Thursday, January 17, 2013
Jhapa’s refugee woes—then and now
The following article was published in Republica on January 12, 2012 with the title "In another country". The unedited version is below.
Jhapa’s refugee woes—then and now
Bhutani
refugee influx in eastern Nepal made many Jhapalis unhappy two decades ago.
Local governments were not ready to accommodate a large influx of people. As a
result, public service delivery got stretched to its limits. The incoming
group’s different cultural background brought frequent conflicts between locals
and refugees. Slowly, the locals and the refugees adjusted to the situation,
and the locals even employed refugees as cheap labor in construction and
agriculture. However, now that many refugees have started relocating to western
countries, many Jhapalis are unhappy, again.
It is
not that there were no local conflicts in Jhapa before the refugees arrived.
Arrival of Bhutani refugees and their subsequent resettlement in the eastern
camps further aggravated many social problems in Jhapa. Youth unemployment was
already a significant problem. After their arrival, the refugees provided their
labor and services for cheap since they were not legally permitted to work. Local
unemployed youths did not view this favorably, and conflict ensued.
Refugees
were also accused of bringing with them an acceptance of a culture of taking in
multiple spouses. Elders in local
communities in Jhapa disapproved of this practice among the refugees. However,
in the last two decades, the practice has seeped into local culture. As a
result, recent generations of locals in communities next to refugee camps have
also started taking in multiple wives. That has created conflict between older and
younger generations of locals in communities surrounding the refugee camps in
Jhapa.
Locals
in surrounding communities also mention that, in comparison to the local
population, the refugees were knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. They could
identify medicinal herbs and plants in the forests around the camps. Since they
were not allowed to work legally, refugees took to the forests and collected
these herbs, and sold them as a way to earn an income. As a result, locals still
accuse refugees of overharvesting local forests of essential herbs which
ultimately affects the wellbeing of the forests.
Because
their incomes were limited, refugees could not afford fuels and resorted to
getting firewood from nearby community forests. As a result, locals still accuse
them of destroying local community forests through excessive cattle grazing and
cutting trees for firewood. The illegal use of community forests’ resources created
a variety of conflicts between the refugee population and the locals. While blaming
refugees for deforestation family and friends of a refugee that died in the
camp were declined necessary wood for cremation by the locals and community
forestry groups in multiple occasions.
Life
continued in the refugee camps and in surrounding communities despite, even
amidst, various disagreements and conflicts. Slowly the two sides learnt to
live with each other. However, the locals who had failed to adapt to changing
conditions had hoped that rehabilitation efforts by various agencies, such as the
International Organization for Migration, would take care of the refugee
nuisance, thus bringing the good old peaceful times back. But, current
rehabilitation and resettlement efforts for refugees have not brought desired
peace and harmony back in the local communities. Instead, resettlement efforts
have brought new sets of problems.
There
has been an increase in intra-camp conflicts between refugees who want to leave
and those who don’t. Those who wish to leave cannot be faulted for their choice
because they have remained stateless for over two decades now with no hopes of
getting citizenship rights in Nepal. For the sake of their own future and of
their children’s, resettlement to America, Canada or Australia is an enticing
offer as it opens an opportunity of citizenship and larger rights instead of
becoming stateless citizen for who knows how many more years. Also, many have
accepted the reality that it seems highly unlikely Bhutan will ever accept them
back.
However,
a group of refugees who choose to stay behind in the camps abhor these asylum
seekers. Those who have decided to stay behind claim doing so in order to keep
fighting for their principles and rights. They believe that seeking asylum in
the west represents a win for the brutal Bhutani monarchy and a defeat for
those who champion democratic ideals. Resettlement has polarized the camp
population into factions, increasing intra-camp conflicts. Many have been hurt,
a few even killed, during demonstrations and subsequent altercations between
the two groups.
Those that
have successfully resettled in the western countries frequently send remittance
money to their friends and family left behind in the camps in Jhapa. While remittance money helps refugees in the
camps to afford essentials and luxury goods which were beyond their means
earlier, it has also fueled an increase in drug use among camp members
according to the locals in the surrounding communities. As a result, locals
accuse those left behind in camps as being “criminal” types who are going to affect
and spoil the current and next generation of locals. Such accusations have further
increased conflicts between refugees and locals.
There
are also economic impacts due to resettlement efforts. Local entrepreneurs who
had bought land and built shops by spending exorbitant amounts near camp sites
have suffered huge losses after resettlement efforts. Land and rent prices have
fallen sharply in the surrounding areas. Local youths who went for employment
overseas because they could not compete with cheap refugee laborers aren’t
coming back to work locally. So, local businesses now face difficulty finding sufficient
labor. And, so, the local communities in Jhapa, surrounding the refugee camp
sites, are back to being unhappy, again.
Labels: Jhapa, refugees, resettlement, unemployment
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