Melbourne, April 28, 2009: The Bhutanese community resettled in two states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia held their first consultation gathering at Mirambeena Community Centre, Albury on April 23.
Priests chanting mantras before at the inauguration of gathering
The consultation saw senior Australian officers as participants including Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chairperson, Community Relations Commission (CRC), NSW, George Lekakis, Chairperson, Victorian Multicultural Commission (VMC) and Jose Alvarez, State Director, DIAC Victoria.
Representatives from more than 18 agencies at local, state, regional and federal government level, community organisations, educational institutions and services provider along with the Bhutanese community members also joined the consultation gathering.
Parsuram Sharma-Luital from Melbourne provided the brief history about Bhutan, the main cause of refugee origin – the 1985 Citizenship Act; census exercise of 1988, compulsory imposing of dress code (gho and Kira) followed by peaceful demonstration in Bhutan. The participants were also informed series of events after the demonstrations that led to the birth of refugees.
The community members raised issues as requiring a place to worship, desperate desire to follow culture, fears of being deported, citizenship related issues, education, employment and driving problems.
George Lekakis said the community issues will be discussed with the relevant government agencies to address as per the community’s need.
He further said that New and Emerging communities groups will be supported with full dedication by the VMC and government agencies, adding the government will not support financially to build the religious place but will assist to look for a place to practice cultural events and festivals in the community centres or similar places.
Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chairperson CRC said that people need not fear to follow their culture and traditions, and practices religion freely in Australia.
Jose Alvarez, State Director Victoria said that Australian government work closely with UNHCR to while considering resettling refugees in Australia. The priority will be given equally between the protracted refugees’ issues like Bhutanese refugees, and war and internal conflict created refugees in many countries.
He clarified people more then 60 years will automatically get the Australian citizenship after four years in Australia, while persons under 60 years have to sit for a simple test which will be further simplified from October this year.
On the occasion, the gathering of Bhutanese announced the formation of Bhutanese Community in Australia (BCA) and launched its first issue of newsletter “SPECTRUM – First Bhutanese Community Newsletter in Australia. Similarly, first Bhutanese website in Australia was launched: http://bhutanaus.atbhost.net. BCA also announced 11-member executive committee.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Just out of curiousity, I thought one of the reasons why these southern Bhutanese absconded from Bhutan was the sheer fact that they did not want to wear national dress called Gho and Kira. I am wondering why they are wearing gho now when they are given a asylum in a democratic country, where they have to freedom to wear anything. This is very strange and it sheds darkness to their claim that they were made to leave Bhutan because such rules were enforced onto them.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:43 am
Hey Maria, there is no need to disguise yourself.We know you are a Bhutanese from Bhutan.It is silly to even think that 100,000 people left their ageold home because they didn’t want to wear the National dress.For your kind information, we were forcibly evicted by your shit head King and his soldiers, now your gunda Boss King has distributed our land to Bhutanese from west and east.We will wear Bhutanese national dress wherever we go because we want others to know that we are equally Bhutanese. Now you will say we are taking advantage of the situation, so be it.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Hey stupid head parasite. If you go through some of the allegations made by your own kind. It clearly states that one of the reasons was the unwillingness to wear national dress. Were you born yesterday? I just found a very stupid comment on other article where I took the liberty to comment. I even felt ashamed that I had to stoop to your level to respond, because of the unkempt background you are brought up with and your way of argueing. Which barbaric language on earth used word like “Gunda”? Please refrain from using such street words that only you and your kind can understand. It might help save your little face that is left to present yourself as the innocent victims of Bhutan. Please don’t stain the sacred name Bhutanese by calling yourself one. Why? Are you afraid that the west might revoke your asylum if they found out what you used to call yourselves.
Maria, thank you for your comments and I am glad that there are some wise westerners who are smart enough to see the wrath and bad intentions behind the these critters. By the day they are presenting themselves as Bhutanese refugees and by night they are into conspiring again. Take heed of these people, the tend to cut off the very hand that fed them. I would suggest that your government keep an extra eyes on these low life good for nothing thugs.
