Bhutanese refugee crisis

Although Bhutan is the member of the United Nations Organization (UNO), it is not adopting the norms of the international laws and international practices. In order to expand the autocratic wings of the regime, the government imposed cultural law, affecting entire community of population. Those unwilling to abide by cultural law faced with implementation of regimes depopulation policy using Citizenship Act initially affecting Lhotshampa population. The non-Lhotshampa population as well became victims of the policy as a result of their resistance of the ill vision policy.  The Hindu religion, which existed in Bhutan from time immemorial, has been severely discriminated with ban on teaching of Nepali language in the schools thereby creating serious injustice in its age-old custom and culture. 

Bhutanese King despite being a Buddhist himself and upholder of the other religions victimized Nyingmapa monks depriving their rights to practice institutionalized Dharma, including expulsion of His Holiness Dodrupchen Rinpoche, Chief of Nyingmapa in Eastern Bhutan and imprisonment of Chief Abbot Khenpo Thinley Oezer. Apparently, Sharchhokp and Ngalong communities too have become refugees and since been languishing in the camps in Nepal. The present census record of the refugees in the camps shows the figure of more then 106, 000, besides scores of unregistered refugees living outside the camps in Nepal and India.  

In 1990, political up-rising in Southern Bhutan, thousands of Lhotshampas participated, supported by Sharchhokps and Ngalongs, followed by the 1997 unrest in the Sharchhokp region. This resulted in the arrest, torture and killing of monks and common people. Scores of activists for fear of persecution followed Lhotshampas trail into Nepal for safety.  The 1949 Indo-Bhutan treaty on the other hand did not permit us to approach India for political asylum.  The Bhutanese refugee problem evolved into a national shape as Sharchhokp, Lhotshampa, Ngalongs and Khengpa too raised their voice for democracy.   

To be precise, the Bhutanese refugee problem is deeply rooted in the political crisis in Bhutan.  The atrocious politics played by the RGOB has affected almost all of the common people irrespective of race, religion, language and culture.  There should not be the misconception that victimization is restricted to a single ethnic community or Lhotshampas alone.  Minority though, the refugee population comprises people from different ethnicity, culture and religion speaking different languages. None of the common societies whether they belong to Sharchhokps, Ngalongs, Khengpas or the Lhotshampas, have benefited from the socio-economic development except those families who are part of the ruling elite.  The remainders of the population have been subjected to discriminatory policies, and have been deprived of their fundamental rights.  

The international community as a whole noticed only Lhotshampas in the refugee camps. Language as a major constraint for the non-Lhotshampa community has made it difficult to exposure. Eviction of Lhotshampas has resulted in the internal displacement of non-Lhotshampas against their will. Further, the aftermath of the “All Clear Flush out Operation” of the regime-sponsored militant groups from Assam in India victimized the innocent people belonging to the common society who were dragged into prisons on the fabricated allegation of having harbored Indian insurgents. 

The Bhutanese Refugees have been in the camps in Nepal for almost over a decade and half. The asylum seekers are only granted the terms or name ''the refugees'' but are not truly granted the International status of a refugee for the reasons unknown. This delay in solution and internationalization of this issue shall contribute adversely to the further impoverishment of the condition of refugees in the camps. Bhutanese are less unfortunate to have been a refugee but most unfortunate to be so in a socially integrated and politically instable country. 

There is no way that the refugee communities could forget their birthplace from where they were forced to leave, leaving behind long inherited ancestral properties.  History stands witness to the political atrocities meted to various sections of Bhutanese community initially targeting key political persons and later victimizing innocent people.  Above all, eviction of citizens from the south and depriving the common people of their fundamental rights followed by displacement of ignorant people against their will and shifting them at gun point to settle in the lands of the refugees altogether has jeopardised the ever harmonious coexistence of the diverse population.  

Refugees repatriated without political changes are likely to face the direct threat of being evicted involving tens of thousands in the name of illegal migrants or non-nationals.  Besides refugees in Nepal, we have thousands of unregistered asylum seekers living a displaced life in the neighboring Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.  Exodus of the victims of atrocities can be traced back to late fifties and has continued ever since then, with unprecedented number of evictees in the early 1990s.  

The Bhutanese authority is empowered to continue the implementation of its age-old repressive policies regardless of its creation and prolongation of the refugees' crisis and massive violation of human rights. ''Since the erring king needs global convincing'', the global world community should campaign against adding the RGOB by donor countries for its pretext of national developments to get Bhutan realized the importance of resolving the crisis at the earliest. It may be noted that Bhutan had used the aids and energies of donors to tactically and successfully uproot and evict the southern citizens in the late 80s and 90s making them stateless and refugees. 

The Bhutanese refugee crisis should not be drawn to long. If drawn unheeded, it shall certainly create on inviting, horrible and unmanageably difficult situation in this South Asian Region. The positive attitudes of the refugees towards the rulers of the region and the peace loving sentiments that contributed towards the peaceful move for sovereign identity shall be transformed in to a destructive one. The victims of misjudge and misruled shall no longer fear of being called a terrorist. It is high time that SAARC at the regional and UNO at the international level go for the study on of the actual weaknesses of their member state rulers that have contributed towards the creation of crisis. It may be noted that their isn't any disease without a cause. So, there is cause behind every conflict and disorder. The world rulers of today are chasing the terrorists rather than terrorism to find amicable solution.