US embassy cable - 05NEWDELHI2047

C O N F I D E N T I A L NEW DELHI 002047 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/15/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PREF, PREL, PHUM, IN, NP, BT, Bhutan 
SUBJECT: BHUTANESE CENSUS UNLIKELY TO FACILITATE FURTHER 
EXPULSIONS 
 
REF: STATE 27085 
 
Classified By: DCM Robert O. Blake, Jr. for Reasons 1.4 (B, D) 
 
1.  (C) In response to Reftel and following our contacts with 
travelers to Thimphu, the Mission assesses little likelihood 
that the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGOB) will use the 
upcoming census to justify further expulsions of ethnic 
Nepali citizens from Bhutan.  United Nations Development 
Program (UNDP) Representative Renata Dessallien, who resides 
in Thimphu, told Poloff on March 15 that such a move would go 
against current positive trends in Bhutan.  Dessallien cited 
recent positive changes in RGOB practices towards ethnic 
Nepali residents of Bhutan who have relatives in the Nepal 
camps, making it easier for them to access public service 
jobs, schools for their children and identity cards.  She 
noted that these steps are starting to reverse ten years of 
discrimination and doubted the RGOB would begin integrating 
ethnic Nepali relatives of refugees if they were planning 
further evictions. 
 
2.  (C) Canadian High Commission Political Counselor Adrian 
Norfolk, who recently returned from Thimphu, told Poloff on 
March 9 that he believes the Bhutanese are moving in the 
right direction and will not use the census to expel ethnic 
Nepalese from the Kingdom.  He also mentioned that the RGOB, 
in a major policy shift, is now providing ID cards to ethnic 
Nepalese with family members in the refugee camps.  People 
have been waiting for years to get these cards to be eligible 
for government jobs, and it is unlikely that the Bhutanese 
government would decide to take these steps if they planned 
to use the census to expel more citizens, Norfolk stated. 
 
3.  (C) However, our human rights contact offered a more 
cautious assessment.  According to Ravi Nair, Executive 
Director of the Asia Pacific Human Rights Network, a number 
of people from the eastern districts of Samdrup Jongkher, 
Mongar, Tashigang and Tashiyangchi have been left without ID 
cards after questions over their citizenship status arose 
during the census.  (Note: This view may not be accurate, 
because according to the Bhutanese Embassy, UNDP's Dessallien 
and Norfolk, the census has not yet begun.  End Note.) 
 
4.  (C) The RGOB has not officially responded to our requests 
for information on the census, but Bhutanese First Secretary 
Karma Rinchhen stated on March 16 that the survey had not 
begun, and would take place later in the year over a two-day 
period.  Dessallien continued that the census has not 
commenced and that the RGOB plans to conduct the census in 
May of 2005, but predicted that it could also be delayed 
until the Fall because of logistical hurdles.  The census 
conducted this year will be more comprehensive than those 
done in the past and in line with international standards, 
Dessallien noted.  He added that the census will be conducted 
over a two-day period, and not district by district, as done 
previously. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
5.  (C) Like UNDP and the Canadians, we also find it unlikely 
that the RGOB will use the census to deny citizenship to 
large numbers of its citizens.  The RGOB is quite sensitive 
to its international reputation and understands that the 
creation of another refugee problem is not in its best 
interests.  That said, it is likely that the census will 
uncover persons with questionable citizenship status, who may 
not receive ID cards. 
MULFORD