25. Jul 2006
EP representatives urge Nepal to re-open Tibetan Welfare Office
(TibetNet; Phayul) A delegation from the European Parliament (EP) on a six-day mission to Nepal has urged the government of <7>"the necessity of re-opening" the Tibetan Welfare Office, adding that it is impossible to declare Tibetan refugees there "iIlegal". In a press statement, the president of the Tibet Inter Group in the European Parliament, Thomas Mann, said: "We had the opportunity to meet authorities from Nepal, from the government and also some parliamentarians and leaders of NGOs. Whoever we met in the last few days, we have stressed to them the necessity of re-opening this Welfare Centre and we tried our best to convince them but of course there was no clear answer. I think the most important thing was that we always table the questions of Tibetan refugees. It is impossible to declare the existence of people staying here as illegal. They have the right to have these identity and refugee cards. They have the right to stay here and later on go to India and other places."