Bhutanese refugees on indefinite sit-in

Bhutanese refugees have launched an indefinite sit-in in front of the UN office in Kathmandu, demanding their dignified return home.

Bhutanese refugees have launched an indefinite sit-in in front of the UN office in Kathmandu, demanding their dignified return home, Radio Nepal reported on Thursday.

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The Bhutanese Refugees Repatriation Committee (BRRC) has claimed that the sit-in was launched in order to draw the attention of the UN after the bilateral talks between Nepal and Bhutan for resolving the refugee crisis did not materialise.

"We have been compelled to hold a sit-in after the bilateral talks held 15 times seeking a solution to the refugee problem became unsuccessful," said the committee.

Up to 60 Bhutanese refugees in different camps have been engaged in the sit-in for the last 47 days.

Some 105,000 Bhutanese refugees have been living in seven camps in eastern Nepal for the last 15 years.

As many as 15 rounds of bilateral talks held between the two governments have failed to yield any results.