ASIA/NEPAL - The Government in Nepal committed to reducing Bhutanese refugee camps

Kathmandu (Agenzia Fides) – The Nepalese Government is committed to reducing Bhutanese refugee camps from seven currently to two in the next two years, says Jay Mukunda Khanal, head of national unity for coordinating refugees in Nepal, in the statement issued by Irin Agency. “Given the large number of people in the camps we hope to achieve this goal by 2012,” said Khanal. Known in Bhutan as “Lhotsampas”, the refugees are Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese origin who have lived in the camps since the early 1990s, following the displacement of 108,000 people from their homes by the Bhutanese Government.
According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), since 2007, more than 43,500 Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in third countries. Until 28 February, the United States had accepted the majority (over 37,000), followed by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Currently, the seven camps – Beldangi I, Beldangi II, extension of Beldangi II, Khudunarabari, Tima and Goldhap (all in Jhapa district) and Sanischare (Morang district) – hold 69,203 refugees. Of all the inhabitants at the camps, 75% expressed the desire to be resettled in third countries. The UNHCR is trying to negotiate with the Government on the planning process in an attempt to ensure that a consistent level of services and assistance for refugees is maintained when the camps are reduced to two. (AP) (1/3/2011 Agenzia Fides)