For the second time, a top UNHCR official assured Bhutanese refugees in the eastern district of Jhapa that the one-and-half decade long impasse would come to an end.

Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees (Operations), UNHCR, Judy Cheng-Hopkins (Photo source : unhcr.org)
Talking to refugees in Beldangi II camp in Jhapa on Thursday, Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees (Operations), Judy Cheng-Hopkins, who is also the assistant secretary general of the United Nations, told refugees they need to be patient to help UNHCR find a permanent solution of the crisis.

Hopkins repeated the UNHCR’s stand that all three options floated by the agency should be made open to facilitate solution of the crisis at the earliest possible. The refugee agency has been advocating on three options – repatriation, integration in host country or third country settlement – of the refugees.

Most of the refugees and their leaders have strongly criticized the idea of the agency, some asking the Nepal government and the UN to send back UNHCR Nepal representative Abraham Abraham. They accuse that Indian interest’s play in the UNHCR’s idea with the presence of Abraham in Nepal since he is Indian by origin.

“Please have faith in us. We are doing everything we can to bring your plight to the attention of the international community,” Hopkins told more than 18,000 refugees leaders and representatives in Beldangi.

After hearing refugee leaders say people in Beldangi-I refugee camp are “depressed” and “frustrated,” spending 15 or 16 years in the camp with no realistic prospect of going home, Hopkins said, “We are well aware of your frustrations, and we really, really hope that in the not too distant future, we will be able to solve a good many of your problems.”

She said she was reassured by her talks with the Nepalese government that the refugee issue is given priority.

Amid rumours of radicalisation of youth in the camps, Hopkins appealed to the refugee leaders to maintain peace and calm to avoid spoiling their chances of repatriation, local integration or resettlement.

There were mixed reactions from the refugee community about the idea of opening all options floated by the refugee agency. Hari Bangale, one of the leaders of Appeal Movement Coordination Council (AMCC) peace march organised by the refugees in 1996 in their attempt to enter Bhutan peacefully and voluntarily, said since it was certain that all refugees cannot go back to Bhutan, other options should remain open.

Human rights activist Ratan Gazmere has also given positive node to the UNHCR idea. But Tek Nath Rizal and other leaders strongly oppose the idea of integration in Nepal or third country settlement. “The only option is repatriation. Others are bogus,” Rizal said.

General Secretary of Bhutan National Democratic Party (BNDP), Hari Adhikari, who is also the former member of Bhutan’s National Assembly, wrote in the latest issue of Nepal weekly that the Bhutan government has already begun the design of further expulsion of ethic Nepalis from Bhutan saying their relatives in Nepal have got opportunity to go America or Europe. He fears further expulsion of Nepalis from India and Bhutan if Nepal accepts the idea of third country settlement of the refugees.

Despite difference among the refugee leaders, UNHCR continues to lobby for third country settlement. This is contrasting to the assurance given by UNHCR chief Sadako Ogata during her visit in May 2000. Addressing refugees in Beldangi on May 2, Ogata had said Bhutan was ready to take them back very soon.

Fueled by the warning of donors, the round table conference held in November that year in Thimphu to stop assistance, Bhutan agreed with the Nepal government for verification, categorization and repatriation of refugees who were identified as original Bhutanese.

However, the process came to a complete halt with a simple issue that refugees hurled stones at the Bhutanese verification officials in Khudunabari camp while declaring the verification results of the camp in December 2002.

Refugees have little hope with the assurances by Hopkins. Buddha Mani Dhakal, who edits The Bhutan Reporter monthly newspaper, said, “We have little hope on Hopkin’s statement because such assurances were not implemented in the past years.”

However, prospects are positive. The new Nepal government has stated that solving Bhutanese refugee impasse is one the priority programmes for this year.

Visit of Hopkins at a time refugees are staging in-front of the UN House and SAARC secretariat since 45 days urging UN to interfere into the issue, is taken positively in finding solution of the crisis.

There are over 105,000 Bhutanese refugees living in UNHCR supported camps in Jhapa and Morang since last 16 years. nepalnews.com Indra Adhikari