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Druk message: Don’t come to Bhutan
KATHMANDU, DEC 25 - With the Bhutanese government terming the Khudunabari scuffle as "unprovoked violence" against the Druk officials, and Nepal’s Foreign Secretary admitting difficulty in reconciling the differences between the refugees and the Bhutanese government, the long-standing crisis has deepened yet again.
Admits Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya. "It will be difficult to strike a reconciliation between the concerns of the refugees and those of the Bhutanese government’s."
The Foreign Ministry has reasons to worry if a report posted on Kuenselonline on Tuesday, the online edition of the Bhutanese government mouthpiece, is any indication. Clearly, the incident is going to be used by Bhutan to keep the refugee crisis in limbo.
"Given the serious injuries sustained by our officials and the extreme mental shock and trauma that they have been subjected to, they are no longer in a position to continue their work," states the account of the incident as posted in the website on Tuesday.
Kuenselonline, citing the Bhutanese foreign ministry sources, claimed that the stance taken by the Druk officials was as per the mandate of the 15th Ministerial Joint Committee meeting held in Thimphu two months ago.
This clearly contradicts the stance of Nepalese government which has unequivocally stated that the Bhutanese officials in the Nepal-Bhutan Joint Verification Team (JVT) went beyond the mandate. It also makes apparent the fissures between Nepal and Bhutan, which the two sides have been trying to hide in diplomatic niceties.
"Maybe the Nepalese government is hiding something," charges Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, former foreign minister. "It is trying to paint a rosy picture that is clearly bereft of ground reality." He believes that the conditions clearly demonstrate that the Bhutanese government was not willing take back the refugees, and urges the international community to intervene so as to ensure that the refugees can return and settle in Bhutan with respect, security and dignity.
This is not the first time that the Bhutanese went beyond their mandate in laying bare the terms and conditions that the refugees are required to follow once they are back in Bhutan. Some of the conditions include compulsorily speaking Dzongkha (language of the dominant Ngalung community), refugees replacing labourers working at road sites, agreeing to ‘no citizenship status’ and staying in camps for a two-year period in Bhutan. In June this year, the Bhutanese officials had distributed pamphlets containing similar conditions which had drawn the ire of the refugees then, too.
At that time, officials from Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had revealed to The Kathmandu Post that Nepal had objected to the development and that the Druk government had expressed "regret" over the incident. It is believed to have promised the Nepalese government that such an incident would not recur in future.
But the conditions were repeated, leading to the unpleasant scuffle between the JVT officials, refugees and the policemen trying to protect the officials in the Khudunabari camp on Monday.
Why did Bhutan go back on its earlier commitment to treat the refugees with respect and dignity? Especially at a time when the Druk government is running a military campaign against Indian militants at the behest of the Indian government?
Rakesh Chhetri, Executive Director of the Centre for Protection of Minorities and Against Racism and Discrimination in Bhutan (CEMARD-Bhutan) says the Druk government has become "arrogant" after doing India’s bidding. "The Indian government will certainly reward Bhutan and this reward is turning blind eye to the refugees’ hope of returning to their homeland." Chhetri alleges that this is a well-executed plan of the Druk government to intimidate the refugees so that they give up the idea of going back. "This will mean more refugees would opt to stay back in Nepal if and when the voluntary repatriation form is distributed to them."
He says refugees will not return after knowing these "humiliating" conditions.
Agrees Professor Lok Raj Baral, former Nepalese ambassador to Bhutan, who says that now Bhutan will delay the whole process to find amicable solution. He adds, "The refugees now need guarantee of safety and dignity in Bhutan."
Even Foreign Secretary Acharya admits that the refugees will return only if there is conducive atmosphere.
But will there be such an atmosphere?Posted on: 2003-12-26 04:43
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