EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT’S RESOLUTION ON BHUTANESE REFUGEES,
September 06,2002
The European Parliament,
A. having regard to its resolution of 14 March 1996 on the
plight of Nepali-speaking refugees from Bhutan ,
B. having regard to the visit to Nepal from 21 to 22 April
2000 by the European Parliament's Delegation for relations
with the countries of South Asia and the SAARC, which
incorporated an on-the-spot assessment of the continuing
plight of the almost 98 000 Bhutanese refugees who are
accommodated in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal,
C. recalling that both Bhutan and Nepal have given assurances
to the European Parliament that bilateral negotiations would
be speedily concluded and that actual verification in the
camps would begin by July 2000,
D. aware that the growth in the population of Bhutanese
refugees, which is a natural process, means a demand for
resources including additional huts and associated facilities
in already cramped camps and that, similarly, food and
non-food supply is another area in which demand continues to
rise each year,
E. conscious of the vital role played by the World Food
Programme (WFP) and the UNHCR, who are assisting the refugees,
and that the European Union and other donors have provided
funds for the two organisations, and welcoming the fact that
the EU has also been supporting the refugees and
refugee-affected areas through NGOs,
F. stressing that, while the EU remains one of the major
donors, both the UNHCR and the WPF are finding it increasingly
difficult to raise funds to run the camps and that in recent
months the WFP has been facing the real and very serious
possibility of a future food shortage, and expressing
disquiet, furthermore, that donors are more and more concerned
at the lack of progress being made,
G. welcoming the talks on the problem of the Bhutanese
refugees held by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Mrs
Sadako Ogata, with the Bhutanese and Nepalese authorities
during her visit to these countries at the end of April and
beginning of May 2000,
1. Reiterates its call to the Governments of Bhutan and Nepal,
in cooperation with all other parties involved, to reach an
agreement which will allow the early and voluntary
repatriation of these Bhutanese refugees to their country of
origin;
2. Regrets the officially instituted and illegal occupation of
the homes and lands of those who have been driven out, as this
complicates possible future repatriation and makes a just
settlement more difficult to achieve;
3. Welcomes the latest round of bilateral talks between Nepal
and Bhutan in Thimphu in May this year; also welcomes the fact
that Nepal has accepted the UNHCR compromise on the crucial
definition of the "family" unit for verification purposes and
calls on the Bhutanese authorities to accept the UNHCR
compromise so that the commitment to field verification for
the early and time-bound repatriation of the refugees can
begin immediately;
4. Welcomes the Bhutanese authorities' commitment, given to
the UNHCR High Commissioner for Refugees during her visit to
Bhutan and Nepal, to resolve the refugee issue and to display
the flexibility necessary for an early solution to the problem
of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal;
5. Considers that international donors should make sufficient
funds available to permit the running of the camps during the
negotiation and verification process and greatly appreciates
the direct support for the camps which, so far, has cost USD
92 million, and calls on the donors, furthermore, to insist
that the Bhutanese Government facilitate a rapid repatriation
of the refugees;
6. Recognises the tremendous goodwill of Nepal in accepting
the refugees who are the victims of arbitrary deprivation of
nationality and forcible eviction and who came to Nepal
through India, which consistently refuses to help in resolving
the repatriation issue by pretending that it is a bilateral
issue of concern only to Bhutan and Nepal;
7. Considers that the Indian authorities should take full
account of the humanitarian situation of the Bhutanese
refugees in Nepal and should take political initiatives in
order to support the solution of the problem, while noting
that there are 25 000 Bhutanese refugees in India;
8. Calls for and encourages all interests, including
international donors, to contribute to finding an early and
permanent solution bearing in mind that almost 98 000 people
have been denied their human rights for the last eight years;
9. Welcomes the release of Mr Tek Nath Rizal and 200 other
prisoners as a positive indication of Bhutanese goodwill but
at the same time regrets the lack of progress in other areas;
10. Welcomes the positive steps in defining the database and
procedural aspects for the verification process and points to
the important role that can be played by the UNHCR in
facilitating the practical implementation of the process;
11. Notes with satisfaction that the Prime Ministers of Bhutan
and Nepal will meet very soon in New York and will also meet
Mrs Ogata, High Commissioner for Refugees; hopes that these
meetings will produce a final political settlement of this
long-standing question; if not, calls on the Council to
initiate meaningful discussions and consider financial support
aimed at encouraging all parties involved to take the
necessary political initiatives which will result in a final
and durable solution at the highest political level;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the
Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States,
the governments of Bhutan, Nepal and India, the secretariat of
the SAARC, the WFP and the UNHCR.
URL:
http://www.radicalparty.org/radicalseu/prop_res_bhutan.htm
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Resolution
of European Parliament on the Plight of Nepali-speaking
refugees from Bhutan
13 (b)
B4-0329, 03 44, 0402 and 0405/96 dated 14 March 1996
The
European Parliament
A.
deeply concerned at the plight of some 86,000 mostly
Nepali-speaking refugees from Bhutan who are
currently in refugee camps in eastern Nepal and of 15000
others dispersed in neighbouring areas of Nepal and
India,
B. aware that
Bhutan’s policy of ‘national integration’ on the basis of
Western Bhutanese (Drukpa) traditions and culture, led to a
campaign, began in 1990, of suppression of Nepali cultural
expression in Bhutan, revocation of citizenship and
intimidation, arrests and sometimes torture of ethnic
Nepalese, resulting in a large-scale exodus to Nepal of
these people,
C.
disturbed that, according to a recent report of the South Asia
Human Rights Documentation Centre, the conditions in the
refugee camps have deteriorated, especially with
regard to medical care and education, and that certain of the
aid agencies, including the UNHCR are now scaling
down or withdrawing their assistance to these camps,
D.
whereas several Bhutanese refugee groups organised peaceful
demonstrations to protest against this unacceptable
situation and undertook a march from Nepal to Bhutan
across Indian territory,
E.
whereas, according to a report by Amnesty International,
several demonstrators were arrested by the Indian authorities
in mid-January and released after judicial verifications, but
whereas several of them are soon to be brought before the Siliguri court,
F.
noting that
the movement to bring about democratic reforms in Bhutan has
been
largely based in southern Bhutan,
1.
Calls
on the Governments of Bhutan and Nepal, in cooperation with
all other parties involved, to reach
an agreement which will allow the early, voluntary
repatriation of these Bhutanese refugees to their country of
origin;
2.
Considers
that the Indian authorities must take full account of the
humanitarian situation of the Bhutanese
refugees in Nepal and acquit all persons arrested during the
peaceful protest demonstrations;
3.
Calls on the
Government of Bhutan to make practical preparations for the
UNHCR-supervised return of these refugees, and to safeguard
the rights of minorities on its territory,
4.
Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Governments of
the Member States to provide assistance to the refugees in
eastern Nepal (some of whom have been denied official refugee
status), both via the Government of Nepal and via the aid
agencies operating in the field;
5.
Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Governments of
the Member States, in liaison with the UNHCR, to
discuss with the Government of Bhutan proposals for the
provision of assistance for the voluntary repatriation and
reintegration of these refugees in their former homes in
Bhutan;
6. Notes
that, in this connection, most of these refugees would appear
to qualify under
international law as being genuine citizens of Bhutan and
considers that Bhutan’s Citizenship Act of 1985 may need to be
modified as a result;
7. Instructs
its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the
Commission, the Governments of the member States, the
Governments of Bhutan, Nepal and India
and the Secretariat of SAARC.
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