Achtergrond
Nepal does not have any specific law and policy for regulating refugee issues and it has not ratified the Refugee Convention 1951. There is no any government body for dealing with refugee issues. There are more than one hundred thousand refugees in Nepal from Bhutan and more than twenty five thousand refugees from Tibet. Currently Nepal is receiving refugees from Pakistan, Somalia, Burma and other countries. They are living in urban areas of country thus they are known as urban refugees in Nepal. But Nepal does not have any law and policy regarding refugees. This has led to non protection of refugees in one hand and the other government officials, administrators are in dilemma on how to deal with the refugees who have already reached the country.
Country wise refugees/ asylum seekers
Data shows that Nepal is host country of 1,08,000 Bhutanese refugees, around 25,000 Tibetan refugees. In the recent years UNHCR Nepal has registered 288 refugees as ‘urban refugees’ in Kathmandu. As per the available record among 288 refugees 165 refugees are from Pakistan, 85 from Somalia, 18 from Burma and 22 from other countries including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. It is found that in March 2007 Nepal government requested UNHCR Nepal not to register refugees any more. Due to this there are many asylum seekers remained without any registration. These asylum seekers are being treated as illegal immigrants by the government authorities of Nepal. These unregistered asylum seekers are not getting any support from Nepal government or from other I/NGOs. It is estimated that the number of urban refugees (including Tibetan refugees) is around 5000. But there is no any government agency to maintain database therefore it is difficult to mention the exact number of these people.
Nepal government has taken one China policy therefore; the government does not recognize Tibetans as refugees but they are considered as illegal immigrants and sometimes they are being befouled to China in spite of the hardship they might face in China. Neither Nepal government nor I/NGOs working in Nepal have actual data regarding how many urban and Tibetan refugees are residing in Nepal.
Problems faced by refugees
Since Nepal does not have any law and policy regarding refugees. Even the government does not register refugees. Instead, UNHCR was registering refugees before May 2007 directives of the government of Nepal. UNHCR is providing medical and subsistence allowance to the registered refugees (the number of 288). But they are not getting any legal aid/services, legal and psychosocial counseling. The refugees are being arrested, detained and tortured by police and immigration officers but there is no any proper documentation of the violation of human rights.
