SOME REPORTS

Resettlement not a hard choice: Reports
Bhutan News Service (BNS), which had set-up a plan to broadcast two special episodes of radio program from various FM stations in Nepal on the eve of the World Refugee Day-2008, later failed to air it due to lack of funds at the eleventh hour. BNS had collected exclusive audio reports on the present scenario prevailing within the resettled exiled Bhutanese. The reports were mainly collected from The Netherlands, US, Canada and Australia among other countries from its correspondents and volunteer contributors. BNS had also accessed the latest situation of non-registered ‘refugees’ from Bhutan who are languishing in different states of India. Respecting public’s right to information, BNS officially converted the audio-reports into texts. Excerpts:

Readying for a new beginning
By Ram Karki, The Netherlands
Altogether 22 members from five families have arrived The Netherlands under third country resettlement program. They are kept together in a transit camp at Amersfoort city.

They are happy to be in this environment. The adults are provided with 50 Euros a week while the children get 40 Euros. Every new comer will have an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) card with which they draw money from the bank when needed.

Before being transferred to a permanent apartment, all of them are kept in the same transit center. They will have to undergo detailed health check up and cultural orientation. The exiled Bhutanese must also attend the Dutch language classes and orientation is given on process of getting admission at the school and use of public consumption goods.

Each family will get 1,200 Euros after they are being transferred to apartments from the transit centers, to be spent for house rent, electricity, cooking gas, telephone, internet, health insurance and food items. From this amount, they can save up to 400 Euros. Until they are able to sustain themselves from their earnings, government would continue supporting them.

Additionally, government provides loan of 3,000 Euros for purchase of necessary household items such as sofa, television, computer etc after they are transferred to apartments. The loan has to be repaid within 35 months. Refugees are given free education but they must pay for health insurance.

Yadu Kharga, 23, and his sister Rekha kharga, 25, and their parents who came from Khudunabari four months ago are getting ready to move to their own independent house in Dutch province of Zeeland. Initially they hesitated to move but when all of them were sent to see the place and the house on June 3, they returned being very happy and excited to be able to get such a splendid house in a very beautiful town near the Belgium-Holland border. "I have nearly missed such a beautiful house in a beautiful town. We will move there as soon as possible and start our own independent living by making progress in Dutch integration process", said Leela Maya Kharga, 50.

"My mother's sickness has become positive here now. She started riding bicycle now, started speaking Dutch language and interact with the local officials here", said Yadu. "Why didn't UNHCR bought us here directly instead of keeping us in Nepal for so long 18 years," thinks Rekha. "Had somebody bought us here directly after we left Bhutan we could not have to face torturous life in Nepal's camps."

Hemlal Rizal and his three member family from Khudunabari arrived here some 3 months ago together with his elder brother's family from Goldhap. Rizal says, "My brother is suffering from Brain Tumor, thus UNHCR has identified Holland as the best place for his treatment and subsequently sent here for resettlement."

He has 9-member family but all of them are small children. So, Hemlal came together to take care of him. "We are extremely happy here because my brother has been provided with world class treatment at a noted Medical University Hospital at Utrecht. Each injection cost around 3,000 euro and he gets them all for free. Right now he has been treated for other subsidiary sickness like pressure, diabetics and others before he will be operated for Brain Tumor," Hemlal further said.

He also added that doctors are very optimistic about his recovery. He claims, "There is no better place on earth for his treatment like Holland. We all are happy for being in The Netherlands. My small son goes to school and my wife Kamala goes to language class".

All those who arrived here until today are happy and enthusiastic. It will take some time to see if their happiness is for a short time or long.


No one regrets
By Kazi Gautam, New York
Resettled exiled Bhutanese would not get the warmth and pleasure they get while being in their motherland, yet they should not have to pass a tasteless life as in Nepal camps.

The situation here I found is not what I heard in camps. I found no exiled Bhutanese arriving USA regretting for choosing to live in this country.

Resettlement agency receives the exiled Bhutanese from IOM at airport and takes to designated apartment, which are made ready before they arrive here. The living quarter will have basic necessities such as bed, food items and other important stuffs. The resettling agency will find the apartment and pay the rent for up to four months or more if necessary.

The following day, they take us to agency’s office and give orientations about the culture, social structure and other basic needs in America. They encourage us to be independent as the earliest possible.

The agency helps us apply for Social Security Number, which we need until we live here. Documents issued by DHS before or after entering to the US are enough to apply the number. It is a 9-digit number issued to citizens, permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers and temporary residents by the Social Security Administration.

Its purpose is to track individuals for taxation purposes, employment purposes, collect Social Security benefits and receive some other government services. Few of us have already received while others waiting.

We are required to apply for the work permit with the Immigration where every exiled Bhutanese qualifies and gets it easily. Some exiled Bhutanese arriving here early have received the permit, while few are waiting. After this, we also get State Identification Card from local authorities. Now, with these, we are ready for searching a job. Those who have already enrolled in job are paid 7 to 10 dollars per hour.

The educational certificates of the exiled Bhutanese will have no value for finding a job. Job is given based on personal ability. However, the educational certificates come to be helpful for higher studies, which might become impossible to fund before three or four years.

Education is free up to grade XII while all those willing adults are given tuition on English language. Due to summer vacation, no exiled Bhutanese arriving here have been able to enroll their children in schools. Few adults and illiterate have started attending English language classes.

Bhutanese arriving America years ago say, new comers would find it hard in initial days due to new society, unknown culture and different life style. But as time passes, getting adjusted in America society that respects other’s cultural aspect, is not difficult.

Many believe that advocacy for repatriation and putting more pressure on Bhutan to take back its citizen will become more effective from USA.

It takes time to see if Bhutanese will forget their land over the dollars they earn here.

