Four Bhutanese refugees deported from the United States, who were in the custody of Nepal police, have returned to the Bhutanese refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang districts. This comes after an order by the Supreme Court of Nepal.
Although the US deported them to Bhutan, the Bhutanese government forced them toward Nepal, leading 13 Bhutanese refugees to reach the Indian border in search of asylum. Among them, four had been held in police custody by the Department of Immigration for 28 days for investigation.
Among the four, Ashish Subedi, Santosh Darji, and Ashok Gurung have expressed their desire to stay in the Beldangi camp in Damak, while Roshan Tamang will stay in the Pathari Shanischare camp in Morang.
According to the Supreme Court’s order, the three staying in the Beldangi camp will only be allowed to move within Damak Municipality, while Tamang will be allowed to travel within the entire Pathari Shanischare Municipality.
More than 100,000 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese left Bhutan after a government crackdown in the early 1990s. Between 2007 and 2018, more than 113,000 Bhutanese refugees were resettled in third countries, mainly the US. About 6,500 remain in refugee camps in Nepal.
