The Monthly News, Views and Reviews (( VOL 2 No. 4 April 1994 Rs.5/- ) TALKS POSTPONED RAPHEL VISITS REFUGEE CAMPS FOREIGN SECRETARY The third round of Nepal-BhUlan TRANSFERRED The post of Foreign Secretary now talks scheduled to take place in lies vacant with the transfer of Kathmandu on 28-31 March has Tshewang 1.R i.J.in to the Ministty of been postponed. The decision 10 Health and Education on March 2.5 . !hi! effect was taken on March 21 The Royal Government also an­ when the Bhulanese side requested nounced the placement and uarufer that the talks be. put off on account of four other senior officials. Deputy afthe demise of the maternal Royal Minister Lelci has been moved Grandmother Rani Chuni Dorji. The -Joint Committee will now meet in from Agriculture 10 Communica· tion while former ambassadors, also Kathmandu from 4.7 April. of Deputy Minister rank. Karma RANI CHUNI PASSFS AWAY Letho and Paljor Dorji have been Rani Chuni Dorji. mother of Her placed in the Royal Advisory Coun­ Majesty the Queen Mother Asru cil and Environment Secretariat re­ Kcsang Wangchuck passed away in spe;tively. Dr, , the , a hill-statior. in West Joint Secretary of the Research, Bengal. , on S.lmday. March ElItension and Irrigation Division in 26. The Bhutan Review offers theMiniSlryof Agriculrurehas been prayers for the peace of the de­ promoted to the rank of Secretary in parted soul. the same Ministry. Rani Chun; visited Bhutan The uansfer o f Rixin. a popu­ only infrequently, spending most of Ms Raphel and Tahir Ali with HUROB Acting Chairman 01 Be/dang; lar individual who has spent his en· her life in Kalimpong from where tire career in the Fore,ign Ministry, the Oorji family practically ruled The Uniled SUItes Assistant Secre­ Ms Raphel brieOy insllUted AJ, a result of her personal to the less glamorous pust has not southern Bhutan until the 19605. laryof State for South Alian Affairs the camps and talked to repruentR­ interaction with the refugees, Ms come as a surprise. 1lle first sign She is survived by two daughters. Ms Robin Raphel, who was on an tives of refugees. She said that she Raphel IOld the reporters that "the that his time in the wilderness had HM !.he Queen Mother and her elder official visit 10 the KingdomofNepaI could clearl~ see th~t the refugees refugees have no desire 10 stay begun wa:o recently in evidence when sister Tashi Dorji and two sons, from 26 - 30 ~ch 1994, visited had nodesire 10 remain in the ",amps there." P.lilssing on 11 suong message Rillin was byplllsed while Jigmi Uaen DOlji and U\entlup DQI'ji. The Beldangi refugee camps on March and wished 10 rerum hom(' She to all parties concerned, " I hope Thinb.y and , eldest son Jigmi Palden Dorji, 28. Speaking to refugees in Beldangi admired the "courage "and ebility" somecOf\CTeteprogress will bem8de both many years his junior, were Bhulan's only formal Prime Minis­ I, Ms. Raphel ellpressed satisfaction of Bhutanese refugees and hoped in thecategoriz.ati()n and sysl.tmatic appointed as Deputy Ministers. The ter, was assassinated in 1964. with the efforts of His Majesty's that "justice can be done" &/Id that repauiadon of the refugeCJ during freshhwniliationconfmnsthewOlsl. Daughter of lhe Chogya] GoverrunentofNepal, UNHCR and people could end Iheir lives as rdu· talks between Nepal and Bhutan," Since his estrangement from the (King) o f Sikkim, Sir Tuhi the voluntary agencies and thanked g~s soon and begin life all over she said. monltch's elder .isler HRH Ashi Namgyel, Rani Chuni was born in them "for what is clearly a very again. The visit to theTefugeecamps Sonam Chhoden Wangchuck. this Gangtok, Sikkimaround 1895.She impressive operation." She said that Talking to the media at the by the head of the newly created was always on the cards. Royal dis­ ma.rried Raja S.T .Dor ji, son of Kazi the United SUItes is urging both Nepal Tribhuwan International Airport Bureau of South Asian Affairs in pleasure is reporled 10 have been who was instrumental and Bhulan 10 come up with "con­ prior to her departure from Nepal, the SUIte Department is significant further inflamed when Ri.J.in's late in ensuring British help for Sir Ugen crete ways for repauiation to begin." Ms Raphel said that she had raised since the Uniled SUItes of America father, Lyonpo Sangye Penjor, ten­ Wangchuck thus enabling him to Ms Raphel was accompanied the issue of Bhutanese refugees in is the single largest donor for the dered his resignation. crown himself as the fItsthereditary by Michael Malinowski, Charge Nepal with the Indian Government Bhutanese refugee welfare and re.