The Hindu : National : Nepal situation grave, says Bhutan King

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 29, 2005

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National

Nepal situation grave, says Bhutan King

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI, JAN. 28. The situation in Nepal is deteriorating day-by-day, with the Maoists holding sway over 69 districts in the country, the King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, warned today. He said the Maoists had almost total control over Nepal and this would have negative implications for both Bhutan and India.

Talking to a select group of correspondents, the King, however, was hopeful that "something good, something positive" would come out of the current situation in Nepal. Asked if military operations of the kind conducted by Bhutan against Indian insurgents were a way out in Nepal, he responded, "I am in no position to make comments about what others should do."

The King took a dim view of India's plans to link rivers. "I've read about it, but I haven't seen the plan," he said, adding that the proposal would not be feasible in practice. Millions of people, the King pointed out, would be affected — they would lose their land and property.

According to the monarch, a huge environment lobby — both within and outside India — would oppose this project. It would take decades and billions of dollars, the King maintained, stressing that implementation of the project was very unlikely.

SAARC summit

In response to a question, the ruler of Bhutan maintained that the issue of China being associated with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation would not be discussed at the coming SAARC summit in Dhaka. SAARC members had not taken any decision on associating China with the grouping.

Asked about efforts being made to resolve differences over portions of the Bhutan-China border, he said the two issues persisted. Some differences of opinion continued between the two countries on portions of their 450-km border, still to be demarcated.

The King was, however, confident that these differences would be resolved through ongoing discussions between Bhutan and China. The border was well defined by the Himalayas and their peaks. He said that last year the Chinese Government laid some roads in portions of the territory on which there were differences of opinion. The King said the area of difference was quite small, but chose not to give any details.

India providing assistance to its tsunami-hit neighbours would bring it a lot of goodwill. "It will do a lot of good at the SAARC summit." India's decision not to accept relief assistance was a reflection of its strength.

Military operations

About the military operations launched against Indian insurgents in December 2003, the monarch said it was the last option and taken after many rounds of discussions and even involved a personal visit by him to the training camps of the militants.

The King said he was happy to report that there were no militant camps in Bhutan any longer. "We are trying to ensure that our borders remain secure." India and Bhutan, he said, had agreed that their territories should not be used to harm each other's interests.

On the state of some 100,000 "Bhutanese" refugees who have been living in Nepal for well over a decade, the King said these people were not Bhutanese "citizens" and could have been living in India or Nepal previously.

The King said a verification team that had gone to one of the camps in December 2003 had been attacked, but offered that if the (Maoist) "situation" improved in Jhapa, then another verification team could be sent. Jhapa, he claimed, was a Maoist stronghold.

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