Nepal: clashes between refugees and locals leave one refugee dead, eight wounded

In eastern Nepal last night, clashes between refugees and locals outside Sanischare camp in Morang district, left one refugee dead and eight wounded - five seriously. According to police and camp officials, the fighting broke out after some refugees were intercepted by locals in the surrounding forest and then escalated. Disputes between locals and refugees over gathering firewood in the forest are not uncommon. We are very concerned that a refugee has been killed and others wounded and are seeking further details on what sparked this incident. We hope this situation will be resolved with understanding on all sides.

There are some 106,000 refugees from Bhutan who have been living in seven camps in eastern Nepal since the early 1990s. Frustration has been growing amongst the refugees as they have seen no solution to their situation over the last 16 years. A substantial offer of resettlement places by the US, as well as other countries was made last year but has yet to take place.