Int’l community calls for protection of Tibetans’ democratic rights in Nepal[Thursday, 7 October 2010, 1:44 p.m.]

Tibetans wait in long queues to cast their ballots in Dharamsala, India, on Sunday, 3 October 2010

Dharamshala:
The international community has called on the Nepalese government to
allow Tibetans residing in the country to exercise their democratic
rights.A group of 30 Nepalese police barged into the polling
stations in Kathmandu and forcibly took away ballot boxes mid way
through the polling for the first round of general election on Sunday,
3 October .“We urge the Nepalese government to protect the
longstanding rights and privileges of Tibetans in Nepal, particularly
their right to express themselves freely in accordance with Nepali
law,”  a Radio Free Asia report quoted a spokesperson for the US State Department on 6 October.The
International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet, which brings
together 133 legislators from more than 30 parliaments worldwide, has
called on the Nepalese government to “immediately release the ballot
boxes to the legitimate representatives of the Tibetan community in
Nepal”.The Office of Tibet in Australia has called on the
chairman of the Australian Parliamentary Group for Tibet, senator Bob
Brown and Deputy Speaker Peter Slipper’s office, Australia Tibet
Council, Australian Tibetan Community Association and others to send
strong representation to the Nepalese government through their embassy
in Australia to return the ballot boxes and also to allow final voting
on 20 March 2011.Australia Tibet Council and Tibetan Community of ACT have already send their protest letters and other are going to do so soon.