Attack on Bhutanese JVT in 2003

Breaking news on the attack on Bhutanese JVT officials reported by Kuensel in Bhutan in 2003:

Title: Bhutanese JVT officials attacked in Jhapa

December 23, 2003 - The members of the Joint Verification Team from Bhutan arrived in Phuentsholing in partially damaged vehicles today after a mob attack in Damak, eastern Nepal, during which several members were injured. The Bhutanese foreign ministry described the incident as an "unprovoked act of violence against the officials who were only carrying out the directives of the MJC". "It is even more disturbing because the entire episode was not spontaneous but pre-meditated," according to a statement from the ministry. "The events that took place were well planned and well orchestrated, enabled by other residents of the camp who should never have been there."

The JVT was following instructions of the 15th ministerial joint committee held in Thimphu in October and had begun its work in December, 2003. "The MJC had agreed that the Bhutanese verification team and Nepalese verification team would brief the people on the terms, procedures and facilities applicable in Bhutan and Nepal respectively," according to the press release.

The press release also stated that the Bhutanese team had begun briefing the camp residents of Sector A in Khudunabari camp in a semi permanent bamboo hall. "The MJC considered it important to brief the camp residents for transparency and to enable them to make informed choices in exercising their voluntary option to return to Bhutan or stay in Nepal," according to the statement. "Despite the agreement that only Sector A residents were to be present, the JVT members were surprised to note that the hall was surrounded by the entire residents of the camp."

During the briefing the camp residents reportedly began to abuse the Bhutanese officials and then surrounded them and attacked them. The camp residents broke down the wall and started beating the Bhutanese members of the verification team. One Bhutanese official collapsed on the floor after being struck on the head while the other members were battered with blows and stones, according to the press release.

The camp residents were then reported to have attempted to trap the officials inside the hall and set it on fire. The Bhutanese officials were pelted with stones from all sides. They were abused and stoned until they reached their vehicles which were also damaged by the crowd.
Three or four armed policemen who were present did not intervene, according to the press release.

"Under the terms of reference of the JVT the host country is required to provide full security arrangements," stated the press release. "However, despite requests made by the Bhutanese officials and the risks foreseen by the Nepalese members of the JVT, there were no proper security arrangements and, on the occasion, only one policeman in plain clothes accompanied the Bhutanese members."

The violence broke out on the grounds that the terms and conditions were unacceptable, terms that were already known to the camp residents because copies had already been given to them, the press release stated.

"It is most unfortunate that this should have happened as we approached the last phase of the process leading to a durable solution to the problem of the people in the camps," said the Bhutanese foreign minister, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk. "Given the serious injuries sustained by our officials and the extreme mental shock and trauma that they have been subjected to, they are no longer in a position to continue their work. Further, they and their families in Bhutan are understandably worried over the serious risk to their lives."

The original news can be reached at this link: http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3572


The following is another update that appeared 4 days after the initial report.

Title: Bhutanese officials attacked by mob in Jhapa

UPDATE December 27, 2003 - Back in Thimphu after a traumatic experience, the Bhutanese members of the Joint Verification Team (JVT) working to verify the people in the camps in eastern Nepal look back on what they all believe was a pre-meditated attack by a large and vicious mob of people.

The team leader, Dasho Sonam Tenzing, explained that, on December 22, the JVT officials from both countries had met in Damak and gone to the camp, about 90 minutes drive from their residence. There were eight Bhutanese nationals including three drivers.

The two teams briefed the people on the terms and conditions for them to remain in Nepal and apply for Nepalese citizenship or to choose to be repatriated to Bhutan. While the violence broke out reportedly on the grounds that the terms and conditions were unacceptable the agreed terms and conditions were not new, said Dasho Sonam Tenzing. “We had already given them in writing to the Nepali government and in fact the Nepali team was carrying it. As agreed by the two governments, both sides were supposed to clarify and explain all doubts that the people might have.”

