The Bhutanese refugees living in different camps in Jhapa and Morang have extended congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on his election. 

The National Reconciliation Committee, Bhutan, sent a congratulatory message to Deuba on Thursday, expressing belief that an environment for the repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees would be created during his tenure. 

Stating that the dignified repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees to their homeland was the only sustainable solution to the refugee problem, the committee noted that the option offered by the UNHCR for third country resettlement while putting aside the alternative of their repatriation to Bhutan has made the future of exiled Bhutanese uncertain. 

The message undersigned by the committee coordinator Krishna Bir Tamang has also reminded the newly elected prime minister that the Bhutanese refugees were offered  food, shelter and clothes in the past when his party, Nepali Congress, was in the government. 

We expect the Congress government to take the initiative to find the right and long-term solution to the refugee crisis, the message further reads. 

The committee also sent a memorandum to the UNHCR, urging the UN agency to exert pressure on the Bhutan government for refugee repatriation.