The role of the Indian government on the paraphernalia of the Bhutanese democratic movement for human rights and democracy begs for more criticism than appreciation. India’s strategic advantage both in terms of location and influence on governance in Bhutan is hardly concealed from anyone. But after two decades, India’s attitude on the Bhutanese movement remains cold and questionable. The Bhutanese leaders believed that India’s image as the largest democracy in the world could help them sail the current of democracy into Bhutan. They were all proved dumb. And why not, India is a huge beneficiary of the Bhutan’s bustling hydro-projects. When it comes to foreign policy matters, India has always looked to widen its own national interest even at the cost of promoting autocracy.
India perceives Bhutan’s democratic movement as one that has a strong ethnic character. In the adjacent area, the Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills have long been struggling to carve out a separate state for themselves. Neighboring Nepal is not easy on matters of national interests, like Bhutan. A resurgent Nepali speaking population in neighboring Bhutan could further catalyze that movement in Darjeeling and other parts of India. In its view, if properly unchecked, this population can transform the entire Himalayan politics to India’s disadvantage. No doubt, the government of the West Bengal state of India has been fighting hard to deny the Gorkhas of Darjeeling, their demand for a separate land.
When human rights and democracy itself are at stake, any government should step up into action in favor of these universal values. India, obviously has been missing that lesson. So, India cannot be a conduit for the resolution of the problem in the true interest of the Bhutanese people. Even though, India played the instrumental role in brokering peace and chasing out King Gyanendra from Narayanhiti, its approach in Bhutan’s case has remained just the opposite. India heavily favors the Bhutanese regime in place of the democratic forces, which has been a cause of apprehension for the Bhutanese democratic forces. India stands as a big stumbling block to their efforts to return to Bhutan. The Bhutanese dissidents feel that they have been betrayed both by their own country and by India. In fact, they suspect, any mediation navigated by India could be counter productive to their inherent interests in Bhutan and for their movement. Therefore, neither the government of Nepal nor the Bhutanese political leaders in exile should desire India’s involvement in the process of resolving the Bhutanese imbroglio.
Some Bhutanese dissidents charge that the Bhutanese were first repressed by their own country Bhutan and secondly by India. The Indian police forces have arrested, jailed, tortured and shot the Bhutanese democratic activists in the Indian soil, while trying to cross to Bhutan. Surprisingly, they were ‘unnoticed’ when they crossed into Nepal in hordes but when they attempt to return to Bhutan, the Indian government intercepts even a single individual and either locks them up or deports them back to the refugee camps.
The ordeal of the Bhutanese refugees from the oppression from their own government has been matched only by a few autocratic countries. This writer is a witness to both.
Here is an example. On the morning of June 2nd 1999, I led a group of about 101 refugees from the various refugee camps in Nepal to Bhutan. By 8.00 am we were inside Phuntsholing town. Our plan was to put up a protest demonstration. We took out our party banners and started rallying. Before we could walk about 300 yards, the Royal Bhutan Police arrested all of us and walked us back to the building used for booking bus tickets. There, we were confined within the iron chains of building for a couple of hours. A few hours later, we were moved to a different building in the other side of the town, where we were again confined until 12.00 midnight within its iron chains. While inside the chained building we were manipulated, coerced and insulted. At 12.00 midnight, two Indian state buses arrived and we were led into the buses forcefully. I was seated in the front seat, close to the driver with four alert, Bhutanese policemen guarding me with automatic guns. The bus swiftly moved. When it arrived at Jaigaon, the adjoining Indian town, local Indian authorities greeted and welcomed the Bhutanese team. The Indians took charge and we were driven towards Nepal during the night. Each bus was secured by convoy vehicles of the Indian police force.
By morning we were brought to Panitanki, a small town near the Nepal India border. Then the Indian policemen lined us up and escorted us for about half a kilometer through the tea gardens and finally we reached a steep slope from where we could see the Mechi river. Then, we were ordered to climb down the slope, cross the river and walk into Nepal, while the Indian police men stood on the top pointing guns at us. They did not want us to walk over the Mechi bridge which connects Nepal and India.
