Is US Offering A Lasting Solution? -Vijaya Chalise

Refugee Crisis

Is US Offering A Lasting Solution? [ 2006-10-16 ]


By Vijaya Chalise

THE US offer to accept 60,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing in the seven refugee camps in Nepal for the past fifteen years has ignited a debate. A section of refugees have welcomed the US proposal, the other is making harsh comments. Considering the US proposal as an encouragement for the Druk regime to go against the right of Bhutanese people, the Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal alleged that such an offer is creating rift and confusion among the refugees. Obviously, it is better to assist the refugees in their dignified repatriation campaign rather than encourage them towards third country resettlement. Though, it will help settle about half the refugee problems, it will not yield a lasting solution for those refugees who want to return to their country with dignity. Furthermore, this sort of third country resettlement scheme might encourage the Thimpu government to continue its policy of ethnic cleansing. Therefore, the fear that the American offer may inspire to increase the racist policy is obvious.

Better Life

If the refugees will have a better life elsewhere in comparison to the life in the refugee camps, it is good to accept the US floated resettlement plan. But, how the refugees will be resettled in America should be clear, if they are not destined the supply of cheap labor in the American job market having no dignity of life,Despite advocacy for democracy and freedom, India's silence on the issue of Bhutanese refugees obviously shows that it is not all comfortable with refugees going back home. Ignoring Bhutan's suppression of democracy and the policy of ethnic cleansing, preaching of democracy by India and the US to the leaders of the developing countries, would be a loss on moral ground. For the reason that enjoying the strength of India's indifference and apathy towards refugees, Thimpu all the time is maneuvering and bolstering energy enough to solve the problem of Bhutanese citizens. India, the prime force capable to solve the crisis, has remained passive for the past 16 years. Similarly, the countries that are floating the resettlement plan have never shown keen interest in repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees, which could have been possible in their honest initiatives. The Bhutanese side has been playing one trick after another and Nepal was unable to understand that at first. At the outset, Bhutan out rightly denied that the people in the camps were Bhutanese citizens. Afterwards Thimpu said some of them were economic migrants of the recent past, and that's why they were evacuated. Later, it agreed to accept the genuine citizen only after categorization of the people in the camps into four groups. Accepting the condition of categorization into four groups was a blunder from our side. Despite the fact that the problem involved Nepal, Bhutan, and India, Nepal accepted bi-lateral dialogue at the home ministry level. It was another mistake to think about resolving the refugee issue without India's mediation. The then Nepali Congress government agreed to Thimpu's precondition that talks should be bilateral. As India lies between Nepal and Bhutan, Bhutanese refugees had first taken refuge into Indian land and later they were forcefully driven away to Nepal by the Indian authority. Similarly, India's positive node was essential as; the 1949 Indo-Bhutanese treaty retains a 1910 British clause to guide the foreign relation issues of Bhutan, which ensure New Delhi's influence over Bhutan's foreign, and security policies. Even the acceptance of Bhutan's clever proposal of four-category concept was a blunder committed by us. To try to resolve the refugee impasse at the bilateral level without massive international pressure was another mistake. It is now a proved fact that international pressure is a must since bilateral efforts have failed to produce results. Thus, diplomatically, Nepal failed in every sphere to portray the real issue to the international community; where as Bhutan and Indian media mislead them successfully.The complexity of the refugee issue was a bi-product of the deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing of the Druk regime. And the refugees were uprooted from their homes because of political reasons. Thus the refugee problem is purely the problem between the Bhutanese government and its people. The problem started in 1985 when Bhutan made a new citizenship law, targeting against Lotsampas (Southern Bhutanese) of the Nepalese root, after revoking the citizenship Act 1958. Thousands of Southern Bhutanese, who had been living there for generations, were declared non-Bhutanese. The government started forcibly evacuating them from their home and fields. Historically it is a proven fact that Nepalese were taken to Bhutan for constructions and other works more than 350 years ago. Their descendents have been living there for more than 12 generations, while monarchy in Bhutan dates back to just four generation.However, despite agreement to sit together for another round of foreign minister level talks between Nepal and Bhutan in Kathmandu in November next month, no change is seen in the Bhutanese policy on refugee issue. This can be understood from Bhutan's National Assembly member's demand for total ban on repatriation of refugees in its 81st session in Thimpu. This demand along with the social and religious code 'Driglam Namzha', banning the wearing of other dress, except the national dress by Bhutanese people, backs the theory that the ethnic cleansing process against the Southern Bhutanese of Nepalese origin has been there in action. This has resulted in gross human rights abuses in Bhutan against UN Human rights Declarations. However, the Bhutanese regime has always been successful in diverting the attention of the international community from the real issue of human rights and democracy. It has obviously contributed to the lack of international cooperation and pressure to resolve the problem. StanceDeputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, K. P. Oli seems hopeful for finding a final solution to resolve the Bhutanese refugees crisis. However, the up coming 16th round of bi-lateral talks to be influenced by the United Nation High Commission for Refugee (UNHCR) backed US resettlement proposal as a part of third country resettlement plan enhanced by the US and other European Countries is obvious. Since Nepal is always flexible in its stand and policy towards the issue, it would be better if Nepal could make public its stance towards the US package of third country resettlement of Bhutanese refugees. Similarly, before deciding the resettlement proposal it would be better to form a commission including members of civil society and human rights representatives to examine whether majority of refugees want to be settled in a third country or go back to their own land.

