Visiting Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley has even refused to acknowledge that the 108,000-plus people who began living in eastern Nepal in the early 1990s after being evicted from Southern Bhutan as refugees. He termed them “people in the refugee camps.” As to whether there is a role for third country in the negotiation between Nepal and Bhutan, Thinley said, “I think not.”[break]
Speaking at a press conference before wrapping up his three-day official visit to Nepal on Saturday, Thinley argued that there is no point in seeking India´s role in resolving the Bhutanese refugee problems just because India facilitated “people in the refugee camps” to travel through its territory to Nepal.
“We [Nepal and India] have a special arrangement with India whereby citizens of our countries enjoy the freedom of movement through India. But that does not mean India has a role and responsibility in finding a solution,” he further said.
Thinley said people living in various seven refugee camps in south eastern Nepal are not refugees from Bhutan. “They are economic refugees; they are environmental refugees; they are refugees of political instability. And they are refugees of victims of circumstances that are beyond their control,” he said. “But I maintain that the question of whether they are refugees from Bhutan is a subject of discussion. It is not that simple.”
Thinley, however, said Bhutan has offered to resume bilateral talks stalled since 2003 with Nepal to resolve the issue. “The identities and backgrounds of these people are yet to be decided upon, settled, studied and investigated. And that is as I said is the essence of our discussions,” he said. “We are hopeful that we will be able to establish an environment within which a speedy resolution to the dignified settlement of the people in the camps will be found through bilateral process.”
“As to when we will hold our discussions will be a subject that will be settled through the bilateral process between out two countries. This should happen sooner than later,” he further said.
A ministerial joint committee of the two countries formed to resolve the refugee problem last held its 15th meeting in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu on October 20-23, 2003.
Thinley claimed that Bhutan never expelled its citizens and that a few citizens in collusion with illegal immigrants had chosen to leave the country. “… Democratic Bhutan can not think so. Such a situation is unthinkable,” he said while brushing aside media reports that Bhutan government is planning to evict additional 80,000 people from Bhutan. “We have a democracy. And we have a government that believes in equity and justice.”
The UN refugee agency with the support of International Organisation for Migration initiated third country resettlement program in 2007 after repeated round of dialogues between Nepal and Bhutan failed to resolve the crisis.
A total 44,592 refugees have left for third country settlement to eight countries as of March 31. Of them, 37,804 chose to settle in the US and 2,585 to Canada. Likewise, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark and UK have accepted 2,454, 552, 373, 484 and 111, respectively.
Thinley also lauded the western countries for offering third country resettlement choice to “people living in refugee camps”. “I think it is indeed a reflection of the commitment of those industrialized and developed countries that speak of human rights. It is a great humanitarian assistance that these countries have demonstrated,” he said.
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