May 3,The editorial board of popular ‘news blog’ producing news stuffs and
articles for and by Bhutanese refugees, has declared the closure for indefinite
period publishing a press release.
A release posted on the
bhutanusa.com cited, what they call as “technical and managerial issues” as the
reason to declare the closure of the site.
“The reasons arise out of the
fact that the time period of the registration of this domain has run out and
the web page designer (Himalayan
Web Info. Pvt. Ltd, Kathmandu, Nepal) that was entrusted with
the task of developing the site to its final form and hosting it with a
different domain, globalbhutan.com, cheated us badly letting us not to blog
about what we have been doing for nearly one and a half years.”
However Himalayan Web Info. Pvt.
Ltd has not yet responded the issue.
Statement reads,” Back in 2008,
we conceived the concept of having a place in the internet to blog about the
tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan and a vast majority of Bhutanese folks all
around the globe. Well, we came up on the final day of December 2008 with the
idea to have a web site on the issue, in fact the first of all diaspora sites
for Bhutanese created over the past with different intellectual perspectives
and scholastic efforts. We do not claim ourselves to be so scholastic and
precisely perspective thinkers in regards to working with Butanusa.com but we
did have a successful story in the past with an ever-increasing influx of
visitors, viewers, well-wishers and above all, our advisors who, in some way
served as beacon for our responsibility-laden ship to head its
way surviving the Doldrums on a vast ocean of
socio-political criticism and diverse ideological Tsunamis. In a
nutshell, bhutanusa.com prospered well ever since it was conceived by resettled
Bhutanese from third countries.”
Statement further reads,” Our
thanks are due to our valued visitors, our senior Bhutanese reporters,
Bhutanese intellectuals who supported us during hard times and above all, our
team members, who, amidst the busy and hectic schedules of their daily living,
worked devotedly to bring things updated on a regular and timely manner.
Rationally speaking, we always stand hand in hand working together for a common
cause of peace and happiness for people who are deprived of it. We still have a
long way to go together and not to end with this.”
According to the statement, the
site, Bhutanusa.com will be completely down from the mid-night of May 8.
April 27,Demanding their issues to be raised on the 16th South Asian Association for Regional cooperation ( SAARC) submit going to be held in Bhutan on April 28 and 29, Bhutanese refugees has begun protest today.
Protest lead by Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Support Group (BRRSG), Bhutanese Elderly Refugee Repatriative Committee (BERRC) is organized at Beldangi and Khudunabari refugee camps. Refugees sit-in demonstrate in front of Refugee coordination Unit, Nepal government‘s representative office in camp.
Coinciding the submit,support group has send a memorandum to Indian Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh requesting to mediate refugee issue through Indian embassy Kathmandu today.
Similarly Bhutanese refugee leaders participated in a seminar on right to repatriation of Bhutanese refugees organized by south Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) and Bhutanese Elderly Refugee Repatriative Committee at Bitamode Jhapa.
Whereas, six leaders among eight has reached to capital today, when one and half day left for submit.The first one to arrive in Thimphu was Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapakse. Rajapakse, who reached here this Monday, remained busy like other leaders in bilateral meetings yesterday.
Meanwhile, the fifth regional meet of South Asia Free Media Association ended in Paro yesterday. Altogether 174 journalists from SAARC countries took part in the regional gathering.
Organizers responsible to provide logistics to media persons are finding tough to allocate seats for some 300 journalists since the media gallery in NA hall just contains 106 seats.
When no seats are available, journalists will be allowed to enter the hall only when their leaders address the summit.
Enough property, land and
prestigious life of Kadel family in Burma (Myanmar) were always a source of
jealous for his neighbors. Kewal R. Kadel’s mother was a self-learned spiritual
jumping doctor (a woman who treats patient by praying and playing with the
ghosts; believed in the conventional Nepali society). They earned a big cash
and metallic wealth like gold, silver, brass, etc by treating sick people in
their locality. This made kadel’s family miss the feeling of pains and
sufferings while in Burma
during 1940s.
But nobody can predict the future. History of Black days for
Nepali ehnic people started in Myanmar,
Burma.
Suppression on Nepali ehnic Burmese during 1940s led a large number of Burmese
leave their country. Kewal, his mother, elder brother and sister had to leave not
only their land and property but their identity too.
And who knows all happiness is looted in no seconds. Sudden
bomb blasts from the sky terrified the province people. Burma – Japan conflicts
were on the horizon. Army fighters both in the sky and land were bombing and
firing which marked a big question in the lives of thousands of Burmese people.
All the bridges and entry-exit ways of the country were sealed. Kewal Ram and
his family dug an ‘L’ shaped pit under the ground and stayed there for twelve
months. But no signal of war conclusion was sensed.
They freed all their animals and
fare welled all the home workers. They kept all their property under the
ground. Tela Kadel, wife to Kewal Ram says, “Kewal Ram used to say; if I get chance
to visit my birth place ever, I would take out all those properties”.
