--_._---- - The

Bhutan Monthly News, Views and Reviews

( VOL4 No. 2 February 1996 Rs .5/- )

CLIMATE OF FEAR STltt MARATHON CYCLE RALLY EXISTS - ROSS DANlELS The4-day marathon cy"le rally In Indian lerrilory by Ihe Students Unton of Bhutan (SUB), Youth OTgalllZatloll of Bhulan ( YOB) and Ihe Democratic Youlh of Bhut.m ~ DYB ) under the auspices of thc Bhmancse C o aitllOn for Democrat,c M ovement (BCDM ) served liS mtended purpose of bnnglng the Bhulanese problem before the Indllln pllbhc. Even !IS cyc llsls wcre p Lcked up by Ihe Indtan poltce al VanOUS polnls, the tssue remained O n the front pages of major IndLlUl nllllo nlll d 'lIl,es. confercnceorgllmzeu by the Nep"] T he cycle rally. wtth IS! SectIon of the Amnesty [nteml'­ cychsts l:.klllg pan, was 10 eOI11- mence al S lltgun ill \VeSt Bengal l iona! on January 30 In on JanuW"y 3 !lndend at JalglloO n lit Kalnmlllldu, Ross Dallleis, ChaIr­ the lndo-B hulan border on Janu­ man of Amnesty InternatIo nal ary 7 to COIllClde WIth Ihe ma.u smgled out fOUl countnes 111 the rlllly scheduled for Ihal day by the region mdudlll8 Bhutan fo r de­ BCDM. The programmc went ahead despite Ihe promu!gauon of plorable human nghr.s records. The Section 144 alo ng Ihe propo$ed rc~pccled human fights adV(>(:IIU' rally route and tighl secunty ar­ sllld that a large number of cItizens rangements. we re furc"d to nee to ... country 8$ 'lbree groups o f cyc h ~l$ were Blrpara (25 on J IUl 5). Among the internallonal eOll1mulllty for danty w llh those III custody in 11 rellu lt of repressive measures III pIcked up by the Indlnn polIce 11\ those arrested w ere the preSidents the immediate and uncondItional Ind ian jails, Pa nllltnlo, Nallall.>llIl and release of those JI1 cuslody. In the counlry. He regretted that al­ o f the SUB and DVB. The SIX The 96 cycli sts in Siligllri Bagdogrn, nnd deported to Ncpal arresled in Siliguri were rekascd Siliguri, the A SSOC III I! OIl for the jail wenl on a hungentrike starling though Lt IS 11 very serious prob­ on l anuary 2 and ) , On the IIfler­ on January 5, while the olhers Protection o f Dernocrallc R'ghts from !O a.m. on January 10 de­ Icm.. the Bhulanese refugee Issue noonof J anuary 3, 96 cychstll were were detained in Alipurduar jail (APDR) demonstrated m Slh gun manding Ihelr uncoooHional re­ I. virtually unknown In the OUI­ arrested at Panitanki when they wong WI th o lhers arresled dunng to protesl Ihe arresl of Bhulanese lease. They were JOllied by four­ Side world. defied Ihe ban. I loused tempo­ Ihe January 7 mass rally. They youths and Ihc COIIUllUI1lSt Party leen represenlllllvt:S of thc Coah­ ROllS O amels. who IS also a tanly III a to:a warehouse nCllr were rele ased on Jllnuary 12 and of India (CPI-M ) !llso prLHeSlcd lion who also ~tagc:J 11 hu ngerslrl ke Professor o f I luman Rlghu 111 the Nallalban, Ihey were moved 10 14 agll.lnsl the Centre's II1ter\'enIIOIl. m Ihe heartofSlhgutl lo wn. All 96 Slltgun nelll day. CychSls were rhe Indian media gllv" the Meanwh,le. refugecs '" Timlll and wcre unconditio nally released on Ulllvers uy of Technolo gy , ..I so p,cked up 111 Si ligun (6 o n J an programme contmuous coveuge Khudu naban C hillI'S n r ~ an Ized to­ J anuary I) Queen ¥! ,",d, A ustraJ la ~.ud (ha.! the -I), ElhelulU"l (5 o n J .ln 5) and illld there were lIrgell I Ilppellls f rOil' ken hungerstrikes o:xprcSS Itll! 50 11 - ver y l.jueSI!Qn about whether the

human TIghts Sltuallon In Bhmun has Improved IS lnealllngless. "The PEACE MARCH Chlllnleof fear stIll ClOSltlOn In T he Pcace March 6rgamzed by ceed, Ihe marchers courted IITrest AMCC ha ~ dChlWlded the UIICOO­ e:Uenslve press coverage III the relunl. The SII U"IIOI) III the C OUIl­ the Appeal M ovement Coordt­ aner Ihe barricade was phYSIcally dltlonal re le ase o f the I SO Illareh­ local media. ("'alls for Ihe IIlUlle­ Iry can bC Judged o nly when these lIallo n Cuunc ll (AMCL) hegan removed by supporters 011 the In· els _."d unhutdcl"ed !>us lIge 10 dlate and ulJ(:Olld.tlOnal release people go back to the'T pl.lCO: o f il S scheduled Olllanuary 14 . 