(This Article is based on a research done by Emanthi Marambe on Bhutanese Refugees for the Asia Media Forum Fellowship -2009-2010)
The Eight Year old Bhutanese Sita Budhathoki spent the past several years in a Refugee Camp in the Eastern Nepal region. Like her the 91,000 Bhutanese Living in exile as a consequence of the ethnic conflict prevailing in Bhutan for the past 20 years have been able to breathe a sigh of relief as they see that the doors are open for their freedom.
In view of the fact that these Refugees who have been exiled from their motherland have not been afforded an opportunity to return to Bhutan as they have agreed to settle down in other Countries.As a Consequence the United Nations High Commission For Refugees(UNHCR) has implemented a Programme for Re Settling these Refugees in Seven Other Countries.
Under this Re Settlement Programme Eight Year old Sita is the 20,000th Bhutanese Refugee to be Re Settled in a Foreign Country. Accordingly ,Sita,her parents and the other members of her Family are scheduled to be Re Settled in the United States Of America. Sita is full of hopes of Re Settling in a New Country .Although she is Very Happy of moving to United States, She is unhappy of leaving behind her School Friends with whom she had associated for quite some time.
“I feel extremely sorry to leave behind all my School Friends. I am the only child from my school who got an Opportunity to go for Residence in a Foreign Country. I like if some of my Class Mates or all my Class Mates are coming to my new country.”She stressed. But Sita’s Father Krishna is Optimistic about the Opportunity afforded to Re Start a new life in a Foreign Country. He has decided to Re Settle in a New Country taking into consideration the future of their three children.”I don’t want to see my children spend their lives in a Refugee Camp. What I want is to give them a good education and see that they lead happy lives in the future” says Krishna.
Sita and her family members are being assigned the Des Moinus City to live which is in the State of Iowa in United States Of America. They have been brought to Kathmandu which is the Capital of Nepal from Camp-2 of Beldangi in Eastern Nepal where they lived, by the International Organization of Migration(IOM). They are scheduled to face a Medical Test and a Short Educational Programme in Kathmandu prior to leaving for America.
Already Sita’s Grand Parents and the Paternal Aunt are living in the Iowa State. They left Nepal for Re Settlement in February this year. Sita’s Father Krishna says that he is in constant touch with his family mentors who have already settled down in America.
Like Sita other Bhutanese Refugees numbering 78,000 who have spent half of their lives in Refugee Camps in Nepal have agreed for Re Settlement in other Countries. They have reached that decision in view of the fact that Bhutanese Authorities have not taken any steps to take them back to Bhutan.
Although a Majority of the People are aware of the existence of Bhutan, they are not aware of the existence of Bhutanese Refugees who have spent nearly 20 years in Nepal and now leaving Nepal for Re Settlement in Other Countries. However The Second largest Refugee Re Settlement Programme undertaken by the United Nations High Commission For Refugees(UNHCR) is the Re Settlement of Bhutanese Refugees.
How did the Bhutanese Refugees became Refugees in their own Country Bhutan?The Majority of Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal are known as “Lhotshampas”or Southern Bhutanese. These “Lhotshampas” are Nepali Origin and speak the Nepali Language. Out of the three Ethnic Groups in Bhutan ,the only group that speaks the Nepali Language is the “Lhotshampas”.
By the year 1930,this group which was living in Southern Bhutan consisted of Approximately 60,000 People. Under the first Citizenship Act approved by the Bhutanese Government in the year 1958,the “Lhotshampas”People who were not entitled to any Privileges got their Full Citizenship Status. The highly developed Agriculture which contributed to the Development of Bhutan was in the Southern Bhutan where the “Lhotshampas” were living.With the Social,Economic and Educational Development in Bhutan as witnessed in the decade 1960-1970,”Lhotshampas”commenced to occupy higher positions in the Government.
The Bhutanese Authorities who considered this as a threat to the existing Political Situation in the Country ,Re-Introduced a Citizenship Act in 1985 and ordered that all the Sothern Bhutanese should produce acceptable Documents under the said Act to certify their legal residence. Furthermore it decreed that all the Bhutanese should wear the Apparel Dressed by the Northern Bhutanese and took steps to delete the Nepali Language from the School Curriculum .This became a Great Blow to the “Lhotshampas” who are Nepali Origin. Especially the decree made that those who violate those Regulations do not belong to the Country make things worse.
This Resulted in the Organization of a series of protest campaigns by “Lhotshampas” against those decisions. The participants of the protest campaigns were treated as “Non Nationals”. Thousands of “Lhotshampas” were Imprisoned and more than Two Thousand were attacked. Due to the Pressure of the Amnesty International and International Human Rights Commission those Imprisoned had been released. But by the time they returned to their Villages, they noticed that their dwellings had been destroyed and their relations had fled the Country.
In the first instance “Lhotshampas”fled to India but since the Indian Authorities refused to open up Camps for the Refugees ,they commenced migrating to the South East Nepal. Thus the Nepali Authorities accepted these people of Nepali Origin to their Country and By the year 1990 the Bhutanese Refugees who fled to Nepal stood at Approximately 107,000.The United Nations High Commission For Refugees erected Seven Camps for them.
From then on the Bhutanese Refugees who were in residence in the Camps lived with the hope of going back to their Homeland one day. But even up to now the Bhutanese Government and the King have not made a clear declaration of accepting them to their Country. Despite the fact that the Nepalese Government had discussed this matter with the Bhutanese Government, no signs are visible that these Refugees would be invited back to their Homeland.The Lands belonging to these Refugees in the Southern Bhutan have now fallen in to the hands of Northern Bhutanese.
In this situation, The Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal have expressed their willingness to Migrate to Foreign Country In View of their unwillingness to depend continuously On the Nepali Government and Foreign Organization and in view of the necessity to providing a better future to their Offspring born in the Nepali Refugee Camps.
The Re Settlement Programme of Bhutanese Refugees commenced in November-2007.
As at now, USA has Re Settled the largest number of Bhutanese Refugees in their Country. That is 60,000 Refugees in all. By September 2009 ,USA has completed Re Settling of 17,000 Refugees. By September 2009 action has been taken to Re Settle 846(Australia),674(Canada),299(Norway),294(New Zeeland),172(Denmark) and 122(Netherlands).
Teaching of the English Language to the Bhutanese Refugees who have consented to Migrate to Foreign Countries is done in the Refugee Camps in Nepal under the auspicious of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees. To day some of the Refugees Re Settled in Foreign Countries have found Employment and have admitted their Children to Schools as well.
A further Batch of 5000 Refugees are Re Settled in Foreign Countries by the end of 2009. The intention of the Bhutanese Refugees forcibly driven from their Motherland is to rise from the Depths they are in without the help of anybody.
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