Happy Graduation Tika and Sarada!By Sister.Gemma

We are gathered here tonight to celebrate
Tika and Sarada-two lovely gals first rate!
Our parish can brag from the day's beginning to end
To have the Giri family as newcomer and friend.
With Ron and Ruth as guides for you and for us
They kept us on track-with very little fuss!

You girls are gifted and your talents are many!
You sing and you dance the Bhutanese way plenty!
Now Will and Anee would like tyo take a chance
To learn your moves and experience a little more romance!

Now that you're out and want to be on the road
You had to learn the secrets of our driving code.
With Eugene as your teacher and Paula at prayer
A great combination-no need for despair.
You gave Eugene the shivers-but he's still alive,
And you now have your PEI license to drive!
The world is your playground-drive carefully each day
As you discover Canada both here on the Island and far away.

You girls arrived in Canada,you never looked back
You've learned the language-no words do you lack.
You 've studied and succeeded in Colonel Gray style
Your education will take you forward for many a mile.

Our church at St.Francis is very proud of you
And we wish you the best in whatever you choose to do
You made it this farwith attitude and good cheer
May your family and friends be the gifts you hold dear.
Happy Graduation-We love you,Tika and Sarada too
May you grow into women-happy,healthy and true!

HAPPY GRADUATION GIRLS!!!

EU sends 1.9 million dollars to help Bhutanese refugees in Nepal

The European Union's executive on Friday sent 1.5 million euros (1.9 million dollars) in aid for Bhutanese refugees living in seven camps in Nepal.

Refugees from Bhutan began fleeing to Nepal in the early 1990s, after their government changed its citizenship policy. Talks between the two states on how to deal with them have so far been fruitless.

"The Nepalese government does not allow the refugees to engage in economic activities in the areas surrounding the camps. The refugees, therefore, have no other option but to remain in the camps, in need of further care and assistance," the European Commission said in a statement.

According to the statement, 31,000 refugees have volunteered to be re-settled in third countries, but a further 81,000 remain in Nepal.

"Providing donor assistance to the victims of this forgotten crisis has become increasingly difficult due to donor fatigue," the statement said.

The EU's aid is intended to supply refugees with basic food, especially for children, pregnant women and the elderly.

EU aid is usually administered by international organizations such as the United Nations,UNHCR,WFP and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement.

Resettlement Update:32,000 Bhutanese refugees resettled so far; UNHCR says resettlement programme has become it largest

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Saturday announced that the resettlement of refugees from Bhutan in Nepal has become its largest resettlement programme worldwide.

Issuing a statement on the eve of World Refugee Day (20 June), the UN refugee agency informed that 32,000 refugees from Bhutan have departed to the United States and other countries since the launch of the resettlement programme in November 2007.

According to UNHCR, the United States, with 27,926, has accepted the majority of the refugees. The other countries are Australia (1,530), Canada (1,445), New Zealand (447), Denmark (326), Norway (324), and the Netherlands (178), while some 100 are expected to depart to the United Kingdom soon.

"We are very proud to be the largest resettlement programme and I am verypleased to announce this on the occasion of the World Refugee Day," said Stéphane Jaquemet, UNHCR Representative in Nepal.

He added, "The theme for this year's World Refugee Day is 'Home' and to date more than 32,000 refugees from Bhutan have arrived in their new homes in resettlement countries."

"This would not have been possible without the strong support and cooperation of the Government of Nepal, the resettlement countries, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and our NGO partners," said Jaquemet.

Many of the tens of thousands of refugees in seven camps in eastern Nepalhave been living in exile for almost 20 years. They arrived in Nepal after fleeing ethnic tensions in Bhutan in the early 1990s.

Mentioning that resettlement is currently the only available option for refugees in the camps, UNHCR said it will, together with the international community, continue efforts to achieve comprehensive and lasting solutions to the plight of refugees from Bhutan, including voluntary repatriation as and when return conditions permit.

Over 56,000 individuals in the current camp population have declared interest in resettlement, UNHCHR said. More than 8,000 refugees are expected to be flown to resettlement countries between now and the end of the year.

Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie for World Refugee Day 2010

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassodor Angelina Jolie delevering her message on the occassion of World Refugee Day 2010.Right now Ms. Jolie is on her tour to the refugee camp in Ecuador.Watch the vedio below:

World Refugee Day:Hillary Rodham Clinton Addressing the people.

Hillary Rodham Clinton: Good morning, and welcome to the Benjamin Franklin Room here on the eighth floor of the State Department. And we're delighted to be joined via video link from Syria by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Gutierrez. Welcome, Antonio. And we're delighted that either by video or audio link, we'll have a chance to hear from UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, who is at a refugee camp in Ecuador. And we'll hear also from refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

I want to thank Eric for the work that he and the bureau are doing on the issue of refugees, and especially making refugees a symbol of all of the challenges that we face. As he said at the very end, there is no humanitarian answer to a lot of the refugee problems. It's a question of better governance, more accountable governance, of political and diplomatic efforts, of reconciliation and peace, of the growth of democracies and economies. But that doesn't in any way undermine the importance of meeting the day-to-day needs of those who have been displaced by conflict, by terrorism, by natural disaster. And Eric, as all of you know, is so committed to doing his part and representing the United States and the Obama Administration.

I'm also delighted that we are joined by George Rupp, president of the International Rescue Committee and himself a tremendous leader on behalf of those who are in need - refugees across the globe; and Scott Pelley, thank you for serving as the emcee and for shining a bright light on a lot of these situations; and my friend and former colleague, Congresswoman Diane Watson from California; and all of you who represent the leaders and partners from NGOs, Capitol Hill, the media, other countries, the diplomatic corps.

This marks the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Refugee Act, and I want to thank each and every one of you who have been instrumental over these past 30 years, because the plight of the world's refugees is an issue that transcends not just geography and ethnicity, but politics and partisanship as well. It reminds us that we are all vulnerable, no matter how comfortable our lives may appear to be, but we, too, around the world - those of us who enjoy the benefits of the life that we have built or inherited, we, too, are vulnerable to war and conflict, droughts and floods, environmental disasters, as we've seen even in our own country.

Helping refugees is a transnational challenge, but I want to speak for just a minute about what this issue means for Americans and the United States. The United States is the largest single source of support for assistance to refugees and victims of conflict. It's true financially, where we've provided more than $1.7 billion to refugees and conflict victims last year, including $640 million in support for UNHCR. And it's true diplomatically. We spend a lot of time and a lot of political capital on these issues.

Now, for the United States this has been an enduring commitment, but our work on behalf of refugees is not the result of some grand strategic calculus. We don't help because it bolsters our ability to play power politics or advance our economic interests, although in the long run I believe it does make our nation stronger and allow us to promote reconciliation and stability in areas of desperation and despair. We help because it is the right thing to do. We happen to believe it's also the smart thing to do, but even in cases where it doesn't appear all that smart, it's still often right. And therefore, we proceed.