With no transportation, a five year old child Kewal
desperately joined a very long, painful and tiresome journey to India with his
family by foot. The earth and the grass, the green water on the lake, the trees
near and far off hills, and the rocks and mountains were their friends along
their journey. It was a long way walk of two months to reach India. Along
with the Kadel family, a large number of Nepali ehnic Burmese moved to somewhere,
where they were themselves unknown of their destination.
Everyone’s legs were heavy. “But…”, Kewal’s eldest son Devi
Charan says, “…my father used to say that they felt a sense of being together
in a group sharing each others’ sorrows”. They inhaled peace slowly putting
themselves together along their way.
However, there were, for Kewal, no other options to escape
or avoid the unbearable pains of sharp pebbles and thorns on their way.
After all pain and sufferings, Kadel and many other families
who arrived India
were in halfway house to decide their final destination. As days passed some
choosed to go to Assam,
some to Megalaya, some to Sikkim
and Manipur and many other states of India. Among them, a large group
entered Nepal.
Still a group of Burmese refugees are found in Kakarvitta, Jhapa Nepal.
During their six months stay in India, Kewal’s elder brother left
mother and sister with him and vanished in Assam, India. The then, he never met his
brother. “But.”, his eldest son Devi Charan stressed, “…he felt his brother’s
affection when he met his sister inlaw in Nepal.
Kewal’s family then decided to spend rest of their life in Bhutan, a tiny
Himalayan country in South East Asia. Again
the same pain repeated, it took almost one whole month for their foot to reach Bhutan. They
were relieved when they reached Dagana district in Bhutan; a place which they called
their HOME.
Monarch – Tyrannical rule again ended up Kadel’s stay in Bhutan after
five decades of their entry into Bhutan. Democratic movement in 1990
AD demanding Human Rights and democratic systems in the country led one lakh
Nepali ethnic southern Bhutanese (Lhotshampas) migrate to Southern
Nepal as refugees. Kewal Ram with his four sons and five daughters
had to leave their mother (died) and sister (married) in Bhutan itself.
Miracles of his life sometimes may be distrust for somebody.
When Kewal Ram’s family entered Timai refugee camp in Nepal, the
other Burmese refugees were in Kakarvitta. (These two refugees are
approximately in distance of 20 kilometers). With the flow of time Kewal and
many other who entered Nepal
had a number of sons and grandsons. He became old and was suffered by asthma
and was in bed for almost one and a half decade. It was in July 2004 that his
physical existence left the earth. He struggled throughout his life to have
HOME but couldn’t. This credit is now left on his son’s shoulders.
Kadel family lived for around two decades in exile as refugees
in Nepal.
Finally, through resettlement program Kewal’s eldest son Devi Charan with his
family immigrated to Richmond,
Virginia state of USA in June
2008 followed by his other brothers. Devi Charan says, “ this long journey of
migrating country to country for safe and home, will definitely end now because
USA is believed to be a safe country where every people has equal rights and
nobody suppresses no one”. After a long breath he again added, “We have a
dignified life here”.
Devi Charan’s words are some of many sorrowful stories of
refugees around the world struggling for a safe place called HOME where they
can stay permanently with no pressures.
After a moment of thought for the concluding lines Devi
Charan concludes, “…let no generations pass a refugee life as we did”.
March 30, Armed Police Force (APF) has detained three
refugees along with Badal Thapa chief of relay March campaign. Along
with Badal, Tara Thapa and Dhan Bdr. Rai were caught by APF before
starting “relay mass to Bhutan” campaign from sanischare camp, Morang.
Whereas APF has stated that, detention is keeping in view of security
risk.
Chief Badal had informed public regarding the campaign two days
before through a press release. He added, campaign is organized to
pressurize Bhutan for repatriation and seek concern of international
community upcoming SAARC summit on April 28-29 in Bhutan. Political
forces in exile has not yet made any public statement on this regard.
Source said that,”march has set internal goal to enter Phuenstoling
Bhutan individually.”But detail road map including who and how will they
enter country is not made public. It is said that Camp based
repatriation support groups has support to the allies.
Relay march organized in 2007 had resulted loss of life and several
refugees were vandalized by Indian security forces. Despite of several
peaceful protests made by refugees Royal Government of Bhutan has not
taken initiation for repartition. Click here to see interview with Badal after his release.
United Kingdom ( UK) has work out to resettle Bhutanese Refugees languishing in Nepal. Kantipur News wrote," government team of UK going to take interview of refugees in coming week".
It is said that, refugees disqualified for other countries and census misers will be included for interview. Nepal government and United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees has concluded census of missing refugees two week ago.UK is one among to resettle less Bhutanese refugees in Europe.
Among one lakhs and seven thousand refugees 83 thousand have filled up resettlement interest form. where 27 thousand has been resettled in Europe and USA since 2008.
Bhutanese Refugee resettlement is the largest program launched by UNHCR in world.