April 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Maria,
If you are real Maria and Aussie, then you are one of the blind Aussie like Tim Fisher who says that we are not Bhutanese. Anyone who is grown as descent Aussie will know what is right and what is not. Just for your info, open US Human rights report on Bhutan in 1991-1998. You will see all there. If you are genuinely innocent you are forgiven.
Just before you open your mouth and yap, please understand that we IN BHUTAN HAVE NEVER OPPOSED THE GHO, WHAT WE HAVE OPPOSED IS THE COMPULSORY IMPOSITION OF THIS TO US SUDDENLY. If you are a Ausies and going to the beach in Queensland and suddenly you get an order to put dress that is used by Eskimos, how will you react?
Just put the context and your two cents if you bloody dare to enter debate here ok.
Other wise, you bloody don’t bother to even interfere here ok. Have you lost your relatives as rape victims? have your father broke the bone by the beating of Bhutanese army? Have your house been destroyed? Have your land been distributed to others after 3 generation living there? Have you been abused in the public place? Have you been kicked around by police? Have you ever dream or seen a movie like this?
THIS IS ALL WE HAVE FACED OK.
AUSTRALIAN, AMERICAN AND OTHER GOVTS ARE NOT FOOLS TO RESETTLE NEPALESE SPENDING MILLION DOLLARS, there is so logic and you pretend to understand!
You seems to be the free visa holders like Tim Fisher and Catherine so called honorary consuler of Bhutan in Sydney who are the watch dogs of King of Bhutan and decieving the innocent Australian community about the reality of so called Happy regimes atrocities.
Grow up as Aussie if you live in Australia or butt out of this forum
April 30th, 2009 at 11:49 am
moderator! Why are you deleting the earlier comment made to Maria? Have some common sense and let it come back> I don’t know who is doing this from Nepal or elese where?
Let media play its role guys
April 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
In general Nepalese have an attitude problem, where ever they live, a problem that has cost them to become a Maoist entity from a country once called the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal.The half brain characters residing in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong are also suffering from certain identity crises and they too may land up as an Indian refugee in Australia.
There is no such thing as Bhutanese Refugees, but if you like you can call yourself, a Refugee of Nepalese origin.
I just hope that you dont become an Australian Refugee in another Country by repeating the same act.
I think people should stick to what god made them for, Break stones and guard the neighbors house.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:31 am
BIswa, you dont have to be befensive. You know what nobody is shit in this world. Everybody is an individual. I think King will always be a King. No wonder you have such an attitude. I believe “……… was sent for studies by the govt. of Bhutan and after the completion of his studies he stayed abck seeking political Aslyum. And yet he is wearing GHO. Disguting.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:44 am
Maria,
Thank you for your blindness on the issue. Plase go and read the history of Bhutan to know what actually we have asked for in Bhutan
Your blind support to the Bhutan regime is clarly seen form here. Before you even think of talking about the southern bhutan problem study our history ok
May 1st, 2009 at 10:28 am
Kuensel dated 1 May, 2009: reported “The Samtse district court yesterday sentenced a 45-year-old man to nine years in prison in connection with the murder of a 14-year-old student girl in Chargarey on December 28 last year……….Anita Limbu and her friend were returning home after collecting firewood from the nearby forest on December 28. While they were passing by Ram Prasad’s house, he teased them, which led to a verbal exchange. Ram Prasad then pulled down the basket Anita was carrying. In the fray, she dropped her mobile phone. However, she managed to escape, but later returned to look for her mobile phone.
Enraged, Ram Prasad Rai slit her throat with a knife when she came looking for her phone. The mobile phone was a Dashain gift from her father.”
There you go Biswa, the legacy of your kind still lives on in the blood of your relatives who were pardoned and given a second chance to stay in Bhutan. You and you people killed and still kill your own kind…recently a lady was beaten to death by your own kind under the pretext of evil possession. The truth will always prevail. Who is hiding the face now?
May 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 am
Kosta,
How fake and artificial you look and how you dare to change your skin. This is not the bhutantimes forum where you can put all your shit. This website is much professional and dedicated to some cause. Thank god the insane like you got opportunity to access and poison here.
