Sindhupalchowk, Sept 3: Total 114 Nepali people stranded in Kerung, China following the catastrophic Bhotekoshi flash flood in Rasuwa have returned home via Tatopani border point on Thursday.
Chief of Tatopani Immigration Office, Padmaraj Timalsina, informed RSS that the Chinese side brought the Nepali citizens, who were safe in Kerung, to the Liping area of the Tatopani border point and handed them over to the Nepali authority. “The Chinese representatives have handed over 114 Nepali citizens from various districts to us at Liping of the Tatopani border,” he shared. The Chinese authority facilitated the return of the stranded Nepalis along with their passport details.
Chief district officer of Sindhupalchowk, Shashidhar Ghimire, confirmed the return of 114 Nepalis who were safe in the flood-hit areas of China. Although Tatopani customs is currently closed, the border point is open for tourists’ movement.
It was shared that most of those returning to Nepal are from Sindhupalchowk, Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts. The Nepali Consulate General in Lhasa mentioned that the Nepalis who reached Kerung with temporary permit were returned. There is a provision that Nepalis who visit neighbouring Kerung of China from Rasuwagadhi border point for trades, gig works such as loading and unloading, and labour at hotels/restaurants do not need to obtain visa. The Nepalis who go to Tibet for works or shopping with temporary permits can travel only within 30 kilometres.
The Nepalis who had reached Kerung with temporary permit were left stranded after the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint and Pasanglhamu Highway were swept away in the disaster.
According to Consul General Laxmi Prasad Niraula, China facilitated their transportation to the Tatopani border point. He added that the Chinese government helped Nepalis stranded in Tibet return to Nepal after the floods. They had not borne passports and visas.
There are still some 1,600 Nepalis in Kerung. Of those, 800 have registered their names to return to Nepal. “Most of them went there for shopping and engage in transport-related works like load and unload,” Consul General Niraula said”
The government has continued efforts to bring back the citizens stranded in China following the August 26 disaster. Some are still unaccounted for. Meanwhile, whereabouts of 239 people from Sindhupalchowk district is still unknown after the devastation.
