The U.S. Department of State stated that Bhutan has not been allowing all political and apolitical organizations to get registered.
Releasing a 17-page long Human Rights Report 2011, the US said though the constitution provides for freedom of association, and the government permitted the registration of some political parties and organizations, but that was only for those which are regarded “not harmful to the peace and unity of the country.”
“The government regarded political parties organized by Nepali-speaking refugees in refugee camps in Nepal as illegal, terrorist, and anti-national in nature,” said the report, released on May 24.
According to the Department, the ICRC was the only international human rights monitoring group officially operating in the country.
“There were reports that most of the NGOs in Bhutan operated under the umbrella of the royal family. The 2007 Civil Society Organization Act requires all new NGOs to register with the government,” added the report.
The report also highlighted that the law does not address forced exile, but the government forced approximately 90,000 Nepali-speaking persons to leave the country in the early 1990s, following a series of steps taken during the 1970s and 1980s to deprive the Nepali-speaking population of its citizenship.
It further said, “There were no reported cases of forced exile during the year. There continued to be government delays in implementing a process to identify and repatriate refugees in Nepal with legitimate claims to Bhutanese citizenship.”
According to NGOs, stateless persons remain resident in Bhutan, mainly in the south, but the number is unknown, claimed the report. “Stateless persons cannot obtain No Objection Certificates and Security Clearance certificates, which limited access to employment, business ownership, and school attendance at higher-level institutions.”
Meanwhile, the reported also quoted the Human Rights Watch Human Rights that stated that the government excluded 13 percent of the Nepali-speaking population from voting in 2008 because they were considered “non-nationals” in the 2005 census.
However, it lauded the fairness during the elections. “International monitors reported that the elections were generally free and fair with no reports of irregularities during the election process.”
Love to America. I am grateful to Americans.
Freedom of speech, Freedom of practicing the human rights is absolutely zero. The outside world has been believing the tactical scenario of Bhutan since from decade. The truthfulness is far behind what was quoted.
“The Gross National Happiness” the hypothetical assumption were predicted with out any supportive facts. The World gradually is noticing the real facts what is going inside among the true citizen of Bhutan.
Thank You America!!!
Now Bhutan needs to realise that steps are being taken by the international communty against Bhutan in favour of nepali speaking Bhutanese who are deprived from besic rights from long time. GoB might be thinking that the refugee problem is gone along with the third country resettlement but infact is becoming stronger and louder.
Love to Bhutan!!!!
Naresh
form Australia.
What a Great Country US is? State department published its report of Dictatorial Government. But allows the same dictator to preach its Hypothesis of GNH. Where were the department of State officials by then? You know the true Demons of Druk. You could have arrested and Detain them for couple years and taught them what ‘s Civil Liberty. Are you making base to send troops sooner or later.
More Bhutanese refugees resettle in western countries more Bhutan is getting naked from its long saved mask from the western world. Reality cannot be hidden like you can’t hide sun by your palm. This is just a illusion coz rest part of your body is already exposed to it. Sooner or later to acccept its genuine citizen with honour and dignity is only the way Bhutan can be safe from criticism from around the world.
Along with the report the US also understands that the internal matters lie solely in the Bhutanese government to handle. Because the US realizes that without strict regulation a government, including US cannot maintain law and order.
Take an illegal immigrants issue in the US as an example. The illegal immigrants cannot obtain work authorization, driver’s license and any trade license. I think many employers require job applicants to submit to finger print and background check, which is very similar to NOC in Bhutan.
Everyday many illegal immigrants are jailed, fined and deported from US. I have recently read news about growing sentiments against the illegal immigrants in the US. Many states are thinking of amending their immigration laws. If anti immigration laws are passed by many states, you people will feel the brunt of such a law in the US.
Participation in election? Again, the US got to understand. There are requirements that voters need to meet. Were all those refugee who were resettled able to vote even at their local government. No. Because they don’t the basic requirement. It is a same thing in Bhutan. People who don’t meet the requirements are not allowed to vote. Human Rights did not watch the whole process of election in Bhutan. They only assumed. Or, at best, elaborated the hearsay report of those so-called refugee leaders.
Thank you sir, for your good work.
We need clear cut support from the people of USA to justify our resettlement in US. Continuously we have been seeking help from International Communities and have not left any institution uninformed about Bhutan. Now, it is time for The US and other International Law Enforcing Agencies, UN bodies to give Bhutanese justice and justify as defender of Human Rights and Law. I hope it will happen.
US now understands that democracy in Bhutan is just for Wanchuck and it’s pets. Not for general public.
Good that the US files a critical report. But we all know it is incomplete even with 17 pages in it.
It mentions the harsh prison conditions and torture and a number of around 76 political prisoners.
I don’t read about disappearances and killings by the government.
I also don’t read criticism on the freedom of press which is not at all in place. The reports suggest freedom of speech and freedom of press where it isn’t. That part seems missing the reality.
