National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Repatriation Row

Despite claims of success during the last round of bilateral talks, there are no signs of an early settlement

By A CORRESSPONDENT

For the past 10 years, more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been waiting to return to their homeland, but they are yet to see a breakthrough in the repatriation process.

Former foreign minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya is leading a group lobbying in New Delhi and other donor countries to pave the way for the repatriation of the refugees. Foreign Minister Narendra Bikram Shaha, too, is working quietly to facilitate the Bhutanese refugees' return home.

Refugees in a camp : Long and painful saga

Despite the efforts being made on two fronts and the kind of assurances the parties have been receiving, the repatriation of the refugees is not an easy diplomatic task. The foreign ministers of Nepal and Bhutan described their recent one-day talks as a success, but nobody saw any substantial gain for Nepal.

Unlike previous meetings, Nepalese and Bhutanese officials held unofficial talks before coming to the formal negotiations in Kathmandu. "We have made much progress and the next round of talks will be decisive," Foreign Minister Shaha told reporters after the meeting.

The Bhutanese side was less sanguine. "We will try to find a permanent solution of the refugee problem," said Bhutanese Foreign Minister Jigme Y. Thinley at the same press conference.

With the verification process going on and refugees organizing different pressure activities, it seems both countries have a long way to go before solving the problem. "Our delegation has met the Indian foreign minister and western ambassadors and discussed ways of sorting out the refugee problem. We are hopeful that our initiative will bring a positive result," said Hiranya Lal Shrestha, a member of a group lobbying for the repatriation of Bhutanese refugees.

This is the first time in the last 12 years that such hectic pressure is being carried out in favor of the Bhutanese refugees. "It seems that Bhutan will agree to the return of some thousand refugees from the camps," said a foreign affairs analyst. "However, Thimphu will not take back all the refugees in the camps in eastern Nepal. If we stick to the case of all the refugees, it will only hinder the process of repatriation."

While government and non-government teams are making efforts to start the repatriation process, some refugee leaders are making efforts to prevent a return unless Bhutan agrees to take back all the refugees. The Bhutanese government has already made it clear that it will consider accepting the refugees based on the verification process. Amid such stakes, it is difficult to see how the recent activism of the governments and civic society will eventually play out.

Indian Assistance For Water Project

An agreement was signed last week between the Embassy of India, Kathmandu and the Ministry of Local Development of His Majesty's Government of Nepal, regarding Indian assistance of 7.34 million Nepali rupees for the implementation of the Deuri Water Supply project to provide drinking water to about 1500 households residing in 4 wards/villages in Triyuga Municipality in Udayapur District.

According to press statement from the Indian Embassy, the proposal for this project was prepared and submitted by the District Development Committee of Udayapur. The estimated cost of the project is 9.72 million Nepali rupees, out of which 2.38 million Nepali rupees will be generated through local contribution, to meet the cost of land acquisition and earthwork and excavation. The remaining cost of the project, i.e., 7.34 million Nepali rupees, will be provided as grant-in-aid by the Government of India to the District Development Committee, Udayapur.

The Ministry of Local Development signed the agreement on behalf of the District Development Committee, Udayapur. The DDC will follow its prescribed procedures for tendering and awarding the contract for the project, and will ensure quality construction through constant monitoring and supervision of implementation by the District Infrastructure Development Office. Moreover, a Users' Committee consisting of eleven local citizens has been constituted in accordance with the provisions of the Local Self Governance Act, 2055, which will be responsible for mobilizing people's participation for effective implementation of the project, and also for overseeing the execution of the work, including the process of award of contract and recommending release of funds based on satisfactory progress.

It is expected that the Deuri Drinking Water Project will have a direct beneficial impact on the lives of people residing in wards 8, 9, 10, and 11 of the Triyuga Municipality, as well as four villages, namely Bagaha, Shreepur, Deuri and Jaljale in District Udayapur.