Green Book (Tibetan document)

Green Book is a document issued by the Central Tibetan Administration (commonly known as the Tibetan Government in Exile) to Tibetans living outside Tibet, and described by the issuing organization as "the most official document issued by the Tibetan Government in exile" [Gyalthon Manyul - Green Book] (The Government of Tibet in Exile).] It serves as a receipt book for the person's "voluntary contributions" to the CTA, and has been described by a CTA official as "the passport of the exiled Tibetans to claim their rights from the Tibetan Government in Exile". [http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/?action=record.viewrec&gotorec=450153 RESPONSES TO INFORMATION REQUESTS (RIRs). "China: The 'Green Book' issued to Tibetans; how it is obtained and maintained, and whether holders enjoy rights equivalent to Indian citizenship (April 2006)"] (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, document CHN101133.E, 28 April 2006) ] The CTA says that in the future, the document "will become a base to claim Tibetan citizenship".

The document is valid for 5 years.

History

Eligibility

For this purpose, CTA defines a Tibetan as "any person born in Tibet, or any person with one parent who was born in Tibet", and, as Tibetan refugees often lack documents attesting to their place of birth, the eligibility is usually established by an interview.

Contributions

There is no fee for the issuing of the Green Book, but once one has it, s/he is expected to make annual "voluntary contributions" to the CTA.According to the CTA website, the suggested annual contribution from Tibetans who live outside India, Nepal and Bhutan above the age of 18 pays is US$96; it's lower for students and unemployed.

As of 2006, the Tibetan adults living in India, Nepal, and Bhutan were expected to contribute 58 rupees (US$1.29, at the then exchange rate) per year, with lower contributions for children and unemployed. Those in India, Nepal, and Bhutan who worked for a salary were supposed to contribute 4% of their base salary or 2% of their gross salary (whichever is higher), while for those who had income other than salary, the suggested annual contribution was 0.15% of their net annual income.

Benefits eligibility

The holder of a green book needs to be current on his contributions in order to exercise such rights with the CTA asvoting or stand for election, applying for scholarships awarded by the CTA, or for employment with the CTA.

The Green Book is not an international travel document. Those Tibetans who live in India but do not have Indian Citizenship can receive a travel document from the Indian authorities; it was reported in 1994 that the process of applying for such a document typically starts with presenting one's Green Book (along with various other documents) to the CTA office in Dharamsala, which then forwards one's application to Indian authorities. [ [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?docid=3ae6ad0f30 "India: Information on whether the Indian government issues documents to Tibetan refugees in India to travel abroad and, if so, what type of documents; information on the issue and renewal procedures outside India and on the rights of Tibetan refugees in India to education and employment and to re-entry after visiting abroad"] (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, document IND19143.E, December 1, 1994)]

References