Reap the opportunity, says UN envoy to Nepal

Beldangi, November 24: US envoy to Nepal James F Moriarty urged the exiled Bhutanese to take up the US proposition of resettling them to a third country as an "opportunity".

The US envoy who was in Beldangi, Jhapa on a field trip, told the exiled Bhutanese must reap the benefit by accepting the resettling proposal as an opportunity.

This is the first visit by Moriarty to the camp after the United States put forward the proposal to resettle up to 60,000 Bhutanese.

Calling the offer "an opportunity for them who had been living a sub-human life for the last 16 years", Moriarty said that the United States has always wished to have exiled Bhutanese's problems resolved.

Similarly, Danish Ambassador to Nepal, Finn Thilsted too made a request to the exiled Bhutanese not to miss the opportunity which would help them begin a new life. Thilsted also said that Denmark has been assisting the exiled Bhutanese through the UN programmes.

Speaking at the same programme, Swiss ambassador to Nepal Dominique Dreyer said that Switzerland has been providing assistance to the exiled Bhutanese in Nepal through UN programmes and thanked the United States for the resettlement proposal.

Also present during the field visit were UNHCR Nepal representative Abraham Abraham and the Finnish ambassador among other dozen diplomats. The delegation also visited the Beldangi camp where a census is being carried out to get the exact number of Bhutanese in the camp. Bhutan News Service