HRWF-Bhutan

Trend Analysis

Monthly trend ananlysis of May, 2007

The month of May has been the most fruitful period for the Bhutanese movement till date. The census carried out jointly by the UNHCR and Nepal government ended and also found registration of several Nepalese citizens as Bhutanese refugees. UNHCR showed concern to it and decided to conduct an investigation.

Bhutanese refugee leaders met former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (Democratic) President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Nepal Workers’ and Peasant Party Chairman Narayanman Bijukche in their resident to gain support in the Bhutanese movement. Deuba assured his party’s full support to the refugee leaders in the movement to establish democracy in Bhutan where as Narayanman Bijukche expressed his solidarity towards the movement of the Bhutanese people for self-determination.

The US-based Human Rights Watch released 86-page report entitled "Last Hope: The Need for Durable Solutions for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal and India" discussing the possible solutions to the prolonged situation and the options placed in front of the refugee community. It described the conditions of the refugees and also the enduring discrimination against the Nepali speaking citizens still living in Bhutan with constant fear of being stripped of their citizenship and expelled from the country like others. The report also stated that U.S. offer to Bhutanese refugees has sharped tensions in the camps as refugees insisting on repatriation as the only acceptable solution threatening and intimidating those who voice support for resettlement in the US. . HRW said that the Bhutanese refugees have right to return to their country, but other options for finding a solution to the crisis should be kept open. It also urged the Nepal government to provide adequate security in the camps to enable refugees to express their opinions and exchange information freely before any solutions can be achieved and also said that the United States, India and other countries should press Bhutan to allow refugees to go home.

The United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) António Guterres visited Goldhap camp in Jhapa district of Eastern Nepal to review the situation of the camps and refugees' interest. He also voiced that UNHCR will continue to knock on Bhutan's door to seek a solution for those who want to go back and stressed everyone must have the freedom to make his or her own informed decision to choose the option of resettlement or voluntary repatriation. He met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who informed the repatriation still remains the first priority of Nepal government and the offers for third country resettlement by the United States and other western countries, second priority. He also visited Bhutan and urged the government to accept the return of thousands of refugees who fled to neighboring India and later to Nepal during a violent campaign to flush out ethnic Nepalese living there.

A group of Maoist affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) pelted stones on the vehicle carrying US Ambassador James F. Moriarty at the field office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Damak causing minor damage on the vehicles accompanying Moriarty and no casualty when he had gone to inform refugees regarding the resettlement programme. There, Moriarty informed about the selection of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) for the resettlement program based in Kathmandu, operating from July 2007 and most of the processing activities to be conducted in Jhapa. According to him third country resettlement process would being from September and the refugees will be informed about the whole process on June 6, prior to initiate the preliminary process.

Two refugees died and some dozens sustained injuries at police firing in Beldangi camp on 27th and 28th May. The situation crop up when the youths in the camp asked for justification to Hari Adhikari Bangale, camp secretary of Beldangi II camp for speaking against the sentiments of youths from local radio station Pathivara FM. Bangale, also the Executive Director of Bhutanese Durable Solution Coordinating Committee (BRDSCC) and also well known as one of the active advocators of the US offer of third country resettlement voilated the rules of UNHCR. UNHCR in its rule has clearly mentions that the camp secretaries are not allowed to practice politics, give any political thoughts in the media and participate in any short of political activities inside the refugee camps.

NFD organized “Long March” to Bhutan in which thousands of Bhutanese refugees and other human rights groups in exile lent support to protest the dummy election conducted inside Bhutan without the involvement of large nepali speaking population living in the refugee camps and non-registration of more than eighty thousand Nepali speaking citizens inside Bhutan. Nepal-India border was sealed and a huge number of Seema Suraksha Bal (SSB) were positioned to prevent around 15000refugees from crossing into India to Bhutan. Indian lawmakers Dr Sunalim Mishra, Brijbhushan Tiwari and others were stopped in Panitanki by the Indian force to extend their support and solidarity in the “long march”. The exiled Bhutanese repeatedly urged the SSB officials to allow them enter to their homes through India, but their requests were unheard. Bhutanese as part of their long march forcefully started marching towards India, resulted, blind fires and dozens of tear cells by SSB to disperse the demonstrators.Dozens of refugees were injured when Indian security personnel resorted to baton-charge and fired tear gas shells at Mechi Bridge to prevent them from crossing the bridge. More than 28 refugees were arrested which includes 26 women by Indian forces. The leaders were bitten severely by the SSB when staged indefinite sit-in on the bridge. The injured were admitted in hospitals in Kakarbhitta, Birtamod, Dhulabari and Bhadrapur. Sha Bahadur Dewan of Sanishcare Morang camp died from the Sasastra Suraksha Bal (SSB) firing at the Mechi Bridge on the way to BP Koirala Memorial Hospital, Dharan and some hundreds have sustained serious injuries at random bullet firings.

