राहदानी नविकरण नहुँदा अमेरिकाका नेपाली आक्रोसित
Setopati

अमेरिकामा राजनीतिक शरणार्थी लिएका र तीनका परिवारलाई सरकारले मेसिन रिडेवल पासर्पोट (एमआरपी) नदिएकोमा यहाँ बस्ने नेपालीहरू सरकारप्रति आक्रोशित भएका छन्।

नेपाली जनसम्पर्क समिति कोलोराडो च्याप्टरद्धारा आइतवार आयोजित कार्यक्रममा सहभागी नेपालीले आफ्नो जाय जेथा नेपालमा रहेको र अल्पकालिन रुपमा वस्नका लागि शरणार्थी लिनुपरेको अवस्थामा सरकारको यस्तो रवैया दुभार्ग्यपुर्ण भएको बताए।

यहाँ राजनीतिक शरणार्थी लिनु भनेको कानुनी रुपमा बस्नका लागि मात्र हो भन्ने सम्वन्धित निकायले नवुझ्दा अप्ठ्यारो परेको उनीहरुले बताए। आउने नोभेम्बर महिनादेखि हातले लेखेको राहदानी उपयोग गर्न सकिदैन। शरणार्थी लिनेले प्रकृया पुरा गरेमा पाँच बर्षपछि मात्र अमेरिकाको पासपोर्ट लिन योग्य हुन्छन्। तर, वासिंटन डीसीस्थित नेपाली दूतावास र न्यूओर्कमा रहेको कन्सुलेट जनरल कार्यालयले शरणार्थी छाप लागेको पासपोर्ट नविकरण गर्न इन्कार गर्दै आएको छ।
कोलोराडो बस्दै आएका लोककुमार रेग्मीले अमेरिका बस्ने सयौं नेपाली पासपोर्ट नविकरण नहुँदा अप्ठ्यारोमा परेको बताए। यो समस्या तत्काल सम्वोधन नभए यस्ता सयौं नेपाली प्रति ठूलो अन्याय हुने उनले दुखेसो पोखे।

जनसम्पर्क समितिका उपाध्यक्ष धर्मराज श्रेष्ठले यो पासपोर्ट नविकरण मुद्दा प्रमुख समस्याका रुपमा आएको बताए। 'प्रधानमन्त्रीलाई जानकारी गराउँदासमेत अहिलेसम्म सम्वोधन नहुनु दूर्भाग्यपुर्ण हो,' श्रेष्ठले भने। झण्डै १ वर्षदेखि अमेरिकामा शरणार्थी पाएका र तीनका परिवारको राहदानी नविकरण भएको छैन।

यस बारेमा पराराष्ट्र मन्त्रालयले हालसम्म दिने निर्णय गरेको छैन। वासिंटनस्थित नेपाली दूतावासका कर्मचारीले गृहमन्त्रालयसँग पनि यो विषय सम्वन्धी रहेकाले यो निर्णयमा ढिलाई भएको बुझिएको बताए। अब छि्ट्टै यसवारेमा सकारात्मक निर्णय हुने आशा हामीले गरेका छौ,' ती कर्मचारीले भने। नेपाली जनसम्पर्क समिति अमेरिकाका अध्यक्ष आनन्द विष्टले यस समस्या वारे प्रधानमन्त्री सुशील कोइराला न्यूओर्क आउँदा आफूहरुले उठाएको जानकारी दिए। 'प्रधानमन्त्रीले त्यसवेला परराष्ट्रसँग कुरागरी यो समस्या तत्काल हटाउने आश्वासन दिनुभएकेा थियो,' विष्टले भने, 'तर अहिलेसम्म किन समस्या अड्केको छ यसवारेमा पुन: दवाव दिन्छौ।

राहदानी नविकरण रोक्नुपर्ने कुनै कारण नरहेको वताउँदै विष्टले यस्तो हुनु दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण रहेको बताए। अमेरिकामा करिव ५ हजारभन्दा बढीले शरणर्थी लिएको अनुमान छ। यसवाहेक युरोप र अष्ट्रेलियामा पनि नेपालीले शरणर्थी लिएका छन्। यसरी शरणार्थी पाउनेले परिवार पनि ल्याउन पाउँछन्। शरणार्थी लिनेलाई भन्दापनि राहदानीमा छाप हुने तीनका परिवारले एमआरपी पाएका छैनन्।

प्रकृया पूरा गरेर नेपालबाटै आउने शरणार्थीका परिवारको राहदानी नविकरण नगर्नू कुनै तर्कले पनि नमिल्ने नेपालीहरुको भनाई छ। नेपाली दूतावास डीसीमा एमआरपी लिनेको चाप निकै बढेको छ। प्रति महिना एक हजार भन्दा बढीको आवेदन आइरहेको ती कर्मचारीले वताए। यहाँ एमआरपी लिन २ महिनाभन्दा वढी समय लाग्ने गरेको छ। दूतावासमा नविकरणका लागि आएका निवेदन संकलन गरेर प्रत्येक महिना दुई पटक नेपाल पठाउने गरिएको छ।

Do you guys agree that they should be allowed to renew their passport? Are all Nepali are refugees? According to United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees has adopted the following definition of a refugee
" [A]ny person who: owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country"

How true is this for Nepalese?

एउटा देसको चोर डाका हत्यारा सबैले अम्रिकम्मा शरणार्थी हुन पौचन?

