I consider myself fortunate to get a copy of your write up titled "BHUTAN'S PROBLEM WITH MOAIST INSURGENCY GROUPS, MIL" dated March 26, 2010.In your write up as an eminent journalist I would like to express some of my reservations.
First of all as an International Journalist of your stature, it would be wise to turn down the pages of history, analyze and present the facts on Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal without being biased.
1. Ethnically, the insurgent groups are dominated by Nepali immigrants Lhotshampas (People of Nepali origin) who immigrated to the southern regions of Bhutan in search of farmland and economic prosperity in the early 1800s..........
This point diverts the attention of readers as the facts are distorted.......
History tells us our ancestors were taken to Bhutan after signing a treaty in 1624 AD between the Shabdrung Nawang Namgyel of Bhutan and king of Gorkha Ram Shah (1606-1663).On the request of Shabdrung King Ram Shah dispatched about 50 families under the leadership of Bishnu Thapa. The reason being......
Bhutanese rulers in those days feared the British Invasion. To protect its territory from the British East India Company these Nepali families were settled in the southern belt bordering India. These people were used as a barrier against the ever expanding British Empire in India.
Further in around 1640s AD many more were recruited to build Dzongs in Bhutan as their artistic and architectural -skills were of class.
Your point of migration in search of farmland and economic prosperity substantiates no good reason for the settlement of Nepali speaking people in Bhutan. These settled ones toiled hard, day and night to transform the thick jungles in to fertile cultivatable lands, growing different crops and the practice continued for generations. The ruling group in Bhutan in those days feared venturing south until late 60s and early 70s.
With the lapse of time the fourth king took the growing prosperity among the southern Bhutanese otherwise and hatched various policies to evict the hard working simple peasants in the name of ONE NATION ONE PEOPLE.
Bhutan's population by and large is not dominated by Drukpas of Tibetan origin. Demographically Bhutan's population consisted of three major groups.
Sharchhops, they are the earliest inhabitants of the country of Indo Mongoloid race and lived in the eastern part of the country, Lhotshampas in the south constituting over one third the country's populations and the ruling Ngalongs who are descendants of Tibetan immigrants.
2. However, ethnic problems between the lhotshampas and drukpas escalated when the....
For your kind information there was no conflict between the Lhotshampas and the Drukpas. The conflict like situation was created by the king for the mere survival of Wangchuk dynasty. The various policies in the name of one nation one people progumulated by the fourth king resulted in the eviction of more than 130000 Bhutanese.
3. Refugees were categorized by UNHCR……………
It is unfortunate for an international journalist of your caliber to blame UNHCR for the categorization of refugees in four different categories. UNHCR came to the scene only on the request of the Nepalese Government on a humanitarian mission when the refugee influx started in early 90s.It was the high level Joint Ministerial committee formed between Bhutan and Nepal agreed to categorize the refugees in to four categories during their first meet in October 1993 in Kathmandu.
4. Also, the repatriation plans are opposed by the majority of Bhutanese refugee leaders in Nepal.
The truth is no tangible solution were seen despite over 15 rounds of bilateral meeting between the Nepalese and Bhutanese officials on the refugee crisis. Bilateral meetings ended with no positive outcome rather it became a forum to exchange pleasantries and greetings. The outcome of the joint verification team (JVT) on refugees on khudunabari camp further aggravated the issue, with the Bhutanese delegation announcing rigid and harsh condition upon repatriation on December 21,2001.Every Bhutanese stand for a honorable and dignified repatriation to Bhutan. Neither Nepal nor the donor countries or Bhutanese individuals were against repatriation. Still you can hear Bhutanese refugees from around the world advocating repatriation.
And Finally Balaji the truth is………………….
1. Indian Government is against repatriation of Bhutanese refugees, the statement issued by the then Foreign Minister of Indian Government Mr.Pranab Mukurjee in Kolkata “Repatriation of Bhutanese refugees will cause demographic imbalance in the region” is more than enough to substantiate my argument.
2. King Jigme Singye Wanchuk coined the slogan “One Nation One People” after a three day high level confidential conclave between the King and the then Prime Minister of India late Rajiv Gandhi in Bumthang in the year 1988. After the conclave the king enforced rigorous conditions on southern Bhutanese. It is believed that the visiting Indian premier urged the king to take measures to avoid revolutions from the people citing the movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland in the region.
3. Politicians and bureaucrats in India consider Bhutan as their puppet. The Indian Government in the name of aid and development is able to tap thousands of megawatt electrical energy from Bhutan to meet the growing energy demands in India. In a nut shell Big brothers in India consider a threat for them as well if Bhutanese are given dignified repatriation from camps in Nepal.
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