Nun Drolma’s appointment to Lumbini fund sparks protests — Kathmandu Post

In Nepal, the appointment of singer-nun Ani Choying Drolma as vice-chair of the Lumbini Development Fund has sparked protests. The Cabinet appointed her on October 16, following a proposal by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, to a position that had remained vacant for nearly five months, Kathmandu Post reports.

On October 17, the Save Lumbini Grand Campaign began protest actions and demanded that the appointment be revoked. Movement coordinator Akram Khan said participants would hold public gatherings, press conferences, rallies and sit-in protests until the decision is reversed.

Protesters’ demands

Campaign representatives claim that the authorities ignored local intellectuals, Buddhist studies researchers and other candidates. Movement co-coordinator Ram Bikas Chaudhary said Drolma’s appointment reinforced activists’ suspicions after they had previously asked Minister Khadga Raj Paudel to select a local candidate.

Protesters also raise questions about the circumstances under which she obtained Nepali citizenship. They cite Drolma’s memoirs, which state that her parents arrived in Nepal as Tibetan refugees, and demand clarification of public allegations that she allegedly provided false information when applying for citizenship.

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Transfers from Hong Kong

Critics also refer to a 2018 investigation into $1,649,940 that arrived in Drolma’s bank account in three payments from two Hong Kong citizens. The Department of Money Laundering Investigation opened a case, while the central bank’s financial intelligence unit simultaneously reviewed the transactions. Nepal’s central bank stopped the three transfers.

Drolma said that all issues concerning her had already been resolved and that the funds were intended for the Arya Tara School, a nuns’ school in Pharping that she has run since 2000. She also said she would travel to Lumbini soon to take up the post.

According to an unnamed official at the Department of Money Laundering Investigation, the case was set aside after one stage of review, and in 2019 a decision was made to temporarily discontinue the investigation. He said the materials could be reopened only if new evidence emerges.