The Daily Mail, 12 December 2014
Don’t move: A Tibetan girl gets makeup done for a function organised by the Tibetan Refugee Community in Nepal, commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize conferment to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans – for many from as far back as 1959, when the Dalai Lama, fled to India after a failed uprising against China
The celebrations coincided with the 66th International Human Rights Day
These candid photographs capture the buzz in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu last weekend, as thousands of Tibetan refugees poured out into the streets to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Nepal is home to more than 20,000 Tibetans – for many from as far back as 1959, when the 14th Dalai Lama, fled to India after a failed uprising against China.
Images of last weekend’s celebrations, which coincided with the 66th International Human Rights Day, show how the 79-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader continues to be a universal role model for both young and old.
Indeed, children wore their finest outfit for parades while teenage monks carried giant portraits of their idol through bustling city squares.
Two-way ties between Nepal and China have strengthened in recent years, with China becoming a major donor of aid to, and trading partner of, its tiny neighbor, besides bringing major investments in infrastructure development, such as hospitals.
Nepal ceased issuing refugee papers to Tibetans in 1989 and recognizes Tibet to be a part of China.
Human Rights Watch report published in April says Nepal faces intense Chinese pressure to limit the flow of Tibetans crossing the border and restrictions have helped stem the number of those fleeing Tibet.
Fewer than 200 Tibetans arrived in 2013, down from an annual average of 2,000 before 2008.
Hundreds of refugees from Tibet trek for days across treacherous Himalayan mountain passes to reach Nepal every year, and then cross into India where they are given political asylum.
Those captured by Nepali police are usually promptly handed to the U.N.’s refugee agency UNHCR.
Earlier this year, the U.N. human rights agency urged Nepal to register Tibetans, saying the lack of documentation put refugees at risk.
Universal role model: Young Tibetan monks carry a portrait of the Dalai Lama through the streets of Nepal.
High-tech: A monk can be seen here checking his cell phone at a celebratory event marking the Dalai Lama receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
Uniform: Tibetan monks stand in front of a wall mural depicting the Tibetan flag – they clasp their cloaks around them in the chilly weather.
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