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Rizal appeals US to talk with Nepal, Bhutan and India to end refugee impasse

Bhutanese refugee leader Tek Nath Rizal, on Wednesday, said that if the United States is, indeed, serious regarding ensuring [Bhutanese] refugees their rights then it should be able to talk with Nepal, Bhutan and India together at the same time.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by Reporters Club in Kathmandu, Rizal said, “Just by taking refugees to America won’t solve the problem. Most of us Bhutanese want to return to our country and if America is indeed serious regarding resolving the refugee crisis, then it should be able to talk with Nepal, Bhutan and India together.”

He said the joint meeting is absolutely necessary as all three countries are involved in the crisis. Rizal promised that he will continue to struggle for the respectful return of Bhutanese refugees back to where they belong – Bhutan.

“We have not come to Nepal to beg anything from anybody but there’s serious danger of more ethnic Bhutanese of Nepalese origin being driven away from their homeland,” warned Rizal, adding that Bhutanese refugees should be allowed to participate in the Bhutan general election scheduled to be held in 2008.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had said that Bhutanese refugees should be allowed to participate in the 2008 election and that Nepal was ready to apply appropriate pressure to ensure this right to the refugees.

Similarly, another refugee leader Thinley Penjore said that resettlement of refugees was not a long-term solution to the problem.

Expressing gratitude towards America and few other countries for their willingness to resettle the refugees in their country, Penjore said, “We will not stop refugees who want to be resettled in the third country but the process of selecting refugees for third country resettlement should be transparent as all of them would not be resettled abroad despite their wish.” nepalnews.com ag Oct 31 07