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Journalism of Courage
Home is where the heart is: so reads a placard at the sole Tibetan school in New Delhi. And for these Tibetan refugees, who left home 47 years ago, it’s not just a mere quote. “Our lives are here in India, our children have grown up here. Sure, we love this country but, given a choice, we would want to go home,” is the common refrain.
Which is why the opening of Nathu La earlier this month — 44 years after it was closed down after the India-China war — should have been a cause of great cheer for them. It is, after all, expected to open up a flood of trade opportunities, boost local economies and provide Tibetans in India with a direct and safe route to go back home (until now they had to cross Nepal to reach Tibet). More importantly, the opening of Nathu La is a gesture of amity between the two countries and therefore portends a possible resolution of the Tibetan problem.
The truth, however, is far more complex. A case of once bitten, twice shy, these Tibetans are extremely apprehensive, even suspicious, of Chinese intentions. First, there is widespread scepticism about whether it will really help trade. There is a feeling that the Chinese will exploit Tibetan resources and produce goods labelled ‘Made in China’. The Chinese, they fea, may follow a policy of market domination as opposed to profit-making.
Interestingly even the choice of the items allowed for trade — like silk and wool — have perturbed the Tibetans. The Chinese — Tibetans fear — would want to portray them as ‘animal killers’ who are destroying the environment, in order to undermine the market value of their traditional goods.
Through the years the Tibetan population has been dwindling. In fact the strict enforcement of the one-child rule has seen a rapid decline in their numbers. But a deep sense of identity continues to bind them to their country. “We want to go back, but only if the situation improves,” they say.
Going back has never been easy. Horror stories of Tibetans being held up as suspects by the Chinese Embassy authorities, or even having their passports seized at the various borders, continue to do the rounds. The local media, too, is not trusted and many Tibetans here do not speak up for fear of being denied passports for home.
This deep-rooted mistrust has ensured that even a move like the opening up at Nathu La — which ostensibly supports their cause — is something that Tibetans are extremely reluctant to welcome.
What the effects of this opening of the ‘la’ (meaning ‘pass’ in Tibetan) are, will only be gauged in the coming years. But one thing is for sure — it will take a long while before the Tibetans regain their trust in the Chinese authorities.
