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Threats have refugees on edge
JHAPA, JUL 18 -
It’s a double whammy. Time hangs heavy for Bhutanese refugees who are languishing in seven camps in the eastern region of Nepal for years. Meanwhile, sporadic incidents of murder, torture and intimidation have chilled them to the gills.
Thag Bahadur Thapa and Shantiram Acharya from Jhapa’s Beldangi camp are living under the protection of armed police after they received repeated death threats from an unidentified group.
The local administration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) decided to house them on the premises of the Armed Police Force base camp in the refugee camp after they informed the police of the threats last November.
“I asked the police for security after an unknown group issued death threats repeatedly,” said Thapa, adding,” I am still receiving threats.” Thapa said the group phoned him six days after the murder of Bhutanese Shanti Ram Nepal on Aprtil 19 in 2009 and told him to leave the camp with his family or face the consequences. “After getting information from a source that I would be killed on August 10, 2009, I sought security from chief district officer,” Thapa added.
He said the UNHCR’s third country resettlement plan had drawn criticism from some sections of the people.
There used to be quarrels between people i n the camp in favour of and against the resettlement programme. He added, “I always argued against the third country resettlement plan.”
Thapa, 53, was the Vice-chair of Bhutan People’s Party in Samdup Jongkhar district in 1994. He also agitated against the Druk regime in 1998.
Posted on: 2010-07-19 08:40
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