1.50 d,an s Lde. 16 Indian tlhliOnais be­ Bhut'Ul thm ugh Indtan lerrilor~' onglll, nOled Ihe Amnesly Inter­ of Ihose held III custody by In. marc hers were seen off at l)lUllak. longmg 10 the Supporl Organiza­ natio nal C haU"man. Ihe 300 marc hers, who havc no t dum amhorlues have 1101, how­ Nepal, by a hugc gathering of tIOn for Bhutanese Refugees Dalllels emphas.zed Ihe need VIo lated pro !uhltory urders, arc ever, been heeded AtthelLmeof irlem.ls, reJau\'es and well - wl~h _ (SOB RE) were also RTTested I,)Ol1 g to tt1volve Ihe mlernlltn)nal COlU­ c .. tnped on the Meclll bndge eOI1- going to press, thc Slillemalceon_ en. The marchers and thousands w ilh Ihe mnreheTS. lIlulllty lUuJ called upon the COU I) _ necllng Nep"! wtth h ul, a have tmues. of supporters arrived allhe IlIdo­ tncs w hIch IIllltnlam rel atlOlls w,lh Followmg the arrcst o f Ihe vowed 10 wat1lndcfinitely o n the Nepal border nfler three d llY! 10 Bhullln to Intervene 10 resolve Ihe 1.50 marchers, 11 second butch of hndge unul allo wed 10 procced UNHCR EXCOM CHAIRMAN face 11 barncade at Pal1lllUlkl. eurrent CriSIS: "These COuttlrteS )00 refugee voluntecrs nrnved at With Ihe marc h. IN BHUTAN, NEPAL ouglll 10 ellena:>e Ihelr mfluence," Smce the Indlall authont.es re­ the Indo-Nepal l>order on J anuary The Peace M arc h has re­ Ambassador laeob Esper Larsen_ fused to allow the march to pro- currenl Chalnnan of the Ellecu­ he 511nl. "Is 11 safe to relurn?" IS 23 to contmue the march, The ceived Iren>endous supporl and tive Commlllee o f the Uniled Na­ presently Amnesty Intemauona]'s lions I h gh CommISSIoner for mllln cnncem, Damels s ... cI . IUld Re fugees (UNII CR) VISited Bhutan during Ihe second week of aJded Ihat focus 5hould beon "how January reporledly 10 acquaint to get them (refugees) back home" PROTEST IN KATHMANDU htmsel f of the pro ble m of rnther than "how do wc look "fter Bhutanese refugees III Nepal. Af­ dlc,n. '· ler an aud,ellce WIth the KillS and Ahout fony Bhulanese, mcJudltlg over a jOlnl memOTllndutll ,HI. pressed regrcl OVer Ihe Ittdl'" l po_ mectings wtlh several mi tllstcrs, In reply to a query ahout the 11 number of women and c hlklrell, dresst.-d to Ihe Indllln I'rlllle MlllI s­ hce acuon, eSp

The IN THE INDIAN ENGLISH DAILIES - EXTRACTS Bhutan REVIEW I « BHUTANESE PROTEST IN­ C AUSE FOR DISQUIET CYCLE RALLY TO PRES­ adopted by the fourteenth con­ DIAN ACTION - Kalbmandu. SURE GOVT - Siliguri, JaD 2: gress w hich asked Bhutan to e n­ As the new year began, the Bhutancse crisis and thc issue of Jan 5 , A group of Bhutanese refu· Supported by the B hutan Coali­ sure democratic rights for all eth­ gee~ living in Nepal marched to B hutanesc refu gces in Nepal, long dormant, finally exploded into the tion for DelTlOcratic M ovem ent. ni.:: groups... The Telegnlph the IndiWl embassy ID the capital front p ages o fth ~regional media. Largely 0 11 account o f overreaction the Druk National Congress, the 90 BHUTANESE HELD O N on Friday to protest the arrest of o n the part of the GovenJrncllt of India and the consequent show of Bhutan National DemocraticParty NEPAL BORDER· Calcutta, their countrymen in India early strength by the s tate govemment in West Bengal, a nurryof dissident and the Bhutan Peoples' Party will Jan 3: About 90 Bhutanese refu­ this w eek . The rally by the activities which might have otherwise gone unnoticed made the stage a demonstration at Jaigaon gees in Nepal who wanted to cross Bhutanese Coalition for Demo­ headlines. near Bhutan on JW1Uary 7, A cycle over to Bhutan through Indian teT" cratic M ovement, which is bl\SCd But for the decision oflhe Indian governmen t to make a grand rally will also be organi:ted by the ritory were detained today at the in ellSt Nepal, demanded the re­ exhibition of looking after Bhutan's 'interests' and 'saIety', the three Students Union of B hutan, the Indo-Nepalese border at Panitanki lease o f hundreds o f refugees who programrneslaunched by Bhutanese in exile may have been largely Youth Organization of Bhutan aud in the N axalbari T hana area of were held in West Bengal.. . The overlooked by the media. Some youth cycling a long crowd~ Indian the D emocratic Y o uth of Bhutan. Darjeeling district today. Prohibi­ Asian Age roads, a gathering ofa few thousand people, wld a march on foot by One hundred a nd fifty cycl ists plan tory orders under Section 144 Ct VIGIL CONTINUES ON to begin the