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Lhotshampas Refugees: Implications on Nepal-Bhutan Relations Eyasin Khan

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Lhotshampas Refugees: Implications on Nepal-Bhutan Relations Eyasin Khan Lhotshampas Refugees: Implications on Nepal-Bhutan Relations Eyasin Khan ABSTRACT Refugee problem is an important arena of study on Human Rights. State policy makes refugees. There is a complex relationship between Human Rights and refugee problem. There are instances of exploitation in the hands of enforcement officials, citizens of the host country, and even United Nations peacekeepers. Instances of human rights violations, child labour, mental and physical trauma/torture, violence-related trauma, and sexual exploitation, especially of children, are not entirely unknown. In spite of absence of a viable refugee regime, South Asian countries continue to host a huge population of refugee and their preferred mode for the quest of durable solution has remained ad hoc with preference accorded to bilateralism between the refugee generating and refugee hosting countries. The experiences of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, evidence the inherent imperfection of bilateralism in the region and warrant a serious rethinking of the refugee approach of SAARC. Against this back drop, this paper attempts to understand the Nepal–Bhutan bilateralism with special emphasis on Lhotshampas Refugees. Key Words: Lhotshampas, Nepal, Bhutan, SAARC, GNH, Human Rights, Refugee. 1.0. Introduction of the changes that have occurred in these two The two SAARC member countries - Nepal and countries becomes quite important to anyone Bhutan - are situated between India and the Tibet interested in the study of relations between these China with a very potential geopolitical importance. two countries (Khadka 2003). Although from the very beginning, Nepal and Both the nations had formally established Bhutan have maintained extremely good mutual diplomatic relations in 1983. Bhutanese King Jigme relations in political, religious and cultural fields, Singye Wangchuk visited Nepal to attend the 3rd at present there seems to be a kind of uneasy SAARC Summit in 1987. Late King Birendra of diplomatic tensions between them due to the Nepal visited Bhutan to attend a SAARC meeting problem of the Nepali origin Bhutanese citizens in 1988. The Prime Minister of Bhutan had visited exiled from Bhutan and taking refuge in Jhapa and Nepal in 2002 and 2014 to attend a SAARC summit. Morang districts of Nepal. Therefore, the study Both the countries have made transition to Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science With Rural Administration, Vidyadasagar University, Midnapore 25 Anudhyan: An International Journal of Social Sciences (AIJSS) democracy following a very problematic course of cooperation between the two countries include movement. While the former has cleared the acid trade and services, sports, technical and cultural test with aplomb so far, Kathmandu’s tryst with cooperation, among others (Monograph 2004:71). democracy is still tenuous and full of uncertainties. The relationship between Nepal and Bhutan may The primary reason behind this is the deep-rooted be examined in various ways which includes fractious and gutter-level politics of Nepal as economic, political as well as cultural dimensions opposed to a much more dignified and peaceful with special emphasis on Lhotshampas. policy of Bhutan. Here is an example: 1.2. Lhotshampas Refugees In mid-2009, Bhutan was confronted with Bhutanese Refugee namely Lhotshampas1 in Nepal a litmus test for its nascent democracy. has a unique identity and implications in the region The two houses of the Parliament– of South Asia as well as the rest of the World. National Assembly and National Council Gross National Happiness (GNH) index shows that – got embroiled in which one is more Bhutanese are the world’s happiest people. But powerful. The National Council had a bee the refugee crisis is one of the most problematic in its bonnet and decided that it could matters for such an observation. Bhutanese who oversee the National Assembly and could consider themselves as son’s of the soil thought call the Ministers of the Council during that Lhotshampas, who originally came from Nepal, the Question Hour to explain their actions. were not the real citizens. Further, they annoyed The Prime Minister intervened to say that the Bhutanese by raising economic and other in democracy all were equal and the matter demands which created lot of problems in the rested at that. In another incident, on July country at large. So Royal Bhutan Government had 17, 2009 the National Assembly decided thrown these groups out of their lands. that the government did not intend to Lhotshampas fled from Bhutan to India and implement controversial Driglam then they entered their own homeland Nepal but Namzha (traditional etiquettes) Nepal’s