Readying for a new beginning (Special Feature)
By Ram Bahadur Karki Chhetri, The Netherlands
Altogether 22 members from five families have arrived The Netherlands under third country resettlement program. They are kept together in a transit camp at Amersfoort city.
They are happy to be in this environment. The adults are provided with 50 Euros a week while the children get 40 Euros. Every new comer will have an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card with which they draw money from the bank when needed.
Before being transferred to a permanent apartment, all of them are kept in the same transit center. They will have to undergo detailed health check up and cultural orientation. The exiled Bhutanese must also attend the Dutch language classes and orientation is given on process of getting admission at the school and use of public consumption goods.
Each family will get 1,200 Euros after they are being transferred to apartments from the transit centers, to be spent for house rent, electricity, cooking gas, telephone, internet, health insurance and food items. From this amount, they can save up to 400 Euros. Until they are able to sustain themselves from their earnings, government would continue supporting them.
Additionally, government provides loan of 3,000 Euros for purchase of necessary household items such as sofa, television, computer etc after they are transferred to apartments. The loan has to be repaid within 35 months. Refugees are given free education but they must pay for health insurance.
Yadu Kharga, 23, and his sister Rekha kharga, 25, and their parents who came from Khudunabari four months ago are getting ready to move to their own independent house in Dutch province of Zeeland. Initially they hesitated to move but when all of them were sent to see the place and the house on June 3, they returned being very happy and excited to be able to get such a splendid house in a very beautiful town near the Belgium-Holland border. "I have nearly missed such a beautiful house in a beautiful town. We will move there as soon as possible and start our own independent living by making progress in Dutch integration process", said Leela Maya Kharga, 50.
"My mother's sickness has become positive here now. She started riding bicycle now, started speaking Dutch language and interact with the local officials here", said Yadu. "Why didn't UNHCR bought us here directly instead of keeping us in Nepal for so long 18 years," thinks Rekha. "Had somebody bought us here directly after we left Bhutan we could not have to face torturous life in Nepal's camps."
Hemlal Rizal and his three member family from Khudunabari arrived here some 3 months ago together with his elder brother's family from Goldhap. Rizal says, "My brother is suffering from Brain Tumor, thus UNHCR has identified Holland as the best place for his treatment and subsequently sent here for resettlement."
He has 9-member family but all of them are small children. So, Hemlal came together to take care of him. "We are extremely happy here because my brother has been provided with world class treatment at a noted Medical University Hospital at Utrecht. Each injection cost around 3,000 euro and he gets them all for free. Right now he has been treated for other subsidiary sickness like pressure, diabetics and others before he will be operated for Brain Tumor," Hemlal further said.
He also added that doctors are very optimistic about his recovery. He claims, "There is no better place on earth for his treatment like Holland. We all are happy for being in The Netherlands. My small son goes to school and my wife Kamala goes to language class".
All those who arrived here until today are happy and enthusiastic. It will take some time to see if their happiness is for a short time or long. Bhutan News Service