rally tomorrow from PC were pro mulgated in the a small group may have acoused little more than a passing interest. NEPAL BdRDE R -Siliguri,Jan Siliguri and move along National Siliguri sub-division as well as the Instead, the media wasdrawn to these events ns thestategovemmem, 5: Tight security colltinued along H ighway N o.31 toJaigoon. These police stations o n the Nepal and allegedly to deter a motley gcoup of refugees from carrying out North Bengal's border with Nepal cyclists aim to put pfes~ure on the Bhutan borders ... Hindustan and Bhutan with the police search­ peaceful protesl!;, deployed heavily anned police at the Indo-Nepal Bhutan GovernnlCnt to accelerate Timl'S ing and deporting Bhutaneserefu­ and Indo-Bhutan borders and positioned thousands of security the process o f finding a lasting CI'M SUPPORTS gees sneaking in from Nepal. Pro· personnel all along National Highway 31 . solution' to the present political BHUTANES E CAUSE hibitory orders under Section 144 W ithin Bhutan, too, the Royal Government i tself~urprisingly crisis and the institution of human Siliguri, Jan3, T heCPICM) "Zonal have been imposed in Jalpaiguri chose to help the refugees' cause by making olassive preparations to rights and democracy in BhutwI ... colTunittee has formally supported district. which has the longest boT" face a dissident 'onslaught'. Security was reinfo rced along the The States.... an the movement o f the Dhutanese der with Bhutan, besides Naxalbari southern border, leave fo r civil servants cancelled ami the local STATE IN FLX OVER 'LONG refugees and condenmed the ar­ and Bagdogra... The Telp.graph population exhorted to increase vigilance and 'defend' the country - MARCH' Of' BHUTANESE r e~t of a huge number o f cadres C PJSUPPORTSBHUTANESE all this, to meet the threat posed by 151 cyclists who had no REFUGEES _ Calcutta, JaD 2: and leaders who ru-e spearheading RALLY - SiJiguri, Jlln 6, More programme of enteriog the country and ISO marchers arriving The decision of different human the movement for the restoration Indian o rgauiUllions have ex­ peacefully on foot from some 200 kilometres away! The strategy rights organisations and I';cal po­ of the human rights of BhutllJ1cse tended support to Bhutanese refu­ behind this decision on the part of the government; to blowout o f litical parties to sponsor a 'long refugees. gees although uncertainty shrouds march' of refugees from Bhutan In a statement issued in the PIl?portion apassivedemonstration of dissent- that, too, taking p lace their proposed mass meeting at back to their country. after having presence of veteran leaders Jaigaon on the Indo-Bhutan bor­ outside tbe country - was obviously designed w ith the intention, or spent several years in camps in I\nandaPathak and Ramll Shankar der tomorrow. hope. of geUing people in the country to close ranks. But, unfortu­ Nepal - a progranulIe slated for Pus ad, the party criticised the T he BhutllJ1cse refugees have nately for the government, the panic reaction al.'lO served a more self­ laler this month Ilppears to have "du al character ofthe government been p lanning mass cycle rallies to defeating purpose- for the people inside, the actions confinned Ihat put the West Be ngal 'govemment of India" charging that the feudal press for democracy back home. the struggle for delTlOcratic; refomlS continues and that it is gaining in a fix . and a utocratic government of The CPI(M) central commillee in strength. The route tbe marchers pro­ Bhutan "has COmnlllled rape of member , Mr Ananda Pathak, and lronicnlly, the spurt o f activity was, in facl, a direct conse­ pose to take will cut across North the ethnic Nepali groups." The t h e Akhil Bbaraliya Gorkha quenceofthe frustration and despair in the refugee community. With Bengal through the distric ts of CJ.'I(M) has c alled for an immedi­ League working president, Mr the talks between Bhulanand Nepal stalled, the refugee issueseemed Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch ate solution to the problem. The Chiten Sherpa. said they would 10 have been almost forgotten. UNHCR was apparently suffering Behar.. Sources said the State pMty reiterated the earlier stand at attend the meeting despite the from fatigue, and