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US to resettle 30,000 refugees
KATHMANDU, SEP 01 -
The US embassy announced on Wednesday that the number of Bhutanese refugees resettled in America will reach 30,000 by the end of this week, taking the total number of resettled Bhutanese refuge-es in any country to 35,000.
“We are gratified, together with our partners, to be able to help turn an unfortunate and often painful situation into something more hopeful for these people—America’s newest residents, whom we welcome with open arms and hearts,” said US Ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi in a press statement on Wednesday.
The US, working with the UNHCR, the IOM and other members of the Core Group (Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Denm-ark, Norway, New Zealand and the UK) began resettling Bhutanese refugees in early 2008.
The Bhutanese resettlement programme is the third-largest resettlement operation for the US, which takes in around 75,000 refugees from around the world each year. Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in all 50 states and receive support from US federal and state governments. Some 75,000 refugees still remain in camps in eastern Nepal.
“The US is committed to accepting as many of the Bhutanese whom the UNHCR refers to us for consideration in Nepal and who meet the requirements of US law for refugee admission,” the embassy said.
“The US continues to urge Bhutan to accept the return of those persons who are eligible and wish to do so as another important component of finding durable solutions for all Bhutanese refugees in Nepal,” it added.
Posted on: 2010-09-02 08:17
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