Om Dhungel

Om Dhungel is a prominent Bhutanese refugee advocate, community leader, and writer based in Australia. A former citizen of southern Bhutan, he is among the tens of thousands of ethnic Nepali-speaking Bhutanese (Lhotshampa) who were forced to leave the country during the Bhutanese refugee crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since his resettlement in Australia, Dhungel has emerged as one of the most prominent voices in the global Bhutanese diaspora, advocating for the rights of refugees and displaced persons, building community organisations, and documenting the experiences of Bhutanese refugees through writing and public engagement.^[1]

Dhungel's advocacy work has taken him to international forums including the United Nations Human Rights Council and various regional conferences on refugee issues in the Asia-Pacific. He has worked tirelessly to keep the Bhutanese refugee issue on the international agenda, even as global attention has shifted to other displacement crises. His efforts have focused on three interconnected goals: securing justice and recognition for the Bhutanese refugees who were expelled from their homeland, supporting the successful integration of resettled refugees in their new countries, and preserving the cultural identity and collective memory of the Bhutanese diaspora.^[2]

Beyond his advocacy, Dhungel has been instrumental in the formation and growth of the Australian Bhutanese community, which has become one of the significant resettlement populations outside of the United States. His leadership has helped to create support networks, cultural organisations, and community institutions that assist refugees in navigating the challenges of resettlement while maintaining connections to their Bhutanese heritage.

Background and the Refugee Crisis

Om Dhungel was born in southern Bhutan, in a region historically inhabited by the Lhotshampa, Bhutan's ethnic Nepali-speaking population. The Lhotshampa settled in the southern foothills of Bhutan over several generations, establishing farming communities and contributing to the country's agricultural economy. By the late twentieth century, however, the Bhutanese government's policies of cultural homogenisation — particularly the implementation of the 1985 Citizenship Act and the "One Nation, One People" policy — created an environment of increasing discrimination against the Lhotshampa.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Bhutanese government carried out a systematic campaign of expulsion against the Lhotshampa population. Tens of thousands of ethnic Nepali Bhutanese were stripped of their citizenship, had their properties confiscated, and were forced to leave the country. Most fled to Nepal, where they were housed in refugee camps administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the Jhapa and Morang districts of eastern Nepal. At their peak, these camps housed over 100,000 refugees, making the Bhutanese refugee crisis one of the largest displacement events in South Asian history relative to the size of the origin country.^[3]

Dhungel spent years in the refugee camps in Nepal, where he witnessed the challenges of prolonged displacement — inadequate food, limited educational opportunities, uncertain legal status, and the psychological toll of exile. These experiences shaped his commitment to advocacy and his determination to ensure that the Bhutanese refugee story would not be forgotten.

Resettlement in Australia

Beginning in 2007, a multilateral resettlement programme coordinated by the UNHCR offered Bhutanese refugees the opportunity to resettle in third countries, primarily the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the United Kingdom. Australia accepted several thousand Bhutanese refugees under its humanitarian programme, and Dhungel was among those who resettled in the country.

Resettlement in Australia presented both opportunities and challenges. While refugees gained access to safety, education, healthcare, and economic prospects, they also faced the difficulties of adapting to a new culture, learning to navigate complex bureaucratic systems, and coping with the trauma of displacement. Dhungel recognised early on that community organisation would be essential to the successful integration of Bhutanese refugees in Australia, and he threw himself into the work of building support structures and advocacy networks.^[4]

Community Leadership

Om Dhungel has been a founding figure in multiple Bhutanese community organisations in Australia. These organisations serve a range of functions, from providing settlement support and language assistance to organising cultural events and religious observances that help maintain Bhutanese identity in the diaspora. Dhungel has served in leadership positions within these organisations, providing guidance and coordination during the critical early years of community formation.

His community work has addressed the practical challenges of resettlement — helping families navigate the Australian education and healthcare systems, assisting with employment and housing, and providing mentorship to younger members of the community. He has also been active in promoting intercultural dialogue, working with Australian community organisations and government agencies to build understanding between the Bhutanese community and the broader Australian society.

Dhungel has been particularly attentive to the mental health challenges facing resettled refugees. The Bhutanese diaspora has experienced elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, issues that are compounded by cultural barriers to seeking help and the isolation that can accompany life in a new country. Dhungel has advocated for culturally appropriate mental health services and has worked to reduce stigma around mental health within the Bhutanese community.^[5]

International Advocacy

Dhungel's advocacy extends well beyond the Australian Bhutanese community. He has represented Bhutanese refugees at international forums, including sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he has called attention to the unresolved nature of the Bhutanese refugee crisis. While the resettlement programme has provided a new beginning for over 100,000 refugees, fundamental questions of justice remain unanswered — including the Bhutanese government's refusal to acknowledge the forced nature of the expulsions, the lack of restitution for confiscated properties, and the continued statelessness of thousands of Bhutanese who remain in Nepal.

His advocacy has emphasised the importance of holding the Bhutanese government accountable for its actions and ensuring that the international community does not treat the resettlement programme as a complete resolution of the crisis. Dhungel has argued that resettlement, while necessary and beneficial, does not substitute for justice — and that the rights of refugees to return to their homeland, if they choose, must be preserved. He has also highlighted the situation of the approximately 6,500 Bhutanese refugees who remained in camps in Nepal as of the early 2020s, having neither been resettled nor repatriated.^[6]

Writing and Documentation

Om Dhungel has contributed to the documentation of the Bhutanese refugee experience through writing, public speaking, and participation in oral history projects. His written works address the history of the Lhotshampa in Bhutan, the events leading to the mass expulsion, life in the refugee camps, and the resettlement experience. He has contributed articles to diaspora publications and has been featured in Australian media coverage of the Bhutanese refugee story.

Dhungel views the documentation of the refugee experience as an act of both historical preservation and resistance. By recording and sharing the stories of displacement, he seeks to ensure that future generations — both within the Bhutanese diaspora and in the broader global community — understand what happened and why. His work contributes to a growing body of refugee-authored literature and testimony that challenges official narratives and centres the voices of those who were directly affected by the crisis.^[7]

Legacy

Om Dhungel's significance lies in his sustained commitment to advocacy, community building, and documentation at a time when the Bhutanese refugee crisis risks being forgotten amid the many displacement emergencies around the world. His work has helped to maintain a sense of collective identity and purpose within the Australian Bhutanese community while also keeping the issue of justice for Bhutanese refugees alive on the international stage. As the Bhutanese diaspora continues to grow and evolve across multiple continents, leaders like Dhungel play an essential role in connecting the community's past to its present and advocating for a future in which the rights and experiences of Bhutanese refugees are fully recognised.

References

Contributed by Anonymous Contributor, Sydney, Australia