KATHMANDU (AFP) –
The United States has warned its citizens against adopting children in Nepal, saying it has "grave concerns"
about the reliability of that country's adoption system.
The government urged prospective adoptive parents to choose
another country, citing the case of a young Nepalese girl placed in the
custody of an American couple without the consent of her biological mother and father.
"The US Department of
State strongly discourages prospective adoptive parents from
choosing Nepal as a country from which to adopt due to grave concerns
about the reliability of Nepal?s adoption system," it said in a
statement on its website dated March 4.
Nepal introduced new adoption legislation in 2008 following reports of
widespread abuses of the system by unscrupulous agents who were
effectively trafficking children overseas for profit.
Twenty Nepalese children have been adopted by foreign parents since the
system restarted last year, seven of whom are in the US, but experts say
little has changed since the new rules came into force.
The State Department said that in one of the first cases processed by
the Nepal government, the US embassy in Kathmandu found the birth parents of the
adopted child were actively searching for her.
The US government warning follows a recommendation last month from a
team of international legal experts based in The
Hague that international
adoptions of Nepalese children be suspended.
They said their investigations found documents were routinely falsified
and children's homes were largely unregulated, with the interests of the
child often not considered at all.
Germany moved to suspend adoptions from Nepal after the findings of The Hague team's
investigations were made public, and 14 embassies in Kathmandu issued a
statement urging the Nepalese government to tighten controls.
Following the assassination of a senior Bhutanese refugee and an
erstwhile social worker, former camp Secretary of Beldangi-one, Ramesh
Subba a couple weeks ago, there has been multitude of reactions on it.
Various speculations have been made as to who had hands in such a
heinous and maligned act.The incident hasn’t only left Subba’s family in
lurch but many in the camps are dismayed and felt insecure. The common
innocent people have started manifesting their fear if the camp was once
again heading to be a battlefield in the illogical dictates of those
who intend to taint peace and harmony.
Meanwhile, a senior leader, Bhampa Rai smells Bhutan’s hand in this
crime and said that Subba’s death was a master-plot to adversely affect
the repatriation movement. At the same time, a few other Bhutanese
leaders, condemning the incident, have opined that such criminal acts
rulling one after another were simply fostering to breed enmity and
animosity among the Bhutanese brothers thereby bridging a divisive gap
of difference and making them vulnerable at the hour of rush when all
had to stand in unison for a common cause.
Whereas, a few celebrated the killing of late Subba. They termed it
as a victory. However, wheresoever each individual’s perception in
relation to this case be aligned to, either accept wholeheartedly or
discard publicly, it is indeed by virtue of human ethics, conscience and
rationality that violence can never bring happiness and contentment in
people so as crime can never be proven instrumental for victory and
justice.
Reports are there that late Subba was lately involved in the
underground outfit that was blamed to have carried out a number of
explosions inside Bhutan, killed refugee leaders including K.B Khadka
and Santiram Nepal last year and disturbed the peace and harmony of the
refugee camps. But, at the same time, death can’t be the final
punishment to any culprit. Aptly to an adage ‘To err is Human, and to
err is devilish’ are like human mistakes. Human beings by nature make
mistakes but are instrumental tools if these mistakes are based as the
foundation stones for new success thereof.
Looking back to his recent years’ deeds, if things are true as what
has been said, late Subba and his organization has made a number of such
mistakes. But, there are other ways to correct them. Killing of Subba
doesn’t really say that those mistakes are now wiped out rather it might
tempt and entice his colleagues towards committing mistakes of greater
magnitude. On the other hand, the one who killed must have a heart much
different from the rational being. There can be someone with rationale
who might have directed the plot of killing Mr Subba but the one who
directed the gun towards him can be one with an abnormal sentiments and
that it can be of danger to anyone any time for he or she has a
conscience that comes into play for ill intention alone.
Consecutive killings of three Bhutanese within a short span of ten
months have revealed that the nightmare of impunity is what the innocent
refugees have to live in. It is the grass-root people who are compelled
to be sandwiched between death and threats. It is the common people
after all to suffer and get suffocated in the conspiracy and defiled
plumes of air, whose beginning prayers for peace and justice never get
an iota of opportunity to rupture into a blossom of hope. Only are they
left with, is an option of nightmare life full of impunity, threats and
trouble. Looks like the refugee camps are mere sand banks with no human
existence. The status of social security is dire as the growing murder,
robbery; arson and the like have tightened their grips. May be there are
voices in support of the recent killing of Ramesh Subba but in the
ethical sense of human existence to conceive murder as the solution to
any problem is like living in the barbaric era far away from the
civilized 21st-century world.
As a human being we have greater responsibilities towards creation of
fair, just and peaceful place on earth than to paralyse ourselves in an
ever-growing flame of wrath coming out of our quick-made decisions.
From the mouth of each individual the slogan ‘STOP KILLING, START
LOVING’ should echo right now. This could only be what would pave a
credibly positive way for the generation that is following our
footprints. (Prepared by Bhutanusa.com reporters)
