Non-Bhutanese resettled in US: APFA Bhutan

Source: Nepalnews.com

Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) Bhutan has said a non-Bhutanese refugee has been resettled in United States, using fake identity as a Bhutanese refugee from Beldangi 2 camp in Jhapa district.

According to a statement by the association, a non-Bhutanese has been sent to US after completing resettlement process at the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in the name of Padam Lal Poudel, 52, from Beldangi 2, Sector D/2 Hut No 24.

The association quoted a family member of Poudel as saying, "The inquiry section of IOM confirmed that someone matching my father's information has
already got resettled in the US."

The matter came to light after Poudel's son inquired at the IOM to know why his father's resettlement process had been delayed while other families whose interviews began at IOM along his family already left Nepal.

He was informed by the people at IOM reception that there are many such cases.

There were media reports saying some non-Bhutanese have been making efforts to go US under disguise.

APFA said IOM offices in Damak and Kathmandu, UNHCR office in Kathmandu and UN embassy in Kathmandu denied talking on the issue.

The association demanded that original identity of the person being resettled be made public by the concerned agencies - date of his departure from Nepal, place where he has been resettled along with photo - and urged IOM, UNHCR and US embassy to take precautionary measures to ensure that non-Bhutanese are not be resettled.

Prospects Of Refugee Resettlement

Source: Nepalnews.com

By Indra Adhikari

At a time when Bhutanese refugees are busy expressing their interest and giving interviews to government representatives from the US and the Australia in Damak for resettlement to third countries, the country representative of the UNHCR for Nepal Abraham Abraham is wrapping up his five years of tenure in Kathmandu.

Abraham is leaving at a time when years of efforts for repatriation have failed, and the process for third country resettlement is beginning. He will be leaving Nepal for Canada - a month ahead of a section of Bhutanese refugees possibly leaving for western countries to start their new life.

In an interview with Nepalnews at the end of his tenure in Nepal, Abraham expressed hope that his dream of finding a lasting solution to the protracted Bhutanese refugee problem will come true in his absence as well.
Rizal's suggestion to resettle one member from a family was not taken into consideration.
Rizal's suggestion to resettle one member from a family was not taken into consideration.

On Sunday evening at Hotel Soaltee during his farewell party, Abraham in his most humble tone wished the top refugee human rights leader Tek Nath Rizal for early repatriation of Bhutanese refugees to their land.

The process of resettlement has moved ahead as planned by the UNHCR, to which the resettling countries have agreed and it has already been made public that family members would not be split when selected for resettlement.

To accelerate the resettlement process and to protect refugees willing to be resettled from being assaulted by the communist cadres, the Nepal government has deployed security personnel in all the camps at the request of the UNHCR. Alleging that the security personnel have been intimidating and harassing those refugees who advocate repatriation, Bhutan People's Party recently demanded removal of the security posts.

As usual, Abraham denied any straight comments on the demands but said that UNHCR is also mandated to find solution of the refugee crisis if host country and the country generating refugees fail to reach an agreement.

The UNHCR has already started distributing forms to refugees to express their willingness for resettlement. UNHCR office in Kathmandu and contact points in all the camps saw long queues of refugees filling the forms. But as interviews in Damak started, refugees looked confused on how the UNHCR selects people for interviews.

"It is first come first serve. We have no reason to discriminate any refugee," Abraham said.

The resettling countries interview refugees on the basis of the applications and family details forwarded by the UNHCR. The US government team has just completed its first round of interviews and the Australian team has started doing so from Sunday. Canada has informed the UN refugee agency that it will begin the process from 2009 while other countries who had earlier expressed interests to resettle the refugees like Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand are yet to say anything about the number of refugees they are likely to resettle.

Despite this, Abraham's initiation also received a fair amount of criticism, especially from the refugee leadership. Getting support from the refugee community was difficult without getting permission from the Nepal government, yet his humility towards the government for finally accepting the UNHCR proposal of resettlement remains high.

The major concern of the refugee leaders is the future of those refugees who would not be resettled. There are hints from Indian leaders in recent months that Bhutan might agree on repatriation once the population of the refugee becomes smaller. These statements are in line with the statement of Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee in June this year saying repatriation of over 100,000 refugees to their homeland will cause 'demographic imbalance' in that tiny kingdom.

UNHCR's attempts of getting support from the Indian government for repatriation did not yield any result. And now, the refugee leaders have accelerated lobbying among Indian leaders. In November, a number of senior journalists and parliamentarians on India during a seminar in New Delhi said they will soon visit Thimphu to push Bhutanese authority for allowing the refugees to cast vote in the upcoming elections and their early repatriation to avoid violent future in north-east India.

