Dharamshala, India: The Dharamshala family that set out by foot from Dharmashala to Tibet is now on its way back to Dharamshala after being denied entry into Nepal. Tseten Dorjee, his mother Dhongpo Kyi and younger sister Lhamo Ky had covered roughly 1,300 kms over two months since setting out for Tibet from Dharamshala on 10 March.
On 9 May, six members of the Nepal-based Domey Association and two representatives of a Nepalese human rights group welcomed the exiled Tibetan family before they crossed the border. The next morning, the family cleared two checkpoints before border guards detained them at the third. Family contacts in Dharamshala now report Nepalese Police have denied the family entry into the country.
Tibetan exiles living in India must follow a strict set of rules before leaving the country, needing permission from the proper Indian authorities to obtain departures on their Residential Certificates. It is unclear whether the family completed these steps.
Before the march, Dorjee hoped Nepalese authorities would not prove an obstacle on their march to Tibet.
