Stop 3rd country resettlement plan’

BY CHETAN ADHIKARI

DAMAK, Aug 11 - Following positive development on resolving the long-standing Bhutanese refugee problem during a meeting of Prime Ministers of Nepal and Bhutan during the SAARC summit, Bhutan Gorkha National Liberation Front (BGNLF) has called on various donor countries and International Organization for Migration (IOM) to stop third country resettlement process for the time being.
"We request IOM to stop the resettlement process at the moment as there are signs that the refugees' longing to return to their motherland can be fulfilled," said a press statement, signed by D R Kattel, acting chairman of BGNLF. It has also urged for simultaneous processes of repatriation and resettlement once the governments sit for dialogues.

The Front also quoted the Bhutan government's official online portal as saying that the Bhutanese government was ready to hold dialogues with the Nepal government after formation of new government.

"As the Bhutanese government showed readiness to solve the refugee crisis as soon as possible, we believe that the government of Nepal too will first act to solve the crisis before zeroing on in its own developmental works," the statement read.

The repatriation process was halted reportedly due to some "misunderstandings" between verification teams five years ago.