Editorial»
Druk bluaff
DEC 24 - The pent-up frustration, anger, and helplessness of the Bhutanese refugees was on full display, the other day, at the Khudunabari refugee camp, when the irate refugees pelted stones at the visiting Bhutanese officials of the Joint Verification Team (JVT). Violence of any kind cannot be condoned, but this particular wrath of the refugees cannot be clubbed with ordinary violence. In doing so, we will be doing injustice to a majority of over 110,000 people, who have been living as stateless citizens for the past 13 years in seven UNHRC sponsored camps in Jhapa and Morang districts of eastern Nepal.
Reports from the camp coming here clearly suggest that Dr Sonam Tenzin, leader of the Bhutanese JVT team, went beyond the mandate of the 15th Ministerial Level Joint Committee (MLJC) meeting in announcing certain conditions unilaterally. These conditions created a wave of anger amongst the refugees, who had assembled in the community hall of the camp. Dr Tenzin is believed to have told that he was merely conveying the decision of his government. This lends credence to the refugees’ fears and allegation that the Druk regime is not sincere in taking back the citizens it evicted forcefully, more than a decade ago.
One of the few conditions announced for the verified refugees placed in Category 2 (Bhutanese who emigrated voluntarily) is that they would be kept in camps for two years in their own homeland, from where, as the refugees had all along claimed, they were evicted in the late 80s. Other conditions include speaking Dzongkha (language spoken by the majority community and elite class, the Ngalungs), and learning the history, culture, and traditions of Bhutan, before it considers them its bonafide citizens. In other words, it is returning to the same conditions imposed on the minorities before they were forcefully evicted by the Druk regime. These conditions, in the very least, contravene Articles 2, 9 and 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, passed by the United Nations, that guarantee, among others, right to language, religion, political opinion, freedom from exile and right to leave one’s own country and return to it.
The only welcome development of Monday’s unsavoury incident is the unequivocal rebuttal by the head of Nepali JVT team. Sushil Jung Rana minced no words in stating that the conditions announced by the Bhutanese leader had no backing of the 15th MLJC meeting. Monday’s incident clearly demonstrates the need to discard the bilateral process and actively involve the international community formally, in order to ensure the dignified return of the refugees as legitimate Bhutanese citizens. Bhutan, by its past procrastination, has shown that it would drag the issue, and not allow the logical outcome of the refugee problem that the two sides have been trying to resolve since 1993. There is also the likelihood of the Druk regime using this incident as an excuse to delay the repatriation process further. It is high time to call off the Bhutanese bluff.Posted on: 2003-12-24 02:47
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