As Bhutanese refugees continue to organise demonstrations in camps and other towns in Jhapa and Morang districts against the resettlement scheme,, Nepal office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has claimed that over ten thousand refugee individuals have filed petition at its office expressing their willingness for it.
UNHRC resident representative in Nepal Abraham Abraham
UNHRC resident representative in Nepal Abraham Abraham
(File Photo)
Talking to Nepalnews, UNHCR country representative in Nepal, Abraham Abraham, said that the proposal has been forwarded seeing no immediate prospect of repatriation to Bhutan. He warned that the situation could further deteriorate in the camps if the problem was not resolved early.
“We have discussed at large with those resettlement countries and they have agreed. If time lapsed and new refugees appear on the other part of the world, these countries would certainly divert their interests and financial support to those new ones,” he said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the refugee agency alleged that demonstrations in Jhapa were being orchestrated by some refugee leaders and did not represent views of the refugees in general. On Friday, thousands of refugees took to streets on Birtamode in Jhapa and obstructed highway for a few hours denouncing the UNHCR treatment.
During her recent visit to Nepal, assistant high commissioner of UNHCR, Judy Hopkins, announced that the UNHCR was processing the relocation of 16 vulnerable refugees to the US and Canada on humaintarian ground. she said her office was awaiting nod from the Nepal government for ‘exit visa’ for them.
“The relocation of the 16 individuals is strictly under the UNHCR’s special protection policy which implies only to those who cannot live in camp environment any more,” Abraham said.
He said that relocation is not part of the comprehensive solution of the refugee crisis but an initiation to give special protection to most vulnerable people in the camps who need ‘special’ care. The 16 people who are expected to be relocated in the next few months will be taken care of by the organisations or individuals in the country where they will be settled with frequent visits by the UNHCR officials or its partner organisations to access to their situation. “They will be permitted to return to their country denying residential permission of the host country or else settled there itself permanently,” Abharam said.
Human rights leader Tek Nath Rizal says the process will put obstacles to their movement to ensure early and dignified repatriation of over 100,000 refugees to their homeland– Bhutan. Abraham denies it. He claimrf that relocation of refugees will expand the territory of advocacy in Europe and America. He quoted deputy commissioner Judy Hopkins as saying that very little people outside India, Nepal and Bhutan knew about Bhutanese refugee problem.
President of Druk National Congress (DNC), a splinter group from DNC headed by Rongthong Kuenley Dorji, Thinley Penjor claims UNHCR has not been mandated for translocation of refugees to other countries against their interest. He also demanded that the refugee agency should guarantee how many refugees will actually repatriate before starting the resettlement campaign.
Voice for Change, a women group, on Friday welcomed the decision of UNHCR and Nepal government for relocation of 16 of the 105,000 refugees which the organisation said is a promising start for permanent solution to the refugee crisis.
Analysts say attempts can go on but are least likely to move towards a comprehensive solution unless India throws its weight upon the Druk regime. As per the 1949 treaty, India takes care of foreign affairs of the tiny Himalayam kingdom.