Under these circumstances, resettlement debates have overshadowed the repatriation agenda.
Euroepan Union also took interest in the refugee issue. EU lawmaker from UK visited Nepal, Bhutan and India as part of EU initiatie in finding solution of the refugee crisis.
Euroepan Union also took interest in the refugee issue. EU lawmaker from UK visited Nepal, Bhutan and India as part of EU initiatie in finding solution of the refugee crisis.

But Abraham claims, prospects of repatriation to homeland will not perish even after resettlement. "Refugees are guaranteed the right to return once environment is conducive in their country. At this time, the conditions are not conducive neither for repatriation nor to stay in camps further," he adds.

The future repatriation of the resettled refugees will largely be determined by the future political developments in Bhutan. At least to this day, hints from inside Bhutan are not encouraging.

The rejection of Bhutan 's election commission to register a political party that has raised the issue of southern and eastern Bhutanese as its agenda for election has indicated that the Bhutanese regime continues to suppress the voices for equality from southern and eastern districts.

It remains to be seen if the resettlement will end the problem or will it lead to a situation where resettled refugees will help the cause of their fellow countrymen inside Bhutan, for instance by helping armed rebellions, about which some Indian leaders have already expressed fears. It can only be hoped that Abraham's departure will not disrupt the process initiated for finding the durable solution.

‘No political motives behind resettlement of Bhutanese, Tibetan refugees in America’ (Kantipuronline.com)

US Assistant Secretary for Population, Refugees and Migration Ellen Sauerbrey Saturday dismissed speculations that there were political motives behind the resettlement of Bhutanese or Tibetan refugees in America.

Speaking at a press conference on the last day of her four-day stay in the country today, the US official stated that the Bhutanese refugees are being taken to American to give them new future than that of the environment of the camps and free life.

She also said that there were humanitarian reasons for trying to resettle Tibetans in America.

“We have already been cleared for the US resettlement. We hope that we might see the first plane load arriving around the later part of January if, again, all continuous to move along smoothly,” she said.

She also informed that an office set up for the purpose in Damak, Jhapa would begin taking interviews and carry other activities related to the resettlement of the refugees starting next week.

Although, the US is ready to resettle 60,000 refugees in the country, that was not the limit, the US official informed.

Admitting that the refugees from Bhutan to Nepal require traveling to India, she said, “India has to be very confident of the fact that they’ve the responsibility to ensure that this doesn’t happen again.”

Replying to a question, she said that the US could only urge Bhutan to repatriate the refugees but not force it to do since Bhutan as an independent country.

Stating that she found the Bhutanese refugees still have respect for the Druk monarch, she said that she would inform the Bhutanese officials about this during her visit to the Himalayan kingdom.

Similarly, speaking on Tibetan refugees, she said that the US government was aware that it was a very sensitive matter to Nepal to allow Tibetan refugees to resettle in America.

The government is yet to grant permission to the US government regarding the resettlement of the Tibetan refugees in the US.

However, she said that the US would continue its efforts to convince Nepal to resettle 5,000 Tibetan refugees in America in future.

Sauerbrey, who is on a 12-day visit in the South Asia, is scheduled to go to Bhutan on Sunday and then to India, where she will seek assistance from the Bhutanese and Indian governments in promoting durable solutions, including voluntary repatriation, for the Bhutanese refugees.

Repatriation and resettlement should begin together: PM (Nepalnews.com)

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has urged the US government to ensure that resettlement and repatriation of the Bhutanese refugee begin at a time.

Koirala told visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Ellen Saurbrey, during a meeting Saturday morning at Balutwar, that third-country resettlement was not a permanent solution of the refugee crisis.

According to a Baluwatar source, PM Koirala informed the US minister that Nepal was not, however, against the resettlement process but expressed concern regarding the future of those who do not want to go to the US.

Koirala also urged the US official to put pressure on Indian and Bhutanese governments for repatriation of Bhutanese refugees.

In response, Saurbrey assured to raise the issue with Bhutanese and Indian governments. She said her government would officially ask the two governments to take initiative for a solution of the protracted refugee crisis. Saurbrey had visited Bhutanese refugee camps in Jhapa.

She will fly to Thimphu on Sunday to discuss the refugee issue with the Bhutanese government. After that she will visit Delhi seeking India's role in solving the refugee crisis.

During her interaction with refugees in Jhapa camps on Friday, Saurbrey had assured to put pressure on Bhutan and Indian for early solution of the issue.

