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Talks on the return of Nepali-speaking people
from southern Bhutan living in refugee camps in Nepal resumed in
September. Freedom of expression continued to be restricted. Prisoner of
conscience Tek Nath Rizal, who had spent more than 10 years in prison, was
released in December following an amnesty granted by the
King.
Background
The National Assembly approved regulations governing the devolution
of executive power to an elected Council of Ministers and a mechanism to
register a vote of confidence in the King. Several laws were passed,
strengthening the country's limited legal framework, and a training
program for judges and legal advisers continued.
Nepali-speaking refugees
More
than 90,000 Nepali-speaking people from southern Bhutan continued to live
in refugee camps in eastern Nepal. The UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion
and Protection of Human Rights reiterated its concern in August at the
lack of progress in negotiating a solution, and urged the governments of
Bhutan and Nepal to seek assistance from the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
During the eighth round of bilateral talks in September
both governments made some progress in defining the categories of people
who would be eligible for return, and reportedly discussed the mechanism
for the verification process.
AI
submitted a memorandum to the governments of Bhutan and Nepal outlining
the application of international standards governing nationality,
statelessness and repatriation. It called for the resettlement programs to
be carried out so as not to jeopardize the refugees' return to land to
which they may have legitimate claim.
Several Bhutanese political organizations based in Nepal and India,
including the Druk National Congress (DNC), continued to campaign for
democracy and the return of Nepali-speaking refugees. The leader of the
DNC, Rongthong Kunley Dorji, continued to face extradition to Bhutan from
India.
Nepali-speaking communities in
Bhutan continued to face discrimination when obtaining police clearance to
open a bank account, to travel abroad for training, to work and to send
their children to school.
Freedom of
expression
More than 100 people were
arrested in the border town of Phuntsholing during pro-democracy
demonstrations organized by the DNC and other political organizations in
exile. Several protesters reportedly required hospital treatment after
they were beaten by members of the security forces, but all were
subsequently released.
Royal
amnesty
Prisoner of conscience Tek Nath
Rizal, who had spent more than 10 years in prison, was released in
December following an amnesty granted by the King. Thirty-nine political
prisoners from eastern and southern Bhutan were also included in the
amnesty, but 119 others continued to be held at the end of
1999.
Torture
The government did not respond to AI's calls to ratify the UN
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment
or Punishment.
* Padam Lal Giri returned to Bhutan from the refugee camps in Nepal
to investigate the reported resettlement of landless people on land
previously occupied by people living in the refugee camps. He was arrested
in June and taken to Geylegphug police station where he was allegedly
beaten, kicked and punched, and stabbed in the head with a
bayonet.
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