It goes to the core of who we are as a people and a country, because the United States is not only a nation of immigrants, we are also a nation of refugees. We know from our collective experience that most people want the same basic things in life: safe communities, food, water, lives free of political and religious and other persecution. And when these basic needs go unmet and families are forced to flee their homes in desperation, we should all be there with a helping hand.

Whenever possible, we work to return refugees to their homes in safety and dignity. In cooperation with our many partners from the NGO community, we promote the resolution of conflicts and provide assistance to communities recovering from disasters. And we're seeing progress in places such as Liberia or South Sudan or Burundi and Nepal.

But when returning home is not an option, we are committed to helping resettle refugees who face the most difficult circumstances. Americans have done that time and time again, welcoming more than 2.5 million refugees into our communities since the Refugee Act became law. And two of the families that have come to the United States are here with us today. The Aradoms from Eritrea face severe persecution as a result of their religious beliefs. Some of their family members are still in prison and they came to the United States after spending years living as refugees in Ethiopia and Egypt. The Gautam family is from Bhutan. Raj spent 17 years living in refugee camps before coming to the United States in 2008. Now, along with his son and daughter, he's been joined by six of his brothers.

These are just two of what could be countless examples, and the contributions that these refugees have made to our own country are really remarkable. I was very proud that in representing New York I saw the results of the resettlement of refugees throughout New York State and the quick adaptation that refugees from Bosnia or Kosovo or Burma or other places made. So our country has opened its arms to refugees. In fact, two of my predecessors, Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger, came to the United States as refugees. And a few steps from the front door of this building, there is a very large statue of another refugee, Albert Einstein.

Now, some of you may remember I wasn't here last year at the event at National Geographic because I had broken my elbow, and I certainly don't want any of us dislocating our shoulders from patting ourselves on the back about what we've done, but helping vulnerable people is a key element of our foreign policy and Americans should be proud of our country's work on this issue. But we can't rest on our laurels. We have to continue working as hard as we know to work to get results, not just to provide quick fixes or maintain an unacceptable status quo.

Last year, I visited a refugee camp in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and I met and talked with the women and men who had been forced to flee their homes in the face of marauders, rebels, uncontrolled army soldiers - a mix, a witches' brew of barbarism and horror. And like tens of thousands of people elsewhere, these men and women had lived through a nightmare, particularly the women. And the United States pledged $17 million to help combat sexual violence in Eastern DRC, and I appreciate greatly those working with UNHCR along with many other NGOs and international organizations who are doing extraordinary work at great personal risk. So long as the women of the DRC are threatened by just the most terrible kinds of violations, as long as the men of the DRC cannot raise their families and their crops in peace, then we cannot rest.

Today, I am pleased to announce the United States will be providing $60 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees. This contribution will provide critical services such as healthcare and improve life for 4.7 million Palestinians. But again, that is not an answer either. We have to continue working for peace, security, and reconciliation in the Middle East.

So let me thank all of you - the NGOs, the journalists, the development workers, the diplomats and activists - who are working to help the world's refugees. I hope we can use this day to honor the courage and resilience of the millions of refugees around the world who push forward each and every day with the hope that tomorrow might bring a return home or the hope of a better life. I certainly intend to remain committed to making that hope a reality and I look forward to working with Eric and all of you in doing so.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

Source: U.S. Department of State

We are advocating for refugees' repatriation: UNHCR Chief

The chief of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Stephen Jacquemet has told that his agency was constantly advocating for repatriation of Bhutanese citizens from the UN-administered camps in Nepal.

"Some of you are critical to UNHCR that it promotes just resettlement," he said while addressing a function organized in Jhapa to mark World Refugee Day 2010 Friday morning. He refuted such allegations saying UNHCR was constantly advocating for dignified repatriation of Bhutanese refugees.

He also elaborated that resettlement package is at least a solution - itoffers refugees different life styles, real future and dignified living. According to him, refugees would be able to raise stronger voices for repatriation from the resettling countries.

The UNHCR chief also assured various supports to materialize the repatriation process in case it begins in future.

Camp Secretary T.B.Gurung demanded registration of all pending cases which are ineligible to receive aids from donors. He said they were celebrating refugee day when hundreds of his fellow-countrymen are without breads when their official registration remained pending.

Around 2000 Bhutanese participated in a peace rally in Beldangi-I camp this morning. Representatives of various aid agencies joined the march that comprised various groups on traditional dresses, musical instruments and placards.

"Several Bhutanese citizens on national dress marched enthusiastically to carry this year's refugee day slogan - they have taken our home, but not our future," commented Prakash Angdambe, a local artist, who arrived at the programme to express his solidarity.

Prakash Angdambe, a local artist, who reached the spot to express solidarity was astonished to see the formal starting of program with Bhutan's national anthem. "The scene was touching for every person," a refugee run news portal quoted him. Refugees, who are never recognized as citizens by Bhutan, wore Bhutan's national dress to sing their national anthem."

Every year people celebrate June 20 as World Refugee Day to remember millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The Wintry Crippled

This poem escaletes the empty formalities shown by todays human beings in the society.The poem asks the readers whether humans have degraded to that extent.

The floor with flaccid cotton

That had no buttons.

The roof of bluish curtain

That never looked certain.

The old crippled, as old as winter

Came out of the shady haunt

Dressed in rags

And gave me a wintry smile.

I looked at him with utmost humanity

But he looked at me with extreme cruelty

But why?

Who’s accountable in making him so?

Might be! He was fade up

With humanity full of snobbishness

Or the empty formalities?

He just drifted off me                                                                       

With ragged and raged

Dragging and ragging

As if, not concerned with my human look.

Then I realized, the humans

Have degraded to such an extent

That even the doomsday doesn’t have the answer

Then what’s the answer????

Ethnic Nepali refugees from Bhutan face generation gap

"Look how happy we used to be," says Harka Jung Subba, pointing to a family photograph hanging on the wall of his hut. It shows him, his wife and their six sons and daughters when the family still lived in Bhutan, more than 20 years ago.

In 1990 they were forced to flee because of persecution of ethnic Nepalis. Harka thought they would be away only long enough for things to settle down again. But Harka and more than 100,000 other Bhutanese refugees have been living in refugee camps in Nepal ever since.

His son, Ram Kumar, seen in the family photo as a boy, moved to the US last year with his wife and his own two children as part of a UN resettlement programme. Fearful that his father would not give his consent to let him go (the UNHCR requires all members of a household to attend the verification interview), Ram, now 33, left with his mother's blessing, while Harka was in India lobbying politicians and rights activists to pressure Bhutan's government for repatriation.

"My son, who grew up in my arms, left without saying goodbye. I am sure I will never see him again," Harka says. His other sons are now also pushing him to let them leave the camp.

For the younger generations, who have lived in the camps all their lives, reliant on handouts as they are forbidden by law to work, the resettlement programme is their only way out. But the older refugees have no desire to move away from their community to a foreign country with an alien culture and a language they will never learn.

