Agencies to renew refugee identity cards

UNHCR Nepal and Nepal government jointly decided to renew the refugee identity cards with effect from 17 September.

Field Director of UNHCR Sub-Office Damak Sajal Gupta, speaking in the meeting. Photo: Tilak Niroula

Addressing the meeting in Beldangi, today, Sajal Gupta, a field director of UNHCR Sub-office Damak informed that 27,000 cards will be renewed this time. Further he added, in each day five hundreds people will get the cards which is extremely different this time.

“We have fixed to begin verification from 17 September from Sanischare, Beldangi-I, Beldangi-II and Extension  and will complete within the end of this year, and the cards that we are going to distribute this year is in digital way and while snapping the photos individual’s finger-prints will be recorded.” Gupta said.

Meanwhile, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Jhapa who is also being working as a co-ordinator of refugee affairs, Narendra Raj Sharma explained about the importance of the cards and requested the entire refugees to help Nepal government sometime during verification process.

Nepal to allow urban refugees to resettle

Nepal

After a long wait, the Government of Nepal has finally decided to issue exit permit for “urban refugees”, other than Tibetan and Bhutanese, to resettle in various western countries.

Prior to this development, Nepal was issuing exit permits to just Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees. Some 60,000 Bhutanese in exile have already resettled in different eight countries in the west after getting such documents.

Senior government officials said the Minister of Home Affairs has sought the consent of the finance ministry to waive visa fees and penalty slapped on urban refugees, who have already received acceptance letters from host countries for resettlement, reports the Republica daily from Kathmandu, Monday.

“We have decided to allow their resettlement as prolonging their stay in Nepal would only complicate matters,” said the Ministry’s Spokesperson for Shankar Koirala.

Nepali locals demands resettlement

Resettlement satire ! /BNS

Host community of Bhutanese refugee camp affected area amazingly demanded the relocation of some members to those Bhutanese refugee resettled countries.

According to the source, a local youth club from Damak submitted the demand paper to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), its implementing partners and the Refugee Coordination Unit, even demanding the resettlement.

The demand paper signed by the club’s chairperson Subash Bhandari included that “The host community who are also suffering from 20 years. Thus, we recommend the connected authority to grant resettlement offer to our people as well.”

Importance of English Language

By Moses Lagoon
News-Coordinator

English is the only language which is widely spoken all over the world. English

language is a common language and is spoken in many countries as well. So it is considered as a universal language. It has gained its popularity all over the countries in the world on which most of the universities in the world include English as one of their major subject. We are living in the world of globalization, so English is also often used as the official languages almost allover the countries in the world. So English language has a great importance in the world’s globalization.

बाँसुरीका हस्ती ‘बुबु’

विद्यापति मिश्र

बाल्यकालदेखि नै बाँसुरी बजाउन शुरू गरेका आस्मान राई खुदुनावारी शिविरका प्रायजसो भूटानीका लागि परिचित नाम हो । अझ, धेरैले यी बाँसुरीका हस्तीलाई ‘बुबु’ भनेर सम्बोधन गर्दछन् । “राई भाषामा बुबु भनेको दाई हो, यो मेरो उपनाम हैन । त्यसकारण मलाई जे भने पनि हुन्छ,” मुसुमुसु हाँस्तै उनी भन्दछन् । कति वर्षदेखि उनले बाँसुरी बजाउन थालेको हो भन्ने उनलाई ठ्याक्कै थाहाँ छैन तर पनि करिब २५ वर्ष जति वितेको उनको तर्क छ ।
सानो छँदा रेडियोबाट बजेका गीतहरु सुनेर सिक्ने गर्दागर्दै बाँसुरी वाधनमा पोख्त भएको उनी बताउछन् । शिविरमा हुने प्रायजसो सबै सांगितक कार्यक्रममा मात्र हैन दिनौजसो भइरहने तालिमहरूमा पनि ‘बुबु’ सबैलाई आस्चर्यचकित् पार्दै बाँसुरी बजाउने गर्दछन् । स्वर सम्राट नारायण गोपाल र तारन देवीले गाएको नेपाली सांगितक बजारमा स्थापित अजम्बरी गीत “तिरिरि मुरली बज्यो वनौमा…” देखि हाल बचारमा चलेका होक तथा चलचित्रका गीतहरू पनि उनले बाँसुरीमा उतार्ने गरेकाले ‘बुबु’ सबै प्रकारका शरणार्थी तथा संसस्थाका मान्छेका लागि एउटा रमाइलो पात्रका रूपमा परिचित छन् ।

Left in a limbo

Vidhyapati Mishra’s opinion piece published by The Kathmandu Post.

