VULNERABLE TIBETANS BULLIED BY NEIGHBORS - PART 2

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 002238 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/18/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM CH IN SUBJECT: VULNERABLE TIBETANS BULLIED BY NEIGHBORS - PART 2 OF A STATUS REPORT ON TIBETAN REFUGEES IN INDIA REF: A. KOLKATA 00177 ¶B. 07 KOLKATA 00382 Classified By: Political Counselor Ted Osius for Reasons 1.4 (B and D). ¶1. (C) Summary. In discussions with Refcord and Poloff earlier this summer, Tibetan settlement leaders in Northeastern India discussed day-to-day intimidation by average Indians as well as by Indian separatist movements. In most settlements, bullying neighbors have taken advantage of Tibetans, tenuous legal status to advance their own interests. Tibetans themselves dismissed the threats as merely "neighborly" interactions. The Tibetan refugee community in northeastern India, already vulnerable, is increasingly caught in the crosshairs between separatist movements in West Bengal (Ref A) and Arunachal Pradesh (Ref B) and the GOI's efforts to crush the unrest. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) This is the second in a three-part series assessing the Tibetan refugee situation in India. Kathmandu's Regional Refugee Coordinator, New Delhi PolOff and Kolkata POL FSN visited New Delhi, Dharamsala and remote Tibetan settlements in West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. These reports distill two weeks of meetings with the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA),refugee reception centers, GOI and CTA administered schools, settlement officers, monastery officials, health workers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs),the Tibetan Youth Congress, and GOI liaisons with the Tibetan settlements. This cable -- Part II -- examines the Tibetan settlements' sometimes precarious relations with Indian separatist movements in West Bengal. Part I reports the potential radicalization of the Tibetan youth and Part III assesses the socio-economic situation of various settlements. This three-part series reflects collaboration between Embassy New Delhi, Consulate Kolkata and Embassy Kathmandu. Strange Bedfellows - Tibetans' Volatile Neighbors -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Tibetan settlements in Northeastern India (West Bengal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh) share a distinguishing common denominator: by their nature and intent, the settlements exist apart from their neighbors. Whether the neighbors are other ethnic groups or Indians from so-called "mainland" India (India west of the geographically isolated northeastern states),this position leaves the Tibetans vulnerable to and often unable to resist political and socio-economic pressures. The Gorkha movement in West Bengal and the Nagas in Arunachal Pradesh, for example, affect the refugees in various ways - from encroaching on settlement land to extorting money and forcing Tibetan participation to advance their separatist agendas. Tibetan settlements are also victimized by old-fashioned economic opportunism. Tibetans have bowed to demands made possible by local corruption and a legal system which offers no realistic recourse. ¶4. (C) Gorkhaland: In Darjeeling, the heart of West Bengal's tea country, the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha (GJMM),the political party representing the region's Nepali-speaking Gorkhas, has escalated its campaign for a new Gorkha state within India, blanketing towns with their green and white banners. The Gorkha agitations signal the resurrection of a movement that in the 1980,s actively sought a separate state. After police responded to clashes between GJMM and local Bengalis earlier this year with force, the GJMM called a general strike, delivering a blow to the state's tea and tourism industries (Ref A). The GJMM has used the vulnerability of the Tibetan community to its own advantage, insisting that the Tibetans protst alongside the Gorkhas against the government that has supported Tibetan refugees for decades. The Sonada and Darjeeling settlement officers reluctantly admit that Gorkhas extort money from the settlements and demand Tibetan participation in protests. Tibetan leaders downplayed the frequency of Gorkha intimidation and avoided answering questions about the amount of money that the Gorkhas demanded. Sangpo Rinzh, rector of the Darjeeling's Central School for Tibetans, divulged that the GJMM recently forced the entire student body -- over 500 Tibetan children -- to join Gorkha protests. Tibetan leaders confided that Gorkha pressure forces them into an awkward position vis-a-vis the GOI and they estimate that the GJMM will win its fight for a separate NEW DELHI 00002238 002 OF 002 state in five to ten years. The Tibetans anticipate that the Gorkhas will eventually expel the Tibetans and reclaim settlement lands. The Tibetans acknowledge that they have not formulated a strategy to counteract this possibility. ¶5. (C) Greater Nagaland: Tibetan settlement leaders in Miao, located in the Changlang district bordering Burma, insisted that they maintain harmonious relations with their tribal neighbors. Tibetans maintain economic relationships with the state government, which provides a venue for the sale of settlement handicrafts. However, the settlement in Miao could face a threat from Naga insurgents. A substantial Naga tribal population inhabits Miao. Two powerful factions of Naga militants - the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland Khaplang (NSCN-K) -- control Changlang district, and resort to killing and extortion to intimidate local populations into working for an independent "Greater Nagaland." According to the Miao settlement officer, Nagas do not demand money or participation from the Tibetans; however, given the Tibetan refugees, general tendency to gloss over difficulties with their neighbors, this may not be true. (Comment: Previous visits by ConGen Kolkata revealed that NSCN-IM's shadow government has wide-spread tax collection activities in Arunachal Pradesh (Ref B). Miao's fragile security situation has caused the state government to prohibit all organized events, including those in the Tibetan settlement. End Comment.) ¶6. (SBU) Arunachal Pradesh: The settlement officer in Tezu, located in the Mishmi tribe-dominated corner of the state, acknowledged that the Tezu settlement had previously experienced difficulties with their Mishmi neighbors. Some Mishmi whose property abutted the Tezu settlement had encroached upon Tibetan property a few years ago, gradually seizing 40 acres. Settlement officials said they had raised the encroachment with Indian officials but obtained no redress. Finally, the settlement bowed to the inevitable and decided not to pursue the matter further. The settlement is, however, seeking money for fencing from the CTA in order to discourage future encroachment. Yet, there are some positive indicators in the relationship. The state government liaison, Jogin Tamai, himself a member of the Mishmi tribe, has worked to improve cooperation between the two groups. After the riots in Lhasa in March, 15-20 members of the Mishmi community joined with the Tibetan neighbors and participated in a candlelight vigil for Tibet. Comment -------------- ¶7. (C) Among the three states, the situation involving Gorkhas in West Bengal poses the most serious threat to the Tibetan community in India. If the Gorkhas were successful in their bid for a separate state, the Tibetans may be faced with expulsion. The group actively targets the Tibetans and their intimidation tactics force the refugees into a precarious balancing act between appeasing the separatists, who wield increasing control over the region, and cooperating with their host, the GOI. End Comment. WHITE