Refugee resettlement process to start after Tihar

Source: Nepalnews.com

The resettlement process of Bhutanese refugees is to begin after Tihar with more than 10 thousand refugees having shown interest in voluntary third country resettlement.

According to Abraham Abraham, chief of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal, Bhutanese refuges had shown interest in this plan even before it formally publicized a notice regarding voluntary resettlement in a third country and the government disseminated this information in the refugee camps.

He informed that the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has already set up its office in Damak, Jhapa and that it would come into operation within the next two weeks. “However, we haven’t taken the refugees’ application for third country settlement as the last straw in this matter,” he said.

Abraham also said that the security situation in the refugee camps is slowly improving as 25 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel have been stationed in each of the 7 refugee camps on the request of the United Nations including countries like United States of America, Norway, Australia and Canada that have shown willingness to resettle the refugees in their countries. “On the basis of the application filed at the UNHCR, we will recommend the names of refugees willing to go for voluntary repatriation to the IOM.”

He also said that this process would start immediately after the Tihar festival.

According to a population census conducted by the UNHCR and the Home Ministry in the refugee camps two months ago, there are approximately 160,000 refugees in the camps, among which America has already pledged that it would take in 60,000 refugees and Canada 5,000.

Let refugees decide

Source: Kathandu Post,2007-9-10

Finally, the international organization of migration (IOM) has established its office in Damak, Jhapa to resettle the Bhutanese refugees in some third countries and side by side some unwanted and unnecessary elements are hatching conspiracy to foil this humanitarian project. It is natural to hear mixed opinions but it is shocking to learn that our own “leaders” are busy creating chaos inside the camps.

We all know that it is not a matter of pride to fly to America and at the same time it is not good and wise to stay long in the camps under sub-human conditions. The “leaders” hardly know the pain and sorrow that the refugees are facing today. And this is not the time to listen to them, rather it is time to speak clearly and find a safe way out of the hellish refugee camps.

Let us give chance to the refugees to speak what they want today, rather than forcing them to walk in our leaders' footsteps. Hope the situation improves soon in the refugee camps after the establishment of security posts, which would encourage the panic-stricken refugees to express their feelings.

We know what Thimpu is cooking these days and we will not digest what the Druk kingdom prepares. We hope we will get a new life in the third country.

Khem Regmi
Pathri Regugee Camp, Morang

CPB-Maoist asks UN, US, Nepal not to start refugee resettlement

Source: eKantipur.com
Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 7 - The Communist Party of Bhutan (Maoist) has urged the UNHCR, the United States and Nepal not to start the process of third country resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees languishing in Nepal.

Issuing a statement from an undisclosed location Friday, the Maoist organization in exile has also alleged that the recent violence in the refugee camps was due to the attempt of the UNHCR and the US government to muster popular support on the basis of money.

It has also warned that it will disrupt the resettlement process if they tried to start it.

The statement issued by Binod, a member of the Maoist organization, has also demanded the early release of the report prepared by the committee formed to probe the shootout at the Beldangi camp a few weeks back, compensation to the victims and action against the perpetrators.

Two refugees had died in the incident.

“If the report is not released then such an incident can recur,” the statement added.

The CPB (Maoist) has also denied its involvement in the attack on the secretary of the Beldangi-3 and burning some huts.

However, it has warned of a “physical offense against those spying against the party by giving the names of the party cadres to the UNHCR and the local administration linking them to the incident.”

Incepted in UNHCR-administered refugee camps in eastern Nepal and composed of refugees, the organization, which apparently takes inspiration from the “people’s war” launched by CPN-Maoists, calls for a “new democratic revolution” to overthrow the Bhutanese monarchy.

More than one hundred refugees of Nepali-origin are languishing at seven camps in eastern Nepal since early 90s after they were systematically evicted from their ancestral homes in southern Bhutan as part of the ongoing ethnic cleansing drive of the totalitarian regime in Thimphu.

Resettlement has already begun - Abraham Abraham

APFANEWS.COM

UNHCR and Nepal government carried out census exercise ahead of beginning the resettlement process. Photo: Bhutan News Service

Abraham ABRAHAM, the country representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal has repeatedly talked of opening the doors for third country settlement of the exiled Bhutanese as prospects for repatriation has almost closed. Having worked in a number of countries for nearly three decades to repatriate and resettle refugees, Abraham currently he is active in finding out solution for exiled Bhutanese who were evicted some 17 years ago and taking asylum in Nepal since then. He talked to Ichha Poudyel and Vidhyapati Mishra of Bhutan News Service (BNS) resettlement and other on the contemporary issues. Excerpts:

Is it right that UNCHR stresses on resettlement over other options?
All the time voluntary repatriation has been considered as the best solution. We like that to happen. But when it doesn’t happen, we look for other alternatives as well. Resettlement door is actually open and that of repatriation is almost closed.

