Tibet Conference in Nepal Pushed Online
Organizers said the meeting will continue online after Kathmandu University withdrew, affecting an event expected to draw scholars from around the world.
- The International Association for Tibetan Studies conference moved online on August 8 after Kathmandu University organizers were told to withdraw from hosting the August 23-29 event.
- Conference convener Sagar Raj Sharma, a professor at Kathmandu University, said the government requested cancellation, calling it an 'inappropriate time,' while Hem Raj Aryal, spokesperson for the prime minister's office, denied issuing any instructions.
- The IATS, established at Britain's University of Oxford in 1979, claims no political affiliation, though China—Nepal's second-largest trading partner—has long opposed international activities it views as challenging its sovereignty.
- IATS acting president Francoise Robin, a Tibetan-studies professor at France's National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, called the move a "very regrettable and worrying development." She confirmed proceedings will continue online.
- Nepal remains acutely aware of China's sensitivity regarding Tibet, which Beijing describes as an integral part of its territory since 1950. The country hosts thousands of Tibetan refugees and shares cultural and Buddhist ties with the Himalayan north.
12 Articles
12 Articles
(Hanoi=Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Jin-hyung = An international academic conference on Tibet scheduled to be held in Nepal has been postponed online after the organizers revealed they had received a request from the Nepalese government...
Tibet conference in Nepal pushed online
Nepal's government denied that it had ordered the change, though the country is acutely aware of how sensitive the issue of Tibet is to its giant northern neighbour China. Beijing, which in 1950 sent troops to the vast high-altitude plateau it describes as an integral part of China, has long opposed international activities it sees as challenging its sovereignty. The conference of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) was expe…
China-aborted int’l Tibetan studies conference in Kathmandu to be held online - Tibetan Review
(TibetanReview.net, Aug09’26) – Cancelled by the government of Nepal under sustained backdoor pressure from China, organizers of the 17th International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) seminar have decided to go ahead with the event by holding it online. ”We are proceeding with the conference, but it will take place online,” IATS acting president Francoise Robin, […]
'Worrying development': Tibet conference in Nepal pushed online
China’s Pressure on Tibetan Voices Extends Beyond Its Borders as Nepal Cancels Major Academic Conference
The cancellation of a major international Tibetan studies conference in Nepal, alongside reports that Beijing has sought restrictions on Tibetan exile media ahead of the BRICS Summit in India, is renewing concerns over China’s growing efforts to influence how Tibet is studied, discussed and reported beyond its borders. The Nepal government has cancelled the 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS), which was sched…
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