Bhutan Rejects Refugees Deported from the U.S., Angering Diaspora Groups

Jhapa, April 2 -- Activists and political groups supporting the rights of Bhutanese refugees have criticized Bhutan's move to deport individuals who were previously expelled by the United States, labeling this action as a breach of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On Tuesday, Balaram Paudyal from the Bhutan People’s Party, Rinzin Dorji who leads the Druk National Congress-Democratic wing, Tilak Rai representing the Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Committee, DB Subba of the Bhutan Independent People's Forum, and Krishna Bir Tamang coordinating with the National Reconciliation Committee Bhutan jointly criticized Bhutan for diminishing democratic values and revealing an autocratic character.

They reaffirmed that relocating to a third country does not provide a lasting answer for Bhutanese refugees and stressed that the sole feasible outcome must be their respectful return home. The declaration further requested global backing to uphold the fundamental human rights of these refugees. Additionally, it demanded an inquiry into the status of seven deportees who were sent back; notably, out of ten people expelled from the United States, tracking down just three has thus far proven possible.

Out of those who were deported, 30-year-old Ashok Gurung was apprehended at the Nepal-India border in Mechinagar Municipality-4 when he tried to enter Nepal from India. He is currently being kept at the Kakadbhitta Area Police Office. The whereabouts of the rest of the six people are still unclear.

The signatories additionally urged measures to stop Bhutanese citizens from being coerced into refugee status once more. They insisted that Bhutan should permit displaced citizens to come back and fully reintegrate into their home country with all their rights intact.

Recently, the United States deported ten Bhutanese refugees who were then flown on a charter plane to Paro Airport in Bhutan. Shortly after the U.S. officials left, the Bhutanese authorities reportedly moved these individuals to the Indian border under cover of night and left them behind. Out of this group, Ashish Subedi, Roshan Tamang, and Santosh Darji made their way to Nepalese refugee camps but ended up being detained by the police in Jhapa.