3 weeks ago
Nepal government intervention forces Tibetan studies seminar online
Some of the world's smartest people who study Tibet were planning a big meeting in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal.
They belong to a group called the International Association for Tibetan Studies, or IATS.
The meeting was supposed to happen from August 23 to 29, 2026, and a university in Nepal was helping to host it.
But then the government of Nepal told the university they could not hold the meeting there anymore.
The people running the meeting were very surprised because they had been planning it for three whole years.
They decided to hold the meeting online instead, so everyone can join using computers from their own countries.
Some newspapers say China might have asked Nepal to stop the meeting, but the university says it does not know anything about that.
More than 700 people had already bought plane tickets and hotel rooms to go to Kathmandu, so they were not happy.
The organizers worry that telling academics they cannot meet might hurt Nepal's reputation and stop other big meetings from coming there in the future.
Nepal's government instructed Kathmandu University not to host the 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS), scheduled for August 23-29, 2026, in Kathmandu.
The IATS Board voted to take over as conference convenor and hold the seminar as an online event after an emergency meeting on August 7.
The instruction was delivered in person by Nepal's Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karkee and Foreign Affairs Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, with no formal written communication issued.
Local media linked the government's decision to concerns raised by China, but Kathmandu University said it was unaware of any such pressure.
More than 700 participants had already purchased air tickets and booked hotels in Kathmandu, and organisers had spent three years preparing the event.
- Who
- The International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS), Kathmandu University, and senior Nepali government officials including Chief Secretary Govinda Bahadur Karkee and Foreign Affairs Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai.
- What
- Nepal's government instructed Kathmandu University to drop hosting of the IATS 17th Seminar, which will now be held online instead of in person.
- Where
- Kathmandu, Nepal (the seminar will now take place online).
- When
- August 2026; the government instruction came on August 3, and the IATS announced its online decision on August 8.
- Why
- The government instructed the university not to host the event; local media linked the decision to concerns raised by China, though the university says it is unaware of such pressure.
Academic organisers and critics
Government decision and reported Chinese concerns
Government intervention in an academic event
Academic organisers and critics
IATS called the move 'unexpected and unwarranted interference' in a purely academic event, noting hosting had been agreed in 2023 and no concerns were raised during the three-year preparation period.
Government decision and reported Chinese concerns
Nepal's government instructed Kathmandu University in person not to proceed with hosting the seminar, a decision that local media reports linked to concerns raised by China.
Role of Chinese pressure
Academic organisers and critics
Local media reports say concerns raised by China influenced Nepal's decision to stop the seminar.
Government decision and reported Chinese concerns
Kathmandu University says it is unaware of any such pressure from China, and the IATS received no formal written communication from the government.
Key facts
- Event
- 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS)
- Original dates
- August 23-29, 2026
- Original venue
- Kathmandu, Nepal, hosted by Kathmandu University
- New format
- Online event convened by the IATS Board
- Government instruction date
- August 3, 2026
- IATS emergency board meeting
- August 7, 2026
- Affected participants
- More than 700 had already purchased air tickets and booked hotels
- Preparation period
- Three years
Quotes
IATS Board
Council of the International Association for Tibetan Studies
“It voted to take over as conference convenor and to now hold the 17th Seminar of the IATS as an online event. The programme will remain the same, and participants will be able to attend and present online from wherever they are at the time. Unfortunately, adjustments to different time zones will not be possible.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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