K athmandu appeared to have neither the time nor au thorities were undecided 011 the 15th party congreu in government's decision to ban it, interest to revive the bilateral talks or to seek o ther alternatives, whe ther the refugees should be Chandigarh where it hns called The West Bengal unit o f the CPI, Finally, out of sheer desperation, if only to convince themselves that allowed to participate in the nJ'lOn the Bhutanese government a Left Front coustituent, the All something mugt be done, the refugees were forced to act. march ... Thc Stale Government is to ensuredemocraric rights for all Gor kha S t udents' Union, the MlIJ1av AdhikarSurakshaManch, In view of the media b litz, the three programmes - marathon reportedly awaiting a final word elhnic groups in Bhutan ... The , on the subject from the Centre. The and the Association for the Pro­ cycle rally, mass assclubly and ~ace march - have togetber been A~ian Age tection of Democratic Right ~ have seen by observen as evidence o f "a new tum" in the BhutanelSiliguri subdivision this ofRs 100 each as per the order o f RALLIES - Jaigaon, Jan 7, sympalhizers who, it would seem, prefer more action-oriented evening to thwart tomorrow's rally sub-divisional judicial magistrate Bhutanese refugees led by several dissidence, the refugee leadership has acted w ith restrain t. Even by the Bhutanese Coalition for Bimalendu Biswas at the Siliguri dissident leaders, today held dem­ when the regime il!;elf often appears willing to put its own interests Democratic M ovement. T h e court today. Ninety-six were de­ onstrations at two places near the Indo-Bhutan border. defying the befo re national aspiratioWl and frequently adopts questionable, self­ Darjeeling s uperintendent of po­ tained by the police on Wednes­ ban on their rallies by the state serving policies, refugees can proudly .claim to have remained lice, Mr AK.Maliwal. who met day afternoon. after the police in­ the superintendent of police of govemlnent. The sudden appear­ consistently loyal to national interests even in ellile_ tercepted the cycle rally organised Nepal's Jhnpa district this after­ anceoftheexiled Bhutanese lead ­ But, as the strain of life in refugee camp s takes iLS toll and by refugee youth organisations. noon. said "Prohibito ry orders w ill While 94 of them were produced ers at Toribari and Mangalbari, 3 pressures from a desPalring people begin to build up - especially k'm from here, despite unprec­ continue indefinite.ly. No mllies in coun o n Thursday, the remain­ when there are no visible signs o f progress on the diplomatic front - will be held till a formal magiste­ ing two were admitted to hospi­ edented security arrangements, the leadership will be increasingly called upon to take popular rial permission," He, however, de­ tal ... The Asian Age look the state police, including the Rapid Action Force, by s urprise. decisions. The s ituation is aggravated when the media itself and nied reports that flutjUlese refu­ SURPRISE C Y C L E RALLY well-meaning oUl!;iders suggest the need for more activism among gees, who have started arriving at TO EVADE DEPORT A TION­ While SOITl<' of the demonstrators had travelled over 250 km from the refugee conununity, some to see greater "empowennent" and Bagdogra, were being atTested. The Siligurl, .la D 4: With prohibitory their camps in Nepal. others ar­ others because they view ,uch actions as the only means to put decision was taken after a high­ orders in force, the Bhutanese refu­ pressure on governmenl!;, While the idea is sound o n both accoun LS, le,'el meeting at Writer's Buildings gees have decided to take out sur­ rived from Siliguri where they are camping since Janullr}' 2. Police unlefs accompanied by m atlerating factors, there could be more to (housing state g(>vernment in prise cycle rallies culminating in a arrested 55 persons. including 12 lose than gain. Populllr decisions arising from leadership being Calcuttal today. Sources said the mass demonstration in Jaigaon in women . T he BhutwleseCoalitioll forced to respond to grnss-rool!; pressure, while temporarily serviog decision followed instructions ffom Jalpaiguri distric t on Sunday as for the Democratic M ovement, the C entre ... The Ifelegl'aph