‘Nepal-Bhutan refugee talks a failure’ 

December 29, 2003
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The latest round of Nepal-Bhutan talks held in Thimpu to resolve the Bhutanese refugee crisis has “failed” to provide a solution, a coalition of five INGOs, including Amnesty International, said Tuesday.

“The recently concluded bilateral talks have ignored the concerns of the international community and failed to provide a solution for the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal,” the five INGOs said in a joint statement released from New York and London on October 28, 2003.

“Now, the donor countries must insist on the full involvement of the international community in solving the refugee crisis,” said the statement. “They should convene an international conference to devise a solution to the longstanding crisis.”

“The key concerns of the refugees regarding repatriation to Bhutan include guarantees of safety and security, full citizenship rights, and return to original homes and properties for refugees returning to Bhutan.”

“But, none of these conditions was addressed by the latest round of talks,” said the statement. “So the talks was neither historic nor a breakthrough.”

The coalition of five INGOs included Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Lutheran World Federation, Habitat International Coalition and the Bhutanese Refugee Support Group.