Teknath Rizals words on Exiled Bhutanese

Tek Nath Rizals words on exiles ( the unauthorized translation in English below the text)
भुटानी शरणार्थीको धरातल
टेकनाथ रिजाल
यसपालिको हिउँद झापा र मोरङमा बिताएँ । विदेशी भूमिमा अलपत्र परी बसेका भुटानीसँग प्रत्यक्ष भेटौं, तिनका कुरा सुनौं र आफ्ना पनि सुनाऊँ भन्ने वर्षौंदेखिको चाह थियो । । विविध कारणले तिनीहरूसमक्ष पुग्नसकेको थिइन । नेपाल पसेको तेस्रो वर्ष लाग्दा योपालि भुटानी शरणार्थी शिविरमा पुग्ने अठोट
गरेँ । झन्डै दुई महिना बिताएर काठमाडौं फर्केको छु ।
शरणार्थी शिविरको भ्रमण सुखद थिएन । सुखको अनुभूति खोज्दै त्यहाँ पुगेको पनि थिइन । तर शिविरमा जुन दुखः र पीडा सहेर शरणार्थी बसेको म कल्पना गर्थें, त्यसभन्दा भयावह कष्टमा बन्धु-बान्धव रहेछन् । त्यसले असाध्य पीडा थप्यो । भुटानका नेपालीले अत्यन्त थोरै सुख देखेका छन् । पुस्ता दरपुस्ता सुखको खोजीमा दुःख गर्दै हिँडेका भुटानी नेपालीले अविकसित, आधुनिक सभ्यताभन्दा टाढा र सुविधाविहीन भूमिलाई आफ्ना पौरखले राष्ट्रको स्वरूप दिए । तिनका सन्तानले अझ मिहेनत गरेर, भुटानी भूमिलाई आफ्ना श्रम, सीप, बुद्धि, औकात र पसिनाले भिजाएर । जब देश आफ्ना सन्तानलाई केही दिनसक्ने क्षमतामा पुग्यो, त्यसबेला उनीहरू देशबाट लघारिनुपर्‍यो । पूर्वी नेपालका शरणार्थी शिविरमा निन्याउरो अनुहार र कमजोर शरीर लिएर पहाडभन्दा गर्‍हुङ्गो जीवन व्यतीत गरिरहेकाहरूसामु भुटानका राजनीतिक दलका प्रमुख नेताहरूसँगै जब म पुगेँ, मेरो मनलाई एउटा प्रश्नले विचलित बनायो ः के नेपाली जाति दुःख, पीडा र आँसुमै डुब्न जन्मेको अभिसप्त मानव समुदाय हो ?
ती मानिस जो शरणार्थी शिविरमा छन्, उनीहरू शान्त, सभ्य, धैर्यशील र सज्जनहरूमध्ये पर्छन् । शरणार्थी सम्बन्धी संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघीय उच्च आयोग -युएनएचसीआर) का कतिपय अध्ययनले देखाएको छ ः नेपालमा रहेका भुटानी शरणार्थी विश्वका अन्य शरणार्थीका तुलनामा शान्त छन् । उनीहरू सहयोगी छन् । त्यसैले व्यवस्थित गर्न सजिलो छ ।
वास्तवमा नेपाली जातिको विशेषता पनि यही हो । यही विशेषताका कारण उनीहरू कुनै पनि नयाँ ठाउँमा, नयाँ मानिस र जातिसँग मिलेर बस्न सक्छन् । ती नयाँ जाति र मानिससँग सम्बन्ध स्थापित गर्न सक्तछन् । आफ्ना जातीय एवं धार्मिक आस्था रक्षा गर्न र अन्य जाति तथा मानिसका आस्थाको सम्मान गर्दै आफू पुगेको समाजमा स्थापित हुन्छन् ।
भुटानी नेपालीहरूको चारित्रिक विशेषता यही हो । यही विशेषताका कारण झन्डै तीन सय वर्षअघि भुटान पुगेका नेपालीले समेत भुटानी समाजसँग आफूलाई समाहित गरे । त्यहाँका शासकलाई आफ्ना पनि संरक्षक ठाने, त्यहाँका रीतिरिवाज- परम्परालाई आफ्नो जीवनका अंग बनाए । त्यही भूमिको विकासलाई आफ्नो प्रगति ठाने । उनीहरूले आफ्ना पूर्वजलाई बिर्से । तिन्ाका सन्ततिले त्यही माटोलाई आफ्नो देश ठाने र त्यसैको सेवा गरे । त्यसैमध्ये म पनि एक थिएँ । र शरणार्थी शिविरमा रहेकाहरू मजस्तै र मै जस्ताका सन्तान थिए । ती सबै निर्दोष मानिस हुन् । जसरी म स्वयम् निर्दोष छु । तर कुन दोषको सजाय भोगिरहेका छन्, यी मानिस ?