their much anno unced cycle rally to appease a frustrated community, Can just as well swing the sponsors of the demonstrations, C PM IN F IX OVER BAN ON from Nepal yesterday was re­ movement in uncontroUable and irreversible directions. ho wever, said 103 activists were BHUTAN RALL Y _Siliguri, Jan stricted on the border by the West The Bhutanese dissident movement has comea long WRy since arrested. About 75 persons were 3: The Centre's ref\lsalto take up Bengal police, reports UNI .. , The il!; tea-garden days in the Duau. Now, as political parties and taken into c ustody yesterday, the case or Bhuumeserefugees liv­ Indian Expr.... $ aclivi~ t ' fee l compelled to follow popular dictates, one hopes that In view of the elaborate se­ ing in India and Nepal ha~ put the BHUTAN MINISTER C ALLS both sides, those in ellile as well as those in power, will not fail to curity an-angements and the rcfu­ C PI{M)-dominllted Left Front gov­ ON CHA VAN - New Delhi, .Ian heed the warning bells - frusu-alion 8J1d despair can constitute an gees'lhreatto hold a mass meeting ernmcnt in a tight ~po t . For the ~: The Bhutan Ho me Minister, Mr at Jaigaon. the Iltmosphere 111 a explosive mix. True, the goodwill and support o f the people in the party, early repatriation o f these Lyonpo Dago T shering, today large pan of the Dooars, which region is essential, but if dissident leadership is forced by circum­ displaced persons and ifltroduction called o n the H o me Minister, Mr has a 140-km-Iong border with Slallces to believe that the only alternative left is physical confront,l!.­ of democracy and human rights in S ,B.Chavnn. Official sources de­ Bhutan. was te nsion ridden. There tion and a return to Bhutan on the bacb of Olher ethnic Neplllese in the Buddhist kiflgdolll is hoth a scribed the mecting ns a courtesy was heavy deployment nf police the region, the objective may well be easily achieved, but, s adly, the commiltnent and a matler of pres­ call. during which there was dis­ rtom Nagarkatu to Jaignon cover­ greater cause will hllve been hopelessly lost. Those stubbornly tige. The fifteenth party congress cussion on ntIItters of mutual in­ ing 80kmofNauQn al Highw,.y31 holding out in T himphu would do well te ponder the consequences o f the CPI(M), held in C handignrh terest... Indian Expr.... s in Ar..-il. ratified the resolution February 1996 'The Bhutan Review Page Three 'C"IN QUOTES"), I IN THE INDIAN ENGLISH DAILIES - EXTRACTS Con,d·f,ompog" I "'!bey called us foreigners, If and the road 10 Bhutan. Police TO CHECK BHUTANESE me"t alld the political leadership movement 011 the Mechl bridge we are indeed tbreigners. lheo . downed s hutters out of fear: In from Nepal to Thimphu via India associates in Darjeeling Rlld the refugees ~qua tled at the iuter­ sponse tu ~iDg InforJUtld spite of s uc h light securily. the on Sunday. The prohibuory !'Iee­ Jalpruguri dislnct have extended nlltional border barTing the entry initiklUy by Indiun I'ollce Bhutancserdugees led bythegen­ lion, invoked earlier in the area 10 support to Ihe cause of Bhutanese and ell;t of travellers who were that U\C % cycJists were ar­ eral secretary of the Bhutllfl Na­ check the cycle rally by the rdu­ refugees ... The Timr.!! or lndi", forced to wade through the n,'er t"Kted ~aose t~)' wore lIonal DefilocrBlic Parly. Dr gees. has been enforcedlll the bor­ I SO P EACE MARCHERS under the bridge. forelg~r$ (Bhu.tan~se) 1Ue­ D .N.S.Dhakal. and the President der area in view of the latcst move COURT ARREST _ I':milanki. In achangeofstralegy .these gaily in India. of the Bhutan People's Party, Mr by the rcfugees. Organiscd by the JlI,n 17: The 150 pence mlU"chefS, 300 marchers have refrained frolll R .K.Burathoki, took out demon­ AMCC. 150 Bhutanese refugees on their way to Bhutan frol11 the violating sectio n 144 imposed "IndIa lnay not Wflrtl to dis­ strations at exactly 11 a.m. u de­ embar-ked on a peace march from refugee cBmps III Jhopa district in along the border. Meanwhile turb iu relation with Bhutan clared by them... The Telegraph Damak (eastcrn Nepal) to eastern Nepal, courted arrest 10- T.B .Gurung wld T am Gautam. two 8 H UTANESE REFUGEES Thimphu via India 10 submit their dllY al Plll1itanki, the last Indian of the refugees leading the 300 but we cannot dO$«! our .:res wheu butnun righlS are t,eing RALLY A SUCCESS, I;EEL memorandulllto the Bhutall King. outpo~ tlJefor e Nepal, Beside.