Such incidences and even more serious ones repeated every time the Bhutanese democratic forces attempted to return home. The arrest and incarceration of Rongthong Kuenley Dorji in New Delhi is a clear example of how Indian government uses each and every opportunity to punish Bhutanese leaders who oppose the Thimphu regime.
During my stay in lock up inside Bhutan, I have found out that Bhutan is looking for answers in easy places. My impression was that Bhutan government basically views this problem as an administrative issue. It does not in way see the need to solve the problem politically. And there lies the crux. As long as Bhutan does not feel this problem is a political one, needing a political solution, it will not be resolved. Thimphu sends its beaurocrats as emissaries to talk to dissident leaders when they protest inside Bhutan. The outcome of the bilateral talks would have been different if it was approached with a purest political sense.
Indian double standard has also been seen during Bhutan’s transition to ‘democracy’. Instead of lending its support to the struggling democratic forces, the Indian government sided with the autocratic regime. Bhutan’s Constitutional development did not happen in the villages of Bhutan. Bhutan inherited its first Constitution as a gift from India. Only a few handpicked courtiers of the King were involved in drafting the Constitution. Unfortunately, the central government of India, which is a coalition government of several political parties did not foresee that the Constitution they gifted could kill pluralism in Bhutan.
Apparently, Bhutan’s much touted transition to democracy piloted by the king is a sham. The abdication of the throne and the election was a political gimmick. Monarchy is still the most powerful institution in Bhutan. Elections do not ensure the emergence of democracy, they do happen even in countries governed by authoritarian rulers. Bhutan’s ‘democracy’ did not provide any political space to the dissident groups functioning in exile. A third political party formed and operating inside the country was declined registration by the Royal Election Commission and therefore, could not participate in the polls. Neither, did it lift the ban on political parties struggling for the establishment of democracy and human rights in Bhutan.
The elected government has not imbibed a culture of political tolerance and respect for political pluralism. It feels revolted if anyone tries to genuinely criticize its malevolent actions and policies. The government still tortures political prisoners to extract information and to weaken the dissent. It still considers the refugees as ‘illegal immigrants.’ ‘Change’ has not really come to Bhutan in its true meaning.
One finds hard to reconcile how a Constitution devoid of a real Bhutanese flavor can represent the aspiration of the people. The constitution does not envisage a truly inclusive democracy for all the political minorities in the body politics of Bhutan. Approximately 30,000 southern Bhutanese who are related to the refugees but living inside Bhutan and 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in exile were disenfranchised in the general elections of 2008. Bhutan has not learned lessons from recent political developments Nepal.
Conclusion:
Despite India’s cynicism, it is clear that Bhutan’s democratic movement will continue to grow. There is a large section of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and India who would favor repatriation to Bhutan in the first place. Those refugees who have accepted resettlement may not fight anymore to return to Bhutan, but they will still continue to love Bhutan. They will continue to speak out in favor of democracy and human rights. For many of them, the desire to sustain and stay the course of the struggle for democracy in Bhutan is a core mission of life. The resettlement program has reshaped the general landscape of the Bhutanese movement. In fact, it has triggered an ambitious international campaign on the part of the refugees to lobby favorable parties and governments in favor of the Bhutanese movement for democracy and human rights.
If India continues to nurse its own agenda of coaxing the King, she may lose her own credibility in the international arena. The Bhutanese haven taken stories of Indian paranoia to every country of settlement. India should clearly stay away from an active involvement in cooking a solution to the Bhutanese problem. But it would be a big help if they could educate the Bhutanese government on the long term benefits of instituting an inclusive democracy, rule of law and allowing the dignified return of willing citizens from exile to Bhutan.
RP Subba ji,
I read this piece with great interest. It really carries the voice of Bhutanese people. Kudos for such a contribution. I really love to read your articles. Hopefully, you will keep contributing in the upcoming days too.
Suman/USA
R p Dai
it was a great piece of writing.A bold and straight forward criticism on Indias cynical political stand on Bhutanese refugees. People like u with that power of pen should always come up with such contribution atleast in news. Every body knows that Bhutanese movement started with immature background.we know our movement was unplanned, lack of political knowldge on the part of leaders. But it was also true that if nobody had started pressuring RGOB policies on one nation one people by this time we would have totally lost our culture, language,religion.
