Bhutanese refugees’ lifestyle on display in Damak

By Our Correspondent,Damak, Apr. 6: A photographic exhibition highlighting the life experiences of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal is currently on display in Damak, Jhapa.

The exhibition, inaugurated on Tuesday, is scheduled to continue for 10 days.

Damak Municipality Mayor and UNHCR Nepal Representative Carolin Spannuth Verma inaugurated the photo exhibition jointly during a programme on Friday.

This joint effort between the UNHCR project and Damak Municipality aims to illuminate the journey of Bhutanese refugees, especially those who once resided in the Beldangi refugee camp, one of the largest refugee 

camps in Damak.

Deputy Mayor Regina Bhattarai emphasised the importance of capturing the refugees’ lives through photography, highlighting the historical context and the collaborative efforts between the government of Nepal and refugee donor agencies to uphold human rights.

The exhibition is strategically placed in front of Damak Municipality’s main office for easy accessibility to both service users and public representatives.

Roshan Nepal, the spokesperson for UNHCR, said that the showcased photographs depict the refugees' journey from their initial conditions to resettlement in third countries. 

The images portray diverse aspects of Bhutanese refugees’ lifestyles, appealing to both refugees and non-refugees alike in the exhibition.

With a history of hosting approximately 170,000 Bhutanese refugees, including those from the Beldangi camp, Nepal initiated third-country resettlement efforts in 2007. Presently, there are around 6,000 Bhutanese refugees in the camp.

However, recent developments indicate that donor agencies, including UNHCR, have halted their assistance to the refugees.