~ the marchers srud if the Indian gov­ viola ted in front of u s,." ARRESTED LEADERS The Superintendent of Police marchers, 16 hUllllU' nght.~ acti,,· ermnent releases the 150 rerugees Siliguri,JaD 9: While the success A.K.Maliwal c ategorical ly sllIIed ists. belonglllg to various and lets Ihem reach Thimphu o f the four day cycle rally by that no processions or,,>Cetmg will organlsalions and political partle~. safel y, the prntesters would peace­ Ms DII Kul)tari ,8tu.ndarl, Bhutllflcsc refugees from Pan.illu1k.i be allowed within the Indian also courted arrest in presence of fully retreat. OthefWISC. they ..... ilI MP from Slkkfm, '1uoted In to Jaigaon may have been limited terrilory ... The Asian Age the District M Ill! istrate, Darjeel illg be forced to sit IInd block the bor­ T h e Telegraph (J an 11. due to continued arrest of the S IKKIM MP FOR dislrid. Sponsored by IheAMCC, der indcfimlely .. . Thc Asinn ARC 1996). ral1yislS, the progranune Bch ieved 8HUTANESE CAUSE which is demanding the restOTa­ liS purpose, The refugees also ex­ S iliguri, Jan 16, The Bhutanese tion o f human rights III Dhulwl posed chlllks In the police and refugees have found yel wlother Hlld the earl iest replltri atioll of refu· IIllelligence armours. Hogging the supporler for their cause, the sil­ gees, the peace march began from front pages of Ihe dailies ever since ting MP from Sikkint. Ms Oil Damnlc: on Jan 14 ... T hc Slales- 115 cOIIUl"Icncement on January 3, Kumari Bhandari. Spenkiug to re­ IlWU MEDIA SCAN the cycle rally's primary intention porten at allgdogrll airport, Ms I. ONG MARCl-I TO of"highllghtmg the gravity of the Bhandari extended her support to THI Ml"HU ENDS - POLICE Bhulaneserefugees problem" wa.~ the refugees agitating for their re­ ARREST BHUTANESE AT DRUK DRlVlNG served. The imposition of sectlon patrialion to Bhutan. BORDER - I'anitunki (lndo'­ The \Vest Bengal government's decision to s top Bhutanese " Indiall may nOI walJttodis­ Nep",1 border), ,Ian 17: The 144 in Ihe Siliguri and Jalpaiguri refugees rrom latUlching a rally in north Bengul nicely sidesteps areas, the arrest of 96 cyclist refu­ turb its relations with Bhutan bUI Bhlltanese refugees' long march gees helped Ihe ra1lyista 10 accom­ we cannot close our eyes when to Thimphu from Iheir vamps III a probl em. These refugees of Nepalese extraction. who live in plish their illlenlions easily .... T h e human rights arc being violated in eastern Nepal WII5 CUI short loday e ight camps run by the Unil&! Nation s High Conunissioner for front of us," she said, claiming following the arrest of the rallyi~tl Asian A~e Refugees in Nepal. present a human problem which cannot be IJHUTANESE INFLUX that the eV iction of over one lakh nnd their Indilln sympathisers by GOVT'S HEADA C HE [hundred thousand] people from the po hee. here. wished aW3y. There are 87.000 such rerugees. 1l,ey h ave been Siliguri, Jan 10: The Bhutanese Iheir ho mes in 1990 wll.~ "nothing About 150eltiled Dhutnnese forced to nee frotl1 Bhutan because the royal gOVeTllll1t!llt in of the AMCC had hegulI o n a long refugec..,' efforts to shift their agi­ short o f human rights violat'on," Thimphu does not consider them to be citLo:ens. tation from Nepal to North Be ngal "We wLSh India could help march fromDamHk III Nepal. about NepaJese settlers in Bhutan date hac k 10 the 17th century may snowball 11110 a domestic to sol ve the problem and help them 40 km from here, on Sunday. Hav­ problem for India despite itJ stunce (the reful)ees) to go back 10 their ing pledged ne\'er to return to theIr ruld it is unfortunate Ihat despite Ihis Io n S Iiueage they have bad Ihalthe;r rehabilitation is a bilat­ home and hearth at the lellSt," she camps in Nepll!' the refugees to s ufrer oppression at the hrulds of thc Bhutan governmen t and eral issue between Bhutan and said, adding thal India being a courted atTest after violating pro­ Lo Jive in exile. The plight uf the refugees is aggravated by U, e Nepal ... The Tdegraph democratic country has always hibito ry ordeu clwnpcd by