An international academic conference on Tibet due to take place this month has been pushed online, organisers said, calling it a “worrying development”.
Nepal’s government denied that it had ordered the change.
The conference of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) was expected to draw key scholars from around the world to Kathmandu University to discuss Tibetan history, culture, religion and society.
IATS acting president Francoise Robin, a Tibetan-studies professor at France’s National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations, said it was a “very regrettable and worrying development”.
“We are proceeding with the conference, but it will take place online,” she said.
Organisers at Kathmandu University, which was convening the Aug 23-29 event, said they were told to withdraw from hosting it.
“We had been planning this conference for a long time, but we received a request from the government not to hold it, so we are not doing it,” said conference convener Sagar Raj Sharma, a professor at Kathmandu University.
“The government told us that this is not an appropriate time to conduct this conference,” he said.
Nepal denied giving such orders.
“Nepal’s government has not given any instructions to cancel it,” said Hem Raj Aryal, spokesperson at the prime minister’s office.
“Neither have we sent a letter nor given verbal instructions to stop it. They postponed it on their own.” — AFP
