IOM has this year helped over 8,000 ethnic Nepali Bhutanese leave
refugee camps in Eastern Nepal and resettle in third countries,
including the United States (US), Australia and New Zealand.

This year the US accepted over 7,500 refugees, Australia
accepted 365 and 134 were resettled in New Zealand.  A smaller
number were resettled in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands.

More than 105,000 of the refugees, known as Lhotsampas, fled to
seven Nepali camps in Jhapa and Morang regions 17 years ago,
following Bhutan’s decision to revoke their citizenship and
expel them.

Subsequent negotiations to allow them to return to Bhutan failed
and in September 2007 the Government of Nepal signed a Memorandum
of Understanding with IOM to carry out resettlement activities in
Damak, the Nepali town closest to the camps.

These include the processing of cases referred to resettlement
countries by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, as well as the medical
screening, cultural orientation and travel arrangements of refugees
accepted for resettlement.

IOM opened a sub-office in Damak in December 2007 and now
employs over 200 local staff operating in Damak and all seven
Lhotsampa camps.

"The pace of the operation is now picking up," says David
Derthick, Head of IOM Damak. "Our resettlement numbers have gone
from fewer than 100 in 2007 to over 8,000 this year. The decision
of whether to opt for resettlement or not is entirely up to the
families concerned, but next year we expect to move between 16,000
to 18,000 people," he notes.

While most of the Lhotsampas are expected to resettle in the US,
Australia and Canada, several other countries including New
Zealand, Norway and the Netherlands have also agreed to resettle
some of the refugees. 

For more information please contact:

David Derthick

IOM Damak

Tel: +977 98511085

E-mail: "mailto:dderthick@iom.int">dderthick@iom.int