Nepal writes to Bhutan for talks, Rizal urges refugees to remain patient

Nepal writes to Bhutan for talks, Rizal urges refugees to remain patient


The government of Nepal has formally sent a letter to the Bhutanese government asking to sit for talks on the Bhutanese refugee issue.
In a letter dispatched by the foreign ministry on Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, who is also the foreign minister, to sit for final talks on the nearly two-decade long refugee issue.
Nepal has proposed the date for talks as November 12 and 13 in Kathmandu. This will be 16th round of bilateral talks between Bhutan and Nepal.
The letter has been sent as per the agreement reached between Oli and Wangchuk to sit for final round of bilateral talks on the refugee issue in New York recently at the sidelines of UN General Assembly session.
Meanwhile, Bhutanese human rights leader Tek Nath Rizal has urged the refugee community not to remain divided merely with the offer of the US government to resettle over 60,000 refugees and remain patient till the government of Nepal takes any decision over the matter.
In a statement issued after the meeting of Bhutanese Movement Steering Committee (BMSC) in Damak on Thursday, Rizal has said since the Nepali government is going to hold talks with the Bhutanese government soon, the refugees should remain calm till that time.
He said, "Nepal government has said that it would hold talks with Bhutan.The UNHCR, America and Nepal government may take decision regarding our future after seeing the result of the bilateral talks."
Rizal is scheduled to travel to Kathmandu Friday to hold meetings government officers regarding the refugee issue.

nepalnews.com ia Oct 12 06

NEPAL: Bhutanese refugees hesitant over US resettlement offer

NEPAL: Bhutanese refugees hesitant over US resettlement offer
10 Oct 2006 08:27:36 GMT10 Oct 2006 08:27:36 GMT
Source: IRIN

