Nepal Issues Exit Permits for Bhutan Refugees

Nepal Issues Exit Permits for Bhutan Refugees

By Kristy Tridhavee
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

DAMAK, Nepal – Nepal has issued the first set of exit permits to Bhutan refugees who have voluntarily chosen resettlement. About 107,000 refugees have been living in Nepal for the last 17 years in refugee camps. The refugees fled Bhutan in 1990’s because of persecution from the royal family.

The first set of exit permits allows refugees to resettle in third countries. TheUnited States has agreed to accept up to 60,000 refugees. Canada has indicated it will accept up to 5,000 refugees. Australia, Denmark, theNetherlands, New Zealand, and Norway have also shown interest in taking refugees.

Voluntary resettlement is a decisive issue among the refugees. Although some have agreed to be moved to third countries, others vow to regain their citizenship in Bhutan. There have been reports of clashes between the two groups. Some refugees have faced intimidations since the plans of resettlement were announced last November. Soon after, US Assistant Secretary of State Population, Refugees and Migration, Ellen Sauerbrey requested more security from Nepalese officials. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also said, “While resettlement offers a welcome solution for those who voluntarily choose this option after 17 years in the camps, the UN refugee agency will continue to advocate for the option of voluntary return to Bhutan for those refugees who wish to do so.”

However, the UNHCR has welcomed the issuance of exit permits. A UNHCR statement read, “It was an important step towards finding a solution to the 17-year-old refugees’ problem. Thousands of Bhutanese refugees have applied for third country resettlement and the UNHCR has submitted the details of 10,000 refugees for resettlement to different countries.”

Presently, the refugees are in the midst of the resettlement process. Some are undergoing interviews and extensive medical exams while others are taking part in culture orientation programs.

According to estimates, the first refugees will arrive in the United States in March. A larger group will then exit Nepal in July.

For more information, please see:

The Himalayan Times – First Batch of Bhutanese Refugees to Leave for the United States by March – 4 February 2008

The Hindu – Nepal Issues Exit Permits to Bhutanese Refugees – 4 February 2008

Nepal News – Nepal Issues Exit Permits to Bhutanese Refugees for Third Country Resettlement – 4 February 2008

Violence in Kenya Continues

By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

NAIROBI, Kenya – The death toll in Kenya passed 1,000 on Tuesday according to the Red Cross.   Political rivals are continuing their negotiations, however there has yet to be a cease in the ethnic violence.  Most of the killings have been the result of ethnic killings, police clashes with protestors, and looting.   An estimated 340,000 Kenyans have been displaced as a result of the conflict that began in December following the disputed re-election of President Mwai Kibaki. 

The United Nation’s top human rights official is traveling to Kenya today to assess allegations of grave human rights violations.  Louis Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will conduct a three-week mission to gather information from both the government, opposition, victims, and witnesses.   “Truth and accountability are of critical importance in putting an end to the violence and preventing future human rights violations,” she said. 

East African foreign ministers arrived in Kenya today to participate in the peace talks.  Meanwhile, the opposition has threatened to boycott and demonstrate against meetings the government plans on holding with the seven-nation regional block IGAD on Thursday. IGAD’s rotating chairmanship is currently held by President Kibaki.  The opposition’s argument is that IGAD is too flawed or biased to hold negotiations.  Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General leading the negotiation talks, chided the opposition for threatening action will talks were ongoing. 

Due to the deteriorating situation in Kenya, the US Peace Corps has decided to temporarily pull out its remaining 58 volunteers.  There are fears that other aid groups and businesses will soon follow.  The crisis has also “significantly damaged the domestic economy” according to the U.S. consulting company Global Insight. 

For more information, please see:

Reuters – Kenya talks resume, African ministers arrive – 6 February 2008

AP – Kenya Opposition Threatens New Rallies – 6 February 2008

The Press Association – UN official to probe Kenyan violence – 6 February 2008

Times Online – Atrocities in Kenya must not go unpunished – 6 February 2008

Reuters – Kenya death toll hits 1,000, parties talk – 5 February 2008

China Frees Hong Kong Reporter

By Juliana Chan
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

BEIJING, China – After spending nearly three years in jail in China on charges of spying for Taiwan, Hong Kong reporter Ching Cheong was released on parole Tuesday from a prison in Guangdong Province.

Mr. Ching, 58, a correspondent for Singapore’s The Straits Times newspaper, was arrested in April 2005 during a visit to the city of Guangzhou. He was held in custody for 16 months before a one-day, closed-door trial in August 2006, in which he was convicted for selling state secrets to a Taiwan foundation that was a front for an espionage agency. Mr. Ching was sentenced to five years in prison.

China’s official Xinhua reported at the time that Mr. Ching’s sentence was mitigated because he confessed to more espionage activities than those the state had known about. Mr. Ching’s wife, Mary Lau, said her husband traveled to China to obtain recordings of secret interviews with the late Communist Party chief, Zhao Ziyang.

Mr. Ching’s conviction was widely criticized as yet another attempt by China to use legal sanctions to censor free speech and control information. Fellow Hong Kong journalists, press freedom groups, and other human rights organizations condemned his detainment.

Since his release, Mr. Ching thanked the Chinese government, and expressed how “very happy that I was able to return to Hong Kong and reunite with my family before the Chinese New Year.”

