Tibetan security officials arrest two Nepali citizens from northern Gorkha district: Nepali Congress lawmaker

Jun 12, 2024

Kathmandu [Nepal], June 12 : A Nepali Congress lawmaker said that two Nepali citizens were arrested from the northern Gorkha district by the Tibetan security officials on allegations of helping the Tibetans flee from the China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
Rajendra Bajgain, the opposition lawmaker raised the issue of the arrest of two Nepali nationals from Northern Gorkha in a parliamentary meeting and demanded the government's response.
According to the lawmaker, the two Nepali nationals named, Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama from Northern Gorkha were called to Tibet side by the security officials and their whereabouts are yet to be known.
Addressing the parliamentary meeting, Bajgain said that Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama received a phone call from the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), China and were asked to come to the Tibetan side.
"Gorkha District's Chumanuwri Municipality-7's Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama, about one and half months back, got a phone call from the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), China. The phone calls were made by Tibetans who were arrested by the Tibetan authorities. While receiving the phone calls, they were asked to come to Tibet. Then they were arrested after reaching there," he said.
He further said that the Nepal government is not aware of this incident and the arbitrary arrest was made allegedly because they helped the Tibetans flee.
"Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama went to the Tibet side and were arrested. Our government is not aware of it. Their whereabouts and the situation through which they're going are yet to be known. We don't know if they are alive or not. What are the efforts that the government plans to make over this issue? I want to drag the attention of the Foreign Minister over this issue," Bajgain said addressing the parliamentary meeting.
Furthermore, the lawmaker took to social media, raising the issue about the arbitrary arrest of Nepali nationals by Tibetan security officials on allegations of helping Tibetans to flee.
"When Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama answered the call from across the border, they never expected to face detainment by the Tibetan authorities. But why? Allegedly they helped the Tibetans to flee and helped them. But to reassure we don't play against China here and respect them as our close neighbour we are only speaking for the better environment within the Himalayan border," Bajgain wrote on X.
However, Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not responded to the issue, and the officials from the municipality also were not available for comment.