Bhutanese refugee camp (Picture courtesy : Prakash Angdambe)

The initial camp population of 113, 486 has come down to 54,652 as 58,834 individuals have left for various western countries by January 19 this year, according to the UNHCR.

In total, 49,396 exiled refugees have left for the US, 4,213 for Canada, 3,217 for Australia, 589 for New Zealand, 612 for Denmark, 372 for Norway, 324 for the Netherlands, and 111 for the United Kingdom.

Of the remaining residents, at least 42,873 individuals have declared an interest in resettlement. Once this figure leaves for resettlement, the camp population will come down to 11,779.

Resettlement satire ! /BNS

Submitting a demand paper to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), its implementing partners and the Refugee Coordination Unit, a local youth club from Damak even demanded resettlement.

“The host community has suffered for 20 years. Thus, we urge the concerned authority to grant resettlement offer to our people as well,” said the demand paper signed by the club’s chairperson Subash Bhandari.

The host community also demanded sanitation programs, road construction, drinking water supply and ambulance service, among others, in the refugee-affected areas.

The following crimes appear to be related: On January 6th, two women told police they were looking for a grandson in the area of Seneca and Logan Streets around 4:40pm. They asked a group of teenaged boys and girls if they had seen the boy. The group of teens said they could not help them and walked away. But then they followed the women, both in their 50′s, and one of the boys in the group grabbed one woman and wrestled her purse from her. The victims told police the two teenage girls in the group mockingly laughed at the women as they tried to defend themselves. The group ran off. Neither victim was harmed. Officers checked the area and found the victim’s purse.Nothing of value was removed.

On January 19th, around 7:45pm,a 54 year-old man was robbed walking in the 2300 block of Susquehanna Street. He was returning home from a grocery store and was carrying a bag of items he had purchased. He was attacked from behind by a group of about four black males. They knocked him to the pavement and took his valuables. He suffered minor contusions.

Police investigated a robbery at an Uptown residence on January 21st. The victim called police after he woke up in his apartment around 6pm, being tended to by one of his neighbors. He remembered he had walked to the Uptown Food Market at 2336 North 3rd Street. He got $100 out of an ATM and bought some food items. The neighbor came to his aid after seeing blood smeared on his apartment door. The 58 year-old victim suffered a broken nose, lacerations and contusions to his face. He had no idea what had happened to him. The officers located the site where the man was apparently attacked. His eyeglasses and some food items were found. The victim was taken to the Harrisburg Hospital for treatment.

In another robbery following the same pattern, a 55 year-old man was robbed around 3:15pm on the 2500 block of North 3rd Street, also following a trip to the grocery store. A young woman asked the victim for money. When the victim said he didn’t have any money to give her he was immediately attacked from behind by at least two men. He was hit and kicked and knocked to the pavement. Police say the victim’s property was not taken and in fact he didn’t have any money left. He suffered broken teeth and possibly a broken jaw.

Around 6:45pm the same night in the area of North 3rd Street and Seneca Streets a 71 year-old man was assaulted and robbed while returning home from visiting a friend. This victim was recovering from hip surgery and was walking with a cane. He was attacked by four black males. One kicked him on his hip and knocked him to the pavement. He dropped his cell phone during the attack. One robber grabbed the cell phone and the group ran off laughing. Police say the victim is an African immigrant and was terribly upset by the episode.

On Monday evening, a 38 year-old African immigrant told police he was attacked by about seven black males as he was walking in the 2700 block of Green Street. He was beaten and kicked and knocked to the sidewalk. Nothing was taken from him. He suffered contusions and abrasions.

The investigation continues and anyone having any information on this is asked to contact Det. Christopher Krokos at 717-255-3184 or email ckrokos@cityofhbg.com or Sgt. Thomas Carter at 717-255-6586 or email tccarter@cityofhbg.com. The investigation continues and anyone having any information on this is asked to contact Det. Jason Paul at 717-255-3154 or email jpaul@cityofhbg.com or Sgt. Thomas Carter at 717-255-6586 or email tccarter@cityofhbg.com.

Courtesy : Pennsylvania’s Fox News

Representatives from various aid agencies, Armed Police Force and UNHCR, among others were present during the puja, informed Camp Secretary Dhan Bir Subba.

“All means that we have been applying to chase away wild elephants seemed ineffective. Thus, we decided to choose this option,” said Subba.

The puja was performed in Hamse Dumse Community Forest from where wild elephants mostly enter into the camps.

Dozens of huts have been destroyed by wild animals so far. At least three exiled Bhutanese were killed by wild elephants last year.

