14 June 2008
Beijing restricts supplies in Mustang
(PTI; TibetInfoNet) Beijing has restricted movement over the Tibetan-Nepali border in the Mustang area, leading to a supply bottleneck. Mustang has no direct road link with Kathmandu and in recent years local people have become increasingly dependent on Tibet for food and other supplies. Since May 2008, Beijing has stopped issuing visas to visitors at Choser, the border check point, and imposed restrictions on local people. The development comes at a time when there have been almost daily anti-China protests in Kathmandu, enraging the Chinese authorities. In other sectors of the border though, for instance in Tatopani, the main gate to Tibet, Nepali nationals have been able to cross over for shopping on daily permit basis throughout the events of March-April 2008.