Harka, 68, admits he is fighting a losing battle against his grown-up sons. So far resettlement has been the only solution offered. In 2006, following 15 rounds of failed bilateral negotiations between the Bhutanese and Nepali governments, Washington offered an alternative: moving to America. Within a year more than 25,000 refugees had applied for resettlement in the US, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. A further 15,000 are expected to be resettled by the end of this year, while 50,000 more have registered.

Harka was one of the first 100 refugees to arrive in Damak, one of the six settlements in Jhapa district in south-eastern Nepal. He says they had a good life in the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, where he was a government official and owned a large farm. But in 1989, threatened by the prosperous Hindu Nepali-speaking minority, the government imposed a policy of Bhutanisation. Under the policy "one nation, one people", only Buddhism, Bhutan's main religion, could be practiced, while a Bhutanese dress code, culture and language was enforced. Many of the ethnic Nepalese had their land confiscated and were stripped of their citizenship.

Harka says he protested against the arrest of some key Bhutanese democratic leaders. Afterwards he was threatened by government officials, including members of the army. He fled. The army seized his house. Harka and his family lived in Tsirang district, in south Bhutan, a fertile area, in the foothills of the Himalayas, lush and green. Farmers grow rice, maize and millet, while major cash crops include oranges, mandarins and cardamom.

Now Harka's home is a two-room hut. With mud floor, bamboo walls and roof, it can barely fit two beds so the family take it in turns to sleep on the floor. The camp has no electricity and the sanitation system is poor. There isn't enough water and Harka says they have no access to newspapers or television. In the dry summer temperatures can reach 45C, with accidental fires, while in the monsoon low-lying Damak is vulnerable to flash floods. In the winter the walls do little to keep out the cold and fog.

Harka and fellow refugees, such as Maniraj Lama, 60, long to return to their old lives. "We have waited this long and we still can wait to go home," Maniraj says. But Sandeep Bhattarai, 23, doesn't remember Bhutan. His father refuses to give him permission to leave. "I still have the ability to start something new," he says. "I don't want to grow up as an old refugee and suffer like my parents. I have to think of myself and my younger sisters."

Sandeep works as a volunteer in a school in the camp for a small allowance. He says most of his friends are now school graduates or have finished college and are pursuing further studies. Sandeep explains that the rules about not working are not strictly adhered to; however, high unemployment means there are very few jobs and even if they get a job, they get paid less than a Nepali would.

Jiten Subba, a Bhutanese journalist in exile in Nepal, says the resettlement helped to reduce the violence, crimes and insecurity among the frustrated youth as many started to concentrate on improving their skills. But for every success story that filters back from resettled refugees, there are stories of hardship and isolation.

Another Bhutanese journalist, Thakur Prasad Mishra, 24, grew up in the refugee camps in Nepal and moved to New York as part of the resettlement programme in July last year. He explains that most of the older refugees who have resettled suffer from depression. "The elderly mostly stay inside their apartments as they have no idea how to use the public transport. They even require someone to guide them to visit a nearby hospital."

Mishra does believe that life is still better in a new country than in the refugee camp, but he warns that elderly people with no children are better off staying behind.

The UNHCR says it continues to advocate for voluntary repatriation to Bhutan. But for now that road seems to be a dead end.

Harka sums up the feelings of many of the older refugees when he says emphatically: "I would rather hang myself and die here in the camp than follow my children to a new country." This is not a throwaway line. Suicide rates are high in the camp as many refugees suffer from depression. Maniraj Lama's wife hanged herself one day while he went out for a walk. It has made him more determined than ever to get back to Bhutan.

In the meantime, Harka worries that more young people will leave, abandoning their elders. "The rift between the old and young generation is worsening," he says. "There is bad blood between the old parents and their children."The photograph on his wall reminds him of what he has to lose as well as what he has already lost.

Knitting together new lives

People always remember the first dollar they made, but for Nar Rai, the memory is particularly poignant.

Rai, a married mother of three, arrived in Houston in 2008 after spending several years in a refugee camp in Nepal.

Originally from Bhutan, a country in South Asia bordered by India and China, Rai fled with her family to escape an oppressive government. In the 1990s, Bhutan moved to create a unified society and restricted religious freedoms. Everyone was required to wear the traditional clothing of northern Bhutan and the Nepali language was removed from schools.

Rai and others in southern Bhutan, considered ethnic minorities, fled to refugee camps in Nepal and India. Within two years, more than 120,000 Bhutanese Nepali had fled the country. Though many of the refugees from the predominately Buddhist country are Hindu, Rai is Christian.

The knitting and weaving skills Rai learned as a young girl in Bhutan are part of her integration into her new life in America.

She is a member of Community Cloth, a program supporting women who want to create and sell indigenous arts and crafts. Most of the women served by Community Cloth right now are from Bhutan and Burma. The group would like to expand and serve refugees from Iraq and Africa as well.

All profits from sales of the goods the women produce go back to the artisans.

The Community Cloth is a multiorganization project among Catholic Charities, Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, YMCA International Services and the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.

Quynh-Anh McMahan, co-founder of the Community Cloth, said every woman who joins the program receives $150 seed money to purchase supplies.

They receive monthly training — not in their craft since they're the experts — but in basic concepts and skills of how to be an entrepreneur in America.

Handmade items including woven bags, knitted scarves, embroidered linens, baskets and rugs are sold at local farmers markets, houses of worship and university campuses. Community Cloth organizes occasional open-house events with goods for sale; to be notified about events check out its Facebook page at www.tinyurl.com/communitycloth.

McMahan said they hope soon to sell online at Etsy.com, an open market for handmade goods.

So far, the women have netted more than $15,000 in sales.

“It was my first job in America,” said Rai, who in addition to learning how to speak and write English recently passed a state exam to become a certified nursing assistant. “The Community Cloth showed me a dollar.”

There are currently 25 women in the Community Cloth, all of them mothers, including 26-year-old Devi Subba. Some of the women make their handcrafts from home; some work together in small groups in their apartment complexes.

Subba, also a Christian, fled Bhutan in 1992, arriving at a refugee camp in Nepal with her parents, two sisters and one brother. There they lived together in a small bamboo hut.

She called on her childhood skills of weaving and knitting to supplement her family's income, earning less than a dollar a day.

In 2008, Subba arrived in Houston, seven months pregnant.

She said she cried and worried about finding work and making money to pay the bills — a common concern among refugees, McMahan said.

“It's difficult for anyone with a Ph.D. or master's degree to even get a job these days,” McMahan said. “Imagine being a refugee looking for mainstream employment when you don't speak the language, don't have any formal education, and your background is farming or homemaking.”

But they do have strengths — skills that make them artisans.

“Many of the women have fantastic handicraft skills,” McMahan said. “Weaving, knitting, embroidery … they are very used to working with their hands.”

Having settled into an apartment complex and resum ed her craft, Subba is now making more than a dollar a day.

Elliot Gershenson, president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston, said Community Cloth women aim to be self-sufficient in about six months.

