AIFB delegation to visit Bhutanese refugee camps in Nepal

New Delhi, Jan 18 (UNI) The All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) today said the Indian government was not taking any interest in resolving the contentious issue of repatriation of Bhutanese refugees, living in camps near the Indo-Nepal border.

''The Government of India is not taking any interest to settle the issue, which creates law and order problem in our border areas and nearby districts,'' the AIFB said in a statement here.

It said a high-level AIFB delegation, led by General Secretary Debarata Biswas under the banner of Indo-Bhutan Peoples Solidarity Forum (IBPSF), will visit several camps of Bhutanese refugees at Damakh near Nepal border tomorrow.

The statement said thousands of Bhutanese refugees were residing near the Indo-Nepal border on the banks of Mechi river, which is a border of West Bengal.

''The refugees have tried several times to go back to their homeland, but the Bhutan government is not ready to receive them. It creates social tension not only in Bhutan and Nepal, but India as well.'' The statement further said that the IBPSF had on several occasions approached the Government of India to intervene.

''But all efforts were in vain.'' The AIFB has adopted a resolution in this regard and urged the governments concerned to find an amicable solution to the vexed issue, it added.

The delegation, comprising Members of Legislative Assembly, political leaders and social activists, will submit to the Centre a detailed report about the prevailing situation in the refugee camps on its return.

UNI AG MSJ AS1914