Nepal and Bhutan are to discuss repatriation of 100,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing for the past ten years in different camps in the Himalyan Kingdom in the official level talks that begin in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The secretary-level talks would focus on building an environment congenial for the dignified repatriation the Bhutanese refugees, according to the foreign ministry.
The meeting is a follow up on the 11th Nepal-Bhutan ministerial level meeting held in Thimpu, where matters concerning verification of refugees and better coordination and cooperation in the task ahead were discussed.
The meeting will also review the progress made after the Thimpu meeting.
Once the verification is completed then categorisation of the refugees will begin, the foreign ministry said. Both sides were supposed to put across their versions on refugee categorization at the talks beginning Tuesday.
Currently, the Nepal-Bhutan joint verification team is verifying the refugees at Khudunabari camp in Jhapa.
The Nepalese delegation to the meeting will be led by foreign secretary Narayan Shumsher Thapa and the Bhutanese side by Bhutan's foreign secretary Ugyen Tshering.
Bureau Report