Bhutanese human rights activist Tek Nath Rijal has appealed the United Nations (UN) to look into the refugee problem.

The noted Bhutanese rights activist urged the UN to appoint a special envoy of the Secretary General to monitor over the issue and also appealed to the international community for immediate intervention to resolve the protracted refugee crisis.

According to the statement issued by the Human Rights Council of Bhutan (HRCB), Rijal made the appeal while addressing the ‘Third World Summit on Leadership and Good Governance’ in Washington DC. A total of 700 leaders from around the globe, including US Congressmen had participated in the summit.

“The international community has a moral obligation to hold Bhutan accountable for its atrocities and crimes against its citizens and for pursuing ethnic cleansing policies against Bhutanese of Nepali origin,” the statement quoted the veteran Bhutanese rights activists as saying in the Summit.

Meanwhile, Bhutanese refugees staged a sit-in in the Indian capital of New Delhi to draw India’s attention towards the over-a-decade long refugee crisis, reports citing another statement from Delhi said. The refugee leaders submitted a petition to the Indian Premier, Dr Manamohan Singh asking him to help resolve the crisis.