AMBASSADOR VISITS BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMPS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 KATHMANDU 001059

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/29/2017
TAGS: PREF PREL PGOV BT NP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR VISITS BHUTANESE REFUGEE CAMPS,
FOLLOWED BY MAOIST MAYHEM

REF: A. KATHMANDU 1036

B. NEW DELHI 2503

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty for reasons 1.4(b/d).

Summary
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1. (SBU) On May 25, despite rocks thrown by Young Communist
League activists in Jhapa District (ref A),the Ambassador
held several successful meetings with refugee teachers, youth
and the elected camp management. Questions regarding
resettlement were largely practical. On May 26, Communist
Party of Bhutan (CPB) cadre attacked the Beldangi 2 camp
secretary and burned the camp management committee office.

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In its efforts to disperse the crowd, Nepali Armed Police
killed a 16-year-old refugee. On May 27, protests outside
the Armed Police camp led to one more death and the
imposition of a curfew. Refugee contacts reported May 29
that CPB cadre were taking advantage of the refugees'
inability to leave the camp to threaten refugees who were
known to favor third-country resettlement. Home Ministry
contacts reported May 29 that the situation remained too
tense for security forces to patrol inside the camps. UNHCR
and its partners were unable to access the Beldangi camps or
provide assistance. In an emergency meeting May 29, the Core
Group discussed a joint public statement condemning the
violence.

Ambassador's Visit to the Camps Successful
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2. (SBU) The Ambassador, accompanied by UNHCR Resident
Representative Abraham Abraham and RefCoord, discussed U.S.
resettlement plans May 25 with Bhutanese refugee teachers and
youth in Beldangi 1 camp. The Ambassador also announced the
selection of the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) to operate the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) and the
additional USD 2 million USAID Food For Peace contribution to
the refugee food program. The teachers, in particular,
voiced practical questions, such as education equivalencies
between Nepal and the U.S., the requirement to pay for the
cost of airfare, and U.S. employment norms. One teacher
noted that most refugee youth were interested in
resettlement, but could not express this desire publicly
because of threats from other "groups." The Ambassador and
UNHCR's Abraham assured the refugees that expressions of
interest in resettlement would be kept confidential and that
security in the camps would increase, not decrease, in coming
weeks as the U.S. and other governments began their
resettlement programs.

Young Communist League Cadre Throw Stones...
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3. (SBU) After the meetings inside Beldangi 1 camp, the
Ambassador departed for the UNHCR sub-office in Damak to meet
with all seven camp secretaries and deputy secretaries as
well as local Nepali journalists. As the UNHCR vehicles
approached the office gate, roughly two dozen youth ran up
and began throwing large stones. Although several rocks hit
each of the two vehicles as they passed through the gate, no
one was injured (Ref A). The youth continued to shout
anti-American slogans while waving black flags until Nepal
police arrived to disperse them. The journalists present
identified the attackers as local Maoist-affiliated Young
Communist League cadre. (Note: On May 27, press reports
indicated that police had arrested four YCL activists
involved in this incident. End Note.)

But Do Not Mar Meeting With Camp Secretaries
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4. (C) Despite the interruption, the Ambassador held
productive discussions with the seven camp secretaries and
their deputies. Beldangi 2 camp secretary Hari Adhikari
Bengaley opined that the Government of Nepal (GON) did not
seem concerned about the lack of security in the refugee
camps. Certain ideological groups, he added, were disrupting
camp operations as well as preventing refugees from voicing
support for third-country resettlement. Bengaley also
requested that the U.S. and other donor governments increase
the pressure on Bhutan to repatriate eligible refugees. The
Ambassador detailed ongoing U.S. efforts to encourage Bhutan
on repatriation, but said that repatriation should not become
a pre-condition for resettlement. Both Khudunabari Camp
Secretary Manoj Rai and Beldangi 1 Camp Secretary D.P.

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Pradhan expressed concern that refugees were not able to
express their interest in resettlement because of threats.
They also believed the refugees should be able to choose the
country of resettlement. The Ambassador assured the camp
secretaries that the U.S. would work closely with the GON to

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ensure that security in the camps allowed refugees to make
independent and informed choices. Mass meetings with UNHCR
staff and an extensive information campaign would educate
refugees on their choices and ensure that all refugees knew
resettlement was a humanitarian, not a political, program.
The camp secretaries' other concerns included the opportunity
to bring relatives still living in Bhutan to the U.S., skill
acquisition and U.S. employment, and security for refugees
living outside the camps.

Communist Party of Bhutan Cadre Attack Camp Secretary
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5. (SBU) On May 26, Beldangi 2 Camp Secretary Hari Adhikari
Bengaley conducted an interview in which he accused certain
refugee groups of threatening other refugees. In response to
these remarks, Communist Party of Bhutan (CPB) activists
attacked Bengaley on May 27 outside the Beldangi 2 camp
management committee office. According to refugee residents
in Beldangi 2, Bengaley and other camp management committee
members were injured and prevented from leaving the office.
Nepal Armed Police Force (APF) later entered the camp to
provide assistance to the entrapped camp management committee
members. With hundreds of protesters outside the office, the
APF fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the crowd
and reach Bengaley. One 16-year-old refugee boy was killed
in the conflict. The APF succeeded in extracting Bengaley
and other camp management committee members from the camp.
Afterward, the CPB cadre set fire to the camp management
office and police post.