जब हामी शरणार्थी शिविर पुग्यौं । हामीलाई हेर्न, भेट्न, स्वागत गर्न भनेर हजारौं मानिस आए । मलाई भने बारम्बार यही प्रश्नले चिमोटिरह्यो ।
शिविरमा तीन थरीका मानिस थिए- ती जसले भुटानमा आफ्ना जवानीका दिनसम्म बिताएका थिए र अब वृद्धावस्थामा प्रवेश गर्दैछन् । यस्ता मानिसलाई भुटानमा दुःख गरेको अनुभव छ । त्यहाँको समाज निर्माणमा आ-आफ्नै तहबाट योगदान गरेको अनुभव छ । उतैको आवहवा र वातावरणमा हुर्के-बढेका यी मानिसमा एक प्रकारको उदाशी तथा विक्षिप्तता व्याप्त भएको मैले पाएँ । आफ्ना पुस्ताका कैयौं दौंतरीलाई विदेशी भूमिमा भोगेको पीडा, आफ्ना सन्ततिको अनिश्चित भविष्यको चिन्ताले व्याप्त यी तन र मनका रोगीमध्ये कैयौं मेरा चिनजान, पहिचान र नातागोताका मानिस पनि छन् । मलाई वर्षौं पछि देखेर उनीहरूमध्ये कतिचाहिँ रोए, मन थाम्न नसक्दा म पनि विचलित भएँ ।
दोस्रो थरी ती थिए, जो वाल्यावस्थामै आफ्ना बाबु-आमासँग यता ल्याइए । भुटानका स्मृतिहरू पातलो भएका वा हुँदै नभएका यस्ता शरणार्थीहरू यतै हुर्किए र अहिले जवान भएका छन् । तिनको आँखामा पीडा छ, निराशा पनि छ, तर आक्रोश बढी छ । जीवनप्रतिको तीव्र मोह भएका तर भविष्यप्रति आश्वस्त हुन नसकेका यस्ता युवाहरू यथास्थितिबाट सबैभन्दा बढी असन्तुष्ट छन् । उनीहरू भुटानका शासकप्रति अत्यन्त ठूलो आक्रोश व्यक्त गर्छन्, तर सँगसँगै शरण लिएर बसेको मुलुकप्रति, यहाँको नागरिक समाज र विश्व समुदायप्रति समेत सन्तुष्ट छैनन् । उनीहरू ठान्छन् ः जातीय पूर्वाग्रहबाट ग्रस्त भुटानी सत्ताले त उनीहरूलाई अन्याय गर्‍यो नै, नेपाली जाति भनिएर परिभाषित गरिएका उनीहरूप्रति नेपाल सरकार र समाजले समेत न्याय दिन सकेन । यसरी नै स्वयम्लाई सभ्य, विकसित ठान्ने अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समुदाय, विश्वको सबैभन्दा विशाल प्रजातन्त्रको अभ्यास गरेको दाबी गर्ने दक्षिण एसियाको सर्वाधिक शक्तिसम्पन्न छिमेकी भारतले समेत उपेक्षा गर्‍यो ।
तेस्रो थरी ती किशोर-किशोरी थिए, जसलाई भुटानबारे प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव छैन । आमाको गर्भमै हँुदा यता धपाइएकाहरू यहीं जन्मिए, यतै हुर्किए, चेतनाको पहिलो वीज अंकुरण हँुदा उनीहरूलाई थाहा भयो, उनीहरूले टेकेको, उपmेको, खेलेको भूमि उनीहरूको देश होइन ।
यहाँको आवहवा र वातावरणले उनीहरूलाई स्वतन्त्रताको अर्थ पनि सिकायो । समकालीन नेपाली पुस्ताले भोगेको स्वतन्त्रता र उन्मुक्तिसँग आफू र आफ्नो परिवेशको तुलना गरेर उनीहरूमा विद्रोह जन्मियो । किन हामी आफ्नो देशमा छैनौं ? किन विश्वका अरू किशोर-किशोरीसरह हामीले आफ्नो बाल्यकाल बिताउन पाएनांै ? विश्वका अन्य मानिस र हामीबीच अन्तर किन ? यस्तै प्रश्न मनभरि बोकेर उनीहरूले मसँग अनेक जिज्ञासा राखे ।
