Open letter to UNHCR Representative
By T P Mishra
The UNHCR Country Representative in Nepal
Daisy Dale,
Dear Madam,
I am well and perhaps struggling in New York City for my initial existence in this new soil. Without ‘this and that’ I like to enter into the main theme of the letter.
You might be aware of the increasing news stories by various media (both national and international) regarding resettlement scandal—mainly regarding the registration of non-Bhutanese in the name of Bhutanese refugees. This is quite a serious matter. It may not be a mistake to say that your office has failed to some extend to check those ‘infiltrations’ going on. Not to an exception, many refugees are suffering inside camps. There is obvious family splits following the offer of third country resettlement, thus, it is a need that your office takes urgent measures to solve these problems. I thank your office for your efforts to resettle refugees but equally like to draw your attention towards those problems being noticed frequently mainly in the name of resettlement.
On the other side, for sure, refugees are scared due to UN’s warning of cutting budget for food stuffs. It has to be well noted that shortage of food stuffs will further lead refugees to frustrations. A good section of Bhutanese refugees is still of the opinion that they would love to remain in temporary camps in Nepal until repatriation program starts. I think it is time that your office rightly addresses this issue before it is too late. UN might have been facing troublesome in managing huge budget for assisting Bhutanese refugees but equally it has to be noted that cutting basic needs like the food stuffs does not furnish any solutions.
I hope to see some positive changes in the problems and concerns I have raised here. Thank you in advance for considering this open letter in a positive way.
Sincerely,
TP Mishra
New York City, USA.
Source: Journalism in exlie.