Aryal Achyut et al., SJIR, 2014, 2(3), 1-28
Research article Available online www.sjoir.blogspot.com ISSN: 2350-8728
Scientific Journal of International Research
Pg.1
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Scientific Journal of International Research
Silence-Violence Cycle of Perception
Expression: A Historical Study of
Tibetan Refugee Minority in Nepal
Achyut Aryal
Abstract-This is a research article on study of
silence-violence cycle of perception expression, a
historical study of Tibetan refugee minority in
Nepal. Through survey and content analysis this
study explores the rise of the spiral of violence trend
in the underrepresented and historically silent
community, here the Tibetan refugee of Nepal. It is
clear that fear of isolation of minority community
force them to remain almost silent (even in existing
press) and such behavior compels them to express
their voices through series of protest after certain
time frame (period), and it comes with spiral of
violence form. It may go again in silence and the
cycle (silence-violence) continues as perception
expression model.
Keywords- Silence-Violence cycle, Perception
expression; Minority, Tibetan refugee.
INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY
The Chinese People's Liberation Army launched its
first ‘invasion’ into Tibet in 1949 which is now the
autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China.
In the years that followed the Dalai Lama's efforts to
make peace with the Chinese leadership failed. On the
night of March 17, 1959, the Dalai Lama took flight
towards India, hoping to appeal to the international
community to take action against Chinese ‘aggression’
in Tibet. On March 31, 1959, exhausted and seriously
ill, the Dalai Lama crossed onto Indian soil. All hope
for the survival of Tibet's 2,000 year old civilization
lay in India with the Dalai Lama and 100,000 refugees
living in India and Nepal (Siwakoti, 2003; Aryal,
2011a, 2012b).
At the end of 1989, Nepal stopped registering Tibetan
refugees. Of the remaining registered refugees, some
12,000 live in Kathmandu’s Bouddha or in Pokhara,
Baglung, and other places. China considers these
refugees as illegal immigrants. From 1986 to 1996
approximately 25,000 Tibetans have taken refuge in
India increasing the exile population by more than
18%, 30% are children seeking placement in an exile
school. Refugees must travel for days in waist-deep
snow, there is nowhere to find shelter, food or water in
the mountain passes; many suffer frostbite, injury,
death. It has been a consistent policy of Nepal that
Tibet is an integral part of China. Sino-Nepal relations
in political, economic and cultural spheres have grown
from heights to heights since diplomatic relations was
established in 1955. Occasionally, Nepal faces
criticism from the U.S and some European countries as
regards to its Tibetan refugee policy. (Bhatia et al.,
2002; Banki, 2004; McGranahan, 2005; Mills and
other, 2005; Dumbaugh, 2008; Benedict and other,
2009; ICT, 2009; Free Tibet, 2010).
An estimated 20,000 Tibetan refugees in Nepal arrived
between 1959 and 1989(Bhatia et al., 2002; Balakin,
2005; Banki, 2004; Kharel, 2008; Pandey, 2007;
Conboy and Morrison, 2002; Siwakoti, 2003; Mc
Granahan, 2005; Dulaney and Cusack, 1998; Mills et
al., 2005; Dumbaugh, 2008; Benedict et al., 2009;
Conway, 1975; ICT, 2009; Free Tibet, 2010; Aryal,
2011a). Since the early 1980's, when China-Tibet
opened to trade and tourism, a second exodus of
Tibetan refugees have joined the Tibetan exile
community in Nepal India and fleeing religious
persecution, political repression, aggressive
sanitization and cultural genocide (Siwakoti, 2003;
Balakin, 2005; Pandey, 2007; Dumbaugh, 2008;
Benedict et al., 2009; ICT, 2009; Free Tibet, 2010;
Aryal, 2011a, 2012b).
According to the latest United States State Department
Human Rights Report for 2009, Tibetans repatriated
from Nepal reportedly suffered torture, including
electric shocks, exposure to cold and severe beatings
and were forced to perform heavy physical labor.
Tibetan refugees in Nepal also witnessed curtailment of
freedom of expression as police imposed restrictions on
demonstrations and sometimes detained demonstrators.
In this context these the objectives that can be outline
as:
- To know the perception expression pattern
of Tibetan refugee in Nepalese society.
Moreover, researcher in spiral of silence tradition
reached just to ‘fear of isolation leads towards spiral of
silence’. Nobody has gone further, what happens after