Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 24 Jan 1996

Vol. 460 No. 4

Ceisteanna—Questions. Written Answers. - Situation in Bhutan.

Eric J. Byrne

Question:

46 Mr. E. Byrne asked the asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, further to his replies to Parliamentary Questions No. 59 of 2 March 1995, and 30 of 4 April 1995, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Bhutanese National Assembly has denied, in spite of the evidence of Amnesty and the UN working group on Arbitrary Detention, that persons were forced to leave Bhutan; if his attention has further been drawn to the fact that those forcibly evicted have been rejected and are now in refugee camps in Nepal and that the authorities view refugees' relatives still in Bhutan with suspicion; if he will write and advocate a letter-writing campaign to the King and Government of Bhutan to seek repatriation and guarantees for the safety of refugees; and the further action, if any, he will take or seek through the EU and the UN on this matter. [

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I am aware that the Bhutanese National Assembly met in the capital, Thimphu, from 10 August to 2 September 1995. The proceedings and the resolutions of this session were published in a supplement in the Bhutanese national newspaper, Kuensel, on 16 September 1995, which reported that the Royal Advisory Councillors and people's representatives had made repeated interventions to emphasise that those who had left Bhutan must never be allowed to return; and alleging that those, who had departed, had gone despite every effort having been made by the Government of Bhutan and that it was only after reaching Nepal that they claimed to have been forcibly evicted. Further, I understand that at present there are nearly 89,000 refugees or asylum seekers from Bhutan registered in eight camps in south-east Nepal. Ireland has supported international efforts through the European Union and the United Nations to improve the situation in the camps and has also provided some direct assistance. I understand that a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has recently made on-the-spot visits to Nepal and Bhutan in relation to the refugee problem.

Since 1993, bilateral negotiations between Bhutan and Nepal regarding these refugees have been in progress and a mechanism has been agreed whereby a joint verification mission will identify certain categories of the refugees in the camps with a view to their eventual repatriation. These negotiations to resolve the refugee problem are continuing. The Government hopes that these negotiations will make possible the early return of refugees to their hopes. With our partners in the European Union, we will continue to monitor these negotiations closely.