For over two decades, Nepal has been hosting thousands of Bhutanese nationals, who were forcefully evicted from the country in early 1990s. However, it was only in 2006 that the Government of Nepal agreed to verify and issue them refugee identity cards. The joint verification team comprising representatives from the government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) conducted official registration between 2006 to 2008 for issuing photo identity cards for over 100,000 Bhutanese citizens, languishing in UN-managed refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang. One of the achievements of the official registration is the ongoing third country resettlement. Nearly 60,000 refugees registered have already left for various eight countries in the West to begin a new life. The International Organization for Migration and UNHCR are processing around 50,000 refugees for relocation.

Initially, both the government and UNHCR were convinced that the registration process would grant refugee status to all asylum seekers from Bhutan, including Indian and Nepali women married to refugees in camps. But, it was not to be. Some individuals, who missed the official counting intentionally or otherwise, are now struggling to get their status recognised by the government. These include new arrivals from Bhutan, who were expelled recently from the country or released from jails. Now, they have come to the refugee camps to join their family members and friends. The local authority even claims that the ongoing resettlement process has lured some of them and this is why they left the country or married their loved ones from Nepal and India. It might be true that people can be attracted towards resettling in developed countries through marriage chains, but to dare to leave the country to become a refugee for this is unconvincing. It is the right of all asylum seekers to get their status defined so that they don’t remain stateless, and even qualify for any solution of the refugee issue, including third country resettlement and dignified repatriation to the homeland.

Hunger strike called off as govt commits to meet their demands

Following a written commitment from the government to start the registration of all kinds of asylum seekers including new ones within the next five months, the ongoing hunger strike was called off on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Acting Chief District Office of Jhapa, Yogendra Dulal, and Durga Devi Bista signed the agreement paper where representatives from various agencies, rights defenders, the camp management committee of Beldangi and journalists were present as witness.

Based on the agreement, the government expressed its written commitment to resume the installed registration for issuing refugee identity cards.

“The government has acknowledged all demands of put forwarded by the agitating women, and commits to start registration of asylum seekers, census absentees and cases of new entry,” read the agreement paper.

This is the gentlemen's agreement signed between Durga Devi Bista and Acting Chief District Officer of Jhapa, Yogendra Dulal, Saturday. Photo: VIdhyapati Mishra/BNS

CDO Dulal also assured medical treatment of all the women, expressing sadness over their deteriorating health conditions.

“I have already instructed AMDA Nepal to ensure that women recover their lost health,” said CDO Dulal.

However, Bista, who was leading the fast-unto-death since November 15, expressed doubt over timely implementation of the government’s commitment.

16-day activism to fight violence against women begins

The 16-day activism to fight against and prevent all forms of violence against women has begun from November 25 across the globe.

First marked in 1981, the campaign aims to create public awareness to prevent violence against women.

Here in the camps, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its implementing parties also marked the beginning of the campaign by organizing awareness rallies, and stage programs.

Various camp-based organizations, community groups and camp management committee also expressed their solidarity to the campaign.

The campaign ends on December 10, which is marked as the International Human Rights Day annually.

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HUROB, BRRRC worried over worsening health of hunger strikers

The Human Rights Organization of Bhutan (HUROB) has expressed worry over the deteriorating heath conditions of exiled Bhutanese women, who have been undergoing fast-unto-death since Tuesday.

Issuing a press statement on Saturday, HUROB Chairperson S.B.Subba requested the Government of Nepal and UNHCR to consider the case and meet their demands at least on humanitarian ground once for all.

“It may be over stepping of the policy, the kind humanitarian gesture would be highly appreciated and the refugees will remain ever grateful,” said he.

According to the HUROB, such kindness from the concerned authority would relieve the non-registered Bhutanese refugees forever from their daily trepidation and psychological fear of insecurity of the future of their children and means of survival.

Subba has warmed that if the problem is left unaddressed, there is fear of 3,749 refugees becoming stateless, and that will become a concern for the international community.