|
Once again, it is George Bush helping Tibetans refugees. It was George Bush, the father under whose administration in 1991, I was allowed to immigrate here, as one of the one thousand Tibetans from India and Nepal. That was through immigration visa process and I settled in Chicago with the help of individual volunteers, since September 1992. But this time, since it is a government funded refugee resettlement program, it is, I think, a bigger project with greater political implication.
In early sixties the then president of US, Johnson with his feet on his desk in oval office, (I was shocked to see a picture of American President with that - Presidential etiquette in his office!) flatly turned down HH the Dalai Lama’s request to accept a few Tibetan refugees from India. That was Vietnam War time then, and many Americans were fighting a loosing battle with their lives. It was too depressing for President Johnson.
But it is War time, too. We are fighting against terrorist suicide and car bombers in Iraq. However, this time the US administration offered to accept and resettle Tibetan refugees from Nepal.
Nepal did not give resident permit to many Tibetans, specially, to recent escapees from Tibet. These Tibetans have lived there illegally fearing deportation any time. Nepal did, in fact, deport many recent escapees from Tibet on several occasions. I know many Tibetans, who suffered under Nepalese Police. A nun was raped and pregnanted by police a few years aback. But she carried the baby citing Buddhist practice of compassion. For Nepal, China being the biggest financial donor, could do any thing with Tibetans in future.
We understand this as United State’s acknowledgement of Tibetans’ plight under the Chinese occupation and a signal to the Chinese authorities that it means real business when it comes to human right issues in Tibet. I thank George Bush’s administration for this consideration for poor Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
I hope this is for the deserving ones, genuine refugees, the recent escapees from Tibet. I say this, because there are those, who are culturally, ethically Tibetans, but politically and economically not Tibetans, but Nepalese. Many politically non-Tibetans have been benefited in the past by being that way. They go back and forth for business in Tibet all the time.
Another class of people is the owners of carpet and rug industries and show rooms. They run international carpet and rug business. But when it comes to moving in US they could throw in cash to buying refugee status. Therefore, Tibetan Government in Exile needs to plan well and categorized as to who deserve the “Refugee Status” most to resettle in USA. Refugee reception center, Nye-len Khang, would be a good place to start with. |