Reported by Shekhar Rizal from Beldangi-II for BNS

The organization said the paper will carry various literary voices of Bhutanese writers and creators from across the globe.

Various writers and creators from Bhutan, Nepal and India presented their creations during the event titled Brihat Antarastriya Srijanatmak Anusthan on Friday.

Bimal Rai, editor of the Himalayan Darpan, a daily newspaper published and circulated from Darjeeling of India, was the chief guest of the program.

The Organization also felicitated teachers from Druk Model School and Sun Rise Academy of the camp during the event. Various local artists and sexagenarian doctor Bhampa Rai were also honored.

Meanwhile, Khabar Yestai Cha, which is a compilation of various creations by Dawa Biswas Lama resettled in Canada, was also released during the program, informed the organizers.

Reported by Deo Kumar Tamang from Khudunabari camp for BNS

Camps residents attending head-counting in Beldangi-II

Aimed at issuing new ration card by the World Food Program, the official counting requires physical presence of every exiled Bhutanese, informed one official on the duty in Beldangi-II, Wednesday.

All individuals in a household, including children and non-registered, are required during the census. Those holding refugee identity cards are to produce their IDs, added he.

However, the agency team said it will mobilize its mobile team for elderly, disabled and those who are bed-ridden.  The head counting is expected to be completed by February 10.

The UN Refugee Agency has decided to freeze the budget as the contractor failed to begin the construction, a local newspaper quoted the Damak Municipality officials as saying, Wednesday.

 ”Of total budget, Rs 2.4 million has been taken back by the agency,” Municipality engineer Tirtha Shrestha told.

According to Shrestha, the UNHCR decided to take back the remaining budget by dispatching a letter to the Municipality. The Municipality had awarded the construction bid to one Samir Tamang to construct 250 m long road last year.

The number of Bhutanese refugees leaving for the United States as part of the ongoing third country resettlement reached 50,000 on Monday, said a statement issued by the US embassy from Kathmandu.

Together with 9,000 others already relocated to various Core Group countries, the number of Bhutanese refugees resettled has reached 59,000, according to the statement.

“We are grateful to our international partners, most notably the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), for their ongoing protection of this vulnerable population, whether they resettle or not,” said the embassy.

Meanwhile, the statement further said that the US is committed to accepting as many of the Bhutanese refugees whom UNHCR refers to for consideration in Nepal and who meet the requirements of US law for refugee admission.

The Bhutanese resettlement program is currently the second-largest resettlement program for the United States.

Bhutanese refugees, who have resettled in nearly all 50 States, receive employment and educational support from the US federal and state governments as well as non-governmental organizations to begin anew as productive, engaged residents, it added.

Late Kumar Pradhan had been in Palmerston just four months but had arrived New Zealand in late August last year. Friends and relatives remember him of a friendly person but of silent nature and short temper. The incidence is thought to have occurred in the night but the family found him dead only in the morning.

Born in Kalikhola of Dagana district, Pradhan was forced to leave the country with his family when he was still a child. The family stayed at Maidhar initially and moved to Bhutanese refugee camp Bendangi II.
A good football player of his age, Pradhan had not pursued his studies. Here, he had been attending ESOL classes at English Teaching College (ETC). Last went to his class was on January 13.

‘I like this country and is a beautiful place to live here”, he had told his brother Gopal one day while meeting him at Mangere and had hinted that he should have got married before moving to this country.

According to community organisation’s chairman Sudarshan Adhikari, the Bhutanese community really got organised in short period of time to manage for his funeral the next day.

Details to follow

Contributed by Doma Kafley

The newly elected team of the Committee of Bhutanese Welfare Association

Announced with an ad hoc committee in July last year, the committee also elected KN Pokhrel as Vice-Chairperson, Sunita Rai as Secretary, Anup Budathoki as Treasurer, and three central committee members – Dup Tshring Lepcha, Sabitra Giri and Jasu Subba for a tenure of two years, according to a press statement circulated Monday.

The statement issued by Secretary Sunita Rai also mentioned that senior members, intellectuals and academicians in the community have volunteered to remain in the advisory body of the organization.

“However, some individuals have abstained from attending it and expressed their reservations,” said Rai.

The newly elected body has also appealed all in the community to come forward with the attitude of mutual respect, compromise and positive thinking to discuss the problems in the interest of the community.

“We are in a transitional phase and in the process of integrating in the new society. We are practicing democracy and should respect the difference of opinions,’’ said newly elected Chairperson Giri.

The statement further said that a meeting of its central committee on Sunday discussed and identified various programs necessary for the resettled Bhutanese in the United Kingdom.

The CBWA has been running vocational trainings and intensive English learning programs in the community with an aim of enhancing capacity and competence.