Nepali Foreign Secretary Narayan S. Thapa and his Bhutanese counterpart Yugen Tshering will hold three days of official discussions beginning Tuesday to speed up the process of the repatriation of 100,000 Bhutanese refugees living in seven UNHCR administered camps in Jhapa and Morang districts for more than a decade, a Foreign Ministry announcement said.

The meeting aims to reduce and eliminate differences on perceptions to repatriate the refugees, an announcement said. The status of nearly 9,000 refugees at a camp in Jhapa have been ascertained since the two Himalayan nations earlier this year started a verification process; critics say the process will take a decade to complete at current pace.

Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Bhutan Dr. Bhek Bahadur Thapa earlier said the repatriation of some refugees could begin this year after verification of their status.