­ With anoverabundl!llce of Sec:ret.ar· King of Bhutan in 1907. In ex­ d'Affaires of the U.S.Embassy in offlCia\s: who in turn informed her lief programme. The visit has al­ ies in the Health and Education Min· change, the Dorji family, which had Kathmandu, Chakra Prasad Ba.!ilola, of their inability to do anything ready raised optimism in different istry, three as against none in most other Ministries, no one will be un· migrated to Kalimpong from Haain Royal Nepalese Ambassador to because of the open border between circles. "As a key policy-maker for duly surprised when the royal western Bhutan in the 18705, also Bhutan, JamesSmith, Resident Rep­ India and Bhutan. Having facili­ South Asia, we, III careful observ­ brother-in·law from Ihe Health Di­ acquired hereditary claims to a post resentativeofthe World Bank, Tahir Ulted the ellodus of Bhutanese refu­ ers, feel Raphe]'s visit will ]Xlsi­ vision is commanded to take up the equivalent to that of Prime Minister Ali, Resident Representative of the g~s to Nepal since they have come lively affecl the resolution of Ihe nowvacanlcovetedpost. Fornmately until the assassination of ligmi Dorji UNHCR in Kathmandu and other through India, the Government o f Bhutanese refugee problem," said for thelauer, while he too mly have and consequent "conspiracy" in officials. India was reluctant to take on any T ahir Ali, the Representative of been estranged from another prin. 1966 involving lJIendup Dorji. On arrival, the delegation was responsibility in the matter, she fur ­ UNHCR in Nepal. cess, he has four of his own sisters briefed on the refugee camp situa­ ther stated. manied 10 the monarch to serve as a tion by Pashupati Karmacharya, wide safety neL 811l T A\ESE PR08LE\l1\ THE 'EPAUSE P.ARLlA \lE\T DepUly Direc tor, OMiU, His HMG, UNIICR AGREEMENT Majesty's Government of Nepal. CUlling across party lines and ideological differences, representativc:s o f UNHCR and His Majesty's Oov­ Jock M. Baker, Head of UNHCR various political panies in the Nepalcse Parliament on March 20 ellpressed ernment of Nepal signed an agree­ Sub-Office in Jhapa, highlighted the concerns about the slow progress in the bilateral talks with Bhutan and ment on running a project for the relief activities carried out by vari­ demanded that they be informed about the latest position with regard to the management of BhuWlese refugees ous agencies and lwala Prasad repau;ation o f Bhutanese refugees to their homeland. l{es]Xlnding to Ihe queries, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala in Nepal. Signed on March ) 4 by Regmi, Head Master of Panchawati informed the House that considerable progrcss had been made in the matter Srikant Regmi, Joint Secretary in High School in Be Idangi camp spoke ofBhutanc.se refugees in Nepal. Despite the doubts ellpresscd by Bhutan in the Minisuy of Home Affairs on on behalf of the refugees. the initial stages regarding the identity of the refugees, the Bhutanese behalf of HMOI Nepal and Tahir The Human Rights Organiza­ 00 Goverrunent has now come 10 the negotiating table 10 discuss the problem. Ali, RepresenUltive of UNHCR in tionofBhutan(HUROB) in its He also slated thlt progress has been made in providing legitimacy 10 the 1989. Nepal, the agreement provides for 1993 Annual Report had ap­ identity of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. On February 22, coinciding an assistance amounting toRs 10.801 pealed for pressure to be ap­ TIle Prime Minister added, however, that since the rcplluilltion of with the 400the birth anniversary of million from UN HCR to HMOI plied on the Royal Government refugees 10 their homeland is not an issue of unilateral concem, and since it Shabdrung Ngwawang NllIngyel. Nepal for running the project. involves several sensitive and complicated aspects, it is taking time to of Bhutan regarding the where­ UNHCR has also provided two com­ Sharma was released after spending resolve the problem. Informing lhe House that the Government's d iplomatic abouts and physical condition puters and a photocopying machine over 4 years in prison. He was among efforts arecenl1ed in the direclion of repauiating the Bhutanese refugees to ofDeo DuuaSharma, a student to the National Refugee Coordina­ the twenty three "~ti-national de­ Bhutan wilh dignity and respect, the Prime Minister expressed the hope that activist who had been abducted tion Unit in t.he Minisuy of Home tainees" amnestied without being Bhutan will also understand the importance of the issue and help create a by government agents from on uial. congenial atmosphere in finding a solution to the problem. Affairs as irutitutional support. April 1994 T he B hu tan Rtview Page Two The NEED FOR NON-VIO L ENCE Bhutan REVIEW -H H The Da lai Lama I ANOTHER CHANCE T he emergence of lion-violent billion people on this planet actu­ However, it is difficult to IS­ 'people-power' movements have in­ ally commit acts of violence, but sess such matters with a degree of Coming in lhe wake of visit by the Kathmandu and New Delhi-based why does it continue all the same? accuracy, War is violence and vio­ diplomatic corp to the Bhutanese refugee camps in southeastern Nepal disputably shown that the human race last month, the tour of the Beldangi camps in Jhapa by the U.