KATHMANDU, 10 October (IRIN) -

Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal have expressed scepticism over an offer of third-country settlement from Washington.
On 2 October, US Assistant Secretary of State for Refugee Affairs, Ellen Sauerbury, told reporters in Geneva that her government was willing to "absorb 50,000 or 60,000 of the [Bhutanese] people who are now in these [refugee] camps".
But both the refugees and the Nepalese government were surprised at the announcement, saying they had not been consulted.
"There has been no formal communication and discussion between the US government and us about this offer to resettle Bhutanese refugees," said Yadav Khanal, a spokesman for Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), in the capital Kathmandu on Monday.
Bhutanese refugee settled in neighbouring Nepal in large numbers from 1990 after a large number of ethnic Nepalese, known as Lhotshampas, were evicted from their homes by the Bhutanese government. The group had been living in Bhutan for more than two centuries.
The refugees said they were fleeing a new Bhutanese citizenship law that disenfranchised them and deprived them of citizenship and civil rights.
According to the Bhutanese Refugee Representatives Repatriation Committee (BRRRC), there are now over 106,000 refugees living in seven camps in the Morang and Jhapa districts of eastern Nepal, nearly 700 km east of the capital.
More than 15 rounds of bilateral negotiations over more than a decade between Nepal and Bhutan have failed to resolve the refugees' plight.
"We are still in favour of reaching a bilateral solution to the Bhutanese refugee issue," said Khanal, adding that the two countries are having talks in November but the dates and venues had yet to be finalised.
"We have been waiting for nearly two decades to return to our homes and we are still hoping that our struggle and wait will not be in vain," said Bhoompa Rai, a BRRRC leader.
Rai added that most Bhutanese refugees still held out the hope of going home and that most wanted to retain their Bhutanese citizenship in order to be able to do so in the future.
Meanwhile, the US resettlement offer has reportedly provoked tensions among refugees in the camps. "This issue has already created a huge rift and misunderstanding between the refugee families," explained Rai.
A minority of the refugees have agreed to take up the offer for resettlement while the majority are vehemently against the idea, according to BRRRC members.
"The international community, especially the US, should help us get a proper settlement to repatriate to Bhutan if it is genuinely concerned about us," said refugee Ram Lal Subedi in the capital. He is one of a group of refugees who have been organising an ongoing demonstration in Kathmandu to bring international attention to their cause.

Dispute deepens among refugee leaders, BRRRC suspends camp secretaries

Dispute deepens among refugee leaders, BRRRC suspends camp secretaries

The dispute in the Bhutanese Refugees Representatives Repatriation Committee (BRRRC) reached to its apex on Tuesday, when its meeting dismissed the six camp secretaries as central committee members of the organization.

Tek Nath Rizal (File Photo)
A meeting of the BRRRC held in Damak on Tuesday in presence of its chairman Tek Nath Rizal decided to suspend the six camp secretaries immediately, reports say.
In a programme on Monday, the six secretaries of camps in Jhapa district had said they support the US offer to resettle over 60,000 refugees in US and other western countries as the best alternative to resolve the protracted crisis.
Rizal said the six persons have been suspended, as they were involved in bringing division in the refugee community and working against the interest of the refugees.
The suspended secretaries are Manoj Rai of the Khudunabari camp, Hari Bangale Adhikari of Beldangi - II, D P Pradhan of Beldangi – I camp, Manorath Khanal of Beldangi – II extension camp, Parshuram Nepal of Timai camp and Ram Chandra Sapkota of Goldhap camp.
Meanwhile, the young people in the camps have started campaign not to allow the secretaries to enter into their offices.
The US government has expressed its willingness to settle up to 60,000 of the 107,000 Bhutanese refugees in the next 3-4 years. Refugee leaders strongly objected to the offer saying it would encourage the Druk regime for further eviction of Nepali speaking people from Bhutan.

nepalnews.com ia Oct 11 06

Camp secretaries welcome US offer for Bhutanese refugees

Camp secretaries welcome US offer for Bhutanese refugees


Notwithstanding the displeasure of Bhutanese refugee leaders, secretaries at six Bhutanese refugees camps in Jhapa welcomed the US offer to take in at least 60,000 refugees over the next few years.
Speaking at an interaction organized in Birtamod on Monday, secretaries Manoj Rai of the Khudunabari camp, Hari Bangale Adhikari of Beldangi camp-1, DP Pradhan of Beldangi camp-2, Manorath Khanal of Beldangi camp-3, Parshuram Nepal of Timai camp and Ram Chandra Sapkota of Goldhap camp heartily welcomed the proposal.
Saying that no good would come of the speeches of refugee-affiliated political parties and organisations, they pointed out that pressure upon Bhutan could be brought to bear for repatriation even after going to the US.
However reports quoted chairperson of the Bhutan Peoples' Party Balaram Poudel as saying that all the refugees in the camps want to go their own country rather than to the US.
He described the US proposal as a conspiracy to create division among refugees.
Bhutanese human rights leader Tek Nath Rijal has criticized the offer saying that it was "in favor of Bhutanese King and against Bhutanese people."
"The US along with the international community is working to defend the Bhutanese King," he accused.
He said it was wrong to spread rumors about resettlement without stressing on repatriation.
Around 106,000 Bhutanese refugees are languishing in seven UNHCR administered camps in eastern Nepal since early 1990s.
Fifteen rounds of bilateral negotiations between the Bhutanese and Nepalese governments have failed to resolve the refugee impasse. nepalnews.com pb Oct 10 06

