Tibetans in Nepal urged not to mark March 10 Uprising anniversary

The Tibetan Welfare Office in Nepal is urging Tibetan residents not to celebrate the March 10 anniversary of a 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, saying Tibetans must follow local laws to avoid a crackdown by police.

"Because the Nepali government tends not to allow Tibetans to observe the March 10 anniversary, we are asking all Tibetans to abide by the laws of the land," the Tibetan Welfare Office in Nepal said in an announcement on Friday.

"Instead, Tibetans are encouraged to perform virtuous deeds by performing prayers and religious ceremonies on the anniversary date," the Welfare Office, which is responsible for settling refugees and looking after the wellbeing of Tibetan residents of Nepal, added.

Nepali Police already has been deployed in-and-around Tibetan Refugee settlements around the Kathmandu Valley to inspect and keep a watch on their activities.

Last year, the District Administration Office has had denied permission to hold an event to mark on the birth anniversary of Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama after it was exerted pressure directly by the Chinese Embassy in Nepal.

On March 10, 1959, Tibetans in Lhasa rose up in protest of Beijing's tightening political and military control of the formerly independent Tibet, sparking a rebellion in which thousands were killed.

Chinese authorities now maintain a tight grip on Tibet and on Tibetan-populated regions of western Chinese provinces, restricting Tibetans' political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identities, and subjecting Tibetans to imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

Nepal cites its growing economic ties with Beijing, with promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment in Nepalese development projects, in cracking down on Tibetan activities in the country, including elections in the refugee community and birthday celebrations for exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.