CENSUS OF FIRST BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMP CONCLUDED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 003225

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM PREF BH NP
SUBJECT: CENSUS OF FIRST BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMP CONCLUDED

REF: KATHMANDU 2746

Classified By: DCM Nicholas Dean for reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
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1. (C) Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) Durable Solutions Officer Kim Roberson reported on
December 13 that nearly all Beldangi I camp residents had
appeared for the census, which was completed December 8.
UNHCR has identified 120 vulnerable cases, of which only 20
had expressed interest in, and been referred for,
resettlement. Roberson complained about bureaucratic delays
by the Government of Nepal (GON) in processing cases for
resettlement. Rumors abound that local Nepalese citizens are
buying their way into the census in hopes of being resettled
abroad. Previous assumptions that the total census would
result in a count significantly less than the 107,000
registered refugees now appear unfounded.

Beldangi I Census -- Total Numbers Higher Than Expected
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2. (SBU) The UNHCR census of Beldangi I camp concluded on
December 8. After working out the initial kinks in the
process, UNHCR was able to interview and photograph 1,500
refugees daily. According to UNHCR Durable Solutions Officer
Kim Roberson, the census team took 18,000 photographs of an
estimated camp population of 16,000 refugees. Although
Roberson had not yet determined why more photographs were
taken than the actual population size, she concluded that
nearly all Beldangi I camp residents had appeared for the
census.

Vulnerable Cases for Resettlement
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3. (SBU) Roberson reported that, in the course of conducting
the Beldangi I census, 120 cases were identified as
vulnerable on the basis of having been victims of
gender-based violence (including domestic violence) or
victims of torture in Bhutan. Of these 120 cases, only 20
were interested in resettlement, she said. UNHCR was in the
process of referring these 20 cases to the GON for
processing. She believed, however, that once UNHCR staff had
reviewed the census data, there would be additional cases,
such as single-parent households, who could benefit from
early resettlement.

Bureaucratic Delays Cited
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4. (C) Roberson complained that the delays by the GON in
processing resettlement cases far surpassed the usual
bureaucratic sluggishness and indicated to her either a lack
of political will or a real reluctance in the Nepalese
bureaucracy to allow resettlement of Bhutanese refugees.
Once UNHCR officially recommended a group of refugees for
resettlement to the Home Ministry, she said, the Home
Ministry sent the request to the Refugee Coordination Unit
(RCU) in Jhapa, which forwarded it to the relevant Camp
Supervisor. The Camp Supervisor then had to send a letter of
support for the refugee to the RCU office in Jhapa, which
then had to do the same to the Home Ministry. Then the Home
Ministry had to seek concurrence from the Foreign Ministry.
According to Roberson, once all GON authorities agreed that
there were no objections to resettlement for that particular
refugee, the same process had to be undertaken for issuance
of a travel document. Roberson asserted that, with a recent
group of Bhutanese refugees recommended for resettlement to
Canada, she had intervened forty times with Home Ministry
officials in order to complete the process. (Comment: Home
Ministry interlocuters have complained of Roberson's repeated
interventions. Perhaps her failure to acknowledge GON
sovereignty on resettlement issues has contributed to
bureacratic delays. Having said that, streamlining the
bureacratic process will be necessary before intitiating a

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large-scale resettlement program. End Comment.)

Local Nepalese Buying Their Way In?
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5. (C) Rumors are circulating that, with the prospect of
third-country resettlement, local Nepalese citizens are
paying refugees for inclusion in the census in place of
missing relatives. When asked about this possibility,
Roberson shrugged slightly noting that, without prior photo
identification of the refugees, there was no sure way to
prevent substitution from occurring. Roberson observed that
the census team had been asking specific questions intended
to verify family relationships, but that some could have
slipped through the process. RefCoord suggested that UNHCR
revisit its census procedures to see how it might better
identify possible substitutions.

Comment
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6. (C) Many members of the international community, including
UNHCR, had been operating under the assumption that, due to
outward migration, the census would result in a smaller
refugee population than the 107,000 currently registered. If
the results from the Beldangi I census are representative of
the total Bhutanese refugee population, this assumption
appears unfounded. The possibility exists that poor local
Nepalese are buying their way into the camps, but the numbers
are likely low. Refugees are not likely to risk their chance
for resettlement by committing fraud in exchange for a few
rupees. The absence of a comprehensive GON resettlement
policy may contribute to bureaucratic delays in processing
vulnerable cases. However, Roberson's poor personal
relationship with Home Ministry officials (reftel) also
appears to be a factor. Post will continue to seek
additional information from UNHCR regarding possible
third-country resettlement of vulnerable Bhutanese refugees.
MORIARTY