China has restricted entry of locals from Humla after murder of a Chinese woman.
Tirtha Khadera of Sarkideu in Sarkegad rural municipality was arrested in Taklakot of Tibet where he had gone to work on charge of murdering a Chinese woman in the third week of May, according to Assistant Chief District Officer (CDO) of Humla Mahesh Kumar Pokharel.
Chinese police started to send back Nepali workers going to Taklakot for work after that.
"We have arrested him after he murdered a woman going to bank by hitting her with a rod. We are taking him to Lhasa for additional investigation," Pokharel quoted the Chinese authorities as saying after Khadera's arrest. "They had not talked about sending other workers back. But they started to send back Nepali workers from the next day," he told Setopati.
He revealed that almost 500 Nepali workers have been sent back in three weeks.
Nepal-China treaty allows citizens of both the countries to travel up to 30 kilometers inside the other country by producing a pass. Nepalis in Humla go to Taklakot to work and for business using the facility.
There are jobs in Taklakot during the season of Mansarovar pilgrimage from May till September. Around 5,000-7,000 Nepalis go to Taklakot during the season every year to work in construction projects, hotels and for other works.
"It is a good source of income as one could earn up to Rs 5,000 a day for such seasonal works. But there is problem this year," Pokharel stated. "We had informed the Foreign Ministry through the Home Ministry after the Chinese side started to send Nepali workers back. They have not sent back Nepali workers n the past two days apparently after diplomatic initiative.
Locals in Taklakot have been warning they will not allow Nepalis to work from now onward even though the authorities have stopped sending the workers back.
"W e do not have additional information about Khadera. We have proposed to hold a border meeting. The meeting will be convened by June end. We will put our concerns during the meeting," Pokharel added.
Secretary at the Foreign Ministry Shankar Das Bairagi, meanwhile, has said the government is taking diplomatic initiative to resolve the problems seen in Taklakot.
