Refugee resettlement in US by January next year

Source: Nepalnews.com
The US government is all set to begin the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees in the US from early January next year.

According to reports from Jhapa, the two visiting US officials, Lawrence Bartlett, Deputy Director for Asia and the Near East, and Janice Belz, Deputy Director for Admissions of US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) met refugees in Beldangi and Goldhap camps there on Wednesday.

On the occasion, the officials said the US government would open two separate offices in Kathmandu and Damak to accelerate the process. Earlier reports said that the offices would come into operation by July 1.

The US officials also stated that the refugees would be given training on language and vocational skills before they are taken for resettlement.

Reports said the resettlement process would be completed by 2011.

The US officials arrived in Kathmandu on Sunday to accelerate the process of refugee resettlement and make necessary arrangement for that.

The US government has said it was willing to resettle at least 60,000 Bhutanese refugees as part of finding the permanent solution of the protracted crisis.

In the mean time, Foreign Minister Sahana Pradhan has said Denmark and Australia have also expressed willingness to take some refugees.

Talking to media persons on Wednesday at her office in Sital Niwas, Pradhan said Denmark has shown interest to resettle around 200 refugees while Australia has not mentioned the figure.

Pradhan said government would allow the resettlement process to go ahead and at the same time hold talks with Bhutan to repatriate those refugees who wish to go back.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala Thursday, Australian envoy to Nepal Graeme Lade said his government would begin resettling the Bhutanese refugees within the next three months.

It is learnt that the Australian envoy told Koirala that Australia was willing to take at least 5,000 refugees.

He also said Australia wished respectful repatriation of the refugees to their homeland, if possible.

Repatriation only solution for refugees

Source: Gorkhapatra.org.np
By: Ambar Mainali
WASHINGTON D.C, April 24: Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugee and Migration at the US State Department, Ellen Sauerbrey said Monday although the US government has expressed its interest to resettle the Bhutanese refugees, repatriation could only provide a durable solution to the protracted crisis.

"The only durable solution will be for people to go home," Sauerbrey told a press briefing at the Foreign Press Center.

Sauerbrey made the remark responding to a query from visiting Nepalese journalists whether the US proposal to resettle 60, 000 Bhutanese refugees was an appropriate one since it would only contribute to weaken the democratic movement in Bhutan.

The visiting journalists expressed doubts that after educated Bhutanese who have been leading the democratic movement from refugee camps in Nepal were resettled in the US under the present plan, the democratic movement in Bhutan could face a serious setback.

Assistant Secretary Sauerbrey said that the proposal to resettle the Bhutanese refugees was made after acknowledging that the problem had remained unsolved for many years.

"It is one of the worst protracted refugee problems in the world," she said adding the US government in the past years mounted pressure on Bhutan to allow the refugees to return home.

The question is how long should you allow people to languish in camps? "We hence wish to contribute towards enabling people to start new lives," Sauerbrey, a former high school teacher said.

She said that the government of Nepal too feels that resettlement of the refugees in the third countries is a good idea.

"After our interest to resettle the refugees, other nations, mainly the European nations have also shown their interest for a third country resettlement of the refugees.

Following the announcement by the US in September last year to resettle the refugees, the refugee leaders have been engaged in hot debates whether the proposal would augur well for the entire refugee community and the future of the democratic movement in Bhutan.

Many of them have expressed their stance that the government of Nepal ought to hold dialogue with Bhutan to resume the verification process for early repatriation.

Although ministerial level talks were scheduled to be held in February this year, the talks were postponed at short notice.

The Bhutanese leaders had expressed their interest to re-open dialogue with Nepal on the refugee stalemate during their interaction with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in the sidelights of the 14th SAARC Summit held in early April this year. But both the sides have not expedited their interest to hold bilateral talks so far.

Resettlement to complete in five years, nine more families to fly soon

Source: Apfanews.com
Kathmandu, April 14: The US ambassador to Nepal James F. Moriarty in his recent face-to-face with Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has made it clear that his government has begun the process of resettling the exiled Bhutanese.

On Friday morning, besides discussing the two countries bilateral relations and Nepal's peace process, the US diplomat informed that his government has reached the final stage to begin resettling the exiled Bhutanese in US.

After his discussion with Koirala, Moriarty while inaugurating a photo-exhibitions told media persons that the process of resettling the 60,000 exiled Bhutanese, which the US has already made a proposal, would be resettled in the US in the next five years.

In the mean time, exiled Bhutanese who wish for third country settlement have begun the race. The newly formed Bhutanese Refugee Resettlement Coordination Committee, they said, would cooperate with Nepal government, UN agencies, Bhutanese organisations in exile and the countries showing interest for resettlement to expedite the process.

The US-Nepal initiation has come forth after Bhutanese government failed to comply with the proposal of the Nepalese prime minister to finalise the issue at the earliest. During the recent SAARC summit, Nepalese PM Koirala had asked Prime Minister Khandu Wangchuk to start repatriating exiled Bhutanese. Bhutanese counterpart escaped from the scene with just word to resume bilateral process for settling the issue.

Politicians and leaders in exile have been demanding immediate withdrawal from the bilateral or trilateral process so as to pave way for involvement of international community in finding solution of this stranded issue.

In another news, at least nine families from camps are making final preparations for flying to west as part of the resettlement programme. 16 families have already resettled in the US with the initiation of the UNHCR despite the denial of the Nepal government to give them permission.