Bhutanese denied third-country settlement for marrying Nepali bride

JHAPA, July 20: Bhutanese refugee Gopi Kafle is separated from his relatives for marrying a Nepali bride. The refugee at the Sector B 2 Hut Number 20 of refugee camp in Goldhap, Jhapa has been left behind for marrying a Nepali even as his relatives have flown abroad. [break]



“I have been separated from my relatives as they have left for abroad while the process for mine is not moving forward for marrying a Nepali,” says Kafle who had a love marriage with Durga Rimal of Dharampur, Jhapa five years ago.



Durga doesn´t have refugee identification card for being a Nepali citizen which has affected the couple´s process for flying abroad. Many other refugees have been left stranded for marrying Nepali spouses and families have been split. Some 1,500 Bhutanese refugees out of around 150,000 in seven camps of Jhapa and Morang have Nepali spouses and had their process for going abroad stalled.



The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in coordination with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had presented the alternative of settlement in a third country to the Bhutanese refugees two years ago.



More than 16,000 have been flown to the US, Canada, Australia, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand and the Netherlands under the program but those marrying a Nepali girl have been left behind. “I have been separated from my family for marrying a girl outside the camp,” says Shivalal Mukhiya from Beldangi camp.



The Office of the UNHCR maintains that a local woman who marries a refugee cannot be classified as a refugee. “Neither the country nor the nationality has changed. They can´t therefore be called refugees,” explains a UNHCR officer.



The program is only for refugees so process of such couples have not moved forward, he says, adding that the husband can go abroad if he wishes to go alone leaving the bride behind.



The wives have Nepali citizenship but that is of no use after they enter the refugee camps having married a refugee and they don´t have a refugee identity card either. “We are neither Nepali nor refugees,” complains 30-year-old Kamala Regmi of Beldangi camp who married refugee Gopal Regmi 10 years back.



Many others who applied after the Regmis have already left Nepal but they don´t know when or whether they will get their chance. “Have patience, we will think about you all after taking others,” Gopi Kafle quotes a UNHCR official as saying but his patience is running out.

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