Sanischare Refugee Camp

Sanischare Refugee Camp was one of the seven Bhutanese refugee camps in southeastern Nepal, and one of only two camps (along with Pathri, which was closed early and merged into the others) located in Morang district rather than the neighboring Jhapa district where the other five camps were situated. Established in 1992 approximately 8 kilometers north of the town of Urlabari, Sanischare housed a peak population of roughly 22,000 Lhotshampa refugees, making it the second-largest single camp after the Beldangi complex. The camp operated for over two decades and was among the last to close during the consolidation process of the 2010s.^[1]

Sanischare's location in Morang district, somewhat removed from the cluster of five Jhapa camps, gave it a degree of geographic isolation that shaped its community dynamics. The camp was more self-contained than some of the Jhapa settlements, with its own distinct political culture, social organizations, and sense of identity. It was also notable in the later years of the refugee crisis for the significant number of residents who chose not to participate in the third-country resettlement program, either because they continued to hold out for repatriation to Bhutan or because their cases were complicated by categorization and documentation issues.

Establishment and Geography

Sanischare was established in 1992 as the massive influx of Lhotshampa refugees into Nepal continued to outstrip the capacity of existing settlements. The name "Sanischare" derives from the Nepali word for Saturday (Sanibaar), reflecting the local tradition of holding a weekly market on that day. The camp was located on flat agricultural land in the Terai lowlands, at a slightly higher elevation than the Jhapa camps, on terrain that was somewhat less prone to the severe monsoon flooding that plagued settlements closer to the Kankai and Mechi rivers.

The physical layout followed the standard pattern: sectors and sub-sectors divided by unpaved lanes, bamboo-framed shelters with thatch or plastic roofs, communal water points and latrine blocks, and centralized facilities for ration distribution, health services, education, and administration. At its peak, the camp covered approximately 40 hectares — a substantial footprint reflecting its large population.

The surrounding area was dominated by rice cultivation, with some tea estates and small-scale farming. Relations with the local Nepali host community were generally functional but occasionally strained by competition for natural resources (particularly firewood and water), resentment over the perceived favoritism shown to refugees by international agencies, and occasional disputes over land use and access.

Community Life and Governance

Sanischare developed robust community structures that reflected both the traditional social organization of the Lhotshampa community and adaptations necessitated by the conditions of displacement. The elected Camp Management Committee (CMC) governed daily affairs, serving as the primary interface between the refugee population and UNHCR, the World Food Programme, Caritas Nepal, AMDA, and other operational partners.

The camp's size supported a relatively diverse institutional landscape. Multiple temples served the Hindu majority, with community festivals — particularly Dashain, Tihar, Teej, and Saraswati Puja — serving as major communal events that reinforced cultural identity and provided social cohesion. Youth organizations were active and numerous, organizing sports leagues, cultural competitions, and educational workshops. Women's committees addressed gender-based violence, advocated for women's participation in camp governance, and ran skills training programs in tailoring, soap-making, and other income-generating activities.

Political life in Sanischare was shaped by the same repatriation-versus-resettlement divide that characterized all the camps, but with a notably strong pro-repatriation sentiment among a segment of the population. This faction, organized through groups affiliated with the Bhutanese refugee political organizations, viewed third-country resettlement as tantamount to accepting permanent exile and allowing the Bhutanese government to succeed in its goal of permanently removing the Lhotshampa population. The political tension was most acute during the early years of the resettlement program (2007-2010), when activists attempted to discourage or prevent fellow refugees from registering for departure.^[2]

Education and Health Services

Sanischare's schools, operated by Caritas Nepal, served a large student population across primary and lower secondary levels. The camp's size allowed for multiple school buildings and a relatively large teaching staff drawn from the refugee community. Teachers received training through programs organized by Caritas Nepal and UNHCR education partners, and instruction followed the Nepali national curriculum with additional English-language instruction.

The camp's schools were widely regarded as among the better educational institutions in the refugee camp system. Students consistently performed well on examinations, and several graduates went on to achieve notable academic success after resettlement, including university degrees and professional careers in the United States and other countries. The emphasis on education was a defining cultural value of the Lhotshampa community — families viewed schooling as the most reliable investment they could make in their children's future, regardless of whether that future lay in Bhutan, Nepal, or a third country.^[3]

Health services were provided through a health post staffed by trained refugee community health workers under the supervision of AMDA medical professionals. The facility offered outpatient care, maternal and child health services (including antenatal care and assisted deliveries), immunization programs, tuberculosis screening and treatment, and basic laboratory services. Complicated cases were referred to Koshi Zonal Hospital in nearby Biratnagar or other district health facilities.

The camp faced persistent public health challenges common to all the settlements: overcrowding-related respiratory infections, waterborne diarrheal diseases during monsoon season, vector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue, and Japanese encephalitis), and chronic malnutrition. Mental health emerged as an increasingly recognized crisis over the camp's lifespan. The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and PTSD among camp residents was documented by multiple assessments, and suicides — including several highly publicized cases — drew attention to the psychological devastation caused by decades of statelessness and uncertainty.^[4]

The Remaining Refugees

Sanischare's most distinctive feature in the later years of the refugee crisis was the significant proportion of its population that did not depart through the resettlement program. While the majority of residents did eventually register for and complete resettlement — primarily to the United States — a substantial number remained. These included elderly individuals who did not wish to start over in an unfamiliar country at an advanced age; families with members whose refugee status was disputed or who had been categorized as non-Bhutanese during various screening exercises; individuals with strong political commitments to the repatriation cause; and people who had established de facto lives in the local community through informal employment, intermarriage with Nepali citizens, or other ties.

The question of what would happen to these remaining refugees became an increasingly pressing humanitarian and political issue as the camps depopulated and international attention waned. UNHCR and the Government of Nepal explored options including local integration — granting refugees some form of legal status in Nepal — but progress was slow and politically complicated. Nepal, itself a low-income country, was reluctant to grant permanent residency or citizenship to the remaining refugee population, and Bhutan continued to refuse any meaningful repatriation process.^[5]

As Sanischare's population fell below operational thresholds, the camp was closed and its remaining residents transferred to the Beldangi complex for the final phase of the consolidation process. The fate of the last refugees — neither resettled, repatriated, nor locally integrated — remained one of the unresolved tragedies of the Bhutanese refugee crisis.

Legacy

Sanischare's legacy is inseparable from the broader story of Lhotshampa displacement and resilience. The camp was home to a community that maintained its cultural identity, invested deeply in education, organized itself democratically, and endured decades of statelessness with a dignity that belied the indignity of their circumstances. Many of its former residents are now citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, and other nations, building new lives while carrying the memory of the bamboo shelters, dusty lanes, and monsoon floods of Sanischare with them.

References

1. UNHCR. "Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal." https://www.unhcr.org/asia/bhutanese-refugees
2. Human Rights Watch. "Last Hope: The Need for Durable Solutions for Bhutanese Refugees in Nepal and India." May 2007. https://www.hrw.org/report/2007/05/16/last-hope/need-durable-solutions-bhutanese-refugees-nepal-and-india
3. Caritas Nepal. "Education Programme for Bhutanese Refugees: Annual Report." 2008.
4. Transcultural Psychosocial Organization (TPO) Nepal. "Mental Health Assessment: Bhutanese Refugee Camps." 2009.
5. International Crisis Group. "Bhutan: Between Two Giants." Asia Report No. 204, April 2011.

Contributed by Anonymous Contributor, Harrisburg PA