Authorities wary of fake Tibetan lamas

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on April 3, 2006. It reports that the number of fake Tibetan lamas from China who apply to enter Taiwan with forged documents is on the rise. Taiwan's law enforcement and national security authorities are now closely monitoring the problem.

Although the majority of Tibetan monks in Taiwan are sincerely devoted to preaching, many have been arrested on charges of illegal activities such as fraud, human or drug trafficking, and sex offences. It is suspected that a number of unlawful organizations in Taiwan have been providing assistance to fake Tibetan lamas so that they can sneak into the country.

It was recently reported that 140 Tibetans were invited by the government's Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission to visit Taiwan in September 2001, but overstayed their visas. They were then allowed by the government to reside in Taiwan on a case-by-case basis. After the news was leaked, the incidence of Tibetans who seek to enter Taiwan on doctored Nepalese passports has seen a significant increase.

Since Macau, India and Singapore allow visitors from Nepal to enter without a visa, many people from China first get a residence permit in Nepal and acquire a Nepalese passport. They then go to Taiwan's outposts in Macau, India and Singapore to apply for a visa to enter Taiwan as a lama.

Official statistics show that as of the end of 2005, some 300 Tibetans who had overstayed their entry visas in Taiwan were waiting for amnesty by the government to obtain a resident permit.

In response to this problem, Taiwan's representative office in Singapore has created a standard process to verify visa applications. The process requires applicants to submit certificates issued by temples and recommendation letters by Tibetan Buddhist priests. Applicants also need to supply religious identity documents and undergo oral examinations in spoken Tibetan o Nepalese languages.