Before talking of decency word here, go and correct your mad oxens in Bhutantimes forum like Omni maru, ghandi, and so many others there. I don’t know how your eyes were given two lenses by your parents or your 4th king the husnband of 4 wives that you try to advocate decency here and run your bhutan times as one of the worse abused worded forum, be it in language or porngraphic conversation.
What about the people killed in the prison by your current police chief and others, what about the people raped and slit the throat by one of the dead dzongda in chenmari? when comes to westerners your want to lick their ass to say that Bhutan is good? don’t worry the westerners have opened their eyes except few like Maria and Tim Fishers who are askedt to remain blind by your wine and dine tradition.
Now, how long will it be before Nalongs and sarchops are in queue to come to us as refugees and seek assylum.
Few people from Bhutan applied assylum in New York by confessing that your druk gyalpo persecuted them and they got, and are in process to bringing their family members from GNH to GDP countries. Why? because by singing GNH and showing fake face, their pocket is not filled, their stomach is not full and their roof over the head is not secure.
Some of you have secure roof and GNH because you got the Kidu of Southern Bhutanese land, distributed by the king on decree/kidu. Whose land is that? King’s ! or your blood and sweet! You know the reality that it is generations of blood and sweat of us and you got in lottery.
Now, we are happily welcoming the Northern Bhutanse in our community, they will join us in all celebrations and your eyes will be more sore. What is the result of this? eventually your Govt has to change priority to relax all your hardcore laws imposed on us. Example you have started to issue NOC, and other form relaxing on laws will come why? because you want to come out of Bhutan, you want to share your culture.. alone you will not be able to do this, example the arts exhibition in San Fransisco USA was opposed by Bhutanese. This will continue in bigger scale once we are settled more in numbers and you will be out numbered.
Solution, you have to join hand with us because our friends in US who came from within Bhutan are discussing to order the mask from Nepal and we will perfom tshechu with the help of them all over in the west. After this you will be stuck in Bhutan like the frog in the pond, and only option for you to join us, not now because you are angry, emotional but as time passes and you realise the fact, you will extend the olive branch. Thats is what we want, all Bhutanse be one after, say around 30 years of conflict between us.
Accept it or not this is going to be, because some hard core leaders will die by then and many of young ones educated in the west knows this is the reality.
Lets wait and save this comment in your archive.
After all we have never opposed the country Bhutan.
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 am
Hey Kotsa what is your own kind doing , don’t you read the news of rape of children in Kuensel every week.
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:40 am
Kotsa,
What a comparision is this. To go by the data there have been more killings in the north recently. So, I cannot put this lineage to you too. Actiions of a few individuals cannot be spread to the whole community either be it in the north or the south.
May 4th, 2009 at 4:40 am
Tim
This is not just a comaprision, this is the tip of the ice berg of the underlying barbaric nature of the Nepalese orgins who settled illegally along the boarders of southern Bhutan and now claiming to be Bhutanese. Many of such incidents go unreported by their own kind lest the repurcussion that might hamper the credibility of the claim of innocence to the eyes of compassionate westerners.
Welwisher
I think the question that you need to ask is to your own kind on the atrocities committed by them. I am not sure how those reports are justified. The Human Rights viloations are committed only if the State is involved in breaching the declaration. But in your case, you guys were the one who took to the streets snd burnt down schools, hospitals and other public infrastructre. Our government only acted in defence and resorted to instill peace and avert chaos you guys initiated. You guys and your claims are as vauge as the Human Rights declaration. It is quite unfortunate of the Human Rights to only see if from the eyes you traitors and no wonder thier credibility is doubted by many especially in cases of the traitors of southern Bhutan. Besides, Human Rights publishes only your version of the concocted lies and never the truth because our government was not there to defend those lies. Ask your own kinds and I am sure the hidden truths inside them is eating thier guts out.
The logic behind the American, Australian and other western governments spending millions is to get you guys to do all the blue collared jobs that are rejected by their own citizens. As low as cleaning public toilets, washing dishes etc. Open your boastful eyes and look around the globe and tell me what the majority of your kinds end up doing. You and your kinds traded a free and better life provided by the Bhutan government for this all because of your greed to have it all.