शरणार्थी शिविर भ्रमण गर्दा सबैभन्दा बढी प्रश्नको सामना मैले उनीहरूबाटै गर्नुपर्‍यो । बूढाबूढीहरू रोए । म पनि भावनामा बगेँ । युवाहरूले आक्रोश पोखे, मैले विविध कोणबाट सम्झाएँ र केही कार्यक्रमहरूसमेत बनाइयो, त्यो पनि सकियो । तर किशोरहरूको सामना गर्न गार्‍हो थियो । उनीहरू प्रश्न गर्थे, प्रश्नको जवाफ चित्तबुझ्दो नहुनासाथ आफ्नै ढंगका प्रस्ताव राख्थे । ती प्रस्ताव उनीहरूको उमेर सुहाउँदा हुन्थे, तर समय र परिस्थिति सुहाउँदा हुँदैनथे । त्यसैले म अस्वीकार गर्थें, उनीहरूलाई तुरुन्त परिणाम चाहिएको थियो । त्यसका लागि उनीहरू जस्तोसुकै बलिदान गर्न आतुर थिए । त्यसो गर्दा साधनको पवित्रताप्रति तिन्ाको कुनै मोह थिएन । कलिलो मस्तिष्कमा हिंसापूर्ण परिवेशको राप मैले महसुस गरेँ । त्यसलाई प्रोत्साहित गर्दा आउने नतिजा सम्झेर म चिन्तित भएँ । यसपालिको मधेस बसाइमा मेरो सर्वाधिक बढी समय यिनै किशोरले लिए । अन्ततः मैले तिनको आक्रोशलाई शान्त पारेँ । मलाई थाहा छ, भोलिको भुटानका सम्मानित र जिम्मेवार नागरिक तिनै हुन् । तिन्ाका भावनालाई भड्किन नदिनु मेरो जिम्मेवारी थियो ।
मलाई लाग्यो, शरणार्थी शिविरका छुट्टाछुट्टै पुस्ताका मानिससमक्ष मैले बेग्ला-बेग्लै ढंगले अपिल गर्नुपर्छ । आम समुदायलाई मैले भनेँ ः भुटान फर्किनु हाम्रो अधिकार हो र स्वदेश फर्किनुबाहेक हामीसँग विकल्प छैन ।
युवाहरूलाई बेग्लै अपिल गरेर मैले भनेँ ः हामी नेपालमा बस्तैनौं । विश्वका अन्य ठाउँमा लगे पनि हामीलाई त्यो मान्य हुने छैन । हामीले भुटान फर्किनुछ, तर विना आन्दोलन भुटान फर्किन सम्भव छैन । यसका लागि आन्दोलन गरिनुपर्छ र त्यस्तो आन्दोलन आफ्नै खुट्टामा उभिएर, आफ्नै बुतामा गरिनुपर्छ ।
किशोर-किशोरीहरूलाई मसँग भन्नुपर्ने एकमात्र विषय थियो- तिमीहरूको आक्रोश जायज छ, तर उग्रताको सीमामा पस्न उचित छैन । उग्रवादको विलासले विनाशबाहेक केही पाइने छैन, तर हाम्रो चाहना त्यो होइन । शरणार्थी शिविरका अमानवीय भौतिक पीडाका विषयलाई पुनः बयान गर्ने मसँग इच्छा र समय दुवै छैन ।
यस बाहेक भ्रमणका धेरै उपलब्धि रहे । पहिलो के भने शिविरको धरातलीय यथार्थबारे प्रत्यक्ष जानकारी पाएँ । शरणार्थी समुदायका अगुवा साथीहरूबीच रहेका कतिपय भ्रम र असमझदारी हटाउने प्रयत्नमा हामी सफल रह्यौं । शरणार्थी फर्काउन आन्दोलन आवश्यक छ र त्यस्तो आन्दोलन गर्न एकीकृत प्रयत्नको आवश्यकता ठानेर मैले 'ह्युमन राइट काउन्सिल अफ भुटान' विघटनपछि भुटानी शरणार्थी स्वदेश फर्काउने उद्देश्यमात्र रहेको 'भुटान रिफ्युजी रिपार्टिएसन कमिटी' अध्यक्ष बन्न स्वीकार गरेँ । भुटानका सबै राजनीतिक दल, एनजीओ लगायतका संस्थाको समर्थन रहेको यस निर्वाचित संस्थाले अब शरणार्थी फिर्तीको एक सूत्रीय अभियान थाल्नेछ ।
फिर्ती आन्दोलनको अगुवाइ गर्न भुटानका प्रमुख दलका नेताहरू सहमत भएका छन् । सामूहिक प्रयत्न यसैमा केन्दि्रत हुनेछ । शरणार्थी फिर्तीका लागि अब छिट्टै चरणबद्ध कार्यक्रम ल्याइनेछ । हामी सबैमाथि ठूलो जिम्मेवारी आएको छ । तर यो जिम्मेवारी पूरा गर्न हामीलाई नेपाली नागरिक समाज, नेपाल सरकार र विश्व समुदायको नैतिक र भौतिक समर्थनको खाँचो छ । भुटानको शरणार्थी समुदायको समस्यालाई मानव सभ्यता विरुद्धको साझा समस्या हो भन्ने सम्झेर सबैले सहयोग पुर्‍याउनु हुनेछ ।
-लेखक भुटानी मानवअधिकारवादी नेता हुन् ।)

Translation
This is an unauthorized and un-courteous translation of the original text without any blending or mending. The
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…..the rude translator
Veracity of Bhutanese refugees
Teknath Rizal
