 |
|
| Kathmandu, Friday July 12, 2002 Ashadh 28, 2059. |
|
When will repatriation take
place ?
By DHRUBA RAJ PANDIT
The Bhutanese refugee problem continues to
remain a contentious issue despite several rounds of bilateral talks at different levels
over the past twelve years. Even though the current refugee verification can be perceived
as a positive development, the sluggish pace of it seems to preclude the easy resolution
of this long-standing problem. The Bhutanese government’s reluctance to strongly
respond this issue has made the situation more complex than it appears on the surface. Its
sporadic expressions of unwillingness to expedite the verification process and to
repatriate the verified refugees unless the whole process is complete indicate the need of
a fresh slew of approaches to resolve this problem.
The Druk regime’s adamant stance on some
crucial issues, particularly on the verification of refugees into four criteria is nothing
but efforts to prolong the verification and repatriation of refugees. Bhutan had employed
delaying tactics to avoid the formation of a verification committee earlier and now it has
been insisting on the verification of individual refugees. Bhutanese children of below
five years, who got evicted along with their parents before 1995, will not find their
names recorded in the census record of
Bhutan, and hence they will be automatically disqualified, if the refugees are
individually verified. Categorization of refugees into four criteria-- Bonafide Bhutanese,
emigrated Bhutanese, non-Bhutanese and Bhutanese who have committed criminal acts-- is
therefore unjustified as it will disqualify more than half of the refugees to go home if
Bhutan gets its way.
Nepal has been reiterating its clear stance
on the verification of refugees into two categories, namely, Bhutanese and non-Bhutanese,
and only this can do justice to a large number of refugees who were driven from their
homes by human rights abuses, especially under the Druk regime’s policy of ethnic
cleansing. Persecution, torture, killings and the reprehensible practice of ethnic
cleansing generated a huge flow of refugees. In addition to eviction of Nepali-speaking
citizens of southern Bhutan, called Lhotshampas, the Bhutanese government made people sign
the voluntary emigration forms and expelled them inhumanly. Consequently, over 100,000
Bhutanese citizens, approximately twenty percent of Bhutan’s total population are now
living in the refugee camps run by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)
in Jhapa and Morang districts. They are now facing worst consequences of the racist and
ethnocentric policies of the autocratic and despotic Bhutanese regime.
Druk regime’s apathetic attitude and
fluctuating moods towards the verification and respectable repatriation of refugees gives
an impression that it is least bothered about the problem and holds Nepal responsible for
the delay in progress of the verification move. According to a recent newspaper report,
the Bhutanese King, while addressing the 80th National Assembly, has cast aspersions on
the Nepalese government for the delayed twelfth round of bilateral meeting due to
Nepal’s internal problem. The Bhutanese King’s statement does not bode well at
the present juncture when Nepal has been persistently requesting the Druk regime to
explore issues pertaining to the refugee imbroglio. The Bhutanese King’s latest
statement smacks of the Druk regime’s malicious propaganda against the refugee
problem. This reveals the whole gamut of refugee issue, which is getting more complex due
to Bhutan’s uninviting attitude towards the problem and purported justification of
its fundamentally unfriendly intent.
The condition of refugees within the camps is
getting more deplorable owing to various reasons. The growing socioeconomic tensions
coupled with poverty have made life tremendously difficult, escalation of violence as a
result of insurgency in the country has further worsened it. These have reportedly created
difficulty on people’s social mobility even for the collection of daily rations
distributed by different aid agencies.
This present plausible reasons why the
resolution of the Bhutanese refugees should be a major political agenda of both Nepal and
Bhutan. The resolution to the overstretched refugee imbroglio cannot afford further delay
and efforts should be stepped up to this end. Resolution of this problem is essential also
because its non-resolution will compound many problems confronting the country at present.
It is in view of this fact that the
government of Nepal should explore avenues to respond to this problem in a more effective
way so that the refugee problem can be solved once and forever. It should pursue the
problem in a more concerted, coordinated and convincing manner. The Bhutanese regime too
should realize the wide-ranging repercussions this problem has created on its
socioeconomic development and in its endeavour to restore peace and harmony in the
country. Restoring democratic order and expediting development effort lies greatly on
Bhutan’s compromising attitude and resolve to put a logical end to the refugee issue.
Understandably, frustration among refugees within the camps can lead to untoward
consequences with significant ripple effects on both countries. This must be realized and
acted upon at the earliest. Only with this can one be assured of perceptible affirmative
developments in the situation.
Bhutan’s disinclination towards
acceptable grounds for the categorization of refugees is a major reason behind the
unimpressive progress of refugee verification. It should therefore comply with
Nepal’s proposals to categorize refugees into two broad criteria and to repatriate
the verified refugees at the earliest. Otherwise, repatriation will mean little to
refugees who on reaching their homeland will have hardly anything to claim.
The Bhutanese government has tried to take undue
advantage of Nepal’s patient diplomacy, which has, however, drawn increasing support
from the international community. The geopolitical situation of Bhutan and India with
Nepal makes it clear why India cannot wash its hands clean when it comes to the resolution
of the twelve year long Bhutanese refugee issue. Those people who have sought refuge in
Nepal have entered here passing through the Indian territory. India, which largely
influences Bhutan’s defence and foreign policy arrangements, can and should play a
decisive role in bringing the long-standing refugee issue to an end. Nepal should
therefore approach the refugee issue more convincingly and pragmatically with synergetic
partnership of the international community, particularly of India. This may serve as an
opportunity for them to understand and appreciate the integrity, sincerity and
righteousness of Nepal’s viewpoint and its stand on the verification process. This
can make substantial contribution to resolving the refugee imbroglio through diplomatic
channels.
Other Stories
|
