1. Presented by:
Rita Shrestha
CINTA/F/0132
University of Ruhuna, Matara
Bhutanese Refugee in Nepal

2. Overview
Background of the study ( Historical background of
Bhutan and Nepal’s relation)
 Push and Pull factors for migration( What led Ethnic
Nepalese to migrate to Southern part of Bhutan)
 Seeing self and others (Economically emerging
Lhotsampas as threat to existing dominant Drukpas)
 Bhutan’s Ethno- Nationalization issues
 Underlying political issues

3. Human Rights Problems
 Lhotsampas forced to leave the country.
 Tag of terrorist movement to Bhutan People’s
Party
 Violation of Human Rights by burning the houses
of Lhotsampas and committing insane crimes like
rape and torture.
 Local officials took advantage of the climate of
repression to coerce ethnic Nepalese to sell their
land below its fair value and to emigrate.

4. Crackdown on Ethnic Nepalese in
Bhutan
 Series of repressive citizenship law and “
Bhutanization” Politics.
 “ one people, one nation”
 Ethno- nationalization
 Denationalization of Lhotsampas

5. Anti- National
 Protests and demonstrations by activists like Tek
Nath Rizal
 Many activists and leaders arrested and
imprisoned for being anti- nationalist.
 Threat to revoke citizenship

6. A Bhutanese refugee looks from a bamboo hut in
the Ti Mai camp, Nepal. Photograph: Desmond
Boylan/Reuters

7. Exodus
 Lhotsampas fled to Nepal and in some parts of
India.
 Government of Bhutan met its target to reduce its
southern population by third.
 UNHCR( United Nations Human Commission
Rights) and Government of Nepal
 Refugee camps in Nepal under UNHCR
guidelines

8. Refugee Camps in Nepal

9. Ethnic Nepalese Women’s Status in
Bhutan
 Citizenship crisis to divorced and widowed
women in Bhutan.
 Polygamy as a source of domestic violence.
 Cases of rapes and tortures by government
authorities.

10. Women’s status in refugee
camps
 Failed to ensure the refugee women’s
independent access to aid.
 Discrimination against women in refugee
registration.
 Non- registration of Ration cards in Women’s
names.
 Gender Based violence in refugee camps.

11. Hopes Dashed
 Despite of many rounds of high level meetings
with the government authorities of Nepal and
Bhutan the way out for refugees seems blur
 UNHCR’s resettlement program for Bhutanese
refugee
 Bhutan’s Gross national happiness a myth

13. References
 Castles, S. (2010). Understanding Global Migration: A Social Transformation
Perspective. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 36(10), 1565-1586.
 Hear, N.V. (2010). Theories of Migration and Social Change. Journal of Ethnic
and Migration Studies. 36(10), 1531-1536
 Hutt, L. (2005). The Bhutanese Refugees: Between verification, Repatriation and
Royal Realpolitik. Peace and Democracy in South Asia. 1(1).
 Human Rights Watch. (2003). Trapped by Inequality: Bhutanese Refugee
Women in Nepal.
 Khanal, K.P. (1998). Human Rights and Refugee Problems in South Asia: The
Case of Bhutanese Refugees. Contributions to Nepalese Studies. 25(2), 143-
161.
 Lee, E.S. (1996). A Theory of Migration. Demography. 3(1), 47-57.
 Nah, L. (2005). Migration in Flight: Conflict induced internal displacement of
Nepalis in Northeast India. Peace and Democracy in South Asia. 1(1).

14. References
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Parasites. Blackwell Publishing. 91(2), 396-400.
 Sahehyan, I., Gleditsch, K.S. (2006). Refugees and the Spread of Civil War. The
MIT Press. 60(2), 335-366.
 Sinha, A.C. (1995). Bhutan in 1994: Will the Ethnic Conflict be Resolved?.
University of California Press. 35(2), 166-170.
 Weiner, M. (1992).Security, Stability, and International Migration. MIT
Press, 17(3), 91-126.
 Weiner, M. (1996).Ethics, National Sovereignty and the control of Immigration.
The Centre for Migration Studies of New York. Inc. 30(1), 171-197.
 Weiner, M. (1996). Bad Neighbors, Bad Neighborhoods: An Inquiry into the
causes of Refugee Flows. The MIT Press. 21(1), 5-42.