Melbourne, April 28, 2009: The Bhutanese community resettled in two states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia held their first consultation gathering at Mirambeena Community Centre, Albury on April 23.
The consultation saw senior Australian officers as participants including Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chairperson, Community Relations Commission (CRC), NSW, George Lekakis, Chairperson, Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and Jose Alvarez, State Director, DIAC Victoria.
Representatives from more than 18 agencies at local, state, regional and federal government level, community organisations, educational institutions and services provider along with the Bhutanese community members also joined the consultation gathering.
Parsuram Sharma-Luital from Melbourne provided the brief history about Bhutan, the main cause of refugee origin – the 1985 Citizenship Act; census exercise of 1988, compulsory imposing of dress code (gho and Kira) followed by peaceful demonstration in Bhutan. The participants were also informed series of events after the demonstrations that led to the birth of refugees.
The community members raised issues as requiring a place to worship, desperate desire to follow culture, fears of being deported, citizenship related issues, education, employment and driving problems.
George Lekakis said the community issues will be discussed with the relevant government agencies to address as per the community’s need.
He further said that New and Emerging communities groups will be supported with full dedication by the VMC and government agencies, adding the government will not support financially to build the religious place but will assist to look for a place to practice cultural events and festivals in the community centres or similar places.
Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chairperson CRC said that people need not fear to follow their culture and traditions, and practices religion freely in Australia.
Jose Alvarez, State Director Victoria said that Australian government work closely with UNHCR to while considering resettling refugees in Australia. The priority will be given equally between the protracted refugees’ issues like Bhutanese refugees, and war and internal conflict created refugees in many countries.
He clarified people more then 60 years will automatically get the Australian citizenship after four years in Australia, while persons under 60 years have to sit for a simple test which will be further simplified from October this year.
On the occasion, the gathering of Bhutanese announced the formation of Bhutanese Community in Australia (BCA) and launched its first issue of newsletter “SPECTRUM – First Bhutanese Community Newsletter in Australia. Similarly, first Bhutanese website in Australia was launched: http://bhutanaus.atbhost.net. BCA also announced 11-member executive committee.
Wow..our community is growing..keep it up friends…you are doing a grate job to bring awarness of our problem internationally..thank you all again
Great News.
Comming together is always a great step.
Bhutanese in Australia seems to have better privileges than their counterparts in other parts of the globe.
All the best for BCA, SPECTRUM and http://bhutanaus.atbhost.net.
May all these units work to create a comfortable base for the members there, clarify jigmis’ deleberate prevaricates, and earn and inherit a serene identity.
Best of luck
Govinda
why wear the ‘Gho’ if you had hated in first place?
Everything has time and place. When you are very thirsty you don’t eat kapchhi/jahao, do you? I think You love to drink water and you will not mind even if it is not distilled. We love to wear it for appropriate occassion but not at all times under compulsion. So learn to eat right food when hungry and right drink when thirsty. You must learn from nature. We have four different seasons why? do you know? When nature changes you need to change.
Tshering! Open your catarat infected eyes. It sours you when we put it.
We have never hated Gho, WE HAVE HATED THE EXCESSIVE IMPOSITION OF IT
We have always respected gho and will in the official place but not everywhere and police being used to harrass innocent people. You accept it or not thats the reality
Don’t you pretend, you know it very well.
How they can say Bhutanese Community in Australia. Is there only people in Victoria and New South Wales ? How can you represent all the Bhutanese in Australia while there are many other Bhutanese in other states of Australia.
Parsu is using people from Albury and Woodonga to fill his own interested. He is already kicked out of ABA. He desperately needs an organisation. So he is using innocent people in his near states. Bhutanese Community in Australia represents only a handful of people like the ABA does. Let your state politics remain in your state only. You are not welcome in other states.
You may be wrong gopal.
ALBURY !!! Open ur eyes and support […..] ,on no PARSU!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here settling in Australia, no body becomes leader self with out permission from the Bhutanese peoples.If some one are interested in doing politics ,this Australia is not a safe country to do. There is a proper place to practice politics .I knew the consequences of Bhutanese peoples is ALWAYS TURNING INTO DARK.Nowand then ,I won’t want to see again the 17 years huts’ life.Thus ,i request the concerned peoples that you do politics inside the Bhutan. This is only the Good answers.
I am happy to find so many useful information here in the post, we need develop more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing.
First Bhutanese consultation in Australia, BCA announced