Damak, November 26:

The Bhutan People’s Party (BPP) has demanded that the Armed Police Force (APF) post that has been established inside the camp be shifted to somewhere outside the camp.

In a press release issued today, BPP chairman Balaram Poudel alleged that the post was set up to suppress the refugees and create division among them to implement the non-transparent plan of third country resettlement of refugees.

“It is against the norms of the UN to deploy armed security men in the camp,” the statement said, adding: “Nepal should stop it and make a provision of providing security in the camps from outside the camps.”

The non-transparent US plan of resettling Bhutanese refugees in third countries is merely a long-term project aimed at foiling the Bhutanese people’s movement for democracy and serving the ill intentions of the Bhutanese king, the statement said. However, it said the BPP neither stands for nor against the proposal.

“If we want to go a third country, it will make us slav-es. We have to be repatriated if we want of be the master of our own.”

The party demanded the authorities concern-ed to immediately issue ID cards to the refugees and not to begin any process for resettlement before doing it.

The party also welcomed the recent concerns shown by the Indian government and political parties about the repatriation of refugees and the decision of an all-party meeting held in New Delhi on November 22 to send a team of MPs to the refugee camps and raise the issue with Bhutan.

US team in Damak

BHADRAPUR: A three-member team of the Department of Homeland Security of the USA arrived in Damak on Monday in course of resettling the Bhutanese refugees to the US. The team will remain in Damak until December 13 and select the Bhutanese refugees willing to go to the US, Assistant CDO Laxman Kumar Hamal said. — RSS