KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: The Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Support Group (BRRSG) has initiated what it calls “track-2” diplomacy to pressure donors to withdraw their aid to Bhutan if it continues its dillydally with resolving the 13-year-long Bhutanese refugee crisis.
A three-member Nepalese delegation recently visited New Delhi to meet the ambassadors of Bhutan’s donor countries to convey the message that the Bhutanese refugee crisis should no longer be confined to Bhutan and Nepal alone, said Pramod Kafle, member secretary of the group. It is an international problem and should be resolved through international mediation, he added.
The delegation consisted of former foreign minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, foreign relations expert Hiranya Lal Shrestha and human rights activist Pramod Kafle himself. The delegation also met representatives of the Indian Foreign Ministry and representatives of several civil societies. The delegation had also met Bhutanese Ambassador to Nepal Lempo Dabo Tschering during his recent Nepal visit.
The Bhutanese government should see to the repatriation of its people, and a dialogue should be held between the Bhutanese king and the refugees, said Kafle. “We also have conveyed this message to the international donors during our meeting in New Delhi.”
A nine-member BRRSG team constituted on August 18 last year had also met with the concerned bodies of the respective governments before deciding to meet the international donor community. After we knew it could not be solved bilaterally, we decided to go to the donor communities, stated Kafle. We are not happy with the Bhutanese government’s delaying tactics and with the poor preparedness of the Nepalese side, said Kafle. “We will voice our concerns with the concerned UN bodies if this problem is not settled in time.” Nepal and the Land of Thunder Dragon have not been able to hold the 12th ministerial level meeting for more than a year.
We want to convey this message to the donors of Bhutan during their meeting on Bhutan in Geneva in March this year, said Kafle. A similar meeting of donors was held in the Bhutanese capital of Thimpu two years ago.
A joint verification team (JVT) was formed to verify the Bhutanese refugees following the meeting. The JVT had started verification in one of the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal. The team verified more than 12,000 refugees, but the Bhutanese government has so far refused to take a single refugee. Under its first phase of the new diplomacy at the non-governmental level, the delegation met ambassadors from Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands. “Under the second phase, we will meet with the governments of donor countries to put utmost pressure to resolve the refugee crises,” said Kafle.
Ambassadors of thee donor countries have given positive assurances to resolve the issue.
Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been languishing in 7 UNHCR- run camps in eastern Nepal. “We are well aware that Bhutan wants to delay the repatriation,” said Pramod Kafle.