Nepal calls off plans to mark Dalai Lama’s birthday
The Tibetan community in Nepal called off plans to mark the birthday of their spiritual leader the Dalai Lama after their request for a public celebration was rejected over security concerns, a government official said yesterday.
A Kathmandu official said the government refused permission for Tibetans to mark the Dalai Lama’s birthday because “infiltrators” could create trouble.
The Dalai Lama turned 84 on Saturday and his followers in Nepal had hoped to celebrate the occasion in the capital, Kathmandu, but the communist government rejected their request.
China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist, has been increa-sing its influence in the Himalayan nation that is home to about 20,000 Tibetans.
Nepal is a natural buffer between China and India and is considered by New Delhi as its natural ally, but China is also making inroads by pouring aid and infrastructure investment into what is one of the world’s 10 poorest countries.
Beijing sent troops into Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since. The Dalai Lama fled to India in early 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
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