Chinese Border Patrol Alleged to Fire on Tibetan "Asylum Seekers," 48 Detained

Chinese security forces patrolling the China-Nepal border allegedly opened fire on a group of Tibetans attempting to flee China by hiking from the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) into Nepal on August 26, according to a September 23 report by Radio Free Asia (RFA). The group of 51 persons hiked from Dingri county in the TAR's Shigatse prefecture, and included a monk, two nuns, and six children. Only three of the group eluded capture and escaped to Nepal. The security forces took the remaining 48 into custody, according to an account provided by one of the escapees.

Shigatse prefectural officials, who declined to be identified, confirmed to RFA that the 48 detainees were en route to the prefectural capital. One official told RFA that the detainees had mentioned several reasons for fleeing China, including inadequate religious teaching, insufficient educational opportunities, and poor living conditions. He said that authorities in each detainee's place of residence would be notified, and that the cases of the children would be referred to "education officials."

In 2004, more than 2,300 Tibetans who reached Nepal received assistance from the representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), according to the U.S. State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2004. Most Tibetans who risk the journey to Nepal want to reach India, where they seek admission into schools, look for jobs, or enter monasteries and nunneries. Most wish to participate in an audience with the Dalai Lama. Chinese authorities rarely grant Tibetans permission to travel to India; according to the State Department report, Chinese police deny passports to Tibetans whose travel they suspect will "harm the national security and national interests."