In separate media statements received by BNS, the Druk National Congress (Democratic) and Human Rights Organization of Bhutan (HUROB) have extended their warm felicitations to Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal.
“Although resettlement is not the conclusion in the crusade for repatriation, failure to convince Bhutan despite all diplomatic persuasion has perhaps compelled Bhutanese enmasse to embrace the choice of third country resettlement. Obviously, that is also an opportunity to empower them through experiences given required exposure and educational prospects,” reads the Statement of DNC-D.
The HUROB Chairmain, SB Subba, meanwhile, has said that since 1991, the Bhutanese refugees have seen 34 prime ministers coming and going. According to his statement, in their tenure, some tried to resolve the festering problem through bilateral talk between two governments of Nepal and Bhutan, while a few made blunders and a few even never spoke of the problem.
“More outrageous is that now the core countries have opened the option of third country resettlement and options of repatriation, which of course is the priority and local assimilation are completely sidelined,” added Subba’s statement, which further sought support from Bhattarai-led government for repatriation.
The President of DNC-D, Thinley Penjore, added that his party wished to apprise the newly elected Prime Minister and further appeal his government to give priority to the two decade long suffering of the unfortunate people discriminated by the Bhutanese regime.
HUROB has further said that on the part of Nepal government, it also demonstrates the failure of the diplomatic efficiency to deal appropriately with the intransigent Bhutan government and not reciprocating to Nepal government flexibility and thus not allowing single Bhutanese refugee to repatriate despite verification and proving at the least 75% Bhutanese even with the strictest scrutiny by the Bhutan government.
