3 weeks ago

Tibet Studies Conference Pushed Online Amid China Pressure Questions

Tibet Studies Conference Pushed Online Amid China Pressure Questions
Nepal University Cancels Tibet Event Citing Official Order, Government Denies · NDTV

A group of grown-ups who study a place called Tibet wanted to have a big meeting in Nepal.

The meeting is called a conference, and it was supposed to happen at a university in the city of Kathmandu.

But the university decided it would not host the meeting anymore, so the meeting will happen on the internet instead.

The people who planned the meeting say the government of Nepal told them not to have it in person.

Nepal's government says it never told them to cancel and that the organizers made the choice by themselves.

Some people think China, which is a very big neighbor of Nepal, helped make the decision happen.

China says Tibet is part of its country and does not like big meetings about Tibet.

The people planning the meeting say it is only about history, culture, and learning, not about politics.

Nepal has many Tibetan people living there and is trying to stay friendly with both China and other countries.

The meeting will still happen, just on computers instead of in Nepal.

Key facts

Conference
International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) conference on Tibetan history, culture, religion, language and society
Original venue
Kathmandu University, Nepal
Scheduled dates
August 23-29
Status
Moved online after Kathmandu University withdrew as host
Preparation
In preparation for about four years; Nepal was selected to host in 2022
Expected attendees
Scholars from around the world, including about 100 Chinese scholars from institutions such as Peking University and the China Tibetology Research Centre
IATS founding
Established at the University of Oxford in 1979
China-Nepal trade
China is Nepal's second-largest trading partner after India, according to World Bank figures

Quotes

Sagar Raj Sharma

Conference convener and professor at Kathmandu University

“"We had been planning this conference for a long time, but we received a request from the government not to hold it, so we are not doing it."”
NDTV
“"Neither have we sent a letter nor given verbal instructions to stop it. The conference was postponed on their own."”
NDTV

Sources

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