Dalai Lama's 87th birthday celebrated in Nepal amid high security

Tibetan community in Nepal on Wednesday (July 6) celebrated spiritual leader Dalai Lama’s birthday with much fanfare. Over 3,000 members of the Tibetan community in Kathmandu organised a celebration at a refugee camp to mark the day.

Tibetan monks and people celebrated even when the Nepalese government had banned all kinds of activities against China in Nepal. Nepal stregthened the security today across the Kathmandu Valley and at the celebration venue.

The community performed cultural dances at the ceremony joined by various diplomats and officials from embassies in Kathmandu.

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The Tibetan refugees celebrated the birth anniversary of Dalai Lama wishing for world peace. They worshipped the portrait of the Lama.

During the celebration, Tibetan Community sang the national anthem of Nepal.

However, the community members refused to speak to the media, afraid that Nepal Government may bar them from celebrating Dalai Lama's birthday in future under pressure from China.

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Nepal is seen by China as a partner in its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to boost global trade through infrastructure investment, and Nepal’s government has cited promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment as a reason for restricting Tibetan activities in the country.

Earlier under the communist government in Nepal, Tibetans were barred from celebrating their leader's birthdays or were celebrating inside the gumbas. This year, the community organized a grand ceremony.

Nepal insists that it imposes restrictions on Tibetans due to its adherence to the 'one China' policy, vowing never to allow any 'anti-China' activities, as perceived by Beijing, on its soil.

The US annual religious freedom report 2021 faults Nepal for restrictions on Tibetans and has stated that police surveillance of Tibetan refugees in Nepal remained high throughout the year.

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In some cases, the number of security personnel monitoring Tibetans and the scrutiny of Tibetan cultural and religious celebrations, particularly those involving the Dalai Lama, increased, says the report.

The report further stated that Tibetan community leaders said that government authorities generally permitted them to celebrate most Buddhist holidays in private ceremonies but prohibited the public celebration of the Dalai Lama’s birthday and continued to curtail their ability to hold other public celebrations.

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