Refugees from Bhutan poised for new start

Source: UNHCR

DAMAK, Nepal, February 1 (UNHCR) – A new lease on life is within reach for thousands of refugees from Bhutan who have been living in Nepal's camps for nearly two decades. Within months, the first groups could start their lives in other countries, thanks to a recent decision enabling them to leave for resettlement.

The breakthrough occurred in mid-January, when the Nepalese government agreed to issue exit permits to refugees accepted for group resettlement to third countries. This decision paves the way for the large-scale movement of refugees who decide voluntarily to be resettled after spending up to 17 years in Nepal's camps.

The refugees first arrived in Nepal after fleeing ethnic tensions in Bhutan in the early 1990s. There are more than 107,000 refugees living in seven camps in eastern Nepal today.

Recognizing their desperate situation, the US has said it will consider at least 60,000 refugees for resettlement and Canada has indicated it will accept up to 5,000. Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Norway have indicated their willingness to accept refugees from Bhutan for resettlement.

"We are very thankful to the Nepalese government for the exit permits," said Daisy Dell, the UN refugee agency's representative in Kathmandu. "Resettlement offers a way out for thousands of refugees who see no future in the camps. At the same time, we continue to advocate for voluntary repatriation for those who wish to do so."

The resettlement process is a long one. Last November, UNHCR started a mass information campaign on durable solutions throughout the camps. Since then, it has interviewed thousands of interested refugees and submitted the names of nearly 10,000 individuals to several countries.

Further interviews are being conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and officials from the resettlement countries. Once accepted, the refugees undergo extensive medical screenings and cultural orientation to prepare them for their new life abroad.

The first refugee families are scheduled to leave in March, and numbers are expected to increase by July.

In the meantime, the camps are buzzing with discussions. "Resettlement is a very hot topic now. Everyone is talking about it – in school, in the markets," said Ganga,* a 21-year-old refugee in Goldhap camp. "We are in a dilemma. Our future here is uncertain. If there are good conditions in Bhutan, we will go back. But time is not favouring us."

Ganga is the eldest of seven children. Her father died a few years ago and her mother works on tea estates outside the camp for 70 rupees (US$1.10) a day. All the children are well educated and eager to help ease the family burden.

"If there is somewhere better than here, we will go," said Ganga. "I hope we can get some skills training in tailoring or [beauty] parlour before we go to a third country. If we have the opportunity, I believe we'll do well."

The older generation, however, feels differently. "At this moment, we are not thinking about resettlement at all. We're only thinking of going back to our land in Bhutan," said Birkabahadul Gurung, 72, who heads a family of 26 refugees in Goldhap camp. "The discussion inside our family is very friendly – I make the decisions and they accept."

Tensions have increased over opposing views in the camps, with unknown groups threatening some refugees in favour of resettlement. The local authorities have boosted security by deploying 25 police officers in each camp, creating an environment where the refugees can be free to make informed decisions.

For Ganga and her family, the waiting game continues. What's a few more months of caution compared to the 17 years in exile, she seemed to say as she shrugged: "Let the others go first, then we'll see."

* Name changed for protection reasons

By Vivian Tan
In Damak, Nepal

7,000 Bhutan Refugees May Fly to US by Sept 2008

Source: TheHimalayanTimes.com
Damaru Lal Bhandari
Kathmandu, July 29

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which was selected as the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) to assist in the screening of the Bhutanese refugees before they migrate to the United States (US), has started setting up delayed operations in Damak.
However, "significant processing" of the applications will start only at the end of September, while only 7,000 Bhutanese refugees have a chance of flying to the US by September 2008.
This indicates that the task of processing 60,000 refugees from the total of 107 thousand, which the US expressed willingness to take, could take about nine years.
The process of screening the refugees by hiring a specialised agency goes back to February last and is running behind by a month due to what has been described as the "unsettled" conditions in refugee camps in Damak.
Going by the initial schedule, the task of setting up the operations was supposed to get underway by July 1 before the OPE "assumed responsibility for the small existing caseload by Wednesday, August 1."
This has translated into a delay by one month from September 1, a deadline by which the IOM was initially scheduled to start what has been identified as the "significant processing."
"The agency which was selected to process the cases is IOM. It was initially scheduled to start operations earlier on, but unstable conditions in Damak ruled that out. The task of setting up operations is going on now," spokesperson for the US embassy in Kathmandu, Sharon Hudson-Dean, told The Himalayan Times.
Sharon-Dean also said that "since the process is a lengthy affair, not more than 7000 refugees may get to enter the US by September 2008, indicating that the prospect of the 107 thousand Bhutanese refugees starting a new life in the US could take "several years." The IOM was selected as the OPE by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Office of Admissions, under the US Department of State to facilitate migration of the refugees from Nepal to the US earlier in the year following a process which got underway on February 1.
The bureau has entered into what has been identified as a "cooperative" agreement with the IOM for the period from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008, with the guarantee to renew the same for any number of years.