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Bhutanese Refugees: Trapped and TantalizedWednesday, 10 January 2007, 12:51 am
Opinion:Hari Bansha Dulal |
Bhutanese Refugees: Trapped andTantalized
By HariBansha DulalIt’s been more thanone-and-half decades since the first group of refugeesreached eastern Nepal from Bhutan. However, theircollective sufferings resulting from the tragedy of forcedexile continue unabated; they have no way of knowing whattheir situation will be from one day to the next. Withrespect to land, they lost the possessions that gave meaningand dignity to life and their personal history.
Theforceful mass expulsion of Nepali speaking Lhotshampa ofsouthern Bhutan by the Drukpa regime is a living example ofstate sponsored apartheidism. The Lhotshampas becamesacrificial lamb because economically well-off, bettereducated, and freedom loving Lhotshampa were an eminentthreat to Drukpa regime’s autocratic aspirations. However,in a desperate move to annul the threat to his autocraticregime, former King Jigme exhibited a worst form ofguardianship by chasing the very people he was supposed toprotect as a monarch.
Even after languishing in refugeecamps in eastern Nepal for more than a decade and half now,Bhutanese refugees cannot stop thinking about returninghome. Although their decade long battle for the right toreturn home has not borne any fruit, they have not given itup altogether. The hope of being home someday has kept themgoing.
India, the regional power house and closest allyof Bhutan, has so far shirked its responsibility in solvingthe Bhutanese refugee problem by calling it a bilateralissue between Nepal and Bhutan. However, everyone, includingBhutanese refugees themselves, knows the key to voluntaryrepatriation of Bhutanese refugee problem rests in NewDelhi.
The Indian government is indirectly obstructing therightful repatriation of Bhutanese refugee by shirking itsresponsibility in solving Bhutanese refugee issues. AsBhutan is India’s closest ally in South Asia and hasalways blindly toed Indian line at the United Nations andother forums, India does not want to upset Bhutan King’saspirations for autocratic regime by pushing for rightfulrepatriation of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal.
Bhutaneserefugees have witnessed 15 tumultuous years pass by and 15rounds of talks held between the Nepalese and Bhutanesegovernment fail. Nepal has failed, miserably, to forceBhutan to accept its people. The time is ripe for some hardtalks. Nepal should put Bhutan on the spot and ask if it isgoing to take back its citizen or not. If yes, when? Nepalshould push for definite time line. The refugees cannot andshould not continue to stay in the camps for long. Bhutaneserefugees deserve much more than the mere enjoyment ofConvention rights in exile.
In addition, the Nepalesegovernment has two options: it can do what the Ivory Coastdid or express the inability to pressure Bhutan and therebyask Bhutanese refugees to explore the option of resettlementin third-world countries. During the influx of Liberianrefugees in 1989, President Félix Houphouët-Boigny setsuch an example by declaring the refugees from Liberia as“brothers in distress” and refused to warehouse them incamps. He asked his people to accept them as a part of theIvorian society. Let those willing to accept localintegration be part of a Nepalese society. If we do nothave that big of a heart and courage to do what FélixHouphouët-Boigny did in Ivory Coast, lets stop showingBhutanese refugees false dreams. The 15-year of diplomaticefforts have already shown that with India on Bhutan’sside, Nepal will not be able to score decisive victory andpressure Bhutan into repatriation of refugees.
Thewarehousing of Bhutanese in refugee camps in eastern Nepalhas not contributed to anything. Instead, it has increasedidleness and dependency of Bhutanese refugees, which initself, is a violation of human rights. Warehousing thesemen and women that have an ability to change the face of anynation is a denial of rights and a waste of humanity.
Nepal should put up a bold face and acknowledge once andfor ever that we are not able to help our brothers indistress. Given the limited prospects for return to Bhutanin the foreseeable future, Bhutanese refugees should beasked to explore other viable options. In a scenario wherebylocal integration may not be desired by most of theBhutanese refugees and voluntary repatriation does not seemto be happening in the foreseeable future, what options areleft? For Bhutanese refugees languishing in refugee camps ineastern Nepal resettlement in third countries may be, infact, the best—or perhaps, the only—alternative. Bhutanese refugee leaders should be extremely cautious andshould not allow this problem to go unsolved any longer fortheir personal political gains. The settlement inthird-world countries is not the best option, as no place isdearer than one’s birth place, but is far better than aforeign land whereby one is forced to spend dependent andidle life at the mercy of relief agencies. Furthermore, ifthe problem remains unsolved much longer, it will fall offthe radar screen of the international community into anOrwellian memory hole. Bhutanese leaders should not ignorewhat is happening with Palestinian refugees languishing inrefugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon. Neglected by theinternational community, more than 750,000 Palestinianrefugees who fled Israel in 1948 and who, along with theirchildren numbering in the millions, are now forced to liveuprooted lifes indefinitely.
Bhutan's foreign ministerKhandu Wangchuk recent remark, “bringing back the"highly-politicized camp people" into Bhutan would meanimporting ready-made-terrorists” clearly shows that Bhutandoes not want to take back these refugees anytime soon.Refugee leaders should acknowledge the truth once and forall. With India on its side, Bhutan may, theoretically,continue its delay tactics forever. In turn, Bhutaneserefugees warehoused in refugee camps may never again be ableto see their land. As Israel will likely never acceptPalestinian refugees who fled Israel in 1948, as acceptancewould change Israel from a Jewish state into an Arab state,Drukpa regime may never accept forcefully evictedLhotshampa. Accepting these forcefully evicted Lhotshampawill turn Bhutan in to a democratic state which is deadagainst the aspirations of the King and his cronies inBhutan.
The Bhutanese refugee leaders should shun theirfuture political ambition if necessary for the greater goodof Bhutanese refugees. The western nations have pretty wellstudied the complexity surrounding the issue or else theywould not be exhibiting their willingness to take Bhutaneserefugees in their land. Western nations will not do anythingthat will displease emerging economic power house, India,which is on Bhutan’s side when it comes to the Bhutaneserefugee issue. In addition, India’s overindulgence inNepal’s internal political affairs has subtly threatenedthe careers of political leaders who dare to dissent on theBhutanese refugee issue. Therefore, many politicians inNepal are hesitant to openly criticize India’s reluctancein solving Bhutanese refugee crisis.
Bhutanese refugeesshould acknowledge the complications surrounding the issueand be ready to make painful decisions of settling inthird-world countries. As far as democracy in Bhutan isconcerned, the remaining Lhotshampa and democracy-lovingDrukpas, if any, will sooner or later rise and defeatautocratic Drukpa regime. It’s just a matter of time. Ten,twenty, or thirty years is not long in the history of anation. The leaders should think about the futures of thebrave men and women and their families that dared to standagainst Drukpa regime, which as a result, are now forced tolive an idle and dependent life in refugee camps and beready to make hard and painful decisions.
Bhutaneserefugees in Nepal have suffered too much and for too long.They deserve a better life for themselves and generations tocome. Political ambitions of few refugee leaders should notbe allowed to dwarf the future of fellow citizens. Inaddition, it is a duty of refugee leaders to provide youngergeneration refugees languishing in refugee camps with anopportunity to enjoy the rights to the freedom of movement,education, access to employment even if it is on foreignland. It is far better to be a citizen of sovereign nationthan live a life of refugee forever. Warehousing theseproductive brave men and women in refugee camps is a wasteof humanity.
************* Theauthor is a doctoral candidate of Environmental Science andPublic Policy at George Mason University, Virginia and canbe reached at hbdulal @ gmu.edu
ENDS
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