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Bhutan refugees take up arms
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Bhutan refugees take up arms
16-year-old girl leads armed struggle in east Nepal
The Delhi Age (New Delhi)
January 29, 2001
By Pramod Giri
Siliguri, Jan. 27: the spectre of militancy haunts the Himalayan Kingdom
of Bhutan.
Recent political development among Bhutanese refugees staying in East
Nepal has given birth to an organization called the Bhutan Gorkha Army
Force in Nepal. Reports suggest that BGAF is being led by a 16-year-old
girl called Gopi Rai alias Rajani Gokhali. Local dailies in easern Nepal
have even published her photographs.
Having lost faith in democratic movements a section of these refugees
feel that only an armed movement will solve their decade-long problem.
The objective of the BGAF is to launch a militant movement inside Bhutan
in order to solve the refugee problem soon.
At present there are about one lakh Bhutanese refugees in various
UNHCR-sponsored camps in East Nepal. Around 15,000 to 20,000 Bhutanese
refugees are believed to be staying in India. Most of these refugees are
from the southern parts of Bhutan and are victims of the
ethnic-cleansing policy followed by the Bhutan government. Most of these
Nepalese-speaking people were forced to leave Bhutan during the early
1990s. Since then they have stayed in Nepal. To solve the problem, 10
rounds of talks have already been held between the Nepal and Bhutan
governments but the only progress made was the categorization of the
refugees had formed many organizations to launch democratic movements
and to find a solution to their problem. In 1996, the Appeal Movement
Co-ordination Committee had launched an appeal march from Damak in East
Nepal to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan, but the movement failed as the
West Bengal government did not allow the march.
A section of the Bhutanese refugees have been able to draw the attention
of the international community towards their cause. After the
disintegration of many political platforms in the past, the Bhutan
Refugee Repatriation Rehabilitation Committee has been formed recently
the objective of which is to launch a democratic movement.
Little is known about the BGAF and its leader. The organization is
issuing press releases in Nepal which states that it is determined to
launch a military movement inside Bhutan. What the BGAF's course of
action will be and how strong it is, militarily, is still not clear.
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<font size=+3>Bhutan refugees take up arms</font>
<p><b><font size=+2>16-year-old girl leads armed struggle in east Nepal</font></b>
<p>The Delhi Age (New Delhi)
<br>January 29, 2001
<p>By <b>Pramod Giri</b>
<p><b>Siliguri, Jan. 27:</b> the spectre of militancy haunts the Himalayan
Kingdom of Bhutan.
<p>Recent political development among Bhutanese refugees staying in East
Nepal has given birth to an organization called the Bhutan Gorkha Army
Force in Nepal. Reports suggest that BGAF is being led by a 16-year-old
girl called Gopi Rai alias Rajani Gokhali. Local dailies in easern Nepal
have even published her photographs.
<p>Having lost faith in democratic movements a section of these refugees
feel that only an armed movement will solve their decade-long problem.
The objective of the BGAF is to launch a militant movement inside Bhutan
in order to solve the refugee problem soon.
<p>At present there are about one lakh Bhutanese refugees in various UNHCR-sponsored
camps in East Nepal. Around 15,000 to 20,000 Bhutanese refugees are believed
to be staying in India. Most of these refugees are from the southern parts
of Bhutan and are victims of the ethnic-cleansing policy followed by the
Bhutan government. Most of these Nepalese-speaking people were forced to
leave Bhutan during the early 1990s. Since then they have stayed in Nepal.
To solve the problem, 10 rounds of talks have already been held between
the Nepal and Bhutan governments but the only progress made was the categorization
of the refugees had formed many organizations to launch democratic movements
and to find a solution to their problem. In 1996, the Appeal Movement Co-ordination
Committee had launched an appeal march from Damak in East Nepal to Thimphu,
the capital of Bhutan, but the movement failed as the West Bengal government
did not allow the march.
<p>A section of the Bhutanese refugees have been able to draw the attention
of the international community towards their cause. After the disintegration
of many political platforms in the past, the Bhutan Refugee Repatriation
Rehabilitation Committee has been formed recently the objective of which
is to launch a democratic movement.
<p>Little is known about the BGAF and its leader. The organization is issuing
press releases in Nepal which states that it is determined to launch a
military movement inside Bhutan. What the BGAF's course of action will
be and how strong it is, militarily, is still not clear.
<p> </html>
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