And there's a biblical lesson here for all of us.

“All of the faith traditions I've studied are about finding ways to help those less fortunate and to welcome strangers,” Gershenson said. “To keep parts of your fields untilled so the poor can glean on their own without being embarrassed is a biblical concept for both Jews and Christians.”

The Community Cloth formally launched in December, McMahan said, and is still in its pilot phase.

But, just like refugees when they arrive in America, McMahan has big dreams.

“This was built from the ground up,” McMahan said. “We have the capacity to expand. Refugees will always be at the planning table.”

Online TV Programme will be aired by hamibhutani.com.

An online tv programme will be aired by hamibhutani.com from the 1st week of March 2010.The programme will includes several highlights like,news,views,Interviews,articles and songs related with Bhutanese theme.Watch below its earlier live interview with Bhutanese resettled in Charlottetown Canada.Programme host Parsuram Giri is Interviewing Chandra Maya Baral formerly from Sanischarae camp.

Jasoda Chhetri expressed her satisfaction upon resettling in Canada.She smiles and say,"I am lucky to be resettled here in Charlottetown and people are very supportive for me!Watch the interview,,

Refugee's attack leads to outreach effort

The shooting and stabbing of a Bhutanese refugee April 7 is driving outreach efforts to provide language-specific safety and crime prevention brochures to small immigrant groups who live in the Alief and Sharpstown areas.
Members of the Houston Asian Community Crime Advisory Board and the Greater Sharpstown Management District are locating funds to help pay for the project, said Kenneth Li, who chairs GSMD’s safety and security committee.
“We need to stop this thing. There are 100 of these families, some of them newcomers, and they don’t know how to ask for help,” Li said at the GSMD committee’s April 16 meeting.
The assault occurred about 5 a.m. April 7 as the 23-year-old was waiting for a bus on Ranchester Drive to go to work, said Chris Colaneri, a resettlement program manager with Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.
Colaneri said it was the young man’s third day at his new job with a hotel and his first attempt to take the bus to work.
The alliance began searching for the young man after family members reported he didn’t return home that day, Colaneri said.
They did not learn his fate for a couple of days, when a nurse at Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center suspected her patient may be a refugee and began telephoning Houston’s resettlement agencies, he said.
The young man’s injuries still have prevented him from helping in the police investigation of the assault, said Sgt. Connie Rico with Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Department.
Colaneri said the effort by the management district and the Asian community is welcome.
“The apartment owners have been very helpful working with us. Getting information to the residents, if it is simple and in their language, it’s very helpful,” Colaneri said.
His organization, an agency of the United Way, has helped more than 500 Bhutanese refugees relocate to the U.S. in the past couple of years. Many of them were forced to leave their homeland 20 years ago and lived in camps in Nepal before qualifying for resettlement in this country.

Bhutanese Refugees updates from Jhapa

भूटानी शरणार्थी शिविर बेलडाँगीका तीनै वटा शिबिरका पसलहरूमा जाँडरक्सी तथा चुरोटविंडी खरिद विक्रीमा प्रतिबन्ध लगाइएको छ ।
शरणार्थी युवाहरुले चुरोट खाएर शिविरको घरधुरीमा चुरोटको टुक्रा ननिभाइ फाल्ने गरेकाले यो नियम क्याम्प ब्यवस्थापन समितिले लागु गरेको शिबिर सचिब टिवि गुरुङ्गले जानकारी दिनुभयो ।
शरणार्थी शिविरभित्र प्रवेश गर्ने जो सुकैले चुरोट तथा बिंडी पिउन सख्त मनाइ गरिएको छ । शरणार्थी युवाहरुले चुरोटमा गाँजा प्रयोग गरि पिउने गरेकोले वेहोस भई अनैतिक शब्द बोल्ने र जे गर्न मन लाग्यो त्यहि गर्ने गरेकाले त्यस्ता यूवा करिव ५० प्रतिशत पक्राउ गरि कार्वाही गरेको सशस्त्र प्रहरी बलका इन्चार्ज गुणराज बानियाले बताउनु भयो।
आज सशस्त्र प्रहरीले शिविरभित्र छापामारि एक दर्जन बढी चुरोटका बट्टा बरामद गरि नष्ट गरेको छ । त्यस्तै हिजो वेलडाँगी २ का छाप्राहरूमा छापा मारी प्रहरीले ३५ लिटर रक्सी र १६ बट्टा चुरोट बरामद गरेको थियो ।
शरणार्थी शिविरभित्र जाँडरक्सी र चुरोट बिंडी खरिद विक्री गर्न नपाइएने नियम भए पनि लुकीछिपी किनबेच गर्ने क्रम बढ्दो छ ।
शिविरभित्र सुरक्षा व्यवस्था पनि कडा पारिएको छ । साँझ ७ बजेदेखि कोही पनि शिविरभित्र हिंडडुल गर्ने समेत निषेध गरिएको पनि बनियाले जानकारी दिनुभयो ।


परिचय पत्र लिन छुटेका शरणार्थीलाई सहायतामा रोक्का गरिएकोमा उनीहरुका प्रतिनिधिले सहायता खुल्ला गर्न आग्रह गरेका छन् । खुदुनाबारी शरणार्थी शिविरका सचिव भानु ढुंगानाले परिचय पत्र लिन छुटेका शरणार्थीलाई सहायता खुल्ला नगर्ने हो भने संकट सिर्जना हुने चेतावनी दिनु भएको छ । सातै शरणार्थी शिविरमा परिचय पत्र नलिने शरणार्थीको संख्या एक हजारको हाराहारीमा छ । छ महिना लगाएर नेपाल सरकारले सातै शरणार्थी शिविरमा परिचय पत्र बाँड्ने काम चार महिनाअघि मात्र सकेको थियो । त्यसपछि परिचय पत्र लिन छुटेका शरणार्थीलाई सहायता रोक्का गरिएको हो । शरणार्थी समन्वय इकाइबाट अनुमति नलिइ शिविरबाहिर पढ्न, काम गर्न तथा अन्य व्यक्तिगत कामका लागि शरणार्थी शिविरबाट बाहिर गएकाहरु परिचय पत्र लिनबाट वञ्चित भएका हुन् ।
गोलधाप शरणार्थी शिविरमा अन्तरसंस्था भलिवल प्रतियोगिता शुरु भएको छ । प्रतियोगिताको पहिलो दिन अस्ती गोलधाप शरणार्थी शिविर र सोही शिविरको युवामैत्री केन्द्रबीच भएको प्रतियोगितामा युवा मैत्री केन्द्रले जितेको थियो । त्यस्तै हिजो भएको प्रतियोगितामा व्लुमिङ लोटस इंग्लिस स्कूललाई आम्दाले जितेको थियो । गोलधाप शरणार्थी शिविरको इन्टेरियर साइन्स कर्नरले गरेको प्रतियोगिताको फाइनल खेल आउँदो बुधबार हुनेछ । प्रतियोगितामा लुथरन विश्वमहासंघ, शिविरको सुरक्षामा खटिएको सशस्त्र प्रहरी, कारितास, अंग्रेजी भाषा कक्षा लगायतका संस्था र समूहको सहभागिता छ ।