US Offer Puts Bhutanese Refugees in Confusion-

US Offer Puts Bhutanese Refugees in Confusion

THT Online
Damak, October 9The recent US offer that it can take in up to 60,000 Bhutanese refugees has failed to attract the refugees and instead created confusion among them. Most of them said they do not want to be resettled in the US and just want to go home.Refugees said the US proposal was not in their welfare. "We want to return to our homeland where we were born; returning to our country is our priority," said Tej Bahadur Gurung of Beldangi Camp No-1. He said the US proposal has created confusion among the refugees.Bhutan's political parties should play an active role to clear the confusion, said Rahalman Gurung of the same camp. He added that most of the refugees want to return to Bhutan at any cost. The US proposal would have a negative impact on the refugees' agitation, said Gurung.The outlet to the problem should be sought by holding direct talks among Nepal, Bhutan and the refugees, said another refugee, Jung Bahadur Budathoki.It's not reasonable to take us to a country where the culture and religion are aliens to us, said Naina Kala Rai of Sanischare camp in Jhapa.Chairperson of the Bhutan People's Party, Balaram Poudel, said the proposal of the US was not conducive for the refugees. He added that they should be repatriated to their own country.Meanwhile, some refugees at Beldangi camp in Jhapa welcomed the proposal of the US. Issuing a statement, they said that as no solution had been found to their problem, the proposal of the US was reasonable.UNHCR has also stressed the need for looking for alternatives to solve the problem of the refugees.A few months ago, some 3000 refugees had written a letter to UNHCR, demanding that they be accommodated in some third country.

Sudan: U.S. Offer to Take Refugees Could Break Bhutan-Nepal Deadlock

Sudan: U.S. Offer to Take Refugees Could Break Bhutan-Nepal Deadlock

(Washington, DC)
October 6, 2006Posted to the web October 8, 2006
Charlene PorterWashington, DC

The United States is proposing to resettle up to 60,000 Bhutanese Lhotshampas refugees over the next several years, an offer that is described by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as an opportunity to break a long-standing deadlock over more than 100,000 refugees from Bhutan living in eastern Nepal.
"Years of bilateral negotiations between Nepal and Bhutan have made little progress in resolving this issue," said UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis at an October 6 briefing in Geneva, "so the opportunity of large-scale resettlement is a real spark of hope."

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population Refugees and Migration Ellen Sauerbrey made the resettlement offer while attending the UNHCR's Executive Committee meeting in Geneva October 2-6.
"After 15 different governmental-level consultations between the two governments," Sauerbrey said at an October 2 briefing, "the United States has come forward and said we are willing to resettle a very significant part of this population."
She said the United States likely will be able to absorb up to 60,000 refugees over three or four years, with Canada and Australia also offering to take some of the Bhutanese refugees.
The Lhotshampas refugees are ethnically Nepali Hindus and have been subjected to increasing restrictions by the Buddhist-dominated Bhutanese government since the 1980s. In 1990 the Bhutanese government effectively declared large numbers of the Lhotshampas stateless peoples, forcing the creation of the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal.
"The way ahead is still complex," said Pagonis. "We hope the Nepalese government will maximize the opportunity being presented by these interested countries to help resolve this very protracted situation."
For more information on the Nepali-Bhutanese refugee dispute, see The State of the World's Refugees 2006 on the UNHCR Web site.

