Bhutanese refugees begin their resettlement journey

The International Organization of Migration (IOM) flew the first lot of Bhutanese refugees to Kathmandu Saturday on a chartered plane for third country resettlement.

Altogether 60 refugees of 17 families from Goldhap, Khudunabari and Timai refugee camps in Jhapa and Sanischare refugee camp in Morang were selected for third country resettlement and would soon begin their journey to their new homes. Among them two are new born infants and over one and a half dozen school children.

Although more than 20 IOM officials were present at the Bhadrapur airport to oversee the resettlement journey of the refugees, they remained mostly tight-lipped when journalists queried them about the refugee families headed for resettlement, the Kantipur Daily reported. However, the daily quoted an unnamed source as saying that 17 of the refugees will be taken to the US and the 43 to New Zealand.

According to the source, the refugees are scheduled to board planes to their destination from Kathmandu on Monday.

Some of the refugees broke down at the airport when they had to leave their relatives behind.

"We decided to go to America for the sake of our children's future," Devimaya Rizal of Sanischare camp told Kantipur while almost in tears. "But it's really difficult to leave behind one's relative and neighbors." nepalnews.com ag Mar 09 08

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