Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KATHMANDU1389
2007-07-20 12:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Kathmandu
Cable title:  

GON OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT ON CAMP SECURITY AND

Tags:  PGOV PREF PREL NP BT 
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DE RUEHKT #1389/01 2011242
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 201242Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6612
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 6417
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1730
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1789
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 5970
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 0404
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 6271
RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0367
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1512
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4291
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 5565
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0302
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0222
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 3691
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2865
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001389 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM AND SCA/INS, DHS FOR CIS, BANGKOK FOR DHS/CIS
DISTRICT DIRECTOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL NP BT
SUBJECT: GON OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT ON CAMP SECURITY AND
OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR BHUTANESE REFUGEE PROCESSING

REF: A. KATHMANDU 1376


B. KATHMANDU 1328

C. KATHMANDU 1320

D. KATHMANDU 1227

Sensitive but Unclassified - Please Handle Accordingly

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KATHMANDU 001389

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM AND SCA/INS, DHS FOR CIS, BANGKOK FOR DHS/CIS
DISTRICT DIRECTOR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREF PREL NP BT
SUBJECT: GON OFFERS ENCOURAGEMENT ON CAMP SECURITY AND
OTHER ARRANGEMENTS FOR BHUTANESE REFUGEE PROCESSING

REF: A. KATHMANDU 1376


B. KATHMANDU 1328

C. KATHMANDU 1320

D. KATHMANDU 1227

Sensitive but Unclassified - Please Handle Accordingly


1. (SBU) Summary. Government of Nepal (GON) officials
advised refcoord July 19 and 20 that the MOU between the GON
and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) should
be signed within two weeks; that the GON is fully committed
to establishing security in the Bhutanese refugee camps and
that there is no need for UNHCR and Core Group countries to
reiterate the need for this; that the Jhapa Chief District
Officer will announce the GON policy allowing third-country
resettlement in the refugee camps &at an opportune time;8
and that the Home Affairs Ministry will consider U.S.
arguments that the Overseas Processing Entity (OPE) operated
for the U.S. by IOM should be located in Damak. A July 11
letter from UNCHR Representative Abraham Abraham reiterating
the need for camp security was perceived by GON officials as
being excessively strident in tone, and could have undermined
UNHCR,s working relationship with the government. The
difficulty for the GON in allocating additional security
resources to the refugee camps should not be underestimated,
but it appears the government is fully committed to doing it.
It just might take more time than is ideal. End summary.


2. (SBU) Refcoord met July 19 with Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MFA) Joint Secretary Dinesh Bhattarai and July 20
with Ministry of Home Affairs Under Secretary (Local
Administration) Shankar Koirala to discuss progress by the
Government of Nepal (GON) in overcoming obstacles to
Bhutanese refugee resettlement processing (Ref A). Topics
discussed included IOM,s difficulty in concluding an MOU
with the GON, establishing security in the Bhutanese refugee
camps, the timing of GON and UNHCR information campaigns in
the camps, and the importance of locating the Overseas
Processing Entity (OPE) in Damak (near the camps) rather than
in Bhadrapur as recommended by the Damak Chief District
Officer (CDO).

IOM-GON MOU Ready in Two Weeks?
--------------

3. (SBU) Joint Secretary Bhattarai advised that the
&inter-ministerial consultations on the draft MOU between
IOM and the GON are near completion,8 and could be ready for
signature in about two weeks. He said it has been resolved
that the MFA will sign the MOU on behalf of the GON, but that
there are still (unspecified) questions to be resolved
regarding IOM,s privileges and immunities. He said the
draft MOU should be ready for IOM review in about one more
week. (IOM,s working level contacts predicted that the MOU
might be signed within a week.) Refcoord reminded Bhattarai
that IOM needed to begin setting up the OPE for Bhutanese
refugee resettlement processing immediately if the U.S. was
to be ready to act on UNHCR referrals expected in September.
He noted that IOM, without an MOU in force, was unable to
lease a processing site, procure equipment, or engage local
staff. The U.S. objective, refcoord said, was to have the
OPE operational before the end of August. Bhattarai said the
MFA would push the process along as well as it could, but
that the inter-ministerial review must run its course.

No Need To Hector Us about Camp Security, Says GON
-------------- --------------

4. (SBU) Both Bhattarai and Home Affairs Under Secretary
Koirala asserted that the GON is fully committed to

KATHMANDU 00001389 002.2 OF 003


establishing security in the camps so that resettlement
processing can proceed, but that it is constrained by a lack
of resources from moving as quickly as it would like. They
both made it clear that GON officials had greatly resented
the tone of UNHCR Representative Abraham Abraham,s July 11
letter (Ref A, para 4),in which Abraham had suggested that
donor and resettlement countries might withdraw their support
if security in the camps was not restored soon. In measured
tones, Bhattarai declared that it is the GON policy to allow
Bhutanese refugees the option of resettlement, that the GON
understands very well that it must establish security in the
camps for this to take place, that it is doing the best it
can, and that it is not necessary for UNHCR or the Core Group
to continue reiterating the need for GON action.


