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.

World Refugee Day marked in camps

The Bhutanese refugees  of Jhapa and Morang celebrated the World Refugee Day (WRD) by organising various programmes in their respective camps, Monday.

According to Kumar Poudyel(one refugee from Beldangi), hundreds of refugees from camp and representatives of various aid-agencies took part in the rally and formal programmes this afternoon.

This Marked for the first time in 2000, the WRD is celebrated each year on June 20 in a bid to remember millions of refugees of the world.

Many exiled Bhutanese, who are soon leaving the camps for resettlement, said they celebrated the event as a last refugee day. However, the participation in the event was less as compared with past years, according to the one elder refugee Tika Maya Adhikari.

Speaking at the function, various officials praised the refugee mass for celebrating the WRD.

On June 20 every year, WRD celebration was initiated from 2000. It is celebrated with a view to remembering millions of refugees in the world.

Fourth Edition of TRH is online now

Fourth Edition of The Refugee Herald (TRH) is online now.

As per the TRH team, team is highly regretted for inconvenience for readers as it is lately published due to lack of access in resources.

You can click here to download or view Portable Document Format (PDF) of TRH online or in your free time THE REFUGEE HERALD.

Forgery-accused youth faces severe torture in custody

Nepal police have severely tortured a refugee youth who is apprehended for his alleged involvement in obtaining Nepali citizenship and Machine Readable Passport (MRP) illegally, revealed his family sources and the Center for Victims of Torture (CVICT).

The family sources of one “J. Subba, in his 20s,” disclosed on Saturday that security personnel tried various forms of physical techniques to torture him in police custody. Citing the nature and sensitivity of the news, BNS can neither mention the full name of Subba nor can it publish his image.

According to a petition circulated by the Punya Foundation, Subba was inflicted with severe forms of tortures, including the technique of hooding. Following an alert, a team including legal expert from the CVICT visited Subba in police custody last week, it is learnt.

“CVICT lawyer reports Subba as saying that police in civil dresses slapped him on his face 10-12 times. Further, Subba was randomly beaten with a baton and kicked. He is subjected to falanga-torture, as a consequence of which, he has difficulty to walk,” stated the petition.

Again women begins hunger strike

Women in strike with charts.

Bhutanese women who have been fighting for refugee status since long time again started the hunger strike from last Tuesday morning accusing the government of Nepal to listen their demands.

Even they staged 12 days fasting to death in last November.

Strikers' demand chart paper.

A group of six women led by Durga Devi Bista kick-started hunger strike including other strikers Ira Maya Khatri, Chandra Maya Khadka, Renuka Mongar, Tulasha Dhakal and Parbati Chouhan.

Their demands are registration and refugee status, informed coordinator Bista.

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.

Electricity still banned in refugee camps

By: HK Dahal

Since there is no any written international law to prohibit refugees to get access of electricity, but also Bhutanese refugees in Beldangi are totally prohibited to get access of such infrastructure of development.

As exiled Bhutanese students are studying in school that for appropriate development there should be the adequate Education, health, transportation, communication and electricity facilities. Slightly our exiled Bhutanese people are getting access of education, health, communication, transportation but mainly electricity is totally prohibited here in camp. No Bhutanese knows what is the main reason behind that.

Before some months, hardly exiled Bhutanese connected electricity from host community but within few months Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) of Damak disconnected and seized all the connecting cables and meter box forcefully.
As exiled Bhutanese were not using it in free, they used to pay Rs.20 per Unit as local consumers only pay Rs.9 per Unit. Last time local consumers had collected Rs.5000 from each exiled Bhutanese consumers, which they haven’t returned till now.

Mainly the lack of electricity, exiled Bhutanese students are forced to study in dark at night in absence of proper light as there is no any other light facilities.

Protected: Fire safety awareness rally(Photo Collection)

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Eastern Regional Football Tournament begins

The Eastern Regional Football Tournament started from Tuesday in Bhutanese refugee camp Beldangi.

The tournament is ongoing under the joint effort of the Fans Club of Bhutanese refugees and Pravat Kiran Yuba Club of Damak-5.

According to the organizers, tournament will last until April 10 and the winners will be awarded with cash prizes of NRs. 15,000 and 10,000 respectively.

Two matches have been held on daily basis, as altogether 12 teams are participating in the tournament, informed organizer Yuba Raj Sampang.

An  awareness rally on fire safety was organized on the inauguration day. Dozens from camp school, camp management committee, representatives from various agencies, children forum and Armed Police Force (APF), among others took part in a rally held to inform the exiled community about safety measures of fire and its disasters.

Third edition of TRH published

Front view of third edition

The third edition of Bhutanese refugee based English newspaper “The Refugee Herald” (TRH) is published and circulating in camp.

If you want to read this newspaper online click here to download.

The first edition of TRH is published on 14 January, under the private circulation of Bhutanese refugee students under parenting of Chief Editor: Vidhyapati Mishra and Managing Editor: Mona Rath Pokhrel.

TRH is one and only English newspaper left that is alive in Bhutanese refugee camp.