Tibetan diaspora

The Tibetan diaspora is a term used to refer to the communities of Tibetan people living outside the their original homeland in Tibet. Tibetan emigration has three separate stages. The first stage was in 1959 following the 14th Dalai Lama's pilgrimage to Dharamsala in India, in fear of persecution from the Red Army. The second stage happened in the 1980s, when Tibet opened up to foreigners under PRC pressure and China force. The third stage continues from 1996 until today, with Taiwan being one of the favorite destinations of Tibetan Lamas. Not all emigration from Tibet is permanent; today some parents in Tibet send their children to communities in the diaspora to receive a traditional Tibetan education. The 2009 census registered about 128,000 Tibetans in exile, with the most numerous part of the community living in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. However, in 2005 and 2009 there were estimates of up to 150,000 living in exile.

Origins and numbers

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) provides a Green Book - a kind of Tibetan identity certificate - to Tibetan refugees. Based on a CTA survey from 2009, 127,935 Tibetans were registered in the diaspora: in India 94,203; in Nepal 13,514; in Bhutan 1,298; and in rest of the world 18,920. However, their number is estimated at up to 150,000, as mentioned by both Edward J. Mills et al. in 2005 and by the 14th Dalai Lama in 2009.