Tibetan Review
February 17, 2010

Nepal has initiated the process of setting up a
border security force (BSF) checkpost in Mustang,
a northern district bordering occupied Tibet, to
be manned by its Armed Police Force (APF)
personnel whose team was already near the snow
covered site for the purpose, reported Republica
Online (Nepal) Feb 15. The move has been
described a part of the first phase in addressing
Chinese concerns about alleged increase in
so-called anti-China activities in the border areas.

The report said the Mustang post was being set up
at Lomanthang, which borders Tibet, and would
have 46 personnel under the command of DSP
Narayan Shrestha. It said another checkpost will
be set up in neighbouring Manang district soon.

The move comes very shortly after the visit to
China by Nepal’s Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal
to specifically discuss the issue of Tibetan protests and border crossings.

The report cited Nepal’s Home Ministry as saying
work was on to mobilize resources to set up BSF
checkposts in Solukhumbu, Sindhuli, Taplejung,
Dolakha and Sankhuwasabha districts as well.

The report said Nepal had already set up 17
checkposts from Jhapa to Kanchanpur along the
border with India. Nepal has been claiming that
many, if not most, of the Tibetans staging
protests in the country against China had been
coming from India, leading to Beijing demanding
the tightening of the border security there as well.