Aussie team to interview refugees

Source: Kantipuronline

Australia which is part of the six-nation 'core group' for resettling Bhutanese refugees in their

lands is sending a team of officials this week to interview refugees for the purpose.

"A team is visiting this week to interview refugees," Graeme Lade, Australia's Ambassador to Nepal told the Post here on Sunday. "They will be heading to Damak for the interview."

Ambassador Lade said about 225 refugees would be interviewed by Australian officials. The United States government has already begun the process of interviewing interested refugees.

Besides Australia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway are members of the Core Working Group on Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal. Except Norway, the members of the group have expressed interest to resettle refugees over the years. The United States alone has said it would resettle tens of thousands of refugees. There are over 108,000 refugees in the seven camps in eastern Nepal, most living there since 1993 after allegedly being evicted by the Bhutanese government in the late 80s and early 90s.

‘175 refugees applying every day’

Meanwhile, outgoing Representative of UNHCR in Nepal, Abraham Abraham said on Monday about 175 refugees are applying for resettlement every day. In the past two weeks, 14,000 refugees have evinced interest in resettlement.

Abraham who is going to Canada as UNHCR Representative will be replaced by Daisy Dell. Dell is deputy director at

the Asia and the Pacific Bureau of the UN refugee agency. She is expected to arrive in Kathmandu next month.