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>>Tibetans in Exile
According to the Tibetan Demographic Survey of 1998, carried out by the Government in Exile's Planning Council, there are approximately 111,170 Tibetans in exile. However, this figure could be significantly less than the true number of Tibetans in exile currently. In the years subsequent to the survey, many Tibetans have crossed the Indian and Nepalese borders. A grey area also exists concerning children born to exiled-Tibetan parents, and there is a chance that they may have been overlooked.
Approximate number of Tibetan exiles in 1998:
India 85,000
Nepal 14,000
USA and Canada 7,000
Bhutan 1,600
Switzerland 1,540
Taiwan 1,000
Australia and New Zealand 220
Scandinavia 110
Japan 60
Rest of Europe 640
As we can see from the statistics above, the large majority of Tibetans in exile are in the countries which border Tibet- especially India, which has welcomed Tibetan refugees, and it is here that the Dalai Lama and the Kashag (The Tibetan Government) have based themselves. Nepal has the second largest number of Tibetans in exile, and many of the Tibetans in Nepal have done very well for themselves and their community. The exiled community in Nepal largely consists of Tibetans who left Tibet in the 50s and 60s and their children and children's children. Few new refugees from Tibet settle in Nepal. It should be noted that most Tibetans in exile have chosen to leave Chinese-occupied Tibet, rather than be sent into exile by the Chinese authorities. Many Tibetans have been in exile since 1950, and many more since 1959, following the Lhasa Uprising.It was in March 1959 that the Dalai Lama, as well as the Kashag at the time and many others left Tibet. Since 1959, there has been a steady stream of refugees leaving Tibet, with common reasons for leaving being poverty, lack of education for children, and being denied the right to practice religion. Many leave on principle and to be close to the Dalai Lama, and many have left and continue to leave due to political and religious persecution. Another grey area is created as some of the Tibetanas who leave Tibet return to be with their families or after being educated etc. (some parents send their children to Dharmasala to be educated, and these children later return). It can be appreciated how difficult it must be to keep a record of every Tibetan in exile, as they are dispersed across the world, and as such, these figures are only approximates.
Internal Links:
Tibetans in Nepal
Tibetan Youth UK
External Links:
Tibetan Government in Exile's Website- maintained by Office of Tibet, London
Tibetan Community in the UK
Tibetan Youth UK
Office of Tibet, New York
Liaison Office of H.H. The Dalai Lama for Japan & East-Asia
Tibet Culture & Information Centre, Russia
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Tibetans and supporters at a protest in London against Hu Jintao's visit to the UK
Seto Gompa (The White Monastery), Boudanath, Nepal
Tibetan Youth at Hu Jintao protest, London
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