How many Bhutanese refugees are in Nepal?

6,500 Bhutanese refugees
Around 6,500 Bhutanese refugees are still living in Nepal. Most of them want to return to Bhutan. They said their struggle for repatriation was ongoing for the past 26 years.

Why are Bhutanese refugees in Nepal?

These refugees registered in refugee camps in eastern Nepal during the 1990s as Bhutanese citizens deported from Bhutan during the protest against oppressive measures of Bhutanese government by some of the Lhotshampas demanding Human Rights and democracy in Bhutan.

How many refugees are in Nepal?

40,490 refugees
Nepal is home to 40,490 refugees officially recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Are Bhutanese people Nepali?

Following the census, the Bhutanese government estimated that 28 percent of the population were of Nepalese origin. However, unofficial claims circled that up to 40 percent of the population was Nepali; this would be considered a majority in the south.

Who are the Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal?

The vast majority of the refugees are Lhotshampas, one of Bhutan’s three main ethnic groups, who were forced to leave Bhutan in the early 1990s. Over 105,000 Bhutanese have spent 15 – 20 years living in UNHCR-run refugee camps in Nepal.

Are there any repatriation agreements between Nepal and Bhutan?

As Nepal and Bhutan have yet to implement any agreement on repatriation, many Bhutanese refugees have since resettled to North America, Oceania and Europe under the auspices of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many Lhotshampa also migrated to areas of West Bengal and Assam in India independently of the UNHCR.

Are there any Bhutanese refugees in central Ohio?

Also – a video of simple phrases in Nepali. Video of refugees from Bhutan. The Bhutanese Community of Central Ohio (BCCO), a community based non-profit to help Bhutanese refugees improve living standards and navigate their new lives in the USA. The exhibit at the Ohio History Connection about Bhutanese-Nepali refugees, created by Tariq Tarey.

When did Bhutan start re-settling its refugees?

In 2007, a programme to re-settle Bhutanese refugees in third countries was agreed. Refugees from the camps started to be re-settled from 2008 and the camp populations decreased. In 2015, just two camps remained and the refugee population stood at less than 18,000 people.