5. (SBU) Koirala commented that the security situation in the
Terai region, including Jhapa District where the seven
refugee camps are located, is especially tense and that the
security forces are already spread very thin. He noted that
for additional police forces to be assigned to Jhapa
District, they would have to be redeployed from some other
location where they are also critically needed, and that
resistance to this can be expected from the affected
jurisdictions. (Note: the camp security plan is to assign 20
armed police and 5 regular police to each camp, on a 24-hour
basis.) Nevertheless, Koirala said, the police will be
redeployed--it just may take a little longer than would be
ideal. Bhattarai commented that providing security for the
November 22 Constituent Assembly election had been given
precedence over all other security concerns, with the sole
exception that establishing security in the Bhutanese refugee
camps will not be delayed.

Waiting &Opportune Moment8 To Announce Policy to Refugees
-------------- --------------

6. (SBU) Regarding the need for the GON to minimize confusion
in the camps by informing the refugees of the new policy
allowing resettlement, Bhattarai commented that the Jhapa CDO
is awaiting the &opportune moment8 to convey this
information to the camp populations. This will probably be
contingent on the redeployment of additional police to Jhapa
District and to the camps. Once this has been done, UNHCR
will be able to begin its own information campaign. Both
Bhattarai and Koirala stressed again that the situation both
in the camps and in the surrounding Jhapa district is very
volatile, and that the government is reluctant to risk
provoking disturbances.

CDO Still Pressing for OPE To Be in Damak
--------------

7. (SBU) Having heard that the Damak CDO was continuing to
press for the OPE to be located in Bhadrapur rather than
Damak, refcoord reminded Koirala again that it is essential
that the U.S. resettlement operation be based in Damak, close
to the UNHCR sub-office and the largest refugee camps. He
briefed Koirala on steps taken and envisioned over the next
few weeks to establish the OPE there. Koirala agreed that
U.S. logistical and security arguments favoring locating the
OPE in Damak were persuasive, and that he would present the
U.S. position in discussions within the Home Affairs
Ministry. He warned, however, that the Damak CDO will have
significant influence on this point, and may not agree to the
OPE opening for business in Damak until additional police
forces are assigned to the district. Refcoord suggested that
he and local IOM representative David Derthick could meet
with the CDO on July 25 to discuss his concerns. Koirala is
to consult within the Ministry and advise us on this.


KATHMANDU 00001389 003 OF 003



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

8. (SBU) UNHCR,s effectiveness in promoting third-country
resettlement as an option for Bhutanese refugees could have
been undermined by Abraham Abraham,s July 11 letter. Policy
and working level officials in the MFA and Ministry of Home
Affairs appear to be extremely resentful of the letter,s
tone. Koirala, perhaps the most key GON official dealing
with refugee affairs, went so far as to say that after
reading the letter he was not sure he could work any longer
with the UNHCR office. Both he and MFA Join Secretary
Bhattarai stressed that implementing a resettlement option
for Bhutanese refugees was a GON policy to be developed in
coordination with the U.S. and other resettlement countries,
and not with UNHCR. Both officials emphasized, however, that
they understood that the Abraham letter was not sent in
coordination with the U.S. or Core Group, and that the GON
looked forward to working with the resettlement countries on
Bhutanese resettlement. Refcoord noted that UNHCR must
continue to play an integral part in the resettlement
process. While post can understand the GON officials, ire
at the tone of the UNHCR letter, we appreciate its goal of
encouraging GON attention to the Bhutanese refugee issue.


9. (SBU) Concerns expressed by GON officials concerning the
volatility of the security situation both in the Bhutanese
refugee camps and in the surrounding Terai region are well
founded. Hardly a day goes by without reports of strikes and
violent attacks by the various dissident and separatist
groups throughout the region, including in Jhapa District.
For example, in the last week, village and district officials
in the Terai who are not of local origin were threatened with
violence if they don,t abandon their positions. The
security forces are already incapable of dealing with the
violence in the region, and will be hard pressed to provide
additional security to the refugee camps and to resettlement
country operations as well. Even so, MFA and Home Affairs
Ministry officials expressed their commitment to push ahead
with security support for refugee resettlement even as the
November 22 election approaches. For now, we are accepting
this commitment at face value and are cautiously optimistic
that the remaining obstacles to resettlement processing can
be overcome fairly soon.






HUGINS