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Nepal may discuss refugee issue with Bhutan during Saarc meet
Kathmandu, Dec 25: Nepal is likely to discuss with Bhutan the issue of repatriation of the one lakh Bhutanese refugees residing in seven camps of East Nepal on the sidelines of 12th Saarc summit to be held in Islamabad from January 4, the foreign ministry said here today.
Kathmandu, Dec 25: Nepal is likely to discuss with
Bhutan the issue of repatriation of the one lakh Bhutanese
refugees residing in seven camps of East Nepal on the
sidelines of 12th Saarc summit to be held in Islamabad from
January 4, the foreign ministry said here today.
Nepalese foreign ministry is "trying to get in touch with
Bhutanese authorities to discuss the issue on the sidelines of
SAARC summit," ministry spokesman Madhan Kumar Bhattarai said
in a press release.
There was a misunderstanding between officials of the two
countries regarding the December 22 incident in Khudunabari
refugee camp in Nepal's Jhapa district when some refugees
damaged four vehicles belonging to the Bhutanese joint
verification team officials, he said.
The incident was not "premeditated" and "due to lack of
security from the host country" as termed by Bhutan and it was
"highly regrettable", the spokesman said.The Bhutanese officials
left the camp and returned to Thimpu after the incident. Bhutan had
earlier agreed to repatriate back some 12,000 refugees of the Khudunabari camp
in February next year.
Bureau Report