U.N. Says Over 8000 Bhutanese Refugees Resettled From Nepal, Many To United States

January 8, 2009 2:43 a.m. EST

Kathmandu, Nepal (AHN) - Over 8,000 refugees from Bhutan left their camps in Nepal to resettle in third countries in 2008, with the majority of them going to the United States, the United Nations said Wednesday.

Nearly 7,550 of the refugees have gone to the U.S., which has said it would resettle 60,000 refugees and more if needed. The rest have resettled in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Netherlands, Norway and Denmark, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

"We are pleased to see so many refugees starting their lives afresh after living in difficult conditions in the camps for the last 18 years and to learn that those resettled are adapting well in their new country," Daisy Dell, UNHCR Representative in Nepal, said in a statement.

The program to resettle Bhutanese refugees living in Nepal is one of UNHCR's largest and most promising resettlement programs and began in November 2007. Since then more than half of the 60,000-strong refugee population have already expressed their interest for resettlement, the UNHCR said.

There are currently about 103,000 refugees from Bhutan living in seven camps in eastern Nepal, some of whom have been in exile for as long as 18 years. Some 16,000 to 18,000 are expected to leave Nepal this year.

The UNHCR noted that, while it continues to assist with resettlement efforts, it will also continue to advocate for the option of voluntary repatriation to Bhutan for those refugees who wish to do so.