refugees living in Nepal and assuring safe transit to India of recently arrived Tibetans. However, Embassy contacts known to be connected to Dharamsala were nervous when Emboff recently asked about BWS. The contacts confirmed that even the new head of the U.S.-supported Tibetan Reception Center had not been briefed on the registration. Tuladhar insisted to Emboff on November 1 that he would not return the registration unless there were a legal basis presented for revocation. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C/NF) It is not clear whether the Bhota Welfare Society (BWS) intends to pursue any sort of political agenda in addition to working with the Tibetan Reception Center to ensure safe transit of Tibetans through Nepal to India. It is also unclear whether the BWS planned to become the implementing partner of the Tibetan Reception Center (TRC). (Note: The TWS was supposed to be the implementing partner before, but since the GON would not register it, the Lutheran World Federation has acted since 2005 as the implementing partner so the TRC could continue its work. End note.) According to Foreign Minister Oli, the "case was closed" and the registration revoked. The Ambassador made it clear to Oli that he was walking down a dangerous path by encouraging the Home Ministry to revoke the registration. Post will follow-up with Tuladhar regarding the status of the registration. MORIARTY