US concerned over the Tibetan issue 

The US embassy in Kathmandu has said it is concerned over the issue of closure of Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office (TRWO) in Kathmandu.

Talking to Nepalnews Saturday, spokesperson of the US embassy in Kathmandu, Constance Colding Jones, said the US government was concerned over the closure of TRWO in Kathmandu. 

“We are working to make sure that Tibetan refugees in Nepal are kept safe,” she added.

The British embassy in Kathmandu has also expressed concerns over Nepal government’s recent decision to close down the office of the representative of the Tibetan spiritual guru, the Dalai Lama, and TRWO last week.

The British and US embassy officials said they were keeping in touch with the Nepali Foreign Ministry in this regard. Nepali and international rights groups have also condemned the government decision to close down TRWO that has been in the operation since late fifties.

On January 21, the District Administration Office of Kathmandu wrote a letter asking both the offices to close down saying that they are not registered with the Nepali authorities.

But Tibetan refugee officials said they could not do so since the Nepali law doesn’t allow foreigners or refugees to register their organisations.

The government decision is likely to affect nearly 20,000 Tibetan refugees residing in Nepal for the past several decades.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kathmandu told Nepalnews Friday, “ UNHCR is aware of the closure of the TRWO but this will not affect the provision of protection and assistance to the Tibetan of concern to the UNHCR.” nepalnews.com by Jan 29 05