भुटानले आउँदो १० दश भित्रमा बैदेशिक ऋण लिन नपर्ने गरि आर्थिक विकासको नयाँ नीति ल्याएको छ । गएको शुक्रबार सार्वजनिक गरिएको नीति अनुसार भुटानले निजी साझेदारी अवधारणाको विकास गरि प्रत्यक्ष वैदेशिक लगानीलाई बढावा दिने भएको छ । नयाँ नीति अनुसार सूचना प्रविधि र शैक्षिक प्रणालीको विकास गर्ने लक्ष्य रहेको क्यूनसेल अनलाईलमा जनाइएको छ । त्यस्तै घरेलु र साना उद्योग सञ्चालन गर्न चाहनेलाई तीन बर्षसम्मको वहाल खर्च दिइने भएको छ ।

Update on Resettlement

अहिलेसम्म पुनरवास भएर तेश्रो देश जाने शरणार्थीको संख्या २८ हजार ६ सय सतासी पुगेको छ । शरणार्थीको पुनर्वासको व्यवस्थापकीय काम गर्दै आएको संस्था आइओएमका अनुसार सवैभन्दा बढी अमेरिकामा पुनर्वास भएका छन् । अहिलेसम्म अमेरिकामा २५ हजार चार सय ३८ शरणार्थी पुनरस्थापित भएका छन् । त्यसैगरि अष्ट्रेलियामा एक हजार तीन सय ११, क्यानाडामा एक हजार ७८, न्यूजिल्याण्डमा चारसय सात, नेदरल्याण्ड १२७, नर्वेमा ३२४ र डेनमार्कमा ३२६ शरणार्थी पुनर्स्थापित भएका छन् ।

P.E.I. could settle more refugees

P.E.I. is likely to play a role in resettling some of the refugees recently approved for a federal program.
Ottawa recently approved the resettling of 500 more refugees under the Government-Assisted Refugees Program. The program is targeted at people stuck in refugee camps.
Madan Kumar Giri is all too familiar with refugee camps. He and his family spent 16 years in one of the refugee camp in Nepal, before resettling on P.E.I. four years ago. Giri and his family were forced out of their country for political reasons.
"We have a very nice system here in Canada," Giri told CBC News Thursday.
"We have a place to live in, we have a country. As a whole we feel very, very happy to be here."

The Giris were allowed to come to the Island under the Government-Assisted Refugees Program. There are between 65 and 70 refugees who have come to the Island under the program. More are now expected.
"Citizenship and Immigration … would have to look at whether or not, in discussions with us, whether we could accommodate more," said Craig Mackie of the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers, "making sure we could look after them properly and settle them."
Mackie said the association helps refugees with a broad range of issues, from learning English to learning how to use a dishwasher.

Some cost to province
It's too early to say how many new refugees could come to the Island, said Paul Snow of Citizenship and Immigration Canada on P.E.I. It will partly be a matter of how many the province can afford. "There are of course costs that the province ends up being responsible for as well: medicare costs and social costs in schools and things like that," said Snow.

"On the other hand there are benefits to the province of having a higher population and more cosmopolitan international population."

Snow said the federal government is willing to provide more funding as more refugees settle here.

PM Nepal asks his Bhutanese counterpart to take back refugees

Visiting Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley called on his Nepali counterpart Madhav Kumar Nepal and held discussion on issues of bilateral interests at the Prime Ministerial office in Kathmandu.

During the meeting, PM Nepal raised the contentious issue of Bhutanese refugees, most of the them still languishing in the refugee camps in eastern Nepal, and sought the support of the Bhutan government in their repatriation.

"It is the inborn right of the Bhutanese refugees to get repatriated with due respect as the third country settlement option is not a lasting solution to the crisis," Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Relations Advisor to the PM quoted him as saying to his Bhutanese counterpart.

In reply, the Bhutanese Prime Minister is said to have stressed on more bilateral talks to find out an amicable solution to the refugee problem.

Bhutan is concerned about the refugee crisis and is ready to hold talks with Nepal, though the third country settlement process is underway satisfactorily," Thinley said.
The two government heads also dwelt on the possible agendas of the upcoming SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in Bhutan this year. The two further agreed to raise the issue of climate change as a priority agenda in the forthcoming regional meet.
Early today, Thinley arrived in Kathmandu to extend a message of condolence on his own and on behalf of the Bhutanese people to the government and people of Nepal on the 13 day of the demise of former prime minister the late Girija Prasad Koirala.
He flew back home this evening.

दुइ महिनामा शिविर खाली

Big APRIL FOOLS NEWS FROM TITOPIROMITHO.COM.PLEASE DONOT BELEIVE THIS,I HAVE INSERTED JUST FOR FUN AND FOR THE NEWS REPORTER.
हालसम्म पुनर्वास गइसकेका बाहेक नेपालको झापा र मोरङमा रहेका सात शिविरका शरणार्थीहरुलाई आगामी दुइ महिनाभित्रमा अमेरिकाले लगिसक्ने भएको छ । अमेरिका वाहेक अन्य देशका लागि प्रकृयामा रहेका शरणार्थीहरुलाई अमेरिकाले ती देशहरुमा दुइ महिनाभित्रमा लगि सक्नु पर्ने, यदि नसक्ने भएमा अमेरिकालाई जानकारी दिन सात दिनको समयसीमा तोकिदिएको छ । जुन शरणार्थीहरुलाई अन्य देशहरुले २ महिनामा उडाउन सक्दैनन् उनीहरुको प्रकृया अप्रिल १० तारिकदेखि अमेरिकाका लागि शुरु हुने पनि जनाइएको छ ।

आज विहानै नेपालका लागि अमेरिकका कार्यवाहक राजदुत डोनाल्ड क्याम्पले नेपाल टेलिभिजनमार्फत उक्त जानकारी गराएका हुन् ।

उनले भने - परिवारिक विखण्डन, शिविरभित्रका शरणार्थीहरुको असुरक्षा, असामाजिक कृयाकलाप र उछृङ्खलता बढेको शरणार्थीहरुले गुनासो गरेपछि मानविय आधारमा अमेरिकाले यस्तो निर्णय गरेको हो । यो प्रकृया अलिकति जटिल त छ, तर हामी हाम्रो वलवुताले भ्याएसम्म मे महिनाको अन्तिम दिनसम्ममा भए पनि भुटानी शरणार्थीका लागि नेपालमा बनाइएका सातै वटा शिविर खाली गरिसक्नेछौं । उनले अगाडि थपे - पुनर्वासमा जान नचाहनेहरुका लागि एउटा मात्र विकल्प बाँकी रहेको र त्यो विकल्प भनेको दुइ हप्तापछि भुटानमा हुने सोह्रौं सार्क शिखर सम्मेलनमा पर्यवेक्षकका रुपमा गएका अमेरिका लगायतका देशहरुले भुटानसँग उसका नागरिक फर्काउन दवाव दिने, यदि भुटानले फर्काउन नचाहेमा ती शरणार्थीहरुले आफ्नो व्यवस्था दुइ महिनाभित्रमा आफैं गरिसक्नु पर्नेछ, मे महिनाको पहिलो हप्तादेखि शरणार्थीका लागि भनेर बसेका कुनै पनि कार्यालय रहने छैनन् ।