Now , I think it’s time to think hard ahead rather than going 21 years back. We know most of our leaders learnt geo- politics after it was a little too late. I think unless we let bygones be bygones, we hoplessly have alittle hope to achieve our goal. It is useless to cry over spilt milk. Let’s think ahead, let’s think about our future generations.
Excellent analysis. India should change its anti democracy stance when it comes to Bhutan as RP daju rightly warned that if such stand continues then India’s credibility as largest democracy will be at stake in the eyes of the international communities. I could remember during our mission at geneva last december when we approached India’s head representative at the UPR session and in a hurry introduced ourselves as Bhutanese refugees living in various parts of europe and would like to sit with him for a talk but he just ran away after promising that he would come back to meet us in a few minutes. He seems to be frightened of unpleasant questions that might come from us. Later we saw him many times running here and there lobbying other countries to support Bhutan but he never even turn towards our row where 16 of us were sitting. I feel at such events we should start doing things that embarasses india by garnering enough support from other countries and isolating it.
RP daju’s paper contains very high level thoughts and events fully supported by facts. He has the capacity of making a broad guidelines through which our movement should be moving from both local and international level untill India is compel to come to our support.
Many thanks RP daju for your useful insight on this important issue.
[reminder: all defaming comments will be deleted….]
Thanks for your comments.I enjoyed reading.
Should I repeat the same sentences you all have written.I choose not to.I am with you.
R.P Daju have witnessed all this with his necked eyes.
If someone can download the pictures from his eyes and text from his brain.
It would have been a assert for the younger generation OR as such R.P Daju has to write.
Daju pls keep up your writing and enjoy the freedom of media.
we have few of your nature who wanted to educate the younger generation.
You are our hero.
Of course all our leaders and activities were helpless
It was good they never advised us to carry a gun.
We indeed followed the great Indian Leader M.K.Gandhi.
Peace,peace and peace.
I believed and it turned to be a fact that peace was the powerful gun.
We stayed in the Camp for 18 + yrs but we never went for gun.
We just Said,Prayed,Dreamed and Walk.
Our silence was so powerful,fresh and clean.Our voice was heard by USA, Australia, Canada,New Zealand.Denmark and many others countries.
I wounder WHY ? our neighbour didn’t heard about us.
The bigger power is always bigger and its lawful to do a crime.
Look at the ocean where a big shark will kill several others for their 3 course meal.
We were so helpless and hopeless but now we are given a home.
Lets respect this land and make our living good.
Bhutan has done a big crime by killing its own citizens.
My friends lets forgive them.
But its always good to share so that world will know about Bhutan.
Believe me there is a slow change……though the present DEMOCRACY is fake but it will change to original oneday.
Let me know if there is any medication to erase the memory of Bhutan from my mind..
Mero maya ra Namaskar to all.
I find this article Bias. RP Subba potray India as villian which is 100% wrong. His article lack deplomatic languages. It looks like he is revolutionery rather than visionery.And it will do more harm then good for him in the long run. And his followers Ram and Jiwan simply praise him without analising indepth the content.
Pointing India will further sideline you.Bhutan will have then more valid reason to further blame you. And you dont have any other options either!Dont put all your people in soup by writting like this.
RP dai,
Thanks for bringing this article at this point on time. I don’t know how we make India budge from their stance. May be if we can print this article in one of the prominent newspaper of India.
To do so, we need resource $$$ when Bhutan has bought all these media guys for 18 years, given their is willingness, we can compete with bhutan to buy these media chaps from india now.It si all the game of money. we may start with the regional papers in hilly areas.
What you all think??
With regards to Geneva demonstration I have learnned in nepal that Indian embassy staff were researching up to katmandu to find out whether the demonstrators were all Bhutanese. India wants to prove to the world that all present in geneva were not Bhutanese but nepalese citizen.. you can well judge from this India’s intention and see how low India can fall to rob Bhutan by paying nothing for hydropower and supporting the RGOB.
Thanks
parsu
melbourne
For the cause of Democtracy in Bhutan, India is so far is cleanly seen as villain afraid of its own deeds. It is summarised in the rhyme below:
Villains are scared of their own deeds and keep abundant guards on roll.
