NFD seeks support from India

Kakarvitta, May 07: The NFD – Bhutan has appealed the Indian PM to extend its sincere support and allow the exiled Bhutanese to return home.

In a memorandum sent to Indian Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh on May 7, the NFD sought support for early repatriation of the exiled Bhutanese, lobby for general amnesty to all the accused Bhutanese and removal of the discriminatory policies still in action in Bhutan.

The political coalition also asked the Indian premier to support for nullification of resettlement program in southern Bhutan and demilitarization of the Lhotsam region. Bhutan News Service 

Full text of the appeal
Date: May 7 2007 

H. E. Dr. Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India,
South Block Gate # 4,
Central Secretariat,
New Delhi 110 011

Sub: Seeking safe passage for right to return to Bhutan. 

Your Excellency,
I, on behalf of the NFD-Bhutan, struggling for the establishment of multi-party parliamentary democracy and human rights in Bhutan, would like to take this privilege to bring the following points for favour of Your Excellency's magnanimous consideration. Referring to the subject, the NFD-Bhutan, submitted a memorandum to the King on April 21, 2007 coinciding its first mock election held in the country without the participation of the people in exile.

Through the memorandum, the coalition of all the Political Parties in exile made the following demands to consider:

· general amnesty to all the political prisoners unconditionally and give recognition to all the political parties in exile to pave way for participation in the election and enable to exercise voting franchise,

· early repatriation of genuine Bhutanese citizens back to their original homesteads with justice and dignity,

· removal of discriminatory policies that has affected the lives of both minorities and refugee relatives,

· nullification of the resettlement of people in the refugee lands in the south, &

· demilitarization of Lhotsham region occupied since 1990.

We appealed the King for giving justice to our demands before the second phase mock election scheduled for May 28, 2007. In the event our demands are not taken into consideration by the given period of time, the NFD-Bhutan proposes to launch mass peaceful movement in support and solidarity of all the peace loving people of Bhutan, India and Nepal exercising Article 13 (b) of the UDHR which ensures Right to Return for Everyone. We would also like to draw the attention of the global democracies and seek their support to exert moral pressure on Bhutan urging her to give recognition to the voting franchise of over 100,000 Bhutanese citizens in exile, without which Bhutan cannot ascertain a true, vibrant and inclusive democracy.  

Therefore, we would like to appeal India, the largest democracy of the world and the closest neighbour of Bhutan to bestow her proactive support by rendering safe passage across Nepal-India and further over to Indo-Bhutan border to return to Bhutan.  We also would like to take this privilege to apprise Your Excellency that in the event we are not allowed to proceed to our destination, we will be compelled to stage site-in program, which will continue until our demands are addressed satisfactorily. 

We are highly optimistic that the Government and people of India will extend all necessary supports and play crucial role, to help resolve our problem, as a part of India’s traditional and glorious commitment of supporting democracy, development and peace around the world. 

Thanking you in anticipation.
Yours sincerely,
Thinley Penjore
CHAIRMAN