Indiall 8HUTANESEDETALNEES LN s ided with democratic rnoverncn!s authorities ... The Telt'"grllph gen e ral neglect to which they are subjected. Nepal has aban­ S n .. IGURl REFUSE FOOD - in the pasl ...The Tel .... graph IJHUTANESE MARCHERS doned tlleir cau se; India does not wanlto queer its re lationship BHUTANESE R E FUGEES STILL IN JAIL - S iliguri. ,Tan Siliguri, Jam 12: Allogether 96 with Bhutan over some refu gees who will not serve rulY strategic Dhullll1eHC refugees. who were R EACH INDIAN BORDER· nl: The 150 Bhutanl':$e refugees lodged in the Siliguri Special Jail Calcutt.... Jail 17: At least 5,(K)O snd their lndial; supporters were o r diplomatiC purpose. Human su.ffering has thus been reduccl1 remWlded 10 judicial custody aft!!':r on January 4 after they Ined to pro-democracy Bhulane!le refu­ 10 a mere statistic. gees or Nepal. origin living in a court sitting late on Wednesday launch a four-day cycle raUy on The realpolitik which determines internation al relation­ Indian territor y, went on ClllllpS in Nepal, along with local night. After ha\'ing rerused 10 sign hungerstrike yesterday demand­ Nepalese citizens. reached Ihe in­ personal re1e..'t.'le bonds of Rs 100 s h.ips U11(1 Ul e suffe ring of refugees should n ot hide thel1ilemma ing their immediate and uncondi­ diWI border lIear Kharibari police eRch, the de t ainee~ remain in JaIl o f ll1e Left Fron l in Wc!'>1 Bengal over Ulis i!'>sue. Ideological ly, sllllion in Darjceling districl this while their counsel has taken up tional release. EXpTessing solidar­ lhe Communist Party of India (Marxist) upholds 111e cause of ity with their imprisoned col­ morning on their way to Bhul8ll. the case with the ~ ub_div islOnal leagues, who earlier rejecled re­ Mobilised by the Appeal Move· magistrate arguil1~ o n the legalily rerugees ruld W3I1ts their early repatriation. It is also in ravo ur of lease on perlJOnal bonds, silt mo re ment Coordination COllncil with ofthearreslalldsectlonl880fthe rurtllerin g the democratic IlIO\'emo:nt in Bhutan. In facl. the 15111 support from Indian organisations IPC under which they were de­ refugees belonging to different party congress of the Communis l Party of lndia (Marxist) held constituent parties of the like Akhil Vichar Manch, the A s­ tained ... Asi,," n Age in Chandigarh in April p assed a resolutioll which asked B h utan B hutancse Coalition for the Demo­ sociation for Protection ofDerno­ BH UTANESE REFUGEES cratic M ovement (BCDM). Ihe cratic Righlll,theAII India Gorkba LAY S IEGETONEI'A L l\OR­ to ensure democratic r iSh ts to all ellUlic groups. Yet, the govcm­ League and the Sikkim Sallgram DER • Panilanki (lndo-N .. pa l sponsor of last week's cycle rally, ment in West Bengal which is dominaled by the CPI( M) is also satoll a 12-hour hungustrike Parishad, the Bhuta.nese refugees' border), .T an23: Bhutal1esercfu­ unwilling 10 a llow the refugees to hold a rally 10 articulatc their III Hashmi C howk. in the heart o f march is turning inlo a sensilive gees today began an indefinite the town, this afternoon ... The inue ... blockade of the imemationru bor­ grievances a.n d their demands. The local police are under der here after police slopped them Telt·graph The CPI(M) will no doubt shrug o fr this dilemm a as from reviving their lo ng march 10 BENGALCALLS R EFUGEES' instructions to keep the marchers another price forope-ruting wiUlin a fedcralstructure. The matter RALLY A ' G IMMIC K - on the NepBlese side oflhe border. Thimphu. The 300 refugees. including Calculla. JII,D ' i4: The pro-de­ Efforts are on to persuade the m ay DOl be thal s i.mplc. The left h as burnt its rmgers o n ce with 47 women. fanned the second mocracy movement by Bhulwlese marchen to retreat. TheSlllte gov­ Mr Subhas Ghising, the presidenl or UIC Gorkha Nlllion al batch of the " long march" spon­ refugees of Nepalese origin in ernment is keeping il.'l fingers sored by the AMCC, :I fronl of Liberalion Front. who W3l1ts a separate hOlllc lund for llle Gorkhas. West Bengal's Ja lpaiguri and croned that tbe situation will re­ various orgaf1isllhon~ . On Jan 17, Oarjeeling di s tri~ts hu been de­ solve illlelf without any kind of The preseuce ofalarge number of Nepalese in north Bellgal can a group of 150 rdugecs and l~ of scribed by Itate government offi· action having to be taken against o nly lead to strengthening Mr Ghisin g's h ruld. This, Ihe CPI{M) their Indian ,upporters were cials rias an initatlngpublicilY gim­ the marchers:. f.lowever. lJOurces s to pped aud arre~ted by the po­ cannot allow. It has IhulI fallen in line with Ule policy or the mick". Since Ihe issue involved is III Writers Buildings said: "New lice ... The Tl'legrllph all inlCl""nal maller of Bhutan. Ihe Delhi ellpects us to keep the march­ Indi.ul govClllntCllt not 10 a li e nate Bhutall. Sclf int erest.