Bhutan: An Introduction

In 1959, one year after nationality was extended to the Nepali-speaking population of southern Bhutan, the National Assembly noted that these new citizens had pledged "to think like all other Bhutanese citizens, and to adhere to the same culture and traditions." Over thirty years later this pledge is taken quite literally. In 1989, the King of Bhutan told the National Assembly that "in a large country, such [cultural] diversity would have added colour and character to its national heritage without effecting national security. However, in a small country like ours it would effect the growth of social harmony and unity among the people." result of this fear of diversity is the 'One Nation, One People' policy through which the government stresses the need for a "distinct national identity". Yet Bhutan does not envision forging this distinct identity to encompass the existing diversity of the nation's cultures. The chosen national identity is that of the politically dominant Drukpa culture of northwestern Bhutan.

Though culture and ethnicity are integrally linked, this is not a situation of "ethnic cleansing" but rather "cultural cleansing". The perceived threat to national identity stems more from cultural traditions than the individuals who practice them. Bhutan has made concerted efforts to integrate or assimilate the ethnically Nepali southern Bhutanese population into the Drukpa culture. But culture is a difficult thing to legislate or change, and many of the southern Bhutanese treasure their cultural heritage as much as the Drukpas of the north treasure theirs. Failure to convert the southern Bhutanese has been followed by efforts to remove them.

It is partially fears about their own culture's survival that the northern Bhutanese forward to justify the steps taken to impose Drukpa culture on southern Bhutan. But the real issue may be less about the continued survival of their culture than about continued dominance of their culture. Ironically, the harmony that the King fears would be disrupted by diversity was to a large extent present between the peoples of Bhutan before the crisis began. The question now is whether this harmony can be achieved again.

Overview

In 1985 Bhutan passed a revision of its existing citizenship laws, in practice limiting the grant of citizenship to those who could prove residence since before December 31, 1958. In 1988, the new law was implemented through a census conducted only in the southern districts of Bhutan, inhabited primarily by ethnic Nepalis. In April 1988, TekNathRizal, a southern Bhutanese member of the Royal Advisory Council, submitted a petition to the king questioning the implementation of the stricter 1985 citizenship law and calling attention to allegations of discrimination, threats, coercion, and confiscation of identity cards during the implementation of census. This petition was declared seditious against tsa-wa-sum, the three elements of King, Country, and People. Rizal was removed from office and detained for three days. He later fled to Nepal

As the census continued, a decree from the king required all citizens to observe the driglam namzha, a code of conduct and dress based on the Drukpa culture of western Bhutan. Teaching of Nepali language was dropped from the schools of Bhutan, and strict marriage laws imposed heavy burdens on anyone marrying a foreigner. A short lived plan to create a "green belt" along the southern border threatened the eviction of thousands of southern Bhutanese.

Rizal and a small group of dissidents formed the Peoples Forum for Human Rights (PFHR) to address the human tights situation in Bhutan. Beginning in October 1989, a number of dissidents were arrested, including Rizal, who was abducted from Nepal and returned to Bhutan. The protests within Bhutan grew and the Bhutan Peoples Party (BPP) was formed in June, 1990. Mass rallies were organized in September and October, 1990 and resulted in violent conflict between the dissidents and the authorities, followed by mass arrests.

Throughout 1991 and 1992, refugees fleeing Bhutan described mass arrests, torture in custody, and the ongoing denial of Bhutanese citizenship to many southern Bhutanese through the census. 'No Objection Certificates' were required for enrollment in higher education, sale of some cash crops, and employment with the government. During this period the government of Bhutan presented a much different story, reporting violence and terrorism in southern Bhutan and framing the situation as a struggle for national identity in the face of demographic threats from illegal immigrants. UNHCR was invited by the government of Nepal to provide relief in August, 1991.

The flow of southern Bhutanese across the open borders into India and Nepal started as a trickle and peaked in early 1992 with a flow of about I 0,000 people per month entering Nepal. The flow has slowed considerably now, but still continues. New arrivals report continuing human rights violations, though on a smaller scale than in past years. UNHCR's May/June 1993 Situation Report lists 84,245 people registered in the camps in southeastern Nepal. It is estimated there are another 10,000-15,000 living the outside the camps in Nepal and India. In May 1993, the government of Nepal and UNHCR instituted a tighter screening process at the border utilizing international standards.

The growth in refugee population has been accompanied by a growth of human rights and political organizations among the refugees, creating more rivalry than cooperation. This fragmentation and politicization, coupled with generally improved conditions in the camps, has increased unrest among the refugees, particularly among youth with little else to keep them occupied. Tensions between refugees and the local population are gradually increasing.

"Quiet diplomacy" by the governments of Nepal and Bhutan has finally resulted in the agreement to establish a bilateral commission to address the situation. This commission is not yet formed has so far. Its intended purpose is limited to determining the different categories of people claiming to have come from Bhutan in the refugee camps of eastern Nepal.