(With support from Ananta Gurung, California)

Initially we were shocked
By Madan Giri, Canada
We have passed over 500 strange days in Canada. The day still remains afresh to our memory when we left Tribhuwan International Airport in Nepal. The place where we stayed for 16 years was difficult to forget and we become emotionally soft to say good-bye to friends and relatives in camps.

The initial days were hard, strange and all struggling once we arrived here. We felt lonely here as we compared our crowded life in the camps. There were people but they were strange to our culture, nation, lifestyle and much more. Our parents were most shocked with the new systems. But, slowly with the assistance of provincial government here we started our new life.

Thanks to Canada and Canadians for the financial assistance and other logistic support that we are offered to. My brothers and sisters are happy to join their new schools here. They were odds among the group at first but slowly they adapted and now they are well with their books and copies.

My parents find difficult time to spend as they have no one to share their feelings and joys. Everyone seems busy and scheduled unlike sitting hours in camps to talk and share the feelings by elderly. Now they are used to with the system here. Plus they are learning English language to make themselves acquainted with this society.

The travel loan which amounted to 16,500 Canadian dollars has recently been withdrawn by the government and we are really happy for that. We rented an apartment here and it is okay to run our family with 1,000 Canadian dollars a month. The government again extended material supports for another year. I am the only working member in my family. Once I started earning, I reported government accordingly and I am the only member in my family who is not provided with allowances. My parents get an old-age allowance which is equal to 2,500 Canadian dollars. Two children get 525 and my sister gets 800 Canadian dollars for a month.

There are some three dozens Bhutanese living here but we are the only Bhutanese who came under resettlement program. Canada government will be absorbing some 5,000 exiled Bhutanese in between 2009 and 2012. It is learnt that they will be resettled in Maritime area.

Getting used to with Australian society
By Devika Adhikari, Australia
Five exiled Bhutanese families who landed Australia under third country resettlement program are gradually getting acquainted with the new environment. In March two families from Beldangi, two from Khudunabari and one from Goldhap landed Australia to start their new life. All of them are kept in different places.

All exiled Bhutanese who spent their difficult days under scorch of sun in Nepal camps are happy to get their own houses here. Most of them are currently undergoing English language classes.
Under the free adult education program run by Department of Immigration and Citizenship of the Australian government, all those coming under resettlement program have to take 510 hours of English language classes. Since it helps them get job here easily, they are interested to join the classes.

The government pays the rent for the house exiled Bhutanese are sheltered. Additionally, they are given extra money for domestic expenditure. Those resettled here say, the amount provided by government is enough to run the family. Some even save a little.

However, all these facilities are there until exiled Bhutanese start earning. A job network helps you to find a job after you complete your language classes. Australia has already announced to continue supporting until we find a good job to sustain a family.

Exiled Bhutanese who have passed at least 10+2 are getting ready to join the university in the next two or three months.

The days are quite harder for the exiled Bhutanese to pass since they are not in touch with Nepali community. Each family is resettled separately. But they are awaiting the assurances given by the government for re-union with their relatives.

All new phase of their life has begun here and they began to count their hard days back in Nepal.

Call for unification
By Bhakta Ghimire, India
Bhutanese living in India after being evicted from their country in 1990 have begun to fear of their future after the western countries started the process of resettling their relatives taking asylum in UNHCR run camps in Nepal.

They requested the inclusion of all evicted Bhutanese in resettlement program if the international community really wanted to resolve the protracted crisis.

Many families remain divided – half of them staying in UNHCR camps while others live hiding in India. These Bhutanese in India suggested that the organizations and governments involved in resettlement process must provide opportunities for the divided family to re-unit before the resettlement process go ahead. It was their claim that this would be possible only through the initiatives of the government of Nepal and UNHCR, not involving India in any way.

A Bhutanese living in Siliguri, requesting anonymity for security reasons, said hopes for India's support for their repatriation to homeland has gradually vanished. Delhi government has been openly and continuously supporting the absolute regime in Thimphu. India, through economic and moral assistance, has been approving the anti-people decisions of the Bhutanese government, he said.

His statement hints to the statement given by Indian Prime Minister Dr Man Mohan Singh while addressing the first sitting of the Bhutanese parliament during his recent visit to Thimphu.

Many Bhutanese living in India have gradually begun to lend their support to armed struggle that sprouted in Bhutan by Bhutan Communist Party (Marxists Leninists Maoists). But many who supported the armed outfit also suspected over the possible success of communist rebellion in Bhutan due to the split surfaced in the party.

Jiwan Sharma, who is living in Assam by running small business, said the issue of exiled Bhutanese would only be solved through diplomatic efforts. He further said there is no possibility of carrying our armed struggle in Bhutan, but political movement could begin once the evicted Bhutanese are repatriated and settled in their original homeland.

Sharma said since the beginning of resettlement process of those Bhutanese taking asylum in Nepal, Bhutan government has hardened its policy of suppression against southern Bhutanese. Physical torture, intimidation and humiliating behavior against Nepali speaking people have resurfaced in Bhutan. He claimed that Bhutanese authorities have resumed its authoritarian rule by arresting and keeping people in police custody with allegations of involving in banned underground armed political party Bhutan Communist Party (Marxists Leninists Maoists).

It has been acclaimed that absolute monarchy in Bhutan has ended with the dawn of democracy. The country held its first election recently and formed an elected government, which is said to be democratic in nature. Yet, many provisions in the draft constitution are discriminatory against southern Bhutanese which tactically meant for further suppression on them.

In the recent parliamentary elections, more than 80,000 Bhutanese were denied of their right to vote. Many of their citizenship certificates have been confiscated. Their business licenses were also seized while many lost their government job and their children were expelled from schools.

Sharma said all these people are still living inside the country and due to security to their livelihood; it has become difficult to publicize their personal details.