Anti-Tibetan sentiment is hostility, discrimination orracism againstTibetans or anything related toTibetan culture in general. Anti-Tibetan sentiment has been present in various regions ofBhutan,China,India, andNepal at various points in time. Anti-Tibetan sentiment inSouth Asia is due to the presence of Tibetan immigrants in those countries. Anti-Tibetan sentiment in China has been fueled by Tibet's historical annexation by China on multiple occasions throughout the centuries. This annexation led to ongoing tensions between Tibetans andHan Chinese, with Tibet currently being under the administration of the People's Republic of China.
The government of Bhutan agreed to take in 4000 Tibetan refugees. Ordinary Bhutanese became increasingly resentful of the Tibetan refugees because of their refusal toassimilate intoBhutanese culture.[1]
Ever since its inception, theChinese Communist Party (CCP), thesole legal ruling political party of the PRC (including Tibet), has been distributing historical documents which portray Tibetan culture as barbaric in order to justify Chinese control of the territory of Tibet.[2] As such, many members of Chinese society have a negative view of Tibet which can be interpreted as racism.[3][4] The CCP's view is thatTibet was historically a feudal society which practiced serfdom/slavery and that this only changed due to theannexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China.[5]: 8 TheRepublic of China also claimed Tibet aspart of its territory, as did its predecessor, theQing.
The CCP classifiesTibetan independence activists as one of theFive Poisons.[6][7]
In Arunachal Pradesh, a region bordering Tibet and is claimed byChina as beingSouth Tibet, there was a xenophobic campaign and a motion by the state government to expel around 12,000 Tibetans that received much support from the local population, but the Indian government was "angered" by the state government's initiatives.[8]
The Monpas, a people who are ethnically and culturally related to Tibetans, are opposed to Tibetan refugees in their state.Nevertheless all Tibetans are currently peacefully settled.[9]
Tibetans and Himalayan ethnic groups of Tibetan origin such as theSherpa andTamang are at times derogatorily called "bhotey", which is theNepali word for someone from Tibet, but is used as a slur.[citation needed]