Government did not recognize them as the programme by force, but by education. citizens of Nepal. They were treated as ‘State less’ The Bhutan government took note of the and ‘Home less’ people in Nepal and were housed fact that the brutally strict implementation in Some Refugees Camps. of the programme in mid-eighties Historically the movement of Lhotshampas alienated large pockets of the population has been very unique. This community first of all and resulted in the uprising of entered into Bhutan from Nepal and then returned Lhotshampas in southern to Nepal during a span of 100 years. Therefore, the Bhutan (Sharma 2010). causes of migration are to be discussed from However, there is potential mood to develop different perspectives. and enhance co-operation in many areas of The main causes of migration from Nepal to common interests. Until now, some areas of Bhutan may be identified as follows: (a) British 26 Eyasin Khan imperialist policy; (b) Economic opportunity of the ‘One Bhutan, One People’ policy. Nepali language Lhotshampas in Bhutan; (c) Lhotshampas’ psyche was removed from the school curricula and it was to living in Hill area; (d) the Policy of Nepal mandatory for the entire population to wear the Governments, Bhutan and India and other national dress of the north. The southern concerns; (e) External influences; (f) Educational Bhutanese resisted the policy, as there was still a and Cultural awareness of the Lhotshampas, etc. strong attachment to their Nepalese cultural The Bhutanese refugees were the heritage. Demonstrations ensued and the descendants of Nepalese migrants that settled in Government began to crack down on what they Southern Bhutan in the late 1890’s. Originally deemed were ‘anti-nationals’ from Southern recruited by the Government of Bhutan to clear Bhutan. There were widespread reports by the jungles of Southern Bhutan in late 1890’s, they Lhotshampas of arrests, detention, rape, and were called Lhotshampas, meaning ‘People from torture. They reported being forced to sign the South’. Over the time, the Lhotshampas ‘voluntary migration’ forms. By 1991, thousands prospered in Bhutan and became high-ranking had started to flee to Nepal via India by truck. In government officials and educators. According to 1992 UNHCR established the first camps in Eastern the Census of 1988, they made up 45 per cent of Nepal to house more than 105,000 refugees. An the population of Bhutan. additional 20,000 refugees (estimate) fled to other In 1958, the Bhutanese Government passed parts of Nepal and India. the Citizenship Act, which granted the Hari Phuyal(1997: 241) pointed out that: Lhotshampas the right to Bhutanese citizenship. The Bhutanese Government adopted a Every citizen was provided with a land tax receipt. number of legislations and policies to From 1958 to 1985, the Bhutanese Government push the southern Bhutanese out of their introduced integration programmes and incentives country: i) the Marriage Act of 1980; ii) for intermarriage between the Lhotshampas and Bhutanisation Policy; iii) Citizenship other ethnic groups of Bhutan. However, the Laws; iv) Compulsory national work; v) Buddhist Druk 2 majority became increasingly Green belt policy; vi) Language policy; concerned mainly over the growing population and vii) Religious policy; viii) No-objection power of the Hindu Lhotshampas. certificate; ix) Voluntary Leaving In 1988, the Government of Bhutan conducted Certificate (VLC) and x) Census of 1988. a Census, which took place only in Southern 1.3. Economic Dimensions Bhutan. It required the citizens to produce the land Both Nepal and Bhutan are predominantly tax receipt of 1958. Following this census, the agricultural countries. However, there exists scope Lhotshampas were re-classified as ‘illegal for increasing bilateral trade, cultural exchanges immigrants’ despite having produced land tax and cooperation in the field of tourism. An MOU receipts from 1958. was signed in March 2005 between FNCCI and In 1989 King Jigme Singey Wangchuk adopted Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry to 27 Anudhyan: An International Journal of Social Sciences (AIJSS) promote trade and economic relations between the alliance, organizing exchange programmes and two countries. The first meeting of Nepal-Bhutan establishing Kathmandu and Paro as ‘sister Bilateral Trade at the level of Joint Secretaries of destinations’. the Ministries of Commerce was held in Kathmandu Nepal continues to be an important destination on 17 March 2010 and the second meeting was for many Bhutanese pilgrimages as it has many held in Thimpu on 24-25 May 2011 to discuss the sacred Buddhist sites such as the birthplace of Draft Agreement on Bilateral Trade (SAD 2013). Lord Buddha in Lumbini. The two countries On 7th August 1990, Bhutan and Nepal have possess great potential in enhancing bilateral signed an Air Services Agreement, and
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