Indian support vital but doubtful on refugee issue
Seventeen years after having failed to persuade Bhutan, unilaterally, to repatriate Bhutanese refugees, Nepal has sought support from the Indian government.
On the backdrop of the 14th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, for the first time, sought support from Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to find a lasting solution of the problem.
For years, the refugees had demanded that Nepal should also take initiative for tri-party meeting among Bhutan, Nepal and India to find a permanent solution of the protracted problem. The Nepali experts had also stressed this need. Nepal government officials, however, had said they had raised the issue with India during the informal discussions but failed to receive any support.
The new Nepali approach comes during the important juncture to decide whether the refugees should be repatriated or allowed to resettle in any other country of their wish. United States, Australia and few European countries have expressed their interests in resettling these refugees to which the government of Nepal has given green signal. Interestingly, the USand the EU, who have shown interest in resettling the refugees, are also participating the SAARC summit this time as observers.
Reports quoted Koirala as saying that Nepal keeps open all possible alternatives for solution of the crisis such as repatriation or third country resettlement.
However, Indian foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon hinted at 'no possibility' of India's involvement in the process of repatriating the refugees. He stressed that the problem should be solved through bilateral process.
At the same time, government of India is also facing pressure from within the country. Leaders of the ruling parties, including Congress (I), and opposition parties have demanded that India take the leading role in finding solution of the problem. Indian social activists have lent their hands in the campaign of the Bhutan Solidarity for dignified repatriation of the refugees to their native land at the earliest.
Bhutanese leaders in exile, while aware of the fact that India's involvement in Bhutan's politics is important, are of divided opinions.
Coordinator of the Association of Human Rights Activists (AHURA) – Bhutan, Ratan Gazmere said Nepal's approach for Indian assistance would be fruitless. "We have repeatedly said Nepal should announce its withdrawal from all bilateral or trilateral talks to find solution of the problem," he said.
Gazmere claims the trilateral talks might linger the issue for years. The process should end, Nepal should stop all such talks, India' s involvement would never give solution, he added.
But President of Bhutan People's Party (BPP) Bala Ram Poudel has a different view. He expressed hopes that Indian involvement would give solution to the crisis. "Since India has greater influence on Bhutanese politics, Indian support would pave a way forward to find a solution," he said.
In the midst of this, UNHCR country representative in Nepal, Abraham Abraham expressed hope that something important would come out of Nepali approach. He, however, doubted that the problem will find a logical solution unless Nepal announces the issue to be multilateral.
He pointed out the fact that no international conference has ever been held in support of the Bhutanese refugees whereas there have been several conferences in support of other refugees around the world. He informed that an international conference would be held to discuss the solution for Iraqi refugees this year. He cites the major reason for not being able to hold such conference to be Nepal's unwillingness to withdraw from bilateral process.
Refugee human rights leader Tek Nath Rizal refused talking to media regarding the recent developments.
Journalist Yuba Raj Ghimire points out the need that India should take steps to give a solution of this crisis before it faces criticism from the international community for remaining aloof from such a humanitarian issue.
Ghimire also doubts the credibility of the election proposed in Bhutan next year while one-sixth of its citizens remain out of country.
At the sidelines of the SAARC summit, Koirala also met with the US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher, who during his visit to Nepal last year, had formally announced the interest of the US government to take some 60,000 Bhutanese refugees for resettlement.
Despite the Nepali approach for support, India's involvement in the issue is doubtful. India has so far supported the Bhutanese monarchy on its democratisation process while handing over the issue of Bhutanese refugees to Nepal only. Indian legal experts helped draft the first constitution on Bhutan and have given words for holding the election of the first democratic election in 2008.
The recent statement by EU MP Neena Gill also reflects the doubt of India's involvement in the process. Gill, who visited Bhutan before coming to Nepal, had said Bhutanese government was ready to resume bilateral talks with Nepal.
To conclude, India's involvement would have impact on Bhutanese politics but it is doubtful that India would be positive towards repatriating Bhutanese refugees to their homeland – which it thinks might make its relation with Bhutanese regime cold.
(Nepalnews.com April 04, 2007)