KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A conference on Tibetan studies scheduled to be held this month in Nepal was called off at the request of government officials who gave no reason for the decision, organizers said Thursday. The International Association for Tibetan Studies seminar was scheduled to be held in Nepal Aug. 23-26, to be attended by delegates from many countries and hosted by the Himalaya Centre for Asian Studies at Kathmandu University. Prof. Sagar Raj Sharma of the Center confirmed they made the decision to cancel after top government officials asked them not to hold the conference. Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal and pass through the territory to reach their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India. There have been several protests by refugees living in Nepal where police have been used to quell them.