Nepal Autonomous Region in the Making:
Is Nepal Going the Tibet Way
Major General Mrinal Suman
Signs are ominous. Nepal is certainly going the Tibet
way, but with a fundamental difference. Tibet was militarily annexed in 1950 and close to one million Tibetans have
been killed by the Chinese to suppress their demand for freedom. In the case of
Nepal, self-serving
politicians are handing over the country to China on a platter. Nepal is being
economically, politically and culturally colonised.
If the current trend continues, Nepal will soon follow
Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to appear in the maps as Nepal Autonomous Region
(NAR) of China. Slavery has many connotations. A proud Hindu nation will become
a communist colony due to the machinations of unscrupulous and power hungry
politicians.
As per the press reports, China is already calling the
shots. It is deciding which politician should rule the country. In other words,
the present ruling dispensation owes its existence to the Chinese ambassador in
Kathmandu. She is the real ruler and all politicians look up to her for favours
and directions. Boundary dispute with India has been raked-up only to curry Chinese
favour.
With the signing of agreements worth USD 2.4 billion
for various projects, Nepal is getting into a deadly debt trap like Sri Lanka,
Pakistan, Maldives and many African countries. Eventually, the Chinese
financial stranglehold will jeopardise its existence as an independent nation.
Concurrently, China is pursuing cultural invasion as
well. It has offered financial assistance to those schools that teach Mandarin.
Needless to say, the bait has been swallowed hook, line and sinker. Several schools have already
taken the decision to make Mandarin a compulsory subject.
Nepal’s future appears bleak. It is just a matter of a
decade or two and Nepal will cease to exist as an independent nation. It will
be an autonomous region of China, i.e. NAR. The saga of Tibet’s subjugation
helps us make objective forecasts. Here are a few key parallels.
TAR Today
Tibet
is autonomous only in name; the Chinese government exercises total and
unbridled control. The locals have no say. Even though TAR has an ethnic
Tibetan as the Chairman, he is only a titular figure. He is subordinate to the
Branch Secretary of the Communist Party of China, the real power wielder, who
is always from the Chinese mainland.
The Chinese government considers demographic
swamping to be the ultimate solution. The Han population is likely to overwhelm
the locals in the next two decades. Tibetans are not issued passports and hence
cannot visit other countries. Even for visiting mainland China, they need special
permit.
Every street and building in Tibet is embellished with
innumerable Chinese flags, as if to constantly remind the locals that Tibet is
under the Chinese rule. Similarly, billboards read ‘Welcome to China’s Tibet’.
Chinese Flag over Potala Palace, Lhasa
Every house is mandated to fly the Chinese flag on the
roof top; and its height must be more than that of the Tibetan prayer flags
that traditionally adorn all houses. Non-compliance is construed as an act of
defiance of the state authority and is dealt with harshly. Punishment may
include imprisonment for anti-national proclivity.
Lhasa-Shigatse
Highway Lined with Chinese Flags
China
has been systematically annihilating Tibetan culture and religion. Their places
of worship and learning have been methodically targeted. Over 6,000 monasteries
have been destroyed or ransacked. Damage done to Tibet’s relics, heritage and
architecture has been truly horrendous; and beyond redemption.
Buddhists
need police clearance to congregate to celebrate their festivals. Local
authorities regulate the number of monks that a monastery can accommodate.
Monks need official permission to visit other monasteries in large numbers.
Armed soldiers invariably accompany them to monitor their activities.
Under
the garb of decongesting, demolitions have recently
been carried out at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the biggest Tibetan Buddhist
institute (academy and monastery) in the world.
Monastery with Chinese Flag
As the Chinese consider the knowledge of Mandarin
to be essential for building national cohesion, the Tibetans are compelled to
learn Mandarin. As a result, the local Tibetan language is being allowed to
die. Most signboards are in Mandarin.
The
Chinese behave like the rulers and treat the locals with disdain. The Hans from
the mainland China occupy all senior government posts and are running
prosperous businesses. On the other
hand, the Tibetans have been condemned to menial jobs. All janitors, sweepers,
load carriers and labourers are Tibetans. It is sad to see a once-proud
community degraded to the status of bonded labour. Poverty continues to afflict
most.
NAR of Tomorrow
No crystal gazing is required to visualise the future
of Nepal.
The elected representative of the people of Nepal will
only be figure-head/puppet. The Branch
Secretary of the Communist Party of China from the Chinese mainland will call
the shots.
Visitors
at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu will be greeted with a
billboard reading ‘Welcome to
China’s Nepal’. A Chinese flag
will fly over the Singha Durbar in Kathmandu, as it flies on Potala Palace in
Lhasa. Even the hallowed Pashupatinath Temple may be forced to fly the Chinese
flag, as all monasteries are mandated to do in Tibet. All main roads of
Kathmandu will be duly decorated with the Chinese flags.
All
signboards will be in bold Mandarin, with Nepalese in small font. Over a period
of time, Nepalese will be replaced by Mandarin as the main language. All
religious places will come under the Chinese scanner. Hindu practices and
customs will be discouraged. Religion is an anathema to the communists. As has
been done with the selection of Panchen Lama in Tibet, China may select the
Royal Kumari Devi of Kathmandu.
The
Hans from mainland China will swamp Nepal to change demography. They will hold
all positions of importance and thrive economically whereas the local Nepali
population will be forced to undertake low-paid manual work like sweeping roads.
As is their wont, the Chinese will behave like the rulers and treat the Nepalese
as pitiable subjects.
NAR
will certainly benefit in terms of infra-structural development. Kathmandu,
which is perhaps the most underdeveloped and filthiest capital city in the
world, will undergo a drastic transformation. In addition, huge concrete
structures will come up to house the Chinese soldiers.
Some sceptics may consider the above prognosis to be speculative,
improbable and far-fetched. They should see the accompanying pictures, taken by
me in September 2016. The sight of the Chinese flag lording over the Potala
Palace, the hallowed seat of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and
temporal head of the Buddhists, was heart-wrenching.
The
narrative of Tibet’s tragedy is a saga of brutal decimation of an ancient, rich
and peace-loving culture by vicious China. Tibet is a state under foreign
siege. Similar fate awaits Nepal.
Finally
Ties
between Nepal and India are age-old, deep and intense. They encompass
religious, cultural, social and spiritual planes. Every Indian wishes Nepal and
the Nepalese people well. That is why Nepal’s rapid drift towards the Chinese
quagmire is viewed with great concern in India. It is a trap that can only lead
Nepal to its doom. A land of proud people with ancient civilisation certainly deserves
to thrive as an independent nation.
History is most unforgiving. The die once cast cannot
be undone. Similarly, freedom once lost is extremely difficult to regain, especially
from a ruthless tyrant like China. It may be the last opportunity to pull back
from the precipice.*****
