DISCUSSING POSSIBLE BHUTANESE REFUGEE RETURNS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 002208

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SA/INS, PRM
NSC FOR GREEN
LONDON FOR BELL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/07/2015
TAGS: PREF PREL PHUM BT NP
SUBJECT: DISCUSSING POSSIBLE BHUTANESE REFUGEE RETURNS

REF: STATE 179097

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty, Reasons 1.4 (b/d)


1. (U) This is an action request cable. Please see para. 6.

Reaching Agreement with Bhutan ...
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2. (C) On October 6, the Ambassador discussed with Foreign
Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey His Majesty's Government of
Nepal's (HMGN's) expectations regarding the agreement Pandey
reached with Bhutan on the margins of UNGA about the returns
of Category 1 and 4 Bhutanese refugees in Khudunabari Camp to
Bhutan (ref A). Pandey explained that although he still
suspected that neither Bhutan nor India wanted to solve the
Bhutanese refugee problem, he hoped that Bhutan (RGOB) would
implement the agreement. Pandey said he had had two meetings
with the RGOB Foreign Minister. In the first meeting, Pandey
had assured his counterpart that Nepal wanted a stable and
prosperous Bhutan; there were indications that terrorists had
already infiltrated the refugee camps, so it was in Bhutan's
interest to solve the problem now and not let it fester.
Nepal wanted to build trust between the two countries, he had
stressed; after the two countries implemented the already
agreed-upon decisions and moved to the next phase, Nepal
would "look after Bhutan's interests" (NFI).


3. (C) Pandey told the Ambassador that in the following
meeting, the Bhutanese FM, after consulting with Thimpu, had
delivered a letter he had signed committing the RGOB to
immediately implement the decisions about returning
Categories 1 and 4. RGOB would then work with HMGN to
develop a plan for the other two categories. Pandey said
that he had told the Bhutanese Foreign Minister that Nepal
would guarantee the security of Bhutanese officials visiting
the camps. Pandey said he had briefed the King, who was
happy about these developments, but had not yet described the
details of the agreement to Nepal's Cabinet. Pandey noted
the Bhutanese FM had invited him to Thimpu, but Pandey would
delay traveling there until after the decision on
repatriation had been implemented.

... And Then Third Country Resettlement Possible
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4. (C) FM Pandey remarked that after repatriation of this
first tranche, Nepal would consider third country
resettlement for the remaining Bhutanese refugees. He
commented that a few hundred Bhutanese refugees might wish to
live in Nepal, but if the others wished to go anywhere, that
would be acceptable to Nepal. Pandey also undertook to allow
the UN's verification and profiling exercise to start as soon
as Bhutan started implementing the agreement. Until then,
Pandey did not want to do anything to indicate to Bhutan that
Nepal was prepared to move ahead on resettlement. He
stressed that it was key that RGOB accept some refugees back
before third country resettlement began; otherwise, the RGOB
might at some point be tempted to expel from Bhutan
additional Bhutanese of Nepalese ethnicity.

Comment
--------------


5. (C) A solution to the Bhutanese refugee situation finally
could be emerging. Post believes that we, along with other
concerned countries, including India, should press both HMGN
and RGOB to start repatriation as soon as possible. We doubt
that many Category 4 refugees would choose to return to
Bhutan to face trial (in many cases for their political
beliefs),but the return of Category 1 refugees would be at
least a symbolic statement that the international community
had not allowed Bhutan to get away with ethnic cleansing.


Action Request
--------------


6. (C) Post requests that Department pass the message to
Thimpu that HMGN is enthusiastic about restarting the process
and that the USG supports the agreement and would like to see
early progress on the repatriation of Category 1 and 4
refugees of the Khudunabari Camp to Bhutan.
MORIARTY