~ o f Ul e ers OUI. In ea.'IC they venture illlQ UHUTANESE REFUGEES staging of demonstrations, rallies Mar,1lisls and reallOIlS o f diJlIl~lllacy ror New Delhi havc Icn BLOC K INDO-NEI'AL BOR· and the extension of local support IndIan terrilory. we would ha\'e 10 I) ..: R RRIDGE - I'anilanki refugees ftom Bhutan in a 110 man's lruld, by the All India Gorkha League is lake achon:· ... (Indo-Nepnl " .. rder), .Ian 23: proving ta be a hesdache for the To con'pound the pt oble ll~~ , EditQri".l, T/I(' Teiegmph. {;:.. Ic uttll, .hmu.u-y 5, 1996 Three hundred "fomUlI" BhutnnC!!'e ~lIltdadmil1i5trauon ... The T im .... s the I~~ue of Dhutane~e Icfugee.

Indian Security Fptces rounded Dr.D.N.S.Dhaklll. up and ar.-ested 103 Bhulanese Security was tight in the area dissidents at M angalbare, near the betwecn Siliguri and l aigaon. All Indo-Bhutan border on J anulITY 7_ vehicles. including public trans­ Despite massive security in the port, plying on Nlllional H ighway area, dissidents from di fferent parts 3 1 were stopped and searched. oflndi" and Nepal had gathered to Dh utanese o f Nepalese origin were participate in a ma..~s rally orga­ the targets of the combing opera­ ni7-ed by Ihe Bhutanese Coalition tion, but in the process Nepalese for Democr atic Movement of other n ationalities also faced (BCDM). Prominent Indian po­ inconvenience and harassment. A litical figures as well as B hutanese number o f non- Dhutanese were dissidents were expected to ad­ detained for extended period s and dress the rally. Indians, politicians released only after they were able and human rights activists, pro­ to produce some identification. ceeding to attemVaddress the rally On the Dhutanese sideof the were, ho wever, slopped by the border, curfew was imposed in police RI different p laces and pre­ Phuntsholing town from 6 p.m. 10 vented from reaching 1 aigaon. 6 a.m. while 011 the Indian side in The venue 11,,0;1 \0 bechanged Jaigaon the curfew e xtended from at the last minute owing to the 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. The Royal Gov­ heavy security at J aigaon. The emment had cancelled leave of all p rogramme began in nearby civil servants posted along the Mangalbare at 11 a.m. as sched­ oorder areas since mid-December uled. The protesteu called upon and organized round-the-clock the Royal Govermnent of Bhutlln patrolling by the security forces. to respect the r ights o f ils cili ... ens On the Indianside. from J anuary J and to initiate reforms ain,ed at the authorities began com bing the establishing democracy in the ho mes of ethnic Nepalese fOT country. T hey also sought the co­ Bhutanese dissidents. People in operation and assistance of the laigaon. including hoteliers, were Govennnent and people of Ind ia. wamed b y Indian wld Bhutanese Minutes after the slart o f the rally. security forces not to host any however, Indian security forces Dhutanese dissidents. swooped upon the procession and Those arrested on J anuary 7 arrested 55 persons. A t the end of were taken to Alipurdul\T jail the the day. a total of 103 persons ~allle d ay. On J anuary 12, a group were arrested including Bhutan of 103 persons were released after P eople.~ Party (DPP) Pr esident signing Personal Release bonds. R.K.Dudathoki, I-IUROD Acting T he rem aining nine persons were Chainmlll S.D.Subba and Bhutan released unconditionally on Janu­ National D emocr atic P art y ary 14. (DND P) Gen eral Secr etary

COCl1in~ Amst· Man~, J&Ml-r 7. i'bcto: Aba(Nfpali f,laily)

Published by the Human Rights Organization of Bbutan(HUROB), P.O. Box 172, LaJitpur, Nepal. Tel. 5 2677 5/525046 [HQ Lamld a ra,Chlran g , Bh utan]