No reduction in assistance to Bhutanese refugees - UNHCR

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nepal told IRIN on Thursday that Bhutanese refugees living in seven camps in eastern Nepal would not be faced with a cut in the supply of key commodities and services. "There will be no reduction in essential assistance, like food, water, sanitation and health. But after 14 years of working with the refugees, we need to reprioritise resources as needs continue to grow and UNHCR has budgetary constraints," Abraham Abraham, UNHCR country representative, said. His comments followed receipt of a letter to UNHCR Nepal from Bhutanese refugees, disheartened by an announcement in early March that that they would face a reduction in assistance, including fuel for cooking, medicines, and the repair and maintenance of huts in the camps. The UN body has been providing assistance to Bhutanese refugees in Nepal for the past 14 years. "The reduction of the assistance provided to the refugees, just sufficient enough for sustenance even now, will put their very survival at stake," said the letter, signed by representatives of all seven refugee camps. About 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been living in eastern Nepal for more than 10 years after they were evicted from Bhutan. The first batch of Bhutanese refugees entered Nepal at the end of 1990. The UN refugee agency began providing some ad hoc assistance to Bhutanese asylum-seekers in February 1991. In September 1991, when there were approximately 5,000 refugees, the Nepalese government formally requested UNHCR to coordinate all emergency relief assistance for Bhutanese refugees. A major emergency assistance programme was launched in the early part of 1992 together with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) and NGOs as implementing partners. The nine-year-old Maoist insurgency has also had an impact on assistance to the Bhutanese refugees recently. "There has been disruption to the kerosene supplies to the camps as the Maoist bunds [general strike calls] have meant tankers often cannot get through. Another one is planned for 2 to 15 April, which will make the situation worse," Abraham said.