“We Don’t Want to Be Refugees Again”
A Human Rights Watch Briefing Paper for the Fourteenth Ministerial Joint Committee of Bhutan and Nepal, May 19, 2003
“Bhutan is my motherland. I don’t want to stay here, even though we have the aid of other countries.”
- Seventy-year-old man, Khudanabari refugee camp in Nepal.
Summary
Background
History of the Bhutanese Refugee Situation in Nepal
Forced Expulsions, Refugee Flight, and the Right to Return
The Status Verification Process
Categorization
Verification’s Potential Pitfalls: Deprivation of Nationality and Statelessness
Pre-conditions for Voluntary Repatriation
Introduction
"Push" Factors
Neutral, Accurate, and Objective Information
Conditions in Bhutan
Access to and Presence of UNHCR
Continuing Discrimination in Bhutan
Discrimination relating to citizenship status in Bhutan
Discrimination in employment and education
Restrictions on freedom of movement
Conclusion
Recommendations
To the Governments of Bhutan and Nepal
To the Government of Bhutan
To the Government of Nepal
To the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
To Donors, the Government of India, and the International Community
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