On 30th morning two-hour long meeting with Indian officials at Panitanki including Nepali talks team headed by Chief District Officer of Jhapa Jaya Mukunda Khanal, local political leaders and Bhutanese leaders decided to call off the long march. Indian authorities agreed to release Bhutanese Human Rights activist Narad Adhikari and 13 other exiled Bhutanese arrested on 29th and to submit a memorandum to the Indian prime minister with the demands during the meeting. The refugee leaders placed three demands to the Indian counterpart, release of the arrested exiled Bhutanese, free pass to go to Bhutan and dialog between India, Nepal, Bhutan and the refugee leaders within fifteen days. The mass dis-agreed the decision taken by the leaders and continued protesting. Local administration of Nepal had to use police force to bring the situation under the countrol.

The steps to be taken by India can be known after fifteen days.

Monthly Trend Analysis of April, 2007

The month of April showed a sign of turning in the Bhutanese movement. On the occasion of the 14th summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in New Delhi, some Indian political parties and social organizations urged the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to take initiatives to help repatriate Bhutanese refugees languishing in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged Nepal to sign the 1951 UN convention relating to refugees. Head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Nepal, Abraham Abraham informed that Nepal could win more plaudit internationally by passing national legislations regarding the treatment of refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless persons.

The refugees were tensed due to increasing criminal activities in Jhapa and Morang camps. Abduction of Parshu Ram Dahal of Timai camp in Jhapa by an unidentified group from his hut in the evening in the absence of his family members spread scare in the refugee community. He was released after two days and took shelter in the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Damak. Some posters were pasted on the walls explaining the abduction of Dahal for the routine investigation.

The census of Bhutanese refugees residing outside the camp was held on April 20 in Khudunabari camp in Jhapa district. UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)UNHCR perioded that two days of grace scheduled for each camp for those refugees who could not be present for re-registration during the census period. This benefited a lot to those who were out for education, medical treatment, employment and blocked due to strike. But still many refugees could make use of the opportunity due to improper communication methods.

Bhutanese Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk and Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala meet in Indian capital New Delhi on the occasion of the 14th SAARC summit and discussed regarding the solution of the Bhutanese Refugees problem. Bhutanese Prime Minister Wangchuk mentioned that the next ministerial level talks between the two countries would come with a positive result regarding the refugee impasse. But the date of it was not fixed, which doesn’t show any hope to the refugee community.

Bhutanese Refugee Resettlement Coordination Committee (BRRCC) was formed with an objective of expediting resettlement plan to work with the coordination with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Nepal government, the Bhutanese political parties and organizations and concerned diplomatic missions in the seven camps. The BRRCC is considered the adversary to Bhutanese Refugees Representative Repatriation Committee (BRRRC) established in 1990 with the objective of repatriating the refugees with dignity and honor to home country. This shows further fraction in the refugee community.

Bhutan Government dressed rehearsal for 2008 scheduled elections and His Majesty, King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck entered Dungkar village in Kurtoe to witness and encourage the locals participating in the first ever parliamentary dummy election implemented in the nation where he recapped the importance of people’s participation in the democratization process with the meeting about 568 voters from the 24 villages of Kurtoe gewog. But this election is considered, an attempt to deceive the international community for immediate democracy inside Bhutan as most of its citizens are residing in Eastern Nepal as refugees. National Front for Democracy (NFD) – an umbrella alliance of different parties staged a sit-in at Mechi bridge demanding repatriating the Bhutanese refugees and registration of Bhutanese political parties inside Bhutan for working for democratic exercise.

Head of European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO) for Asia, Central and South America Esko Kentrschynskyj urged all the stakeholders to take initiative for early solution of Bhutanese refugee issue after his two days visit to Sanischare refugee camp in Morang and Khudunabari refugee camp in Jhapa district to review the latest situation there. He emphasized the immediate need of finding complete and lasting solution of Bhutanese refugee issue due to crises of fund from the donor, but also assured EU’s continuous aid to Bhutanese refugees before the concrete solution of the problem.

Though the US government announced the procedure for resettling the Bhutanese refugees in third countries has begun, US ambassador to India Dr. David C. Mulford asked the Bhutanese government to repatriate the refugees languishing in Nepal, who might not qualify for resettlement in the US or elsewhere.

