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Kathmandu Tuesday January 02, 2001 Paush 18, 2057.
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One step forward
The tenth round of Nepal- Bhutan bilateral
talks on the long drawn out refugee problem that concluded last Wednesday has finally
given some hope that it might lead to the repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees. This is
because Bhutan has at last agreed to go ahead with the proposed "verification"
plan. But there needs to be caution as Bhutan in the past has either reneged on
understandings or has delayed taking necessary follow-up decisions. Perhaps, international
pressure on Druk regime to show flexibility on the refugee deadlock might have led to some
"progress" in the last round of talks. This was the second time within the year
2000 that Nepali and Druk representatives met to resolve the decade-old refugee impasse.
It is, however, too early to predict whether the agreed field verification will ultimately
lead to repatriation of over one hundred thousand refugees with dignity and honour. The
possible differences between Bhutan and Nepal while "categorizing" the refugees
cannot be ruled out. Neither can the agreement on verification issue at this stage be
considered a major breakthrough.
The agreement between Nepal and Bhutan
clearly underlines that family as the unit of field verification and in cases of those
without family, the refugees will be verified individually. The minimum cut off age agreed
for the verification stands at 25 years. Nepal and Bhutan are to form the verification
team within this week and the deadline to actually visit the refugee camps has been set
for the end of January. This agreement appears to be based on the compromise US proposal
that combined both family and individuals for verification purposes. Bhutan’s
sincerity will be tested within this week as they have to name their representatives to
the verification team within this week.
The Nepal-Bhutan agreement during the tenth
round of talks has not specified how long the field verification would take. What are the
measures that can prevent the possible differences between the two countries while
identifying the refugees? When will the actual repatriation of the refugees take place?
The actual repatriation of the refugees at this juncture seems to be years away even
though the government has claimed the recent meeting a diplomatic success. The fact is
that Thimphu regime may not allow resettlement of those refugees who were evicted from
Bhutan under physical or emotional pressure to make it look like voluntary emigration. It
must not be forgotten that Bhutan itself had initially proposed the verification of the
refugees but later adopted the dilly-dally tactics. The fear that with the passage of
time, the refugees - many of whom are Nepali speaking - will be assimilated with the local
population is genuine and therefore the problem must be settled as early as possible.
Bhutan must not be allowed to buy time any more. Both Nepal and Bhutan deserve praise for
its achievement at the tenth round of talks, but much will depend on how sincerely both
sides name their officials for the verification team and how well the verification process
actually moves forward. The 100 thousand plus refugees, who spent a decade of their lives
in refugee camps, must now be allowed to go back home. The tenth round was just a step,
albeit an important one, towards that direction. Other necessary steps must follow in
quick succession.
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