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Donald Tsang, welcomed Mr. Ching’s release, but human rights campaigners in Hong Kong said other journalists or academics are still at risk of arrest and imprisonment. Mr. Ching’s early release did not offset what they say to be a flawed conviction.

Law Yuk-kai, director of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor said, “It fell far short of the standards of criminal proof required under international human rights treaties and there was no presumption of innocence.”

For more information, please see:

AFP – Hong Kong reporter freed early from China jail – 05 February 2008

The New York Times – China Frees Hong Kong Journalist – 06 February 2008

AP – China Releases Jailed Hong Kong Reporter – 05 February 2008

BBC News – China frees Hong Kong journalist – 05 February 2008

UN Gives Support to Chad

By Meryl White
Impunity Watch Reporter, Western and Central Africa

N’DJAMENA, Chad – The commander of the Chadian government forces, Gen Mahamat Ali Abdallah, has stated that the rebels are “completely routed” in N’Djamena the capital.

Presently, heavy strain is now being placed on Kousseri, a Cameroon town bordering Chad. Thousands of refugees are fleeing Chad to escape rebels who have stormed N’Djamena, the Capital of Chad. The estimated number of refugees have reached 20,000. In response, France has stepped in to help in the evacuation process since Chad is a former French colony.

The UN refugee agency released in a new report that on Tuesday, “frightened people were still crossing in a continuous flow” from Chad to Cameroon. UNHCR plans to move the refugees to a campsite 30 kilometers from Kouserri that can hold up to 100,000 people. Today, more than 3,000 refugees from Chad have fled to Nigeria.

France has stated that country would be prepared to intervene in the conflict if the situation did not get better. President Nicolas Sarkozy said France would “do its duty” if necessary. He also stated, “If Chad were a victim of an aggression, France would have — and I stress the conditional tense — the means to resist this action.”

Presently, the government of Chad has accused Sudan of backing the rebels. Sudan denies the charges.

In the upcoming weeks, the European Union peace force is preparing to deploy troops to eastern Chad. 3,7000 peacekeepers will protect refugees from Sudan’s Darfur region and people displaced by the internal conflict.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Thousand of Refugees Flee Chad – 5 February 2008

BBC- UN Gives Support To Chad Leader  5 February 2008

Associated Press – France Ready to Give Chad Help – 5 February 2008

Newsweek – World Must Help Chad – 5 February 2008

Baghdad Market Bombings’ Tolls Nears 100

By Laura Zuber
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

BAGHDAD, Iraq – On February 1, two pet markets were attacked in Baghdad.  It is suspected that the Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia is responsible for the attacks.  The first explosion occurred in the Ghazil market shortly after 10 am.  The Ghazil market has been attacked five times in the past two years.  The market is only open on Fridays and has seen a recent revival since the Friday driving ban has been lifted.

Minutes later, a second explosion occurred in at the New Baghdad bird market four miles away.  Reports of the elapse between explosions vary from five to twenty minutes.  Iraqi officials estimate that nearly 100 people were killed and over 200 injured, making it the deadliest attack since the US “surge” in Baghdad.  US military officials estimate that the number of causalities is fewer.

US and Iraqi military authorities stated that is likely the two female bombers, who attacked two pet markets on February 1, had Down’s syndrome.   Major General Jeffery Hammond, commander of US forces in Baghdad, claimed that the women “were used by Al-Qaeda because they were less likely to know what was happening.”  In addition to having Down’s syndrome, Iraq’s chief military spokesman in Baghdad claimed that the bombs were detonated remotely; US officials state that they were unsure of how the bombs were detonated.

There has been a recent trend of insurgent groups using female bombers.  There have been four such attacks since November.  This is attributed to the increase in security check points have aggravated insurgents’ attempts to use car bombs or male bombers.  Hammond added that the women were less likely to be searched because of cultural taboos, which disapprove of men searching women, and the lack of female security officers.  US Major General Mark Hertling, a commander in northern Iraq stated last month, that there is an increase in recruiting widows of former insurgents as suicide vest wearers.

US and Iraqi government officials condemned the attack and its method as inhumane and immoral.  Lt. Col. Steve Stover, US military spokesman for the Baghdad area, said “it sounds like (al-Qaida in Iraq) has stooped to a new low where they’re using people who may not even know what they’re doing and strapped something to them and told them go into a market.”  US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice stated that the move showed the “absolute bankruptcy and brutality of the enemy of the people of Iraq.”

The attacks occurred during a recent decline of violence against civilians.  Iraq Body Count reports that 767 deaths occurred during the month of January, as compared to 904 in December and 1,100 in November, and more than 2,500 for the months of July and August.  This brings concern to officials in the US and Iraq over the disengagement of US troops from the country.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press – US, Iraqis Vow to Avenge Bombings – 3 February 2008

AFP – US Slams “Twisted” Qaeda as Baghdad Bombs Toll Rises to98 – 2 February 2008

BBC – Iraq Market Bombs Toll Nears 100 – 2 February 2008

Financial Times – Insurgents Use Disabled Women in Iraq Bombing – 2 February 2008

New York Times – Two Bombings Wreak Carnage in Iraqi Capital – 2 February 2008

Times (London) – Down’s Syndrome Bombers Kill 91 – 2 February 2008