link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200610080016.html

Nepal and Bhutan talks on refugees next month - KP OLI

Nepal and Bhutan talks on refugees next month
Published: Saturday, 7 October, 2006, 09:53 AM Doha Time
KATHMANDU: With an announcement earlier this week that the US was ready to take in 60,000 of the more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in UN run camps in east Nepal, Nepal Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister K P Sharma Oli yesterday said Nepal and Bhutan would hold ministerial talks next month on the repatriation of the refugees.
Oli, who returned yesterday after attending the UN General Assembly in New York, told journalists that Bhutan and Nepal had agreed to hold ministerial-level talks next month on the issue.
More than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees, most of them Nepali speaking, have been living in seven camps run by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in eastern Nepal for the past 15 years.
The Bhutanese refugee leaders say they were forced out of the tiny Himalayan kingdom after they campaigned for democracy, following the Nepalese pro-democracy movement in late 1990. They were expelled by Bhutan and started trickling into Nepal in early 1991.
More than a dozen ministerial-level meetings have been held between the two countries, with a breakthrough in 2003 to classify the refugees.
The verification committee found that 74% of the refugees were entitled to return to their homeland. However, the Bhutanese government alleged misconduct in the process and cancelled the classification.
There has been no ministerial meeting between the two countries since 2003.
Foreign Minister Oli said the two countries would "try to solve the problem" in their meeting next month.
Political observers in the Nepalese capital, however, say that there was little prospect of Bhutan taking back the refugees anytime soon. - DPA

Resettlement plan in favor of Bhutanese King- Tek Nath Rijal

Resettlement plan in favor of Bhutanese King, says Rijal

Even as he welcomed, on humanitarian grounds, the United States offer to resettle up to 60,000 refugees, Bhutanese human rights leader Tek Nath Rijal has criticized it stating that it was "in favor of Bhutanese King and against Bhutanese people."
"The US along with the international community is working to defend the Bhutanese King," he accused.
He said it was wrong to spread rumors about resettlement without stressing on repatriation. He also urged Nepal government to come forth with its official stand on this issue prior to the November bilateral meeting.
The US offer to take up to 60,000 Bhutanese refugees seems to have stirred a hornet's nest. While many refugee leaders have criticized the offer saying that it was tantamount to absolving Bhutanese regime of all its wrongdoings and even encouraging it to evict further Bhutanese people, reports say many refugees languishing in camps have started signature campaign in favor the offer. nepalnews.com sd Oct 09 06

Resettlement proposal divides refugees- Rinjin Dorjee

Resettlement proposal divides refugees

The proposal of their resettlement made by the United States government is rapidly dividing the Bhutanese refugees languishing in Nepalese camps.
Following the proposal of resettling around 60,000 Bhutanese refugees to the US, the debate has intensified even among members of a family with some wanting to go to the US, some wanting to return to Bhutan, some wanting to stay back in Nepal and some wanting to engage in agitation.
According to news report by Nepal Samacharpatra daily, this debate is taking intense form at seven refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang. A group of refugees who want to be resettled in the US or the third developed country, has launched signature campaign in refuges camps of Beldangi, Gooldhap, Timai and Pathari. They have even floated organizations to intensify the campaign.
Rinjin Dorjee, general secretary of Druk National Congress – Bhutan, has accused that a conspiracy is being hatched to split the refugees by compelling them to open up various parties, committees and organization in the pretext of resettling them to the US.
"Situation is such that, there could even be a bloodshed. When we said that repatriation is the ultimate alternative and the only sustainable solution of this impasse, threats were made to our lives," said D.B. Rana Sampang, chairman of Bhutan Gorkha Liberation Front.
D.P. Kafle, general secretary of Human Rights of Bhutan, urged all concerned to be cautious about the likelihood of clashes. "If we are not cautious in time, there could be unimagined consequences (of this resettlement proposal)," he said.
Narad Adhikari, general secretary of Bhutan People's Party, urged Nepal government to come up with responsible reply soon in order to avert disaster. nepalnews.com sd Oct 08 06
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