Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Bhutanese Refugees on The People Living Around the Camp : A Case Study of Timai Camp of Shantinagar VDC, Jhapa

Abstract

A refugee is someone who has been compelled to abandon his home. In other words refugee refer to person taking refuge especially in foreign country from war or persecuting which distinguishes from migrants. Refugee must be treated in accordance with recognized legal principles and standards relating to their personal safety and their social, civil and economic rights in refugees' asylum. In addition to that refugees must be able to ultimately return voluntarily to their home country in condition of safety and dignity. At the same time, refugees to have certain obligations"every refugee has duties to the country in which he finds himself, which require that he conform to its laws and regulations as well as measures taken for maintenance of public order" (Article 2 convention relating to the status of refugees declarations,1951). Due to the prevailing political instability and weak bureaucratic system in Nepal, the problems of refugees are in increasing trends. For eighteen years, Nepal has seen enormous influx of Bhutanese refugee.These refugees are ethnic Nepalese, who have been living in Southern Bhutan for up to four generations called as Lhoshampa by Bhutanese Governments. The Drukpa government implemented the degree of "One nation one people based on" DriglamNamz," the forced acculturation of Druk culture to ethnic Nepalese brought up socio-political conflict. As a result number of Bhutanese refugees has swelled up tremendously in Dec.12, 1990 and reached 115000. They are settled in seven camps in Jhapa and Morangdistrict of which Timai camp is one that constitute about 10 percent Total Bhutanese refugee. According to the refugees' law, refugees must reside within their camps andnot to engage in economic activities outside the camp. In practice neither refugees are following this law nor is government of Nepal being able to effectively implement thislaw. As a result employment opportunities and wage rate of Nepali citizen is affected.On one side the people of Nepal are suffering from lack of employment opportunities,and in other side refugees are obtaining facilities provided by UNHCR and othe rnational and international organizations and at the same time they have been enteredon labour market in. A through the refugees have some positive impacts but these positive impacts are very less in comparing to the negative impacts. This situation isproviding the ground of further incumbent of poverty level of Nepalese people. v This present study entitled. "Socio-economic and environmental impacts of Bhutanese refugees on the people living around the camp. A cause study of 'Timaicamp of Shantinagr VDC, Jhapa” has tried to reveal the various impacts of Bhutanese refugee of Timia Camp on the local people who are living around the campand its adjoining area. Mainly the study has focused on the socio economic and environmental impacts of the refugees. Impacts may be both positive and negative. At the same time, it has also tried to analysis tired to analysis the general living condition of the refugees living in the Timai camp and assesses the third country resettlement program. In this study both exploratory and descriptive research designs have been used. The study is descriptive as it attempts to describe the cause of influx of Bhutanese refugee in Nepal. Both primary and secondary data have been used to carry out the study. The primary data were collected from the refugees as well as the local community. Apart from the primary data, many relevant secondary information were also used from published and unpublished literature. As sample population, both communities and refugee households were selected on the basis of stratified random sampling. Refuges have created both positive as well as negative impacts to the local people and environment. Thefts, prostitution, Alcoholism gambling fight are social negative impacts of refugee. Similarly exchange of culture and tradition, health facilities obtained from the camp are social positive impacts. Likewise, market for local product, easy and cheap wage, skill and idea sharing, employment creation are economic positive impacts. High market price exploitation of labour, unemployment are negative economic impacts of refugees. From the environmental point of view,refugee has created only negative impacts to the local community. Although refuges have created both positive and negative impacts, the positive impacts are less in comparing to the negative impacts. So local peoples are bearing lots of negative impacts of the refugees in particular and Nepal in general. The third country resettlement program bought to Bhutanese refugees seems to be not a sole solution of current refugees problem because many refugees want to return their homeland Bhutan. In this case, Nepal has to think right decision on the right time.