UN 'concerned' over Tibetan repatriation

Nepal has forcibly repatriated three Tibetan refugees, the United Nations said yesterday, adding it was "extremely concerned" by the move.
The UN refugee agency said it had written to the Nepalese government about the incident in early June, details of which were published in a report by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT).
Two of the refugees -- a Buddhist monk and a young woman -- are now in jail in Tibet after they were detained in western Nepal and taken by helicopter to the border, where they were met by Chinese security forces, the ICT said.
"Three Tibetans were forcefully returned to China from Nepal in early June 2010. It is a very serious issue and we are extremely concerned," Nini Gurung, spokeswoman for the UN refugee agency in Kathmandu, told AFP by email.
Thousands of Tibetans used to make the difficult and dangerous journey to Nepal every year, fleeing political and religious repression in China.
They have traditionally been given safe passage through Nepal under an informal agreement between the government and the UN refugee agency put in place in 1989, when Nepal stopped giving them refugee status.
"Nepal is duty-bound under its own agreement with the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) to ensure the safe transit of Tibetan refugees through its territory," said ICT president Mary Beth Markey.
"We urge the Nepal government and the UNHCR to work together to investigate this incident, including China's extra-territorial role, and to adopt remedies that prevent future occurrences of refoulement (forced return) from Nepal."