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Note no. 382
01.05.2007
By Dr. S. Chandrasekharan.
Two important events in the last one month in Bhutan have been the conduct of mock elections by the Bhutanese authorities in preparation for the regular elections in 2008 and in the refugee crisis, there is some hope for the refugees, with the United States Government making preliminary preparations for settlement in USA for the bulk of them.. And the most redeeming feature has been that the Nepalese Government has taken a pragmatic approach to let the refugees go.
Mock Elections:
In the presence of International including Indian media, Bhutan conducted mock elections on 21st April 2007 as a run up to the general elections to be held in the year 2008.
A total of 200,000 voters was registered for one of the four mock parties which went by the names Blue Thunder Dragon, Red Thunder Dragon, Green thunder Dragon and Yellow thunder Dragon. Voting took place on Saturday the 21st, with the young King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuk personally encouraging the voters in a cluster of villages in Kurtoe Gewag.
Of the four parties, the two successful ones will again stand for elections on 28th May to choose the party that would run the country. It is said that the school children will act as candidates in the second elections.
As expected, there were bouquets and brickbats on the mock elections.
* The International media including Indian media generally welcomed the mock elections and the genuine desire of the King to usher in democracy in Bhutan. Prime Minister Khandu Wangchuk made the right note when he said that the elections are being cautiously welcomed by the people of Bhutan. For a country that had not seen or understood democracy as is seen in a western template, it is a big step. The people will have to be educated and made to understand that democracy is meant to bring them more national happiness, which is one of the main objectives of the present Government.
* Tek Nath Rizal the exiled refugee leader now in Nepal called the mock elections as a drama. He said that the Bhutan government is attempting to stage a drama to teach how to cast votes to people in the 21st century. The refugees languishing in Nepal have called the mock poll as unfair, discriminatory and an insult to democracy.
* Dr. D.N.S. Dhakal, the General Secretary of BNDP claimed that the democratic changes are no doubt the results of their struggle for the last seventeen years. He said that if they had not begun the movement, the changes would never have occurred.
On the same day, over 500 refugees from the camps in Nepal staged a sit in strike at the Mechi bridge on the border of Nepal and India demanding registration of Bhutanese refugee parties working for their welfare.
Five days later, a bomb was found planted near a bridge at Phuentsholing, a border town of Bhutan and India. An unknown group that went by the name BRY ( Bhutan Revolutionary Youths) claimed responsibility for planting the bomb. This is probably one of the radicalised groups from the refugee camps in Nepal.
The Refugee Question:
Finally there appears to be some hope for the refugees who have been waiting for almost seventeen years in the camps for a durable solution of their problem.
On 22nd April 2007, two US officials arrived in Kathmandu on a six-day visit to initiate the resettlement process of the Bhutanese Refugees.
The officials belong to the US State Departments Bureau of population, Refugees & Migration - to review protection, assistance, and for a durable solution for the Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees in Nepal. The officials were Lawrence Bartlett, Deputy Director for Asia & Near east and Janice Betz, Deputy Director for Admission.
They visited the refugee camps in Jhapa and met the refugee representatives. They were surprised to see that despite differences created by vested interests against third country settlement, a large number of refugees were willing to migrate to third countries.
They said that the settlement process would begin from January 2008 and they would be opening offices both at Damak and Kathmandu within the next three months. Once the offices are established, they will arrange training in language and vocational skills for the refugees. Those who migrate can apply for permanent residency after three years and will also be allowed to go to other countries if they so desire. ( The refugees will also retain their right to return to Bhutan till that time)
The officials did not give the exact figure of the number of refugees the US would be taking but it could be around 60,000. Australia has shown an interest in taking 5000 and Denmark another 200. Other European countries and Canada will also be pitching in.
There is no doubt that third country settlement is not the best or the most durable solution. But this appears to be the most practical one. This was confirmed as much by the Assistant Secretary for population, refugees& Migration of US State Department in a question posed by some Nepalese journalists in US.
She conceded that only repatriation back to Bhutan will provide a durable solution to the protracted crisis. But she added the question is how long should (one) allow people to languish in the camps? We hence wish to contribute towards enabling people to start new lives.
She also added that the Government of Nepal too feels that resettlement of the refugees in a third country is a good idea. This was also confirmed by Sahana Pradhan, the Nepalese Foreign Minister who said that besides third country settlement her government would also work for repatriation of those who could not settle in US or other countries. We only hope that she does not again get into the trap of verification of those remaining! .
There is some change of mind amongst the refugee leaders too. T.N.Rizal is now of the view that those who wish to settle in third countries should be allowed to proceed and no hurdles should be placed on them. This is also the view of Dr.D.N.S.Dhakal who had unceasingly worked for a durable solution for the hapless refugees. More importantly credit should be given to the eight party interim government of Nepal which has realised the futility of keeping the refugees indefinitely in the camps in order to establish the right to return.
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