US Lawmaker Threatens Nepal government to ease on the Tibetan refugee issue

Kathmandu Nepal:  In a recent out cry of struggle of the Tibetan refugee issue, Nepal’s government has been threatened by a US lawmaker to strip Nepal off its share of US aid, unless it permits refugees fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet to transit through the country, states the Agence France Presse (AFP) on Thursday .

Representative Frank Wolf, who sits in the House Appropriations Committee that determines US funding, said he would try to block funding to Nepal unless it grants exit visas to Tibetans who seek refuge in the United States. We’re not just going to cut them, we’re going to zero them out," said Wolf, a Republican from Virginia and outspoken critic of China. "If they’re not willing to do it, then they don’t share our values and if they don’t share our values, we do not want to share our dollars," he told a congressional hearing on Tibet.  Wolf said he would propose the aid cutoff if Nepal’s record does not improve by the time the United States looks at foreign aid funding next year.

The report further highlights Representative Frank Wolf, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee that determines US funding, said he would try to block funding to Nepal unless it grants exit visas to Tibetans who seek refuge in the United States. According to sources the US Agency for International Development poured in $57.7 million for Nepal in the 2010 fiscal year.

In the past few years Nepal has been pretty fixed upon Tibetan refugees issue and has been strict in focusing more towards illegal migration process. Nepal has been the main route for exile for the Tibetans who having been rebelling against the Chinese government over Tibet who believe in the autonomous and free Tibet concept.   The cases of illegal migration has been an immense issue where at times Tibetan refugees have been arrested with fake documents and fake passport with legal VISA and support from the US embassy. The controversy has not only challenged the US government’s role in refugees issue but it also shows the local interference that US embassy does at times of helping these illegal immigrants.

A question of legality has been raised against the US government and its role regarding the foreign policy and its operation in the third world country. Is it ethical and morale for the US government to support illegal activities in the name of helping refugees. 

Source: http://www.rayznews.com