UNHCR stresses third country settlement for Bhutanese

Kathmandu, June 20: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) expressed dissatisfaction with the Nepal government for not giving enough attention to its repeated appeals to find an early solution the issue of exiled Bhutanese.

The UNHCR Global Report 2005, published on June 20 – the World Refugee Day – states the possibility of resettlement to a third country can be a best alternative besides the two governments finds solution for repatriation to their homesteads. "However, Nepal insists that repatriation to Bhutan must begin before other solutions are considered. For this reason, despite UNHCR's repeated appeals, Nepal has not yet approved re-registration nor permitted the departure of refugees with special needs for resettlement," the report said.

But government secretaries say the government is ready to approve the proposal if any foreign country formally approaches to take the refugees to their country. The officials say the new government may resume re-registration of the people very soon.

The UNHCR has also criticized the government for not issuing birth certificates to children born in camps and not providing identification documents to other immigrants, including nearly 20,000 Tibetans who arrived before 1990.
 
Nepal has no legal provision to provide birth certificate to foreign nationals.

In the mean time UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s refugee day message sates that more than half of those that UNHCR cares for around the world have spent more than five years in exile. "Let this day be a reminder of our responsibility to help keep hope alive among those who need it most – the millions of refugees and displaced who are still far from home."

Similarly, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, said, "Keeping their hopes alive is the responsibility of everyone, including international leaders who should be doing more to resolve these situations and to address the root causes of conflict and displacement." Bhutan News Service