NEPALI GOVERNMENT BACKTRACKING, "STILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L KATHMANDU 000024 DEPT FOR G, PRM, DRL; GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/06/2019 TAGS: PREL PREF PHUM CH IN NP SUBJECT: NEPALI GOVERNMENT BACKTRACKING, "STILL CONSIDERING" TIBETAN REGISTRATION REF: KATHMANDU 01136 (08) Classified By: Ambassador Nancy J. Powell, Reasons 1.5 b,d Summary -------------- ¶1. Following the Government of Nepal's (GON) previous commitment to a registration and limited resettlement program for Tibetan refugees in Nepal in November 2008 (reftel),post learned in late December that the Government might be reconsidering its support. Ambassador Powell received confirmation from both the Home Minister and Foreign Secretary that the GON was having second thoughts. The Ambassador reminded them that registration was an essential component of an orderly resettlement program. Post will be seeking support from other interested countries for additional rights for Tibetan refugees, including registration and ID card issuance -- a process which would also serve to reveal those Tibetans most in need of resettlement. Government Backtracks on Registration -------------- ¶2. (C) UNHCR Representative Daisy Dell recently informed Refcoord that the Government of Nepal (GON) might be reconsidering its interest in a new registration/ID card issuance program for Tibetan refugees. Dell was surprised during a meeting with Foreign Secretary Acharya when he mentioned (contrary to his own and other senior Nepali officials' previous statements) that the Government was still considering the registration issue. Since the registration process is linked to plans to resettle a limited number of Tibetan refugees, Ambassador Powell approached Home Secretary Gautam and Foreign Secretary Acharya to seek clarification on the registration issue. ¶3. (C) In separate meetings, both the Home Minister on December 30 and Foreign Secretary Acharya on December 31 confirmed that the GON had not yet committed to registration and that additional work within the Government would be needed before a decision could be taken. Ambassador Powell pointed out to both men that they had previously stated to her, personally, that they would support registration in conjunction with a limited, below-the-radar resettlement program. Even so, both were firm that the GON had many things to consider before committing to registration. Meeting with the Home Minister -------------- ¶4. (C) Home Minister Gautam in particular seemed anxious to 
wash his hands of the whole issue. When first approached by the Ambassador, Gautam responded that everything was moving along perfectly. Home Secretary Kusum then interrupted to say that, no, the GON still had not taken a decision on registration. Gautam agreed, and added that the GON had turned the issue of the 92 protesters detained in September and other Tibetan "illegal immigrants" over to UNHCR. He said that the GON would be having nothing further to do with this issue. The Ambassador reminded Gautam that India had refused to take the 92. She also reiterated that resettlement absent registration could have unwelcome consequences such as inspiring additional protests (especially given the fast approaching 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile) or new Tibetan immigrants from India hoping to take advantage of a resettlement opportunity. Ambassador Powell also reminded Gautam of the GON's commitment to issue new ID cards, especially to those with no ID or proof of status who have clear entitlement to refugee registration. Gautam prevaricated and replied that yes, ID cards were perhaps another issue. The Ambassador concluded the meeting by saying that Nepal had been a generous host to Tibetan and Bhutanese refugees and that it would be a shame if anything were to diminish Nepal's good reputation in that regard. She also restated that the U.S. stood ready to assist the GON with both registration and resettlement. Meeting with the Foreign Secretary -------------- ¶5. (C) During the subsequent meeting with Foreign Secretary Acharya, Ambassador Powell elaborated further on the link between registration and resettlement and asked for a timeline and point of contact within the GON. Acharya responded by confirming that Tibetans would be allowed to remain in Nepal but that protests created a great problem. He said that Nepal would permit Tibetan activities so long as they were not political. Acharya said that he believes that the current balance among interests -- including Chinese interests -- was working and that existing ways of doing things should go on. Comment: Both Acharya and Guatam seemed unconcerned about the fate of the 92 individuals turned over to UNHCR in September. Out of sight and out of mind seemed the order of the day. End Comment. UNHCR Tries to Brief Home Secretary -------------- ¶6. (C) UNHCR's Daisy Dell followed up the Ambassador's meetings by meeting with the Home Secretary on January 5. She reported that she presented materials prepared by UNHCR for the Bhutanese refugee registration and left a general outline of a proposal for Tibetan registration. She said that the Home Secretary took the materials but would not engage with her to discuss the issue. He stated firmly that Home and Foreign Ministry officials would need to meet to consider the issue further. He also said the future point of contact on the registration/resettlement issue would be the Foreign Ministry, specifically, Foreign Secretary Acharya. The Way Forward -------------- ¶7. (C) The Ambassador will be hosting another meeting of the Tibetan Discussion group on January 14. She plans to emphasize the need for registration so that new ID cards can be issued and those who need resettlement as a durable solution can be identified and rights for resident Tibetans can be expanded. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Comment: The Home Ministry purged itself of senior officials believed to be NC supporters at the beginning of December and replaced them with United Maoist Leninist Party (UML) officials. At least in regards to refugee issues, this has left post with a new interlocutor with no political clout and only limited knowledge of the issues. The new cast of characters combined with a genuine lack of knowledge relating to the earlier Bhutanese effort may be coloring, if not causing, the GON reconsideration. POWELL