But no guard defends from rebuking voice of Almighty in the guilty soul.
Mr. Subba says-
So you are even threatening mr Subba, you could be the agent of RAW or a stooge of RGOB which ever you are, have very less common sense.
Parsu
Mr.Subba by the way of your writing and thinking ,present situation needs people like you with broader concept.Your writing alone can make a difference. I would suggest ,if you have free time , then please try to educate online to these people like sangrilaman ,Parsu ,R.P.Subba,Jiwan ,Karki and so on who are fighting in darkness for better tomorrow.
The presentaion made by Mr. R.P. Subba deserves appreciation. It is time that the Bhutanese leaders slowly bypass India and go for international campaigning. It will only be a wastage of time and energy if we keep putting efforts to convince India to settle the crisis.
However, I differ my opinion here with the author”Those refugees who have accepted resettlement may not fight anymore to return to Bhutan, but they will still continue to love Bhutan.”
One can not rule out this possibility. Bhutan and their original homested might be their ultimate place for those whose family memebers are left behind. If Bhutan is truely democratised with full protection of human rights, I would not say a majority, but some number of refugees resettled in the west might opt for family reunion back in the country.
Tulsiji,
It is true ”Our silence was so powerful,fresh and clean.Our voice was heard by USA, Australia, Canada,New Zealand.Denmark and many others countries.” Beyond the iniative of core group countries the entire international community has started taking the Genisis of the peoblem seriously.
Our movemet should develop more and more powerful writers like RP Subba to put the facts and vision in paper. His presentaion has given a clear picture of Indian role as of now and the status of the Bhutanese movement.
Time has come that the world understands our indepth problem which is possible through writing of such articles, as a result of which, with time, Bhutanese people will find justice prevails.
I find R.P Daju’s article very informative and relevantly analytical,epecially on India’s double standard.Somewhere around AMCC movement, top Indian leaders like George Fernandis joined sit-in protest of exiled Bhutanse in Delhi. When he became the minister, his tone suddenly changed and said that he had certain compulsion to take the Bhutanese democratic movement otherwise.
India also tried all possible means to apply’divide and rule policy’ in Nepal. While it trained Maoist Gorillas and sheltered their ring leaders, it also fostered Gyanendra’s direct rule by sending timely missions like Dev Annand. It also arrested some Madheshi leaders like Matrika Yadhav while it made a tool of another Yadhav to boost its Greater India agenda.
Thus, India created chaos in the neighbouring countries for its vested political interest in its part of mission to Sikkimize them.
So, India is no doubt the biggest hurdle for sustainable democracy and humanity for its two weaker neighbours- Nepal and Bhutan.
I read the artical written by RP dai with care. India is a big bully to the less advantageous country like Bhutan.Despite,India being the biggest democracy,it is least boathered to address the problem of the southern Bhutanese.
I feel a pain when I ponder all the midemonuars of the southern big brother.
The earlier commentators are very right to say that I
Dear Editor(s)
Please kindly delete my unfinished and unedited article? It simply submitted without my intention to do so. Thank you Editors.
Devi B. Adhikari
I am really grieved at heart when I think back the past actions of India towards the southern populace of Bhutan. When we first entered India in Malivitta, Assam, it was the CRPF Jawans who dismantled the thatched shelter. It was India who loaded us in trucks and dumped in Kakarivitta, Boarder town of east Nepal.
India, this time again pushed backs the AMCC peace marchers and dumped them in different jails in West Bengal. The peace marchers were inhumanly torture and one Sangdan died as a result of severe torture meted in West Bengal’s jail.
It was India again who arrested Mr. RK Dorji and put behind bars without valid reason. India appeared villain time and again to bother the Southern Bhutanese, who lately crushed and killed the peace marchers in Mechi Bridge. Many Bhutanese marchers are still undergoing the trauma of indiscriminate shooting and torture by the Indian forces at different times and places.
We were expecting much from India for establishing Human Rights and Democracy in Bhutan. But India turned a deaf ear and started crushing the democratic struggle and indeed the southern Populace.
RP dai is right to express the wrongs of India. I hope other prominent political figures will also start expressing their utter disgust to India. I know, he (RP Dai) has much in store, the live stories of 21 years of democratic struggles in Bhutan and the stories of repulsion each time by India.
