Damak: A statement issued today by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that a photo exhibition titled Home on the Bhutanese citizens resettled in America started today at Beldangi II camp.
The exhibition by the UNHCR, managed by Photo Circle from Kathmandu, will exhibit photographs by Kashish Das Shrestha, a photographer and journalist based in New York.
With over 30 photos, the exhibition focuses on two families – the Odari and the Neopaney families – who arrived in New York in June last year.
According to Beldangi correspondent hundreds of exiled Bhutanese participated in the exhibition today with much excitement.
However, several those who witnessed the photographs commented that the displayed photos have revealed only the positive aspects of new life in the United States of America.
“This exhibition is part of our ongoing information dissemination strategy on durable solutions. These extraordinary photos, and commentary by Kashish Das Shrestha provide a moving insight into what life is like in a resettlement country for one young refugee couple and their families,” said Diane Goodman, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Nepal.
“The Neopaney and Odari families miss their friends in Nepal and hope that someday they can visit Bhutan. They are also excited and grateful for their new life in the USA,” said photographer Kashish Das Shrestha.
The exhibition to be held in all seven camps will be open to the public from 10:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs until April 24.
The UNHCR stated, “The agency continues to ensure that refugees are able to make voluntary, free and informed decision regarding solutions.”
April 21st, 2009 at 11:38 am
I believe that the informations given to the refugees before they opt for the resettlement procedures are still too little. When one tries to focus on those informations, the refugees should be well inrormed about the challenges and the hardships they need to encounter in the resettlement countries. There will be dramatic change in the way one lives but there are also many things that drag them scared. Moving from small Bhutans to USA or elsewhere is also transforming from being Bhutanese to being American or others. Let every refugee possess the courage to bear this pain.
April 23rd, 2009 at 3:29 am
Do you guys have some photos that were displayed during the exhibition?
Or you guys just published the news just because someone sent you an email.
January 21st, 2012 at 10:07 pm
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has monitored the human rights of Bhutan’s Hindu minority and Nyingmapa Buddhist community through its human rights programming and annual report Hindus in South Asia and the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights (http://www.hafsite.org/issues/human_rights). HAF is also actively staying abreast of the resettlement of Bhutanese refugees throughout the U.S. as part of this program. Hindu American Physicians in Service program (HAPiS), another one of HAF’s programs, was launched several years ago and entails medical mission trips to the Hindu diaspora to meet pressing medical needs. An effort to combine these two programs brings us to this juncture — a desire for HAPiS to ascertain and address the medical needs of Bhutanese refugees remaining in refugee camps in Nepal and India. To this end, leaders of HAF, Dr. Arvind Chandrakantan & Dr. Mihir Meghani are making a preliminary study visit to Kathmandu and the Damak refugee camps from January 24-28, 2012, with the plan of bringing other doctors and health professionals for future medical missions based on the needs ascertained during this study. They will also be meeting with representatives of the U.S. Embassy, United Nations, and NGOs working in Nepal.
Dr. Arvind Chandrakantan, M.D., is an active member of HAF’s Executive Council. By profession, he is a board certified Pediatric Anesthesiologist at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Stony Brook, NY. He holds the title of Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology & Pediatrics. Dr. Chandrakantan has been recognized by several national societies and has won numerous awards. He is also a staff physician with several humanitarian organizations including International Children’s Heart Foundation & Heart Trust. He is the coordinator of the HAF HAPiS Nepal project.
Dr. Mihir Meghani, M.D., is a co-founder and Board Member of HAF and a full-time specialist in Emergency Medicine in Fremont, California. A relative of Mahatma Gandhi, he continued Gandhi’s tradition of service by providing medical care in India after the 2001 earthquake, in NY after 9/11, and in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. He was secretary of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Northern California chapter, and founded and served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy for Emergency Medicine in India. Currently, he is a member of the US Department of Homeland Security’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team. Dr. Meghani has received numerous awards for his community service including physician of the year award from his employer.