BELDANGI, Aug 16: Financial assistance raised through a fundraising campaign for recently released former Bhutanese political prisoners Chatur Man Tamang and Hasta Bahadur Rai was handed over to the two beneficiaries during a welcome ceremony at Beldangi Refugee Camp.
The Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) organised the fundraising campaign in July 2026. Contributions from 33 donors raised €1,492. After deducting €51.80 in transaction costs and €20 for the transfer, €1,420.20 remained. The amount received in Nepal, equivalent to NPR 243,809.57, was divided equally, with each beneficiary receiving NPR 121,904.79.
Beldangi Camp Secretary Sancha Hang Subba handed over the assistance during the ceremony attended by community members and well-wishers.
Former Camp Secretary and Camp Leader DB Subba and camp official Kabiraj Mongar welcomed Tamang and Rai by presenting them with khadas, marking their return to the community after years of imprisonment.
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Tamang was arrested on February 17, 2008, while Rai was arrested the following day. Both were detained at Chamgang Central Jail until their release on June 1, 2026, after spending more than 18 years in prison.
Following their release, the two returned to Beldangi with limited resources and are now rebuilding their lives in the camp. The financial assistance is expected to help meet their immediate needs.
Camp Secretary Subba thanked the donors and appealed for continued support for the two former political prisoners.
GCRPPB Coordinator and former political prisoner Dil Kumar Rai, who moderated the ceremony, also thanked the donors and those involved in the fundraising campaign and handover.
Tamang and Rai expressed gratitude to the donors and supporters, saying the assistance had encouraged them as they begin rebuilding their lives and establish themselves independently in the camp.
GCRPPB was formed in 2019 to campaign for the release of Bhutanese political prisoners. It has also organised support campaigns for released prisoners and vulnerable families of political prisoners living in refugee camps.
The group said 28 political prisoners remain incarcerated in Bhutan and pledged to continue its advocacy until their release.
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