Spend this winter in Jhapa and Morang. Since many years ago there was a yearning to meet with the Bhutanese
stranded in foreign land, to hear their words and to tell ones too. Due to assorted reasons could not reach before
them. On reaching the third year of entry into Nepal, this time, took a determination to reach the Bhutanese
refugee camps. After spending around two months, am back to Katmandu.
The visit to the Refugee camp wasn’t abounding. Neither was I there looking for it. But Kith and kin were in
worse trauma than I had imagined of the dearth and soreness born by the refugees in the camp. That added a
great ordeal. Bhutan’s Nepalese have seen very little affluence and walking through paucity Bhutanese
Nepalese transformed an undeveloped, far from modern civilization and facility-less land into a nation. Their
descendents with more efforts of labour, skill, knowledge, potential and sweat soaked the land of Bhutan. When
the country reached to a potential to give something to the citizen, then they were chased from the country.
When I reached in front of the pathetic faces and fragile bodies living with the life heavier than mountains, in
the refugee camps in eastern Nepal with main leaders of Bhutan’s political parties, a question disturbed my
mind. Is Nepali race a cursed human society born to be drowned in poverty, pain and tear?
Those people who are in the refugee camps, they belong to the peaceful, civilized, forbearing and the wise.
Numerous studies of United Nations high commission for refugees UNHCR has shown that Bhutanese refugees
in Nepal are more peaceful than other refugees of the world; that is why management is easy.
In fact Nepali race’s specialty is this one. Because of this characteristic they can adopt in new place, with new
people and race.
They can establish relationships
with new race and people.
Protecting ones ethnic and religious faith and respecting other’s ethnic and human conscience they establish in
the society they reach. This is the special characteristics of Bhutanese Nepali. Due to this characteristic, The
Nepalese who had reached Bhutan, nearly 300 years ago, had acculturated with Bhutanese society. The rulers
of that place were treated as their protector. The traditions and customs were accepted as the part of their life,
considered the development of the place as their own progress. They forgot their ancestors. Their descendents
considered that soil as their nation and served. I am one among them. And those in the refugee camps are like
me and the children of my types. They all are innocent people, in the same way as I am innocent. BUT for what
fault are they suffering, these people?
