Bhutanese refugees appeal to Nepal to implement U.S. proposal to relocate them in U.S.

Bhutanese refugees appeal to Nepal to implement U.S. proposal to relocate them in U.S.



A group of Bhutanese refugees have appealed the Nepali government to speed up the implementation procedures regarding a U.S. proposal of relocating them in the United States, Nepal's National News Agency RSS reported on Sunday.

The United States has announced it was ready to take in some 60, 000 Bhutanese refugees now in Nepal, said the report.

Conveying a memorandum to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, the group requested the Nepali government to give priority to the task of relocating them in the United States and implement it through the diplomatic community for the welfare of the refugees.

According to RSS, the memorandum also called for the relocation of the refugees according to international guidelines, provision of basic human requirements including education and health, rights to exercise social, cultural and religious customs while residing in the United States, and guaranteeing of their freedom to return to the native country.

Meanwhile, three groups of refugees willing to migrate issued a joint statement saying that a total of 399 families of the refugees have submitted application for relocation in the United States.

Some 105,000 Bhutanese refugees have been living in seven camps in eastern Nepal for the past 15 years.

As many as 15 rounds of bilateral talks held between the Nepali and Bhutanese governments have failed to yield any results so far.

Source: Xinhua