Tibetan Chants

The charge of money laundering against Karmapa Ugyen Trinley Dorje brings the politics of the Tibetan community in exile into the spotlight.

THE questioning of the Tibetan spiritual leader Ugyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa Lama, by the Himachal Pradesh Police in the last week of January and the arrest of seven of his close aides on alleged money laundering charges have brought the politics of the Tibetan community in exile back into the media spotlight. It took the Indian authorities more than two weeks to absolve the Karmapa Lama finally from the more serious charges levelled against him. In the first week of February, there were reports in the Indian media that the Central government was contemplating the arrest of the Karmapa.

On February 11, the Himachal Pradesh government ruled out the possibility of arresting the Karmapa in connection with the seizure of foreign currency from his Gyuto monastery, located near Dharamsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile. But the Himachal Pradesh authorities have not withdrawn the case under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act against his aides.

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