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on right to safety
Campaign on Bhutanese refugees
Focus on Unregistered Asylum Seekers
As part of its campaign to focus national and international
attention on the situation of unregistered Bhutanese asylum seekers in
Nepal, SAFHR undertook a Survey in 2002 (see report in Refugee sec.).
The Survey’s findings have been successfully lobbied with the Ministry
of Home Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and
Justice and UNHCR in Kathmandu to re-activate the Kakarvitta screening
post so that unregistered asylum seekers can apply for asylum status. In
addition SAFHR is lobbying for counseling, shelter and medical
facilities for the newly registered.
Lobbying Against Inconsistencies in Verification Process
SAFHR plans to use a case study on the Joint Verification Team (JVT)
report (forthcoming) to focus attention on the inconsistencies in the
verification process and lobby with the governments of Bhutan and Nepal
to address these inconsistencies in the screening process. Also, the
case study will be used to draw the attention of the international
community to the Bhutan government’s deliberate policy of ethnic
cleansing of its own citizens of Nepalese ethnicity. That the Bhutan
government is not really interested in taking the refugees back is amply
demonstrated by the tactical delay and “on again-off again” approach to
the so called “verification” of the refugees. The JVT report has made it
clear to the Bhutanese refugees in the camps that they have no
possibility of returning “home” till there is a change in the politics
of the regime in Bhutan.
Opinion Poll of Bhutanese Refugees on Return
SAFHR will conduct an opinion poll in the refugee camps to
ascertain the attitude of the refugees toward the issue of “return” and
the political reforms necessary for building a peaceful, democratic and
harmonious polity in Bhutan. In addition, SAFHR will organise a
Training Workshop on Right to Return to raise awareness on the
issue of return and the conditions necessary for return, as well as to
expose participants to other South Asian experiences of repatriation.
The training programme will help foster capacities among Bhutanese
refugee youths to more effectively take forward their struggle for
justice and political reconciliation.
Campaign to Mobilize Indian Support for Bhutanese Refugees
In recognition of the importance of mobilizing public opinion in
India in support of the Bhutanese refugees issue if a sustainable
resolution is to be achieved, SAFHR will initiate a campaign of
awareness beginning with a workshop in Delhi in December 2003. Political
leaders, media and civil society groups will be invited to the workshop.
A desk to focus specifically on the issue of Bhutanese refugees is being
set up in the office of The Other Media, SAFHR’s Delhi partner.
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