We have written about the Bhutanese refugees on many many occasions and this article has nothing new. However, I am posting it because it is a good summary of what the situation is at a time when some of you have Bhutanese refugees coming into your communities. Also, some of our newest readers may be unfamiliar with the fact that the US will be bringing 60,000 refugees from camps in Nepal over the next few years.
According to the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal, seven western governments — the United States, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway and Denmark — have offered to resettle nearly 90 thousand refugees.
The United States said it was ready to pick up 60,000 initially, followed by as many as wishing, in the next five years.
That last sentence is a little confusing because our Presidential determination for FY 2008 has set the ceiling for the total number of refugees from around the world at 80,000. It is extremely unlikely that 60,000 would come from one country alone.
Please read the article because you should know that some Bhutanese do not want to be sent to another country and it has caused conflicts in the camps and splits in families as well.