DB Adhuikari
Arizona
You know subba your article is good from refugee side, but in bhutan we love Indian govt, because of which Bhutan is functioning well. All our problem at national level is seen by them.They are doing all project for us making us rich with power sale.
I feel that you should work with India to have your work done rather than blaming them, did you do any substaicial work conviencing India, No? not even your own community in the south Bhutan. It is said that you have given lots of trouble even to you own people so how we can believe you and join you.
Paper work doenot bring Democracy you must snatch it from ruler.
Oh God PLEASE help to cure our verbal dirrehoea, who talks without visions.Parshu You know something .Please come out openly for the sake of better tomorrow.So called future politician are still fishing in dirty water.
This kind of writing is not going to bring any change in how India look at Bhutan. It will only serve to strenghten the already strong ties between the two countries.
Many people who claimed themselves as refugee leaders have tried many times in the past, but they all failed to convinced India. The author, RP Subba, know that his writing of this article is just another plot to gain popularity among the refugee community and not to convince the Indians. He already know that by blaming Indians will only bring harm than good to the refugee issue. However, from what i have learned, refugee leaders don’t even care for refugees. If Mr. Subba wrote this article from the comfort of his well furnished with automated central heating and cooling system house in Canada, USA or Austrilia, than he surely had forgotton the innocent people suffering at the mercy of UNHCR in the camps in Nepal. If not, he can write to the US, Canada and Austrilian government to increase the number of people they can resettle so that all people in the refugee camp can get the opportunity to get out of the camps and raise their childern in those advanced countries, as Mr. Subba might be doing to his won family.
The Indian government had already made their minds up 20 years ago and they are not going to change. Both India and Bhutan have their national interest in each other. And I think that is essentially what leaders of every country try to achieve politically if not diplomatically.
While I think Mr. Rp Subba has good writing skills, not every articles of his have substance on them. I do not quite understand why he calls the Bhutanese refugees ‘the dissidents’. We are the victims of RGOB’s systematic ethnic cleansing policy and calling ourselves dissidents would be indirectly supporting RGOB’s claim. Also, without India’s positive role, no bigger force can help resolve the Bhutanese refugee issue. In a conference of that level, Mr. Subba should have presented a paper that carried more diplomatic message instead of outrightly bashing Indian left and right.
I do not think India’s policy towards the democratic movement in Bhutan deserves a page long article. It needs to be slammed downright. I have said this at every place i have screened my own documnetary film and I will say it here, In south asia if India chooses to keep something uder the wraps, it will stay under the wraps. I lived in India for 11 years and I never heard Bhutanese Refugees being mentioned once in papers, on TV or on radio. The BBC and the Al-Jazeera did stories on the resettlement process, but Indians, living right next door have never heard of Bhutanese Refugees.
i saw many needless discussions on this article, with regard to the Indian Government supporting Bhutans’ internal and external affairs. Truth remains that if any state whatsoever helps another state supress the voice of its people, neither state deserves to exist.
I have been working on a documentary film about Bhutanese refugees since I was 18. I do not consider myself Bhutanese though I have links to the community. Yet, I have played my part in telling the story to at least a thousand people and I have also told them of what India chose to overlook. I shall tell many more.
But for you people, this is YOUR story. The Indian Governent and the Bhutanese Government have wronged you. Is arguing with each other on discussion boards all you are going to do? Will you keep writing articles for the rest of your lives and become writers? I would love to hear of something more concrete being done and I would be happy for your community.
And for those who have mentioned India’s “positive role”, I have no idea what you are talking about. If India had played any positive role, you would have been in your country, voting for the next elections as free, independent citizens. With great power comes great responsibilty and India has failed to keep up with that in its own vicinity,
There is nothing you can do to correct the wrongs India committed in the past, but you can make the Indian media aware of what they could have done and what they did not do.
And yes, you are running out of time. the next generation has never seen Bhutan and will not care two hoots about what happened, So it is upto to act and stop arguing.
Thanks dude, that’s very nice information, much appreciated.
I felt very glad reading this article,and also I whold like to know more about how india´s political economy affecting re-settlement of Bhutanese refugees?
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