The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed dissatisfaction over the Nepal government’s passivity on third country resettlement of Bhutanese refugees.

Bhutanese refugees on a relay strike in front of the United Nations building applying pressure to solve the refugee problem at the earliest, Tuesday, June 20 06. nepalnews.com

The UNHCR global report 2005, released on the occasion of World Refugee Day on Tuesday said, “The possibility of resettlement to a third country, was another encouraging sign. However, the Nepalese Government insists that repatriation to Bhutan must begin before other solutions are considered. For this reason, despite UNHCR’s repeated appeals, Nepal has not yet approved re-registration nor permitted the departure of refugees with special needs for resettlement.”

The report further said that an increase in the number of Tibetans transiting through Nepal was observed in 2005.

Stating that almost 4,000 new arrivals were registered with UNHCR, 45 percent more than in 2004, the report said, “The Government’s suspension of exit permits and other travel documents led to an increase in numbers and prolonged stay at the Tibetan reception centre.”

The report further said that without freedom of movement within the country, or the right to work, refugees had little alternative to continued dependence on hand-outs in the camps, adding, “The refugee community tried to earn a living through the small-scale production of sanitary cloth, woollen blankets, white chalk and jute roofing material.”

While Nepal is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, child abuse and neglect in the camps and host communities continued to be a challenge, the report adds.

The UNHCR also expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s negligence to issue birth certificates to refugee children.

“The Government has not issued birth certificates to refugee children and has been slow in providing identification documents to other persons of concern residing in Nepal, including nearly 20,000 Tibetans who arrived before 1990,” it adds

The UNHCR informed that in May it submitted to the Government a list of over 4,600 people from this group who did not possess refugee cards and added that UNHCR will continue to advocate for the issuance of refugee cards to all eligible people.

The report further said, the conflict made travel to border regions more difficult, thereby hindering UNHCR’s efforts to escort newly-arrived Tibetans from the border areas to the reception centre.

In his message on the occasion of World Refugee Day, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said that UN agencies are working together to ensure that millions of people displaced within their own country, often in conditions similar to refugees, receive the assistance they need.

“Let this Day serve as a reminder of our responsibility to help keep hope alive among those who need it most – the millions of refugees and displaced who are still far from home,” Annan added.

Likewise in his message High Commissioner of the UNHCR António Guterres said, “World Refugee Day is part of that common effort as we gather on June 20th in cities and towns, in refugee camps and in remote settlements to pay tribute to the courageous, unwavering hope of the world’s refugees — and to assure them that they are not forgotten.”

More than 107,000 Bhutanees refugees are languishing in seven UNHCR administered camps in eastern Nepal since 1990.