Majority of exiled Bhutanese and the Nepal government emphasis repatriation, but you say doors of repatriation have closed. Isn't it against their sentiment?
By bilateral talks no single refugee has been able to go back. They (refugees) have waited enough, for seventeen years. They cannot wait another seventeen years for the same.

Some exiled Bhutanese and their leaders accuse UNHCR of mobilizing a few to advocate for resettlement.
As far as we are concerned, we do not support any one whether it is Hari Bangaley or any body else (to advocate on resettlement). Refugees have right to choose options independently.

Presently camps are in quagmire. One cannot talk about resettlement due to fear of intimidation by the pro-repatriation faction. In such a situation, how can the process go ahead?
When we talk of security of a refugee, primary responsibility lies in the hands of government housing them. UNHCR will try its best within its mandate to help them. It is sad that refugees can not talk about resettlement in camps. It is certainly not a democratic practice. Every refugee has right to know what is going on about resettlement or any other options.

How UNHCR is working to clarify people about resettlement?
We work with the government of Nepal to inform refugees about resettlement. Outright, we haven’t worked out for any solution. We look for the comprehensive solution of the problem, not just one solution. We have to look into option which is practical one. Repatriation does not seem anywhere near. We still have to wait for talks. Local integration is not an issue as it has not come into table. Can we do resettlement? Yes, because many countries have offered it.

Is UNHCR helping those who claim to have displaced due to insecurity after Beldangi incidence?
It is sad that people are displaced from camp. It is something that should be addressed by the government of Nepal and UNHCR will work accordingly.

Can you tell us when will resettlement actually begin?
Actually, resettlement has already begun when Nepalese government agreed it as an alternative solution. But we have not started the practical ground work. This requires a lot of preparations. For example, even for US program, there is lot to be done to take refugees and make them adapt to a new place.

Which other countries have offered to resettle exiled Bhutanese and in what number?
Not all members of core group are accepting refugees. It (core group) tries to find out ways they can help refugees. Well, US has offered some 60,000 but it is ready to accept all who are interested. Canada has offered 5,000 and others will announce the number of refugees they can accommodate according to their policy. When it comes to resettlement, it is not a number issue because whoever wants to be resettled, will be resettled.

There has been scuffle in the camp regarding resettlement. Hasn’t it conveyed negative message to countries willing to resettle them?
You are making an offer and you do not have to break it. Also all 106,000 may not go. Those countries spending 18 million US dollars annually are requesting refugees to come and stay in their countries on humanitarian ground. Children in camps should get education. Most importantly resettlement does not preclude their right to return to Bhutan. It is always there.

Some exiled Bhutanese, especially elderly who may not accept resettlement and repatriation may not take place. Will camps be continued in that situation?
Certainly. Till we get funding from international community camps will continue for which I am very positive.

There is fast cut in aid provided. Doesn’t it look like a strategy to force them opt for resettlement?
This is wrong. Let me emphasize that no one will be forced to make any decision. I have not taken any steps to cut aid. In fact, this year the UNHCR’s budget for them has been increased by US$ 1 million in health and nutrition sectors. So, why talk of cutting aid when it has not yet happened?

Nepalese media reported some exiled Bhutanese obtained Nepalese citizenship. What measures would you apply to check them during resettlement? Will they be eligible for resettlement?
We are not the ones to make resettlement decision. If any one in camps has obtained Nepalese citizenship, he is not a refugee. So, he will not qualify for resettlement. Countries resettling them (refugees) have their own criteria to strictly check them out.

How have you evaluated Long March?
Unfortunately, one refugee got killed and it is not acceptable to the UNHCR .Here, we like to make it clear that while you have right to return, all must be careful in not jeopardizing the life of refugees - especially of women and children.

Health of exiled Bhutanese is deteriorating and many cases of denial of referral are reported. What's the reason?
First, I do not agree that there is denial of treatment .We have very strong health program in camps. In fact, it is the best sector we have supported. But UNHCR has very important policy that no tertiary referral will take place; if it is a terminal case i.e. if a patient is sure to die in few days or weeks. We have specific guidelines as to whom we can help and to what extent. UNHCR has to support 10 million refugees and over 13 million IDPs around the world. So we may not be able to meet all the expectations of refugees regarding their health and there we have to draw an absolute line and say ‘No more’.