अन्तमा उनले भने - यो कार्यमा अमेरिकालाई साथ दिन पुनर्वास दिने अन्य सातवटा देशका साथै सवै भुटानी शरणार्थीहरु, नेपाल सरकार र सम्वन्धित सवैलाई अमेरिकी सरकारका तर्फबाट म हार्दिक अनुरोध गर्दछु ।
Adapted from:TITOPIROMITHO.COM

Bhutanese Cultural Interaction Held at Eastmont Wellness Center

The Bhutanese and other Himalayan community members have a lot to thank for to the medical personnel at Eastmont Wellness Center, who have always been there for our communities ‘health needs. So as a gesture of thanks, the staffs were treated with their own private event present with entertainment and cultural food.

The event was organized by the Bhutanese American Community Center (BACC) in close coordination with Ms. Nisha Thapa, a family nurse practitioner and president of Sahayeta.Org, Mrs. Sambo Ly, director of refugee program in Alameda county medical center. It was a unique special way to say thank you to the doctors, nurses, and staff of Eastmont Wellness Center of Alameda County Health Department, for their extra ordinary care and services rendered to the Bhutanese and other Himalayan communities.BACC executives were confident that the relationship between Bhutanese community and Alameda County Health Department - Eastmont wellness center, High land Hospital and Oakland Children’s Hospital would strengthen and meet the expectations of our communities.

Over 70 medical personnel were present for the lunch who delightfully relished traditionally Bhutanese dishes—such as kewa, darshi, chicken paa, rice and dal. Mr. Jiwan subba, secretary of BACC briefs the entire medical personnel on Bhutan, its refugees and resettlement in the East Bay’s- fast emerging community While at lunch a solo dance performance was staged by Ms. Pooja Sharma a student at the local community college in Oakland. BACC and Alameda County Hospitals have come to redefine the paradigm of their relationships, to build a stronger bridge between themselves wherein the community can now address general health issues more comfortably and confidently.

SAARC Summit on April 28-29,Preparation Completed

The 16th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will be held in Bhutan on April 28-29 this year.

Leaders of the eight-nation group will focus on climate issues at the summit, an apparent regional follow-up of the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on securing global pledges on emission cuts.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has already been invited to atend the summit

Diplomatic sources told BSS here on Saturday that nearly 450 delegates from the member-states Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and host country Bhutan are expected to atend the summit, besides a 150-member media team.

In addition, 68 editors and journalists from South Asia would participate in the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) summit, a customary event parallel to the SAARC summit

The summit will also be atended by observers from China, Japan, European Union, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Iran.

The pre-summit meetings will commence in the third week of April at the Bhutan's Royal Banquet Hall while the main summit will be held at the country's National Assembly Hall.

The Bhutan Observer reported recently that Thimphu, Capital of the Himalayan Kingdom, would receive a major facelift with gates, flags and banners.

शरणार्थी सेरोफेरो

अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय महिला दिवस आज सातै भुटानी शरणार्थी शिविरहरूमा विभिन्न कार्यक्रम गरि मनाइयोयस क्रममा भुटानी शरणार्थी शिविर वेलडाँगीका महिलाहरूले महिला अधिकार नै मानव अधिकार हो भन्दै विभिन्न नाराका साथ शिविर परिक्रम गरि महिला मञ्चको खुल्ला प्रांगणमा कोण सभा गरेका थिए ।


नारीका प्रत्यक्ष तथा अप्रत्यक्ष पिडाहरुलाई सम्बोधन गर्ने उद्देश्यले भूटान मिडिया सोसाइटी र भुटानी महिला मञ्चको संयुक्त आयोजनमा (बेलडाँगी १को महिला मञ्चमा) शरणार्थी महिलाहरुको दयनिय अवस्था र दिन प्रतिदिन बढ्दो घरेलु हिंसालाई कसरी रोकथाम गर्न सकिन्छ भने विषयमा अर्न्तकृयात्मक छलफल गरि हरेक समस्याको समाधान खोज्ने प्रयास गरिएको छ ।
एक सय औं अर्न्तराष्ट्रिय श्रमिक महिला दिवसमा समाजका असहाय महिला तथा एकल महिलालाई अगाडि बढाउने उद्देश्य लिएर बेलडाँगी १ का चन्द्रमाया विश्व र दिलमाया राईलाई महिला मञ्चले उपहार दिएको थियो । उपहार लिएपछि दिलमाया र चन्द्रमायाले सहयोगी सस्थाहरु जि एच आर डि, नेदरलेन्डमा पूनरवास भएका भूटानीहरुलाई धन्यवाद दिएका दिए ।

महिला मञ्चका सल्लहकार अमर लिम्बु, भूपु क्याम्प सचिब शनिश्चरे मेनुका नेपाल, रनमाया चापागाई, शिविर सुपरिवेक्षक हर्क ब. राई, यूएनएचसिआरका प्रतिनिधि गंगा सेन, शिविर सचिब टि.बि.गुरुङ्ग आदिले युग परिवर्तन संगसंगै महिलाहरुको अधिकार पनि प्राप्त हुनुपर्छ भन्दै मन्तव्य राखेका दिए ।

सात शरणार्थी शिविरमा विभिन्न तरिकाले माहिला दिवस केन्द्रीय महिला मञ्चले सम्पन्न गरेका छन् भने बेलडागी १ मा पनि पूनवास भएका भूटानीहरुको सहयोग र विदेशी संस्था जिएचआर डिको संयुक्त सहयोगमा महिला दिवाश महिला मञ्चकी सचिब पुणिमाया राईको सभाध्याक्षतामा सम्पन्न भएको छ ।

गोलधाप शिविरमा भुटानी शरणार्थी महिला मञ्चले आयोजना गरेको कार्यक्रममा र्यालीका साथै वालन र संगीनी खेलि अन्तराष्ट्रिय महिला दिवस मनाएका छन् ।

