JHAPA, Aug 7: Bhutan Peoples' Party Chairperson Balaram Poudel has appealed to Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyal to take back Bhutanese refugees currently living in Nepal by adopting the policy of national reconciliation. 

Poudel, after being exiled from Bhutan in 1990, has been living as a refugee at Birtamod, Jhapa. He sent a letter to the Bhutanese King on July 30 with an appeal to consider repatriating the Bhutanese refugees.

At a press meet organized in Birtamod on Sunday, Poudel shared that he had sent a letter to the Bhutanese King as, according to him, the political problems within the country could only be resolved through the policy of national reconciliation.

Also, considering the crisis raging in Bhutan putting nationality and democracy at risk, he appealed to the Bhutanese King for the same.

According to him, over 200 political prisoners have been put behind the bars in various prisons in Paro, Chamgang, Rabuna, Mongar, Samdrup Jongkhar among other places in Bhutan at present. Paudel has pleaded to the Bhutanese King to release them unconditionally who, he added, were living a harsh life in prisons for participating in the human rights and democracy movement.

According to him, some three decades ago, over 150,000 Bhutanese were unjustly evicted from Bhutan for raising their voices for their language, culture and democratic rights. "We would like to appeal to the current Bhutanese King to adopt the national reconciliation policy and release all those prisoners unconditionally."

Poudel shared that he reminded the Bhutanese monarch that about 20 percent of the Bhutanese refugees deported from southern part of Butan were resettled in third countries so far and around 7,000 Bhutanese refugees were still living in difficulty in refugee camps of Jhapa and Morang districts.

He also urged his monarch to create an enabling environment to release all the prisoners held for their involvement in democratic and human rights movements and for all Bhutanese refugees to return home. "The government of Nepal ensured our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. However, we are not happy because we want to return to our home-Bhutan. We will not be happy until we can return to Bhutan," he asserted.

Poudel also requested the Government of Nepal to facilitate the repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal by holding dialogue with the Bhutanese refugees. Furthermore, he appealed to the Government of Nepal to renew the identity cards of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and register those missing out in records.

(RSS)

 
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