Again, it’s good that such reports are written and published. But it should have been stronger, especially on the sabotage the Bhutan government exercises concerning talks with the Nepal Govt on repatriation.
Alice-
The US files critical report on every country, including your country -the Netherlands. It is the policy of the US government that every diplomatic mission deployed in that particular country is required to prepare a report. Below, I am going to attach a few paragraphs from the US report on the Netherlands. While there are mention of harsh treatment in prison and 5034 stateless person since 2009 -in a developed country like the Netherlands, I thought this particular report would be of interest to you, since you always made fuss of ethnic issues in Bhutan.
Here it is:
“Anti-Semitism
According to the Jewish Social Work organization, approximately 45,000 Jews resided in the Netherlands.
Anti-Semitic incidents, including threats, verbal abuse, and desecration of monuments and cemeteries, continued to occur. The Center for Information and Documentation on Israel (CIDI) reported a significant rise in the number of reported incidents in 2009 and 2010. CIDI stated, however, that “serious incidents” remained rare. The frequency of incidents appeared to be correlated with the political situation in the Middle East. For example, incidents sharply increased in June following the Israeli action against the Gaza Flotilla. They included spraying red paint on the front doors of synagogues in the towns of Amersfoort and Utrecht and an incident on June 6, during which passers-by shouted “Heil Hitler” when Chief Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs was speaking at a memorial ceremony at the former concentration camp in Vught. CIDI pushed for more action against anti-Semitic Internet sites, which it characterized as one of the main means of disseminating anti-Semitic and racist ideologies. It also sought tougher action against Holocaust denial, better registration of anti-Semitic incidents, and more attention to Holocaust education. Explicitly anti-Semitic sentiments were widespread among certain segments of the Muslim community, pro-Palestinian groups, and fringe nationalist and neo-Nazi groups.
In its most recent report, the Registration Center for Discrimination on the Internet (MDI) in 2009 reported a sharp increase in anti-Semitic statements. During that year it received 399 reports of anti-Semitism, of which it considered 258 to be punishable, including 41 denials of the Holocaust. Whereas the Web sites of right-wing extremists traditionally accounted for most of the anti-Semitic expressions on the Internet, the MDI found that such expressions were increasingly present on mainstream interactive websites.
On August 19, the Arnhem Appellate Court fined the AEL for a cartoon on the AEL Web site that expressed the idea that Jews deliberately invented or exaggerated the Holocaust (see Section 2.a.).
In September the government initiated an updated action plan to combat discrimination in general and anti-Semitism in particular. The plan underlined the importance of a local approach through cooperation between local authorities and Jewish and non-Jewish organizations to include the reporting and filing of complaints, improved tracking down and prosecution of offenders, and education and the dissemination of information on discrimination. For example, the government sponsored special training courses for teachers, peer education projects, and education programs that focused specifically on anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. It also sponsored the Jewish Moroccan Network, which sought to reduce tensions between Jews and Moroccans.
In early December, Dutch politician and former EU commissioner Frits Bolkstein advised Dutch Jews, particularly those that stand out due to their dress, to leave the country because of what he described as increasing anti-Semitism, especially amongst Dutch Moroccans. After he was criticized for this statement, Bolkstein stated that his intentions were to urge the Dutch “not look away” from the realities and denied that he ever called on Jews to leave the country.
The government-funded Article 1 National Association Against Discrimination set up several projects at elementary, secondary, and vocational training schools to counter racism and discrimination.”
No country is perfect in its functioning. Bhutan is no exception. But you don’t make foul cry of another country when similar issues are happening under your on chin in your own country.
The talk with Nepal will never happen due to its unstable government. At present there is no government at all. The country (Nepal) is in crisis. The most common thing I see in you and Nepalese, is the extreme hatred against Bhutan and your effort to defame Bhutan; if only there are people to listen to your revolutionary mindset.
Hey Bhangtare Mailo…Plz be serious and make your logic digestive to intellectuals. Plz make your content debatable to the world human rights organizations. You seem quite infant commenting US government like that. And
Mr, Lotus Flower
You are too an individual same as the refugees who deserve the right to be a National of any country. They have been languishing in a status of stateless persons because of you all there in Bhutan. Don’t think this system goes forever, the day will come that makes you cry for your past deeds and regret. How do you say they were illegal? Did you prove that they were illegal through an Internationally accepted method to evict them? Don’t try to dance in revenge and celebrate your GNH which one day will come retrospectively.
You are a good Bhakta of Alice. So pray for malice campaign against Bhutan but never dream of the opportunity to lick her arse.
The day had already come in 2008 when refugees started flying to third country. You will never see Bhutan even in your dreams.
You envy the progress in Bhutan. Your idol country, Nepal, doesn’t even have a government right now. Nepal is in crises. Help your comrades in Nepal build peace rather than spending time to disrupt peace in another country.