The Australian government has announced the resettlement of around 5,000 Bhutanese refugees living in Jhapa and Morang district in eastern Nepal to Australia within two month. But the procedure for applying for it is not yet made public. Similarly two visiting US officials, Deputy Director for Admissions of US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) Lawrence Bartlett, and Deputy Director for Asia and the Near East Janice Belz, visited the refugee camps in Beldangi and Goldhap on 25th and announced resettling the Bhutanese refugees in the United States from January next year and with their interaction with the refugees in Goldhap, the due said the US government would open two separate offices in Kathmandu and Damak coming into operation by July 1 to speed up the resettlement process.

Monthly Trend Analysis of March, 2007

The month of March showed some ups and downs in refugee community. The refugees residing in the seven camps in Jhapa and Morang were debarred from working in the Eastern region by the representative of a local nongovernmental organization with consent of local workers. This kicked the stomach of the refugees who were managing some financial assistance for their family’s health, education and sustenance.

The most turning news of the month was unofficial announcement of commencement of resettlement of 60,000 refugees in America from 1st August 2007 by the US embassy. US planed to resettle these refugees within five years. On announcement of proposal by the US Embassy, Representative of The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal, Abraham Abraham expressed UNHCR’s inclination to back for a complete solution of the Bhutanese refugee problems and third country resettlement being one of the solutions to this problem.

Bhutan Government alleged for the plantation of bomb below the culvert on the road between Pasakha and Tala near Phuentsholing by the Bhutan Communist Party's military wing, Bhutan Tiger Force, being operated by Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.

The South Asians for Human Rights invited Bhutanese refugee leaders to participate in the Regional Consultation on Deepening Democracy, Strengthening Human Rights and Celebrating Diversity in Lahore, Pakistan from 16-18 March. The Bhutanese delegates comprised of Thinley Penjore, President, Druck National Congress (DNC) and Vice-Chairman, Bhutanese Movement Steering Committee (BMSC), Balaram Poudyal, President, Bhutan's People party (BPP), Deki Yangzom, Women Representative and Deo Maya Giri, Women Representative, appealed Nepal government to provide them, Travel Documents (TD). In a short span of time the refugee leaders faced problem in getting the TD and the air tickets to Lahore, for which they had to move around to PM’s office and Home ministry. One air ticket was made available in Druck Air(National Flag Carrier of Bhutan) but was refused in carrying the refugee leaders. Due to unavailability of air tickets on time the leaders couldn’t attain the program.

Netherlands and Switzerland extended financial support amounting to US$ 617,000 and US $410,000 respectively to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide food supplies to Bhutanese refugees. WFP's Country Representative in Nepal, Richard Ragan, maintained that the donations came at a critical time when WFP was facing shortage of resources for the month of April and May. He also mentioned that still US$7 million or around US$1 million a month is required to provide adequate food to over 108,000 Bhutanese refugees, for the current year.

Chairman of Bhutanese Movement Steering Committee, Tek Nath Rizal, President of Bhutan People's Party, Balaram Paudel, and other Bhutanese refugees met the Members of the European Parliament (MEP) headed by Neena Gill in Kathmandu after MEP arrived from Thimpu, on 21st march, on a four-day visit. The chief of delegation, Neena Gill informed Bhutan’s willingness to take the refugees falling under category 1 and 4 in the near future. Neena Gill also expressed the impossibility of pressurizing Bhutan by EP due to its noninvolvement of direct or indirect link with Bhutan, but expressed to support to pressurize Bhutan Government through other means. The delegation also expressed their difficulties in extending the financial assistance to the Bhutanese refugees for longer period due to shortage of fund, and suggested to accept the proposal of third country resettlement by the US and Canada. The delegation also suggested the leaders to continue their movement living in these countries for which EP would provide continuous support to fight for the freedom and democracy inside Bhutan

Wangchuks found it difficult to window dress the country as a democratic from 2008. Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, Bhutan's chief election commissioner, the Delimitation Commission of Bhutan made several statements regarding the upcoming national assembly. Firstly 47 seats of National Assembly in 20 dzongkhags were announced. Trashigang district was made the highest constituencies with five seats, Samtse with four seats, Mongar and Pema Gatshel with three seats each and remaining 16 districts with two seats each in the National Assembly but without the registration of any political party. Dasho Kunzang Wangdi continuously urged and fixed the deadline for registration of political parties under the Political Party Formation rule, consisting of a charter, office bearers, agendas, list of members and branch offices by July. Suddenly the government announced the registration of two political parties, People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Bhutan People United Party (BPUP), managed and operated by the handpick of the Wangchuks. BPUP is led by Sangay Nidup, serving Minister for Agriculture, maternal uncle of the present King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk.