NATIONALITY VERDICT Tibetan Identity Will Remain Intact

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN   EDITORIAL PAGE 4  Jan 12, 2011

EDITORIAL

Delhi High Court’s recent verdict to confer Indian citizenship to descendants of Tibetans who fled Chinese occupation will certainly be debated and discussed by many, including Tibetans themselves. For most Indians the issue may not matter much but for the one lac Tibetan ‘refugees’ living in the sub-continent the ‘landmark’ verdict will certainly make a great impact on the lives of many Tibetans, particularly youngsters, who want greater opportunities and civil rights in the land (India) of their birth.

The apprehension that accepting Indian, or any other country’s citizenship, will lead to erosion of the Tibetan identity is not quite valid as Tibetans, like the Jews, will not easily give up their rich cultural and religious identity. Many Tibetans, including lamas, living in the west still feel greatly about the country of their origin despite the influence of western values and culture.

India has been home to Tibetan refugees for over half a century and it is but natural to let these people enjoy the rights and privileges enjoyed by Indian citizens, particularly when the Constitution allows it and an Act has been passed by the Parliament in this regard. Not all Tibetans in India are ‘refugees’. Many of them have settled in India’s northern borders for well over a century. New Delhi needs to ponder carefully on these issues, particularly in view of the unlikely early return of the Tibetans to their homeland.