(TibetanReview.net, Jun24’24) — Nepal has requested the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to find the whereabouts of two of its youths from its border district of Gorkha, knowing fully well the duo had been called to Tibet on some pretext and then arrested by the Chinese police there. The initial Jun 9 and 12 media reports on their disappearance more than a month earlier suggested that they were suspected of having tried to help Tibetans to flee their Chinese ruled homeland.
It was not clear whether Nepal had raised the matter directly with the Chinese authorities in Tibet who were earlier reported to have admitted having them in coercive custody.
The District Police Office, Gorkha, on Sunday (Jun 23) submitted an application to Interpol urging it to trace the location of Rapke Lama and Karma Cheden Lama of Lama Gaun, Chumanubri Rural Municipality-7, Gorkha, who were nabbed by Tibet police one-and-a-half month ago, reported theannapurnaexpress.com Jun 24.
The Interpol will search for them in coordination with Beijing-based Interpol, the report cited SP Basudev Pathak from the District Police Office as saying.
“The duo had gone to Bhajyupa to search for Yarsagumba on Apr 29, but they did not return home till late night. On May 16, outgoing ward Chairman Pasang Lama got a call from Shigatse Police Office, Tibet, and told him that the missing youths are under the control of Shigatse Police,” the report quoted an application submitted by Karma Chetan’s wife as saying.
The issue of the duo’s disappearance was raised in parliament by on Jun 11 by Nepali Congress lawmaker Rajendra Bajgain who represents the Gorkha constituency.
Narrating the sequence of events of their disappearance, Bajgain had told parliament, “Some one and half months back, they received a call. … 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.”