Nepal

Solution to refugee problem soon: Oli

Solution to refugee problem soon: Oli

By Himalayan News Service

If Army makes a mistake action will follow’

Jhapa, October 15:

Deputy PM and minister for foreign affairs KP Sharma Oli today said that the meeting to be held between Nepal and Bhutan in November on the repatriation of refugees would be decisive. Oli said so after meeting political organisations and organisations concerned with the refugees in Birtamod today. A delegation of the organisations of Bhutan-ese refugees submitted a memorandum to him.

The memorandum, presented by the Refugee Coordination Committee, stated that the recent US proposal of accommodating 60,000 refugees in the US has not only affected the movement

of democracy and human rights in Bhutan, but it has also raised questions about the future of the refugees.

The memorandum added that considering these issues, the Nepal government should give top priority to the repatriation of refugees in the forthcoming dialogue with Bhutan. “The forthcoming talks will be decisive. In case of it being otherwise we will look for alternatives.

The government, however, doesn’t want to prolong the process,” Oli said. Chairperson of the Bhutan People’s Party Balaram Poudel, chairperson of Druk National Congress Chhinne Pinjor, human rights activist DP Kafle, women leader Yasodha Budathoki jointly submitted the memorandum to deputy PM Oli.

Meanwhile, addressing a social function organised for the Tihar festival in Birtamod today Dy PM Oli said the government is the patron of the Nepali Army. He was speaking at a social function organised for the Tihar festival in Birtamod.

“The government is the patron of the Nepali Army (NA); if NA makes any mistakes, the government will take action against it,” said Oli. “It is the government’s duty to make the peace process fruitful by giving an appropriate and respectable outlet to the Maoists,” said Oli, adding that as people are already sovereign there is no reason for the Maoists to cling to their weapons.

Saying that the demand of dissolving parliament was not justified, Oli said, “It will not be good to demand the dissolution of parliament at a time when even the Maoists are saying that there should be an interim parliament.”