महिलाहरु कृयाशिलता एवम् सृजनशिलता नै विश्व परिवर्तनको नमुना हो भन्दै नेपाल सरकारका प्रतिनिधि हर्क ब. राईले भूटानी महिलाहरुलाई अग्रसर हु्ने प्रेरणा दिनु भएको थियो भने गंगा सेनले पुरुषहरुले पनि महिलाहरु को अधिकार संरक्षण गर्न अहम भुमिका खेल्नु पर्ने भन्दै चोटीलो महत्ब्य ब्यक्त गर्नुभएको थियो । साथै यूवा मैत्री केन्द्रका यूवाहरुले हामी पनि सक्छौं -महिला अधिकार खोज्न र शिविरलाई शान्त बनाउन भन्दै विभिन्न प्रकारका समाज परिवर्तन गर्ने खालका गित तथा नृत्य प्रस्तुत गरेकोमा प्रेरणा स्वरुप उपहार प्रदान गरियो ।
भूटानी शरणार्थी शिविर बेलाडगी २मा आज करिब १ बजेतिर एक भूटानी महिलाले झुण्डिएर आत्महत्या गरेकी छिन् ।

शरणार्थी शिविर वेलडाँगी २, डी ४ छाप्रा नं. ५७ की पविमाया कार्कीले नजिकैको हम्सेदुम्से सामुदायिक वनमा गई आत्महत्या गरेकी हुन् । उनले पहिलेको श्रीमानलाई छोडेर अर्को पुरुषसँग दोश्रो विवाह गरेपछि समाजले उनलाई पहिलेकै श्रीमानसँग फर्किन दवाव दिएपछि आत्महत्या गरेको हुन सक्ने प्रहरीको अनुमान छ ।
भुटानी शरणार्थी वालमञ्चले आजदेखि तीन दिने योजना तालिम दिन शुरु गरेको छ । सातै शिविरका गरि ३० जना वाल सहजकर्ता र केन्द्रीय पदाधिकारीहरुको सहभागितमा तालिम भइरहेको छ । असहाय वालवालिकाहरुको हितलाई ध्यान दिइ उक्त तालिमको आयोजना गरिएको हो । काठमाण्डौबाट आउनु भएका वाल विशेषज्ञ प्रतिनिधि प्रकाश कोइरालाले तालिममा सहजीकरण गरिरहनु भएको छ ।





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Finally Goodbye for the Refugee Camp.

Nine-month-old Loria Basnet, held by Amrita Siwakota, Tahal Man Khadka (left) and Dhanmaya Khadka are among the Bhutanese who arrived Wednesday.

IT may have only been five days of travel for the group of people from Bhutan, but their journey that ended in Winnipeg late Wednesday night has been a lifetime in the making.

More than 30 Bhutanese refugees have taken up residence at the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council's Welcome Place housing facility as they get used to a new city, a new country and a new beginning.

The unfamiliar surroundings have the group excited for the future.

"My friends are here, we travelled a long way together, and I hope to make many new friends in Canada," said Tulashi Ram Siwakoti, who is looking forward to learning more about Canada.

The group, ranging in ages from eight months to 79 years, has actually been out of their native Bhutan for nearly 20 years. Resigned to find lives in a refugee camp in Nepal after being forced out of southern Bhutan through what Chitra Pradhan "social blackmail," the group has come a long way to get to Manitoba.

Pradhan has been assisting the mass move, and shakes his head when describing the situation in Bhutan. There are three groups of people in the Asian country (bordered by the India to the south, east and west, and by China to the north), with the northern Bhutanese using fear and intimidation to force out southern peoples.

"I don't want to call it a social cleansing, but it's like that," said Pradhan, who came to Winnipeg in 1992. "These people have been through more than you can imagine. They've been forced to leave Bhutan without any possessions."

As expected, the journey to Canada was no weekend trip.

The group left camp in Nepal on Feb. 27 headed for the country's capital, Kathmandu. From there, they caught a flight to Abu Dhabi. After stops in London and Toronto, they landed at Winnipeg at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

"It was my first time flying," Dilli Ram Mahat said through a translator. "I had no problem eating the food. I ate everything they gave me."

Mahat, one of the elders of the group at 65 years old, said the biggest thing for him in coming to Canada was getting a chance to reconnect with family members.

"I'm excited to be in Canada because my daughter and son-in-law have been living here," he said. "Coming together to live with the family is a greater excitement."

The Bhutanese community in Winnipeg now stands at around 150 people. Canada will welcome 5,000 refugees from Bhutan this year.

SAARC Summit: preparations in full swing

The preparations for the 16th SAARC summit are underway in earnest with various royal government agencies spearheading the work gearing towards a March end completion deadline.

In all, about 450 delegates are expected to attend the summit, besides a media contingent of approximately 150, which will converge to the capital from the airport in Paro, as well as by road from Phuentsholing.

In addition, 86 editors and journalists from South Asia have already confirmed their participation in the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) organised SAARC journalist summit, which is customarily held in the host country parallel to the SAARC summit.

Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering reported to the prime minister yesterday at a meeting held to take stock of the preparatory progress so far that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is confident all physical works and services will soon be in place.

The pre-summit meetings will commence from the third week of April at the Royal Banquet Hall, while the summit on April 28-29 will be held in National Assembly hall. The retreat for the SAARC leaders will be hosted at hotel Terma Linka in Babesa.

Thimphu will receive a major facelift with gates, flags and banners planted all over the places. A massive clean-up campaign of the town and the riverbank will begin shortly, involving Thimphu’s residents. The facades and rooftops of the buildings falling along the route of the dignitaries will all be done up.

The road between Thimphu and Paro will be improved for safety, while hundreds of school children and other residents waving the flags of SAARC and SAARC countries will receive the dignitaries along the way.

The heads of states and governments, foreign ministers and foreign secretaries will be housed at the Ministers’ Enclave in Motithang, the major facelift work of which is expected to be complete by March 31.

The rest of the dignitaries will be accommodated in 188 rooms in 10 hotels that have already been booked. The possibilities of keeping journalists in Paro are being looked into if Thimphu runs out of hotel rooms.

An elaborate security arrangement is being made besides entertainments showcasing Bhutanese culture.

The preparations, in fact, are being done with the minutest detail from food, traffic movements, control rooms, media centers, gifts and helicopters for emergency medical requirements to docking space at Paro airport for aircrafts that the leaders will fly in. PAGE 6In all 14 sub-committees have been formed to carry out the preparations.

“I have no doubt you are doing your best; our success will be determined from day one,” The prime minister told the meeting. “It’s the mood that we will create that will determine the outcome of the summit.”

The summit will also be attended by observers from China, Japan, European Union, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Iran.

Winter Olympic,a thrilling moments for Bhutanese in Canada

After living 20 years in a Refugee Camp in Nepal, Bhutanese resettled in Canada watched the “live” Olympic Winter games for the first time on their Television sets for 17 days. So far more than 1500 Bhutanese Refugees living in Nepal have been resettled in Canada from the east coast of New Found land and Labrador to the west coast of British Columbia in the west, where the winter Olympic was held.

"This is one of the great accomplishment to be resettled in a develop nation and it’s an extraordinary opportunity for me in Canada and watch the Olympic game in the history of my life" quoted 72 years old Nar Maya Mainly, who is resettled in Regina, Saskatchewan. I am really proud to resettle in Canada, she added in her sharp voice.

After 17 days of thrilling athletic competition, amazing display of sportsmanship and magical moments when lifelong dreams were finally realized on the podium, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter games drew its official close yesterday night.