Enjoy the vagabond life, for you guys will never settle in one place. Your oversized greed is just to overwhelming and blinds you all. You pathetic low life thugs.
May 4th, 2009 at 8:39 am
To Tim and Welwisher
Check what you are kinds are up to. I told you. You guys are up to no good and as said “old habits die hard”. You guys will never stop to shit in the very plate where you ate from”. No matter whichever nations grants you asylum, eventually you will become stateless again because of your greed and violent nature.
http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=12405
May 5th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
The comment has been deleted since the writer used words which are not supposed to be uploaded in the page. -Ed
May 6th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Kosta,
Whenever you guys have no arguemnets to make, you bring this ´plate thing´but you fail to realise the very propoganda of the govt. then, to eradicate every trace of the southern bhutanese from bhutan for the king and the govt were very scared of not only the incereasing püopulation of southern bhutan but also their competitiveness and excelling in every field right from education, profession etc. – you name it. If i were in your position, i would say the same thing or i would certainly stand by the king who would favour me in every way.But the fact and fairness is the main aim of the Govt was to hound out the Southern bhutanese by hook or crook. Now, you will say that, Jigme Singye wangchuck went from village to village appealing the people to stay back. Do you not think that the king was so clever and diplomatic to make it look like – oh! the most benevolent king ´to the world. He could be one, for that matter, for you, but a far as the southern Bhutanese problem is concerned, he is like a flower with a serpent underneath. so, you should do some studies before jumping to silly conclusion and silly comparisons.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Hi Kotsa
A warm welcome to APFA and Bhutannewsservice. I know you are so busy hopping from Bhutantimes to APFA to Bhutannewservice and thousands such online forum to come soon in the future. I know how tough it is for you to go on barking with your own Bhutanese friends on issues ranging from corruption, democracy, JYT, DPT (bhutantimes.com is a testimony) and besides yelling on the ngolops as you would be so proud to call us. I do not know how you manage your time? A ngolop has to build and host a website for you so called proud Bhutanese so that you can take out your frustration, suppression and spew venom when we publish articles. You are so immature because you can not even publish a simple argument to counter the publication. Either you accept what is published by saying a propaganda by ngolops or you are intellectually handicapped to bring out your arguments so that readers can have a balanced view. Thanks to bhutantimes.com. At least it allows you to take out your own frustrations otherwise you would be psychologically wounded and go mad, walking naked in the streets of Thimphu.
KOTSA: You are so fast to bring out the rape case at Samstse. How soon you have forgotten the RAPE OF A FOUR months old BABY by an army personnel (Lungtenphu). SHAME ON YOU KOTSA!
You mentioned about we would be doing all the blue collar jobs. Never mind there is dignity of labor. What about your Bhutanese ladies who come to New York to baby sit somebody else kids leaving behind their infants at the mercy of their grandmother. Is it not the case of being better off (earning dollars) by making somebody worse off (deprive of ones mother and her love)? What about their extra marital affairs here in New York?. Which is better? In Bhutan you don’t need a toilet and pig will do your job.
You Bhutanese are irresistible about sex, woman and pole dancing. What did you Bhutanese bring from Thailand to Thimphu? Yes your big appetite for sex, alcohol and lap dancing. You have introduced lap dancing (Bhutan Observer) where young girls are asked to lap dance for a mere sum of money. Kotsa these young girls should be in school not lap dancing, give them their joy of schooling and adulthood.
KOTSA finally in age of glottalization I see you restless and cornered day by day. This is pity. Wait another five years and let 60,000 settle we will then mobilize our movement and make it pure global and as we increase our mobility we will see you even more cornered every seconds psychologically invoking the self imposed isolation that Bhutan was in the 1960’s. You will have fear even to open your web browser and google information. How do we do that? Firstly it is now a global movement and any delegation, exhibition from Bhutan will be confronted with a protest just by a simple click of mouse and it will be both systemic and systematic as it is the age of Internet and glottalization.
