DAMAK, JHAPA: The Bhutanese Refugees Repatriation Representative Committee (BRRC) has strongly called for an independent and impartial investigation into the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal. It has also demanded action against those found guilty in the scam.

BRRC acting president Tilak Rai in a press release he issued today stated that the recent developments have seriously affected the Bhutanese refugees who have been spending a difficult life in various refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang for many years and called for a fair probe into this scandal.

“This scandal has raised serious doubts regarding non-Bhutanese being made Bhutanese and the genuine Bhutanese refugees as non-Bhutanese. A big gang is involved in taking to Western countries, especially America, by making the non-Bhutanese Bhutanese refugees, and some Nepali citizens to high-ranking government employees and former ministers have been arrested in this connection. The serious attention of the BRRC has been drawn to this incident,” reads the press release.

The press release further states that the genuine Bhutanese refugees living in the camps are deeply aggrieved by the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal.

BRRC has also demanded that the interests of around 6,500 Bhutanese refugees and those remaining be registered as such who are spending a life of hardship in the camps in the hope of returning to their homeland and reunion with their families.

It is said that these refugees have not been given new identity cards although it has been more than eight months since their refugees ID cards were renewed. It is stated in the press release that the delay in distributing the ID cards has created a situation in which the genuine Bhutanese are likely to be without identity.

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