NEPAL: BELDANGI: PLIGHT OF REFUGEES LIVING IN UN CAMPS

(11 Feb 1998) English/Nat

Britain's Prince Charles is winding up his three-nation Asian tour to Bhutan, the small Himalayan enclave where life has changed little over the centuries.

One aspect of Bhutanese society that has not been shown to the Prince is the plight of nearly 100-thousand refugees who live in United Nations camps across the border in Nepal.

They say they were forced to leave Bhutan after a 1988 census which took away their rights as citizens.

As Prince Charles visited the Bhutan capital, almost one sixth of the kingdom's population enter another year of exile, 200 miles away in refugee camps in Nepal.

All are Nepalese speaking Hindus who claim they were expelled from their homeland under a policy which denies them citizenship and has taken their houses and land.

The Bhutanese government denies this, but will not allow them back, claiming they are illegal immigrants.

As a result, Bhutan has the highest number of refugees per capital living outside its borders of anywhere in the world.

Few people visit the Beldangi refugee camp in remote eastern Nepal.

Inside, the people are desperate to show their identity cards and documents.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"97 per cent of the population in the refugee camp have documents that they are from Bhutan. And we believe that we belong to Bhutan. We believe that we should belong to Bhutan. And we believe that one day we will belong to Bhutan. It's a matter of time."
SUPER CAPTION: Ratan Gazmere, refugee and refugee campaigner

They claim they lost their rights to citizenship under a census carried out in 1988.

Subsequent demonstrations were met with arrest, and in the case of Bhanu Bhakta Adhikari, torture.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"They went on beating ... hanging sometimes. Sometimes pinning nails in the finger."
SUPER CAPTION: Bhanu Bhakta Adhikari, refugee

Amnesty International continues to press for their return.

So far, King Wangchuch of Bhutan has refused to intervene.

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