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| Kathmandu, Saturday March 29, 2003 Chaitra 15, 2059. |
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A move forward ?
The 13th round of Nepal-Bhutan joint ministerial
level meeting in Thimpu decided to distribute forms to those "willing" to return
to Bhutan. The decision comes after the verification of more than 12 thousand refugees at
the Khudnabari camp was completed more than one year ago. The categorisation – a
blunder to which Nepal should not have agreed in the first place – is presently
taking place. Both Nepal and Bhutan are said to be busy in placing the verified Khudnabari
camp into four categories. At the end of the process, it can only be hoped at present and
not be sure that the form will be distributed to "those willing to return".
"Those willing to return" is a catch
phrase and it is not at all certain that the refugees will want to return unless they have
guarantees that they will not be prosecuted in Bhutan once they return. Whatever be the
outcome of the Thimpu ministerial meeting, the Khudnabari refugees must be able to feel a
sense of security if they are to fill the "willing" forms. The Thimpu meeting
obviously did not address this vital problem. The first and foremost responsibility of the
Nepalese and Bhutanese governments is, therefore, to inject a sense of confidence among
the refugees. The Bhutanese government, more than the Nepalese government, must undertake
domestic policy and legal measures to make this possible. For instance, there is a
category called "criminal elements" as one of the four categories agreed upon.
Surely those placed in this category would not want to return home. Most, if not all,
thumped up charges in order to drive the Bhutanese away from the country. But nonetheless
such charges exist and unless the Bhutanese government decide to announce an amnesty of
sorts to all such refugees facing falling in this category, the refugees can hardly be
expected to return home to face charges.
Equally important is that the refugees should be
told where they are to be re-settled. The Bhutanese government in what can be termed as
extreme arrogance distributed the land and other property holdings to those perceived to
be more loyal to the regime. These are some of the questions to which the refugees will be
seeking clear and forthright answers if they are to fill the forms to return home. They
would also like to be assured that they would not be discriminated against in Bhutan. It
is strange that Nepal did not press these points forward during the talks. Nonetheless,
the UNHCR, which has been helping the refugees, could be a potent body to monitor the
treatment of the refugees who choose to return home. For, the decision to return home will
depend largely on the way the Bhutanese authorities treat the returning refugees. There is
little doubt that unless a mechanism is developed for monitoring the condition of those
who return home, the ability of the Bhutanese government to forget the past, to treat the
refugees without any show of vengeance, and to give them equal opportunities, there may be
no takers for the forms that are to be distributed. Unless such assurances are forthcoming
from international agencies, especially the UNHCR, the "achievements" of the
12th and 13th joint ministerial meetings may be confined to papers. |