Secondly you people cannot travel in peace once you cross Jaigaon because SSB will bit you up and now you can not send your children to Darjeeling for higher studies because you infuriated the GJM by saying it has a nexus with the Bhutan Communist party. If you fly to Kathmandu you know that. Once we strengthen ties with Indian diaspora all over the world, the New Delhi South Block’s policy towards us will definitely change and be on our favor. Just wait and watch. Only time will tell.
So Kotsa you drove us to Garganda (West Bengal)and from there packed us to Nepal and from Nepal to all over the globe. That did not solve your problem why because instead of facing and solving the issue you simply got rid of it. You drove us in the hope of driving away your irrational fears but the fears have resurrected again and it will not only haunt you every seconds but will haunt all your generations through.
Oppression is your privilege, protest is our right. Even though you have suppressed us WE will CONTINUE TO THINK.
May 13th, 2009 at 8:23 am
Kosta,
You are one of the most communal element of RGOB who is after the Nepalese. Please do one favour to me. Go and buy a big mirror from Thimphu market and see you face and ask how you were created by your parents.
You are so shameless animal and write any level of language in the bhutantimes forum and trying to show your decency in our forum.. common grow up….I think your mentality will only change when you stop eating rotten cheese with full of bugs. If you change to replace your rotten cheese and stinking meat eatign habit you will change you mentality… but I know you will never leave the eating habit , so your mind will never change…Good luck and try this and now bang you computer and jump with anger .. How does that feel???
May 14th, 2009 at 5:24 am
Kotsa,for your information..my grand-dad was born and brought up in Bhutan and he owned many acres of land.Just give me a chance and i will provide you with the land tax reciept much before 1940s and beyond.My father died long time before and the land holder was my eldest brother.But he too has to left the country coz of his own problem(he left long ago before 1990 problem) and u can check the same with your ministry or the police department.After his departure,the land never belonged to his brother or sister but in the survey of 1995-2000,it was declared as an illegal land and was given to your race. Is it racial discrimination?? This is my problem and to see other educated southern bhutanese problem,just visit your census division and have a survey of southern bhutanese in private entitites..u will get the facts…bhutan is a another zimbabwe.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
All meaningless comments here blaming the refugees aside, I do have a genuine issue with us parading the Gho around the world. We WILL wear a gho (or pants, or underpyants) wherever we like to. That is our freedom. We might at times just don the eskimo skin jacket when we feel like it. But to use the gho at special occassions does give the impression that one HAS to wear the gho to BE Bhutanese. And that is not true. Bhutan has tons of people whose traditional attire is the gho. There is NO ONE, including the King, whose PREFERRED attire is the gho.
Having said that, I just want to remind Maria that us wearing a gho does not mean that we love it. We respect the fact that it is the national dress of our country and we wear it on special occassions. That does not mean that we would have loved if we were forced to wear it every minute of our lives (while working, sleeping, etc). We were not forced out because we hated the gho. We were forced out because we objected to the policies surrounding the gho and kira, among many other inane things that were costrued as reflections of patriotism. We risked our skin to challenge a system that was going down the gutters. We wre in our country now (if you ARE an Aussie for real). Come to us, talk to us, check us out, have tea with us, and you will see what you can;t from a photo in an event.
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
In the previous post where I said “Bhutan has tons of people whose traditional attire is the gho.”, I meant to say “Bhutan has tons of people whose traditional attire is NOT the gho.” Thanks
October 25th, 2009 at 1:52 am
wow well said by welwisher.appreciated.well done
January 12th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Unfriendly attitude was found profound and prominent in some of these comments but each has its own importance. The world should understand that we were forcibly evicted because we opposed the policy of one nation-one people, inhumane citizenship criteria and physical and mental torture. Bearing what has been said in one of the comments above, we hereby challenge that we will no more be Stateless. Before presenting any fact, it is most important to study the relevant sources so that authenticity and exactness can be achieved. You blind followers of Jigme Singe’s regime, read The Human Rights report of different international agencies to reach to a suitable conclusion. If anyone tries to encroach upon the inalienable rights of the people anywhere on this earth, only solution will be to behade his/her head.