Government Curfew Allows CPB Unfettered Activity
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6. (C) On May 28, 2,000 - 3,000 refugees from the three
Beldangi camps gathered outside the APF camp, which adjoins
Beldangi 1 camp, to protest the May 27 death of the refugee
youth. According to Home Ministry Under Secretary Shankar
Koirala, the Jhapa Chief District Officer issued a curfew
order in response. The refugees, however, refused to
disperse. Fighting ensued when the APF attempted to break up
the crowd, leading to the injury of at least 8 policemen and
the death of a refugee man. (Note: On May 29, UNHCR provided
the Core Group with a written summary of events, which Post
will scan and email to SCA and PRM. End Note.) The curfew,
which restricted movement into and out of the camps but not
within the camps, remained in effect throughout the day May

29. According to refugee contacts on May 29, CPB cadre were
taking advantage of the absence of security and the
restriction on movement to threaten and intimidate refugee
families known to support third-country resettlement. In one
case, Pingala Dhital, a reliable Embassy refugee source,

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reported that her brother had fled the camp on May 27
following the attack on Bengaley. On May 28, CBP cadre
entered her brother's hut and threatened the life of his wife
and 12-month-old baby if her husband did not return. Dhital
believed her brother was only one of many families targeted
by the CPB. RefCoord urged Home Ministry official Koirala to
initiate security patrols in the camps. Koirala, however,
was not certain the APF would be willing to do so until
tensions with refugees reduced.

Sit-In at Mechi Bridge
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7. (C) Refugee leader Ratan Gazmere confirmed May 29 that CPB
cadre and other refugee political leaders in the camps were
seeking support from refugees to participate in the Mechi
Bridge "Long March," (ref B) which had turned into a sit-in
protest at the Nepal-Indian border. Gazmere reported that
1,500 refugees were present at the border on May 28, but he
expected that number would grow. UNHCR Abraham indicated May
29 that refugees were not obeying the GON curfew order and
were gathering at Mechi Bridge. As of 1730 hours in
Kathmandu, UNHCR reported that roughly 8,000 protesters, both
refugees and locals, had gathered at the Nepal-Indian border.
Abraham reported that scuffles between refugees and Indian
border security had occurred with some minor injuries. UNHCR
intended to send a staff member to the border May 30 to
monitor the situation.

UNHCR Calls for Emergency Core Group Meeting
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8. (C) On May 29, UNHCR Abraham called an emergency Core
Group meeting in Kathmandu to discuss the current situation.
Danish Ambassador Finn Thilsted, Australian Charge d'Affaires
Linda Trigg, Canadian Cooperation Officer Ed Doe, and
Norwegian EmbOff attended the meeting with Ambassador
Moriarty and RefCoord. Abraham reported that UNHCR staff had
been unable to visit the Beldangi camps since May 25. Huge
crowds of refugees were blocking the access road to all three
Beldangi camps. UNHCR implementing partner CARITAS had
indicated to UNHCR that the CPB had forced all camp schools
to close May 28 and 29. However, the three eastern camps
(Khudunabari, Goldhap and Timai) remained accessible.
Abraham stated that he supported the GON's request that
Bengaley resign his position of Camp Secretary as he would be
unable to fulfill his camp management responsibilities.
World Food Program Deputy Country Director Dominique Hyde
said that WFP had stopped food distribution in all the camps
except for Sanischare. She was not concerned with a two-day
interruption, but suggested that a one-week delay would cause
significant food shortages in the camps. Nepali Maoists had
been asking refugee families for "scoops" of food, she added,
but was not certain about the extent of the problem.

Core Group Members Lay Responsibility On GON
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9. (C) Danish Ambassador Thilsted opined that the GON needed
to realize the refugee situation was its own problem and not
that of the international community. The Ambassador
expressed concern that the CPB would benefit from the chaos
reigning in the camps. The Nepali Maoists were not pleased
with the prospect of third-country resettlement emptying the
camps and intended to use the CPB to promote their objective
of exporting the Maoist insurgency. The Ambassador said it
was important for the international community to condemn the
CPB for its activities and ensure the Nepali Maoists also did
not escape censure. Thilsted said he preferred to sit and
observe the situation for a few more days before he would
support a joint statement condemning the CPB, let alone the
Maoists. Australian Charge Trigg agreed to revisit the

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possibility of a joint statement after another two days.

Comment
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10. (SBU) The situation in the Bhutanese refugee camps
remains fluid and tense. The absence of security forces
inside the camp has given pro-repatriation groups free reign
to terrorize refugee families known to support third-country
resettlement. Unfortunately, with the local Core Group
Chairman and Australian Ambassador Graeme Lade out of the
country, other Core Group members were unwilling at this time
to support a coordinated Core Group message condemning the
CPB. In his meeting May 30 with Home Minister Sitaula, the
Ambassador will urge the GON to improve security within the
refugee camps and arrest those breaking the law. Given the
demoralized police force and lack of central leadership,
however, we are not optimistic that the GON will successfully
bring the perpetrators to justice. We expect many refugees
under threat will seek safe haven outside the camps.
However, UNHCR has indicated it would not be able to provide
assistance to these refugees. We also expect more refugees
will agree or be forced to participate in the sit-in protest
at Mechi Bridge. Post will continue to monitor the situation
closely.
MORIARTY