Local leaders of the major three parties of Nepal – UCPN (Maoist), CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC) – expressed that unity among exiled leaders is a must to take forward the protracted refugee issue, Wednesday.
They claimed, the exiled leaders have been divided even on the main agenda – struggle to return home with dignity and honour.
According to them, leaders in exile should create environment to forge unity among themselves and even bar refugees from opting the ongoing resettlement program.
Speaking at an interaction program organised by various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) at Damak of Jhapa, NC leader Sher Bahadur Bhattarai, UML leader Devendra Dahal and UCPN (Maoist) leader Durga Chapagain expressed such opinion.
“The third country resettlement process is undermining the struggle of Bhutanese refugees when the population of refugees in UN-monitored camps of Jhapa and Morang is reducing dramatically,” said Bhattarai.
According to his say, if refugee leaders really wanted their people to return to Bhutan they should be able to bar people from opting for resettlement.
While, UL leader Devendra Dahal said it is sad that the government side failed to give priority in exploring a permanent solution to the refugee issue.
Meanwhile, Maoist local leader Durga Chapagain opined that the whole resettlement scenario could take a u-turn if all refugee leaders and their organisations became ready to formulate programmes to pressurise the government of Bhutan to accept refugees back home.
They also expressed that they would try to influence their leadership in the respective party to extend all possible supports for the democratic struggle in Bhutan.
‘UNHCR ignoring repatriation issue’
Various exiled leaders and youths who presented their views at the program accused the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of ignoring the refugees’ right to return home.
Chairman of the Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee Dr Bhampa Rai said, the UNHCR and resettlement
countries were simply motivating refugees for resettlement, neglecting the pains they suffered in Bhutan.
Druk Nation Congress –Democratic Chairman Thinley Penjore highlighted it was wrong to address the general refugee population as “Nepali-speaking Bhutanese” stating that exiled citizens like Sarchops have been excluded.
According to Penjore, some exiled Bhutanese from eastern Bhutan are not able to reach their stakeholders in Nepal due to language problem.
Woman activist Jasoda Budathoki and right activist DP Kafle also expressed that UN and resettlement countries should pressurize Bhutan to accept citizens back home.
Meanwhile, youth leader Chabi Kharel mentioned that resettlement has been going against the morale of democratic struggle in Bhutan. He said, Nepal should be a proper place for the exiled Bhutanese to fight for democracy in Bhutan.
UNHCR has been motivating refugees by showing videos on good aspects of life after the resettlement, said he.”There were cases of suicides and attacks on resettled people and several stories of hardship. Why is the UNHCR silent on these issues?”
To pressurize the government of Bhutan to take back its citizens with dignity is good idea provided RGOB feels it. However, I do not find any sense when the Nepalese or Bhutanese Leaders say that people should be barred from being resettled. Nepalese local leaders neither want us to go back Bhutan nor get resettled in third countries.They want our people to stay in refugee camps in the same pathetic conditions so they can exploit them a lot.They are getting cheap labors from the camps and are able to make abnormal profits from whatever they produce . Whatever they spoke regarding repatriation is just to maintain formality. Our so called leaders have nothing to do if all people get resettled.So, they are much worried.
I am not against repatriation but we should look for alternatives and try to think in a wider ways. Third country resettlement would help us to pressurize the government of Bhutan should we wish.How long should our people spend such hellish life in camps?. Life in resettled countries is not easy. However, along with the challenges there are several opportunities too. Here is the place to grow and developed our potentialities.
Suicides and attacks are the crimes that take place everywhere in the world not only in the resettled countries.Such crime rates are far less in developed countries than in developing or underdeveloped countries.