$". ean neither loleratenor function prop­ Most of us have been condi· lence is unpredictable. Therefore it Assistant Se.... .,-etary of State for South Asian Affairs is further testi­ erly under tyranny. The recognition tioned to regard military combat as is far better 10 avoid it altogether. if mony of the international community's sympathy for Bhutanese refu­ of this tnJth represents remarkable exciting and glamorous - an oppor­ possible, and never to presume that gees and concemoverthe political situation in Bhutan. The visit by Ms progress. tunit y for men to prove their compe­ we know from beforehand whether .' Raphel, the highest level official from we C li nton administration to LOve and compassion have tence and courage. Since armies are the outcome of a particular war w ill visit Nepal, has W'lderstandablyraised hopes among refugees and well­ been omitted from too many spheres legal, we feel that war is acceptable; be beneficial or not. wishers. of social interaction for too long. in general, nobody feels that war, or I have heard the occasional Although Bhutan and the United States do not have diplomatic Usually confmed to the fanlily and even the acceptance of it, is crimi­ Westerner maintain that long-term relations, American concern over the crisis in southern Bhutan is not home, their practice in public life is nal. We have been brainwashed. By GandhianstnJgglesemployingnon­ new. In addition to making substantial contributions for the welfare or considered impractical, even naive .. their very design, military estab­ violent passive resistance do not Bhutanese refugees, the U.S. has not missed out on opportunities to let This is tragic. The practice of lishments are the sing le greatest vio­ suit everybody, and such courses of it be known to Bhutan that the problem should be speedily resolved. It compassion, far from being a symp­ latorsofhuman rights - and not only action are more natural in the East. may be recalled that the 1993 COUnlry report on human rights practices tom of being unrealistic, is the most in war time, Once an army has be­ Because Westerners are QC­ in the Kingdom had dearly indicted the Bhutanese regime for grave effecti ve way to pur.;ue the best inter­ come powerful, there is every like­ .tive, they tend to seek immediate human rights violations. More significantly, by censuring Bhutan for eSls of others as well as ourselves. lihood that it will destroy its own results in all situations, even at the the (orced eviction of legitimate citizens, the United States Govern­ The more we - as 11. nation. country's happiness. COS I of their lives. This approach is ment, like all other governments, has acknowledged the 00110 fides of 0111- No matter how malevolent or not always beneficial. The practice refugees in the Nepalese refugee camps, a point that contin­ group or individuals - depend on ues to foolishly argue and belabour over. The State Department's ers, the more il is inour best interests evil the many mW"derous dictators of non-violence clearly benefits all decision to useMs Raphel 's trip to Nepal to make what is unmistakably to ensure their well being. who currently oppress their nations of us. a political statement o!, the Bhutanese issue must be seen in this As recenlly as the fifties and and cause international pr

search for a lasting solution. In fact, reliable sources indicate that this TilE BOS'l'QN CLoBE • SATU IIDAY .SEM'EMBER 18.1\193 time, too, a postponement was already on the cards once Ms Rapher~ visit to Nepal was finalized to coincide with the bilaterallaiks. In the erod, the sad demiSS! of Rani Chuni Dorji in Kalimpong provided r Thimphu with the excuse at the last minute to avoid the discomfort of sharing the stage with the U_S_ Assistant Secretary of State. It shoul.i .be amply clear to Thimphu that the issue of Bhutanese in exile will not simply vanish; that thanks to the goodwill and SymP.1thy of the international community legitimate citizen! unlaw­ fully evicted from their homes will nOI perish in the wilderness. It should also be equally clear 10 the regime that prolonging the problem will not be in\he long-term interest of the country. With the passage of tin~e, di scontent• in the Kingdom can only grow. nl.ere are,.already visible signs that unrest is on the rise, and that the country is coming face to face with difficult situations. The arrests of a large number of dissidcnts In Ihe east and wesl"and the prQblelll of 'intrusion from across the border as