The first round of bilateral talks between Bhutan and Nepal on the refugee crisis took place in 1993, establishing a framework for classifying refugees into categories. This framework would shape — and ultimately stall — negotiations for the next decade.
Overview
In 1993, Bhutan and Nepal held their first ministerial-level bilateral talks[1] to address the growing refugee crisis. By this time, over 80,000[2] Lhotshampa had fled to camps in eastern Nepal.
The Classification Framework
The two governments agreed on a system to classify refugees into four categories:
- Bona fide Bhutanese citizens forcibly evicted
- Bhutanese who emigrated voluntarily
- Bhutanese who are not citizens (denationalized under the 1985 Citizenship Act)
- Non-Bhutanese (people from Nepal or India who entered the camps)
Legacy
This classification framework[3] dominated subsequent negotiations[4] for a decade. Its implementation proved deeply contentious — the 2001-2003 Joint Verification in Khudunabari camp classified only 2.4% of screened refugees as category 1, a result widely rejected by refugees and international observers.
References
- "Nepal/Bhutan: Bilateral Talks Fail to Solve Refugee Crisis." Human Rights Watch, 28 October 2003.
- "Bhutanese refugees in Nepal frustrated by lack of progress." UNHCR.
- Poudyal, Ananta Saran. "Strategic Analysis: Nepal-Bhutan Bilateral Talks and Repatriation of Bhutanese Refugees." Strategic Analysis, 1999.
- "Bhutan: Land of Happiness for the Selected." Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).
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