While I support the comments by Raghu above, I would also like to add a few lines here. The disunity of exiled refugee leaders existed since long time. It is perhaps due to Bhutan’s cleverness that all the money they received for development in Bhutan was used to send their agents into the camps and kept one person in every 10 on their pay roll as their informer. What ever the leaders tried to work out were either reported to Bhutan or maneuvered in the camps that bounced back to refugee leaders thereby impairing them helplessly. On the other hand, Nepal locals were carefully used by their own leaders to showcase lip service of support, which continues even to this day. In reality, both Nepal’s key persons are financially benefited, which they don’t want to part away with. They don’t want refugees to either repatriate or get resettled. But they want to use refugees for their own vested interest. The skilled labor is the main advantage. From plantation and harvesting to all sorts of infrastructural buildings the refugees were used at meager wages. Moreover all the International offices that has concerned to refugees are occupied by locals. They have been highly paid besides lot of rumors loom about involving in bribery from refugees whenever they wished to get their works done. They are afraid to lose their milch cows. Now that almost 50% of the refugees gone and over 80% in the process the Nepali people are much worried. No matter, how much pressure is given on Bhutan, repatriation as problem solution will not happen as Bhutan has begun to accept that the refugees are not from Bhutan. They have time and again described the refugees as “the people in the camps”. Looking into the internal talks here in Bhutan, I do not see any willingness among parliamentarians of to day to accept any repatriation. So, why should people work to bar refugees from going on resettlement. After all they will gain adequate exposure, they will be able to use their skills appropriately. They will also get lot of experience in all other skills including their love for democracy. At the end it will be Bhutan as a nation that will benefit. People are born and gone but the people’s legacy will remain throughout generations. I say that resettlement is an opportunity and should not be missed at any cost.
Resettlement is the best option under the circumstances. It may be that in the end it is not Bhutan government but the leaders in camps and others in Nepal who would make sure repatriation never happens. I don’t know how it happened but a terrible blunder was made in attacking the Bhutanese team. It turned out to be a great excuse in Bhutan government’s favour to stall the talks.
I wish to see the unity among leaders of Bhutanese diaspora and I wish the aspiration of the dignified return of willing Bhutanese will be honoured.
The Irony is how practical is that our leaders will unit by deeds? I pray for this but my prayers have to wait for generations- if I am not wrong. This is not undermining anyone but the reality on the ground speaks on itself.
The conclusiion is, the so called parties of Nepali politics and leaders, if you have any resources, please pay and educate our leaders to unite than to talk of your dignified repartiation. The leaders are in your area, and Bhutan govt is not. As the saying goes, “one in the hand is better than two in the bush”, please handle the ones in your hand and then talk to Bhutan second for return.
Thank you
Parsu
Melbourne
I agree with the comments above. I also would like to request all the journalists for not addressing Bhutanese guys as the leader because they doesn’t truly represent all the exiled Bhutanese and they are not given the mandate by the people to lead the community. So called leaders are trying to create their own job by keeping exiled Bhutanese fellows in the Camp, which the most refugees will not agree with.
Hey, so called leaders stop your propaganda.
I support every comment above.And regarding bhutanese leaders i would say our true leader is yet not born.If there were any they are not available(alive) now.
Dear Mishra-ji and everyone above,
It’s really painful. When our people will be matured? No one is trying to learn and experience about the global politics, even when a large number of them are today spread all over the world. Mahatma Gandhi was not the first and last freedom fighter in India. There were several other leaders who joined the struggle for freedom and it was there contribution that created the ground for Karam Chandra Gandhi to be Mahatma Gandhi – now known as the father of nation.
Our struggle for justice, equality and freedom was not launched in 1990. No true Bhutanese can forget the contribution made by DB Gurung, Devi Bhakta Lamitary, Mahashur Chettri and many more since late 40s. The current movement is the continuation of their contribution, their foundation. For me, it is not the failure of our leaders. They have done a lot and contributed very much for the case of the Bhutanese people. The situation was not favourable. I do agree that the knowledge and experiences on the political movement was not fully matured when the Bhutanese movement for democracy re-started in 1990. That cannot be denied. Something certainly went wrong at the initial stages. But again that does not mean the leaders were failed or it is the failure of the leadership.
Dr. Bhampa Rai, for instance, has contributed so much for the cause of the Bhutanese people. He left his luxurious life back in Bhutan at his young age and joined the Bhutanese movement realizing that the educated people should be the voice for the downtrodden. I have never heard Dr. Rai saying third country resettlement is bad option but his concern, rather his frustration is about the procedure, which went wrong. As a leader, I think Dr. Rai does not want to see wrong precedent to be established, because it would support the autocratic rulers, who would continue to create more refugee problems around the world – thereby creating more burdens for the international community. The third country resettlement program is not the first option. It is the third option, which the UNHCR itself had described as painful option. It is the UNHCR, which has recommended the repatriation and local assimilation as first and second options respectively to be explored before opening the third options. This is the bone of contention. Not the failure of leadership’s credibility or commitment, my friends!
