E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU , JAN 23 - Bhutanese living in Europe formally announced the formation of a forum to raise the issue of human rights situation and democracy in Bhutan in the international forums. The Bhutanese of Nepali origin, who were compelled to leave their country because of their ethnicity and are currently living in different parts of Europe, declared the formation of Bhutanese Advocacy Forum Europe (BAF Europe) on Friday in Munich, Germany.

Thousands of ethnic Nepali people were shooed off from Bhutan in the late 1980s and the early 90s. Most of them came to Nepal via Indian soil seeking safe haven, and are residing in the camps in Jhapa and Morang districts in eastern Nepal.  Meanwhile, so far more than 25,600 refugees have left Nepal under the third-country resettlement programme in the US and the European countries.

"The Bhutanese in Europe have come together to give continuity to such advocacy programmes in the international forums to make the Bhutanese regime realise the moral obligation to respect the human rights instruments and civil liberties," said Chief Coordinator of BAF Europe Durga Giri, issuing a statement.

According to him, though the forum was set up earlier it was formally announced after its legal registration.

All the 16 Bhutanese who participated in Geneva demonstration last December has remained as founding members of the forum. Likewise, Ram Bahadur Karki Chhetri, Suren Ghalley and Ramesh Gautam have been elected as country coordinators from The Netherlands, Germany and Norway respectively.

BAF Europe claimed that it is supported by the exiled leaders, rights defenders, academicians and youths, and that it will work towards the creation of a global platform of Bhutanese before it gets merged into the main stream of international campaigns as and when the global platform comes into existence.

The forum is working for the 13th Human Rights Council meeting scheduled for March 2010 in Geneva where Bhutan is responding to the queries raised by various country representatives in the last December.

 Forum is begining its International campaigning in Europe scheduled to start from early next week. It is also organising awareness programmes in Europe to garner solidarity from the European people towards the long-standing refugee imbroglio.

 

Posted on: 2010-01-23 07:13

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