When we reached refugee camp, thousands of people came to see, meet, and welcome us. But their questions
kept me pinching time and again. Three types of people were in the camp- those who spend their youthful days
in Bhutan and are entering old age. These people have experience of sufferings in Bhutan. They contributed
from their respective level, for the establishment of the society there. In those people grown and matured in that
milieu and surrounding, I found them a sort of frustrated and trouble filled. The pain of contemporaries
suffering in a foreign land with sorrows over the uncertain future of the children, those physically and mentally
sick, many of them are of my acquaintances, known and relatives. Finding me after years, many of them cried,
unable to control myself I was baffled.
Second types, were those who their father and mother brought them here. These refugees with faint memory of
Bhutan or nothing at all, grew up here and are young now. There is pain in their eyes; aggravation is also there,
but more anger. With strong desire towards life but unsettled towards future, these youth are the most
dissatisfied from the present situation. They express very big anger against the ruler of Bhutan; but together,
also towards the land they have taken asylum, civil society of this place; they are disappointed even with the
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world community. They think, while Bhutan’s ruler out of ethnic prejudice did them injustice; defined as Nepali
ethnically, even Nepali government and even the society could not give them justice. Similarly even the self
proclaimed civilized, advanced international community, claimant of world’s largest democratic practitioner,
south Asia’s most energetic neighbor India, neglected.
Third type, were those teenager boys and girls, who lacked direct experiences about Bhutan. Exiled while they
were in mothers’ womb, were born here, nurtured here,, when the first seed of consciousness sprouted in them,
they knew that the land they were on, their playground was not their country. The circumstances and
environment here also taught them meaning of freedom. By comparing self and the plight with the liberty and
freedom experienced by the contemporary Nepali generation, revolt takes birth in them.
Why are we not in our country? Why can’t we spend our childhood like any other children of the world?
Carrying these types of question in their mind they express various curiosities? While visiting the refugee
camps I had to face their questions the most. Elderly cried. I flowed with the sentiment. Youth poured the
anger. I convinced them from various angle and even chalked out some programs. That too ended. But facing
the teenagers was difficult. They would put up questions, as soon as the answers were not satisfactory, they
would put forward proposal of their like. These proposals were at par with their age but not according to the
time and situation. That is why I used to refuse. They wanted immediate results. For that they were ever ready
to any type of sacrifices. Due to that they did not posses any attraction towards the purity of means. I felt a heat
of violent commotion in their brain. I was strained assessing the result of motivating it. These teenagers took
maximum of most time of my stay in the plains this time. Lastly I pacified their fury. I know they are the
offspring of tomorrow’s Bhutan and responsible citizens.
I felt I have to appeal the different echelon of people in the camp differently.
I said to the mass: To return to Bhutan is our right and we have no option besides repatriation to homeland.
Making a different appeal to the youth I said: We will not stay in Nepal. Even if we are taken to other parts of
the world, that is not acceptable. We must return to Bhutan, but repatriation without moment is impossible. For
that moment must be done by standing at our own foot and with own effort.
I had only one subject to say to the teenager boys and girls. Your anger is reasonable but emerging into
extremism is not good. By the luxury of the extremism we receive nothing except destruction but our wish is
not that. I have no interest and time to describe again the inhuman physical pain in the refugee camp.
Besides this the visit had many achievements; first, obtained first hand information about the ground realities of
camp.
We were successful in eliminating the misapprehension and misunderstanding among the friends foremost in
the refugee community. Realizing the necessity of moment for refugee repatriation and necessities of unified
effort for the moment, I, after dissolving Human rights council of Bhutan , accepted to be the chairperson of
Bhutanese refugee repatriation committee with single objective of refugee repatriation to homestead.
Hence forth, this organization, which has the support of all political parties, organizations including NGOs, will
initiate one point campaign. Leaders of Bhutan’s principal parties have agreed to lead the repatriation moment,
mass effort will be centralized. Soon, phase wise programmes will be chalked out. A huge responsibility has
come over all of us. But to fulfill this obligation, we need the moral and physical support of Nepal’s civil
society, Nepali government, and the world community. All will render support thinking that Bhutan’s refugee
community problem is a common problem against human civilization.
(The author is a Bhutanese Human rights leader.)