Anyone can be a leader tomorrow. It is not the leadership alone to be blamed all the time. As a responsible member of the community, you and I too have the responsibility. What best you and I have done to challenge the work and commitment of the leadership? Of course, the Bhutanese movement could not create a centre leader like Dalai Lama but the mission is on and its legacy will not be broken. For the last two decades, the Bhutanese people struggled from the Asian sub-continent. Now their movement has crossed the Pacific Ocean. So, this is the potential indication that Bhutanese movement will never die down. It will flourish and continue with more vigour because the great injustice caused to the innocent people of Bhutan has to be justified. It is only the time factor. The royal government’s philosophy of gross national happiness cannot be materialised without true democracy in Bhutan and rightful repatriation of the patriotic Bhutanese people. I am optimistic.
Therefore, friends, the BNS has given us this very important forum for discussion on the case of the Bhutanese people. It is daily visited by a large number of deeply and sometimes seriously concerned and interested people like Alice Verheij and many more from around the world. No one is perfect in this planet. Jesus Christ was crucified alleging his wrong doing. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated at the end. So, let’s utilize this forum for meaningful purpose, let’s all think critically, act rationally and behave responsibly. Let’s not make the Bhutanese movement an issue of global mockery but let’s all work collectively to materialise the dream of every Bhutanese, our martyrs and our ancestors.
Monlam Tashi,
Your comments are worth for appreciation…Kudos for this eye opening lines , hope it will help our fellow bhutanese to change their perception on leadership.
why to BAR THE RESETTLEMENT?????????????its their choice……..didnt they wait for return to the homeland for around 20 yrs????no any hope! so they might have chosen this.
Dear friends,
The above comments are cunningly simply, some comments are like outdated. We were together for 20 years of our life and several attempts were made for unity, but due to the vestiges interest of our leaders it was not successful.
Now most the so called leaders are in western countries already settled with their family. Why? They know it well that there is no possibility of unity and no repatriation. Nepal can do nothing in our situation. I think it is not wise enough to ask any help from Nepal Government for repatriation. Many of their people are getting opportunity to suck the blood from the innocent Bhutanese who are in camp. There are 100 and 100 examples in every sector they work. So, one should not dream for repatriation from now as we have not seen any symptoms of it.
At this situation resettlement is the best option for all the people who are suffering in the camp. People who came from the refugee camp for third country settlement have bitter experience of 20 years of their unbearable burden in life.
So do not believe in unity any more friends it is just a gimmick to all by ……… !
Dear Monlam,
I fully support your comment. I also believe that when one seeks any change in any society or in the country, it is highly imperative to change oneself first. Without changing our thoughts, perceptions and visions as per the demand of the time and situation, we cannot change our society or the country. Hence, I look forward to see more Monlan Tashis emerging in the Bhutanese movement to make our mission a success. Good luck, keep it up!
“Too many cooks spoil the broth.” – due to mushrooming of various political parties with their own vested interests or agendas in the exiled life brought total ruin to the ongoing repatriation process. Moreover high scarcities in the refugee camps brought total negative impact and all the so called leaders totally lost their mutual trusts. Knowledge leads to unity but ignorance to diversity, if our self proclaimed leaders has had full political knowledge or at least have sense of patriotism, scattering around the world[resettlement]would be even the last option. If they had won the heart of at least 10-20 thousand innocent public[refugee],no one would leave them alone in their respective camps or outside the camps. Instead most of them traded every innocents for their livelihood. Very shameful to express our start to almost ending political struggle which resettlement agencies are the true leaders and guardians for all of us! Congrats to all the resettling agencies but shame to all the so called leaders who lost their faith and paralyzed themselves. We are human being and we love dignified life without hurting others. We would be cursed by our younger generations if we go on fighting and dividing ourselves even in abroad. But still the world is made up of opposites we need to struggle modifying our negative cultures and teaching the right thing our younger ones. The game is totally lost but ideology and legacy never loose. But if we use our past experiences,knowledge,courage and work with unity, nothing is impossible in the world but needs unified determinations and unselfish commitments!
correction – [resettlement would be] – “would not be even last option”
– right thing our younger ones – “right thing to our younger ones”