What is the history of Tibetans in Taiwan? I’ve heard from various sources that in the early 90’s that there were huge swathes of Tibetans here, and generally they were people not to be f*cked with.
Was it an economic migration thing like for most of us? Was it a countries getting stomped over by China solidarity thing? I understand that some still remain here.
That’ll teach me for asking a question on a Saturday… Really? Nobody knows?
I thought that was so odd and interesting when I first noticed lots of Tibetans here 10 years ago and saw a sign for the Tibetan - Mongolian Affairs office, or whatever, near Shida. There still seem to be lots of them here. In fact, my Chinese tutor just informed me she’s teaching a class of Tibetans.
Incidentally, the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission was formed in 1928. 
taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003465472
At least the ones outside of TU or Spin weren’t to be messed with. Remember the gloved hand anyone?
There are Tibetans here, but what I was told in Nepal, that Tibetans who went overseas to Taiwan or HKG were viewed as somewhat less reliable to the cause.
I was photographing the Tibetan march in the city last Sunday and there were relatively few Tibetans taking part. When I’ve shot these events in other countries, almost the entire local Tibetan community has been there but that wasn’t the case. I’m guessing in Taiwan they are probably more interested in making money than in politics.
Was that the name of some Tibetan assassin?
This is all interesting stuff btw.
Sort of. One of the Tibetan used to wear a glove all the time. I forget his name now.
Is that him on the right?
Nah, that guy is not dark enough. Looks familiar though…
Yes, there are a couple thousand Tibetans around. Some of them came over as refugees. Since Taiwan has no legal provision for asylum, they were visa-less but not deported. Some came over as monks (whose visas had to be reviewed by the MTAC), and some of these later disrobed. (Chinese women–the lama’s kryptonite.) A few Tibetan (or Mongolian, or Manchurian) KMT supporters came over during the 1950’s. Today the MTAC no longer issues visas, but is still consulted in cases where, for example, a Tibetan applies for a visa on grounds of being a religious professional. (Singa Rinpoche was deported for conduct the MTAC felt unbecoming of a tulku, such as furthering his music career.)
The MTAC was founded on the ashes, so to speak, of the Qing court’s lifayuan, the court for handling inland barbarians. The ROC kept it on because when they got the mainland back, they’d need it to run Mongolia and Tibet. Relations with the Tibetan exile government were strained–partly because of disagreement over goals (Tibetan independence vs. the re-establishment of the ROC), and partly because the MTAC was discovered bribing a number of exile Tibetan officials. Relations got better under Chen Shui-bian, who came this close to closing down the MTAC altogether.
From what little I know, I think most of them now are traders between India and taiwan. They are settled here, selling trinkets and carpets and what nots, all bought from India and Nepal, don’t much care about the cause, coz it’s about business now. And if they see me in the markets, they all make it a point to come and say hello and even want to buy me an iced tea or sth just because I am an Indian. This is one of the best things I admire about Tibetans. No matter how shady or rowdy they appear to be, they never forget they got asylum in India and always treat us Indians with respect and gratitude for it. Don’t know if refugees elsewhere feel that way, but Tibetans always do it. I really hope all this collective gratitude and humility gives them good karma points.
Taiwan still lags behind in the global campaign for Tibetan rights and should take a more active role since it is considered a beacon for democracy in East Asia. 
I beat those guys up a few times back in the 90’s. They fell on the wrong side of the Bamboo Union hanging out at a place called Rock Candy and haven’t been heard of since. They were just beer bottle slinging punching bags. Bullies mostly.
Rock candy - that name is firing up a couple of abused neurons.
I have to truly say that every time I went to Rock Candy something always bad happened.
I was never sure if the so-called “Tibetan gang” outside Spin TU etc were really Tibetan or not. To me some claimed to be Turkish, but clearly werent, as they knew nothing about Turkey. I had a couple of run-ins with them, but nothing serious - they were always looking for solo, weak foreigners to pick on (violently). One time in Spin I saw one of the bouncers bouncing his baseball bat off the head of one fo them - dont know what he did, but the bouncer had had enough. Another time I saw one of them stab his mate outside TU. A lot of blood. I wonder if maybe they were Nepalese? they have a bad rep in many places…
I am reviving this interesting thread, a decade later, to see how the terrain has shifted since 2010.
First off, we know that the ROC’s MATC (Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Council) was shut down in 2017, a move that was reportedly welcomed in Dharamsala:
But who are Tibetans in Taiwan—how did they get here, and under what circumstances?
In the first of a two-part series published by the University of Nottingham’s Taiwan Insight magazine, Tibetan scholar Dolma Tsering provides some answers.
Guy
In Part 2 of this series, Dolma Tsering looks at the situation of Tibetans in Taiwan from the 1980s onward. It’s a brilliant piece, shining light on the different paths of migration Tibetans have taken, the challenges they have endured, and the support they have gained through protests and (limited) policy changes along the way.
Guy
The march, held annually in Taipei in early March since 2004, was originally intended to commemorate those who died during the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese communist rule that began on March 10, 1959.
It has grown over the years in terms of its size and agenda, according to organizers, with this year’s event also meant to show support for the people of Xinjiang and Hong Kong.
Reviving this thread to post this moving report about a Tibetan man in Hualien—and the long journey he took to lead a normal life in Taiwan (no thanks to the ROC and its inflexible bureaucracy in dealing with undocumented Tibetans from Tibet proper).
Guy