-By: Vikram
It is obvious that the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal sought for repatriation to their home stead for years. Several attempts were made longing for unconditional repatriation. It was during 1996-97 that an appeal movement marching towards Bhutan via India's soil was ruthlessly suppressed by the Indian military jackboot there by mercilessly killing a layman demonstrator viz; Baburam Syangden and injuring hundreds of Bhutanese refugee commoners and representatives. The refugees furthermore, incessantly fought demanding repatriation with dignity and honor. In 2007 long march aimed at entering Bhutan via India's soil was interrupted by Indian 'security force' in Mechi Bridge at Indo-Nepal boarder in the east. The West Bengal administration killed a revolutionary student viz; Shahabahadur Siwa and charged batons, fired bullets and pushed bayonet into the feeble refugees at random. Similarly, two innocent students viz; Narapati Dhungyel and Purnabahadur Tamang were shot dead and hundreds of patriots were injured, arrested and tortured by the Nepalese army-police nexus in Beldangi camp. This series of events eventually led to suppression of the repatriation movement as the fear of persecution and torture terrorized the refugee commoners bitterly. The Beldangi incident was a shameful interruption of Jhapa administration and the then government of Nepal against the general sentiment of the refugees of the very period of time. Obviously being aimed at stopping the refugees joining the long march in Mechi Bridge, the Jhapa administration manifested the fascist and inhuman essence of the Nepalese democratic republic.
The aforesaid series of events including Mechi Bridge struggle and Beldangi struggle was the manifestation of patriotic and militant tendency of Bhutanese refugees. It indeed was an ample proof of the pro-repatriation tendency of the refugees turning down the proposed third country resettlement. Notwithstanding, the western imperialist intervention in refugee issue in pretext of humanitarian way out to the refugee imbroglio i.e. resettlement deliberately fabricated and fragmented the refugees. This in turn misled the refugees and their movement and diverted towards the regressive opposite direction. The resettlement option is undoubtedly guided by the imperialist conspiracy theory and reactionary principle of divide and rule. The aforesaid inhuman killings and suppression are a part of the reactionary conspiracy with the aim to enslave the refugees in the bourgeoisie labor market. This white terrorism imposed by the host country Nepal played a vile negative role that changed the general sentiment of the refugees and made pro-resettlement with in a short period of time. Besides, the personnel of UNHCR , IOM and other imperialist catalysts from in and out side the refugee community waged psychological war of terror, temptation and threat against the pro-repatriation general sentiment of the refugees. Such a two fold policy, particularly wild police terrorism of the host country Nepal on one hand and the psychological war waged by the imperialist elements on the other hand, fragmented, diverted and dispersed Bhutanese refugees. Eventually the repatriation movement is suppressed. The patriots are demoralized and most of them are transformed distortedly into pessimists and self centered. The royal despotism and the depopulation policy of Bhutan is rewarded and encouraged. A fact finding team was formed just after the Beldangi firing incident including some refugees and some local figures of the refugee affected area. It was said that the investigation report would soon be publicized by the then home ministry of Nepal. Furthermore, it was said that the casualties would be compensated accordingly. Nevertheless, the report is kept secret till date. Neither the offenders including the killers are punished nor are the casualties compensated. Besides, the just demands of the patriots are not taken into account, rather they are being humiliated. This indeed has been a real jest of the Nepalese ruling elites upon the fate of victimized Bhutanese refugees. Nepal has thus betrayed the Bhutanese refugees, herself becoming a transit point of human trafficking and serving thereby the imperialist labor policy and market.
Besides, some elements are exercising the 'local integration' of the refugees in the host country Nepal in its simplest form. The so called '...... Community networking ' is under preliminary exercise. This is another and the decisive repressive move against repatriation movement.
The refugee imbroglio is an adjunct issue. It is a small portion of the political problem of Bhutan. It comes along with the question of class antagonism, nationality, territorial indivisibility, sovereignty, democracy, human rights and civil rights. The movement of political change is the principal factor and along with it comes repatriation movement. As the cause of the refugee issue itself is political problem, it is the only political measure that can resolve the problem indeed. The ongoing resettlement and local integration in preliminary exercise in pretext of humanitarian resolution discourage and discard the political change in Bhutan. Rather, such measures encourage the despotism and depopulation policy of Bhutan.
The host country Nepal, western and especially the US imperialism and imperialist agents from in and out side the refugee camps are equally responsible to divert the patriotic psychology of the Bhutanese refugees through emotional black mailing. Now, it is as clear as crystal that the ongoing resettlement is being carried out only with the effort of two fold policy, particularly wild police suppression in one hand and psychological war against patriotic sentiment in other hand. At this critical juncture, the rightful realization and resolution is too late to be taken into account. The only alternative left to address the problem in rightful manner is to stop the ongoing resettlement and turn down local integration and take firm position in favor of repatriation with dignity and honor.
Though it is already late, the host country Nepal should realize that the ongoing resettlement of Bhutanese refugees is a form of human trafficking with the diplomatic and more precisely fraudulent and fabricated cover of showcased humanitarian resolution. Yet, Nepal has ample responsibility and potentiality to at least stop the ongoing resettlement and turn down the local integration. Therefore, it appears to be a moral question for Nepal to stop holding share in this black market human trafficking. Otherwise, no one can remove the gloomy stigma in Nepal's face through out the history of man kind. Now, very little time is left to realize that nothing is as shameful as the imperialist intervention in the Bhutanese refugee issue being approved by the host country Nepal.
NOTE: Writer is the acting General Secretary of Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist -Leninist-Maoist)