“The briefing was meant only for those people who were in sector A so we had requested that the briefing would focus only on the people of sector A and also that we would like to do the briefing near the huts belonging to the sector A people,” he said. “But they had arranged a hall made of bamboo which was transparent. The Sector A people were inside the hall, cramped and sitting down. The rest of the people from the camp, about 12,000, were all outside.”
Another official hurt in the attack

Dasho Sonam Tenzing said that, after the briefing all the elders stood up and left the hall. Those waiting outside came in and everyone started abusing the Bhutanese officials. Then they attacked them. “The NVT (Nepali Verification Team) had already left the scene, leaving us there on our own,” he said. “The assault went on for about 30-40 minutes. We tried to go out of the hut but they did not allow us. They were shouting that we shouldn’t be let out and that we should be burned alive. However, we pushed our way through, receiving many blows and stones. Our ghos were torn. We managed to run out of the hut but, outside, we were hit with bamboo sticks and stones.”

One of the team members was knocked unconscious in the hall and was carried out. Another received a head injury after being hit with a stone. Another was hit on his forehead and was badly hurt on his right knee. The Bhutanese officials were continuously attacked all the way to the vehicles that were parked about 75 metres away from the hut. “We ran and got inside the vehicles but they broke the windows and stones landed inside the vehicles. Twelve of these big stones are still with us.”

The Bhutanese foreign ministry described the incident as an “unprovoked act of violence against the officials who were only carrying out the directives of the MJC”. “It is even more disturbing because the entire episode was not spontaneous but pre-meditated,” according to a statement from the ministry. “The events that took place were well planned and well orchestrated, enabled by other residents of the camp who should never have been there.”

The JVT, on the instructions of the 15th ministerial joint committee held in Thimphu in October, had begun its work in December, 2003. “The MJC considered it important to brief the camp residents for transparency and to enable them to make informed choices in exercising their voluntary option to return to Bhutan or stay in Nepal,” according to the statement.

“Under the terms of reference of the JVT the host country is required to provide full security arrangements,” stated the press release. “However, despite requests made by the Bhutanese officials and the risks foreseen by the Nepalese members of the JVT, there were no proper security arrangements on the occasion.”

“I want to make it clear, that it was a pre-meditated attack by the people in the camps,” said Dasho Sonam Tenzing. “I know this because the briefing was not done in seclusion as we had requested, all the elderly people got out before the violence, and the NVT literally abandoned us.”

Dasho Sonam Tenzing pointed out that the terms and conditions read out by the Nepali team was beyond the agreement but the Bhutanese team could not fully understand it because it was in difficult Nepali. “We did not object because they have a right to explain it their way. Our mandate was to explain our terms and conditions. Each country is supposed to make its own position clear to the people. The people have to understand, they have to make their own choice.”

“We were completely shocked,” he added. “We were there to implement the last stage of the agreement. We were there to facilitate the repatriation and re-application and to resolve the problem so we thought it would go smoothly. But we were taken completely off guard by this brutal attack.”

Sonam Tshong of the foreign ministry, who was knocked unconscious in the hall, said that the atmosphere in the hall was terrifying, with even the women shouting abuses and attacking the Bhutanese officials. “They were out to kill us,” he said. The people were reportedly shouting “these bhoteys must be killed… today they should not be allowed to escape.”

Another member of the team said that security was completely inadequate. “We reminded them time and again about security but it was not arranged,” he said. “We only had one person in civil clothes accompanying us. There were four or five security personnel but they were nowhere in the scene during the attack. They came only after it was all over.”

“It is most unfortunate that this should have happened as we approached the last phase of the process leading to a durable solution to the problem of the people in the camps,” said the Bhutanese foreign minister, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk. “Given the serious injuries sustained by our officials and the extreme mental shock and trauma that they have been subjected to, they are no longer in a position to continue their work. Further, they and their families in Bhutan are understandably worried over the serious risk to their lives.”

By Kinley Dorji & Karma Choden

Original news at this link: http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3589