John Gormley
Ceist:108 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position of his Department in relation to the Bhutanese refugee problem in Nepal. [4642/98]
Written Answers - Bhutanese Refugees.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the difficult circumstances under which many thousands of refugees who have been expelled from Bhutan are currently living in Nepal.
It is understood that the nationality of these refugees is in dispute as a result of the interpretation by the Government of Bhutan of the citizenship laws which exist at present in that country. It is clear that any resolution of the problem will have to be based on internationally accepted principles of human rights as set out in the relevant international conventions.
The humanitarian needs of the refugees are in the hands of the United Nations High Comission for Refugees, UNHCR, which is the organisation with the major responsibility for the camps in which most of the refugees currently reside.