NEPAL: 30,000 refugees leave for US



The number of Bhutanese refugees who have departed Nepal for the United States is to reach 30,000 this week, the US embassy in Nepal said yesterday.



The United States along with the United Nations, International Organisation for Migration and a group of Western countries began resettling Bhutanese refugees in early 2008. Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand and Britain are other countries receiving the refugees under the programme.



The first influx of Bhutanese refugees into Nepal began in the 1990s when more than 100,000 ethnic Nepalis of Hindu background who had lived in Bhutan for centuries were evicted from Bhutan.



The refugees live in camps in the Jhapa district, 500km south-east of Kathmandu.



“We are gratified, together with our partners, to be able to help turn an unfortunate and often painful situation into something more hopeful for these people – America’s newest residents, whom we welcome with open arms and hearts,” US Ambassador Scott DeLisi said. About 75,000 Bhutanese refugees remain in camps in south-eastern Nepal.

FROM GULF TIMES, DOHA, QATAR