We have never ever dreamed of these great moments in our life, watching Olympic, its pretty incredible, said Khagen Adhikari in a telephone conversation. Mr. Khagen who is resettled in Tri-Cities in Vancouver, BC also got an opportunity to meet and greet the well known athletes of the world.

A festive of 60,000 jammed into BC Place Stadium for the closing ceremony, many of them Canadians abuzz over the overtime victory by the men’s hockey team earlier in the day to give the host nation a Winter Olympics record of 14 gold medals where I was also one of the audiences in the arena.

Though when we talk about the winter Olympic Bhutanese may not have sufficient ideas about the performance however the entire community enjoyed the game, it was so fantastic and enjoyable added Lakpa Tamang who enjoyed the entire game in his TV set in St. John. Every people dreams of watching the Olympic game and that has come true in my life he said through Skye interview with us.

Finally the game ended when all the athletes gave a patriotic wave, wipe away the tears and said goodbye to the Vancouver so do the Bhutanese filled their hearts with joys and memories of the Olympic a new experiences in their life, in a far distant land

Bhutanese Maoists to meet Chinese officials.

Feb. 26 The Bhutan Communist Party (MLM) is trying to meet and discuss its issues with the officials of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal according to Nepali news portal, Ghatana Bichar. BCP (MLM) has been trying to arrange an informal meeting with the Chinese officials, the portal quoted the Chinese embassy as saying. The embassy told the news media that the party attempted to meet with the officials two weeks ago but the embassy source made it clear that it has no direct link with the leaders or cadres of the party although indirect relations have been established .

According to the source, the Party has been split a couple of years ago due to minor conflict among the leaders and now they are separately led by two of their leaders-Birat and Bikalp. There are traces that the Bikalpa faction has its affiliation to Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) and Community Party of South Asia (COMPOSA) while the group led by Birat is trying to build its ralation with the people’s Republic of China. Also, the assumptions are that the Birat faction of BCP is stronger in regards to its organisational foundation but ‘Bikalpa’ has strong international communist hold.

Both these party secretaries have been actively serving their terms anonymously and are in good standing with their Nepali counterparts. There are evidences of intimacy between the Maoist parties of these two land-locked countries. Cadres of Bhutanese Communist Party were conferred trainings in war arts in the eastern region of Nepal during the revolutionary movement. Also, Moni Thapa, a Nepali Maoist leader attended the anniversary of the BCP (MLM) while he was assigned to serve the party ordinance at the Indo-Nepal border. The leaders of both the parties pay regular visit to another Nepali Maoist leader, Mr. C. P. Gajurel.

Meanwhile, one of the top leaders of the MLM has been reported to have reached Australia through third country resettlement program.

The Party believes in resolving the crisis associated with Bhutanese refugees through armed revolution in Bhutan. The party manifesto reads their primary focus is to knock down the Wangchhuk oligarchy and establish people’s republic in Bhutan.

The Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) is a recently established and banned political party in Bhutan. Formed in UN refugee camps in Nepal and largely composed of Bhutanese ethnic Nepali refugees, the BCP (MLM) calls for a New Democratic Revolution and the overthrow of the Bhutanese monarchy.

Source:Bhutanusa.com

WFP reduces Sugar to Bhutanese Refugees

Thursday 2/25/10,Kamal Uprety,BurlingtonVermo-nt,USA.


United Nations World Food Programme(WFP) has said that they are force to reduce the amount of sugar that is being supplied to the Bhutanese Refugees living in Eastern Nepal.

This announcement has come when the International Sugar Market increased the price of sugar tremendously.India,the nearest sugar supplying partners of WFP has also increased the price owing the International Market and the demand.

WFP Country Representative in Nepal,Mr.Richard Ragan said that,we are extremly concern about the reduction however the sugar market has gone up and the required budget couldnot meet the present price.

Citing rapid increase in price of Sugar in an International Market we are forced to deduct the amount of Sugar to Bhutanese Refugees,he added in a press release.

The reduction will results in s daily loss of 10 grams of sugar per refugee per day.WFP normally provides 280 grams of sugar to Bhutanese Refugees.The actual reduction will begin at the end on this month.

So far more than 80,000 refugees have expressed their interest in third country re-settlement since the re-settlement programme began in November 2007.This process is expected to continue upto five years to complete.

There is a great security concerns in the refugees camp especially in Beldangis after a series of murders of different people in the camp.Security has been tightened and in high alert now.


No comments. Keywords: UNHCR, WFP, Bhutanese Aid, Refugee Crisis

Richmond Bhutanese Society announced

By Dadi Ram Antim.Virginia, US Resettled Bhutanese in United States, Virginia state living in Richmond city announced to be united under platform of Richmond Bhutanese Society (RBS) saturday at a mid function organized at Virginia Council of Churches Hall.


Nine member executive body under the president ship of Bhupendra Baral was elected. Body constitutes Vice-president Thakur Ghimirey, General Secretary Chandra Dhakal, Treasurer Amber Bhattarai , Employment Secretary Bhim Kumar Kadel, Cultural Secretary Kanchi Maya Monger, Public Well-fare Secretary Thagi Maya Chamlagain, Out-reach Coordinator Dadi Ram Antim and Education Secretary Dhurva Mishra.


Newly elected President Baral talking in the function said,” for overall development and prosperity of Bhutanese Americans resettled in Virginia, we ought to be in one platform of RBS. He stressed that, it is our primary duty to serve our community in every prospectus enriching people with different qualities.


Jon Domiano from Virginia Council of Churches Chief Guest of the function congratulated Bhutanese people being united for betterment of community. Commentating the program Warren Pierce of Richmond’s First Baptist Church wished for the future success of the organization.


Program was chaired by the elderly intellectual of the Bhutanese Community Bhim Bahadur Magar and anchored by Thakur Ghimirey.

Former Bhutanese Camp Secretary Shot Dead !

The Former Camp Secretary of Bhutanese Refugee Camp, Beldangi-I, Mr. Ramesh Subba was shot dead last night at around 7.30 P.M by an unidentified armed group at Itabhatta near Kakarbhitta, a town nearby Nepal-India border.

Forty years old Mr. Subba was a refugee of Beldangi-I camp Sector-G. He was on a visit to his cousin's house to Mechinagar-3,Ramailo village while a group of armed gunmen randomly fired him in his chest and stomach. Subba died on the spot.

According to our Beldangi correspondent police have recovered three rounds of used 7.6mm bullets from the site. They have also recovered two mobile handsets and Rs.15000 in cash from Subba's body. His dead body is kept at Bhadrapur Hospital for post-mortem and further investigation. So far no one has owned up the responsibilities neither any arrest has been made.

As per the local media from Jhapa, Subba is reportedly said to be the chief of a Bhutanese underground organisation United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB). Nepal Police has also accused him of his involvement in connection to the murder of K.B.Kharka and Santiram Nepal.

Nepali Song

सम्झिदेऊ न ऐ दाई