The same group of Nepalis used to work for a company A in US. They then left company A because of various reasons and joined a more lucrative company B. Now, every now and then these people want to go back to company A's building because they have few friends there but company A's security wouldn't allow them in since they don't have a valid ID to enter. This group of people are now demanding that company A issue them a new ID that allows them to go back to company A without any issue.

Does that sound logical?

What we need to understand is that these people are still citizens of Nepal. Just because they have been granted asylum does not mean that their citizenship rights has ceased. Nepal govt's rationale for not renewing passport is that they have 'dual-citizenship' status which is not allowed in Nepal. However, that rationale is based on false premise that people granted asylum are granted citizenship status by the asylum granting country which is false. Think about it, did Nepal grant citizenship to the bhutanese refugees living for >15 years in Jhapa/Morang? No right? Legally this is the same case.

Kiddo, Totally agree. Nothing against real real refugees but these fake refugees made real real refugees difficult to survive.

Kiddo gave a good example but you can't compare a country to a job.

A more likey example would be a home. Let's say you have big fight with your father so you can't stay in the same house. So you have to go live in a different house. The thing is, even though you had fight with your father, you still love your mother and siblings and you want to go visit them sometimes.

You should not be denied to visit your mother and siblings just because you have irreconcilable differences with your father.

collegefootballrocks - Maybe there are 'fake' refugees in the mix - that is for US govt to decide. For Nepal govt to make the call that just because there are some 'fake' refugees we shall not renew passport for ALL refugees is a total over-reach and really unfair. And a lot of these Nepalese are simply economic migrants who are trying to make their lives better in foreign countries. Nepal govt and Nepalese benefit from their remittances and their expertise if they travel to Nepal later so not granting them passport seems totally counterproductive to what is in Nepal's best interest.

Don't agree with rethink.

With the same example (home), the case is different. Here you don't have any fight with your any family member but just that you see that you might be benefited/take advantage, you leave the home and move to another home (no fight again). When you move to other home, there is a rule that you cannot move there unless you have been tortured/threatened from your family members. You say and prove with fake documents that you have been tortured and you will never return back to your home. Now, after few years, you feel like you want to go to your old home and have fun. You want to come back to your old home when you want and go back to your new home when you feel like. This is the case.

Cardinal: You (and many others) may disagree but this is real/truth. Cannot generalize real and fake refugee. I am totally in support of real refugees though.

Collegefootballrocks, I was not responding to the issue of fake vs. real asylum cases.

I was simply responding to kiddo's example on asylum which is not accurate. I am assuming he is refering to true asylum cases and not the fake ones.

As far as not renewing passports of real asylum cases, one has to remember that even regimes change, and situation can become positive for the asylee so they should be allowed to go back to their home.

"You want to come back to your old home when you want and go back to your new home when you feel like. "

Yes this is what they want. What is your problem? As long as they don't give up their Nepali citizenship they are citizens of Nepal.

Let's give true freedom to make a living to all of our citizens. This should be a Right of all Nepali citizens that as long as they do not willingly give up their Nepali citizenship they should have the d** Nepali citizenship.

We should not try to make chance of our fellow citizen to make a living less than those of other countries. Let us not be shortsighted. These people belong to our culture they are our brothers.
In the end, being 'udhar' will only help us, our selves, in the long run. I say let us give DUAL CITIZENSHIP also.

If one of the people who have left the country for a long time remembers their country where they lives when they were young and wants to bring back the money they made in the foreign country and settle in Nepal why should we limit their freedom.

Do onto others, what you want others to do onto you. If you could, do you not want to travel the world and then come back home?

Lets read the topic again

According to United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees has adopted the following definition of a refugee " [A]ny person who: owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".

Do we belong to this category and I believe 99% of those will get US passport after 5 years of residency anyway.

Biruwa/rethink:

I agree to what you all said. I might be wrong. But yaha koi koi fake ma asylum file garera green card chha bhanera furti gardai hidne bhayera holaa malai ris utheko. But, you guys are right, i think..

Guys- whoever is saying there are few, who fake their application is all bull crap. Everybody knows for fact that 99.9% of these applications is freaking fake. I have great sympathy for those who were real victim by maobadi or state or other groups, but those people didn't make it up to US to file asylum. All those who filed are fakers.

Now should Nepal renew their passport or not, well it's call of Nepalese government, technically all those asylum seekers got their asylum approved, saying Nepal is not safe for them and govt can’t provide safety for them. And if that’s no more the case, they can drop asylum status and go back home, if that is still the case then why need passport.

Yakku - They need their passport for many other things besides going to Nepal:

i) This is their only govt ID in US until they have Green Card (which can be greater than 5 years)
ii) They still might need to travel to other countries. We live in a global world where Nepalis are now living all over the world. There is no reason why they should be limited to travel to other countries just because they did not feel safe to travel to Nepal

Also, I don't think it is right for anyone to assume that 99% (or any imaginary number) is fake and hence deny them privileges granted to Nepali citizens. Once again, regardless of their refugee status, they still are Nepali citizens.

We all know that most of these people are doing so to remain in the US once their legal status expires. The most common example is that of students who get out of status as F-1 and needs to work in gas stations without getting deported. So they are true economic migrants rather than political asylees. Many of them do want to get back to being productive citizens and many do want to help out Nepal and their family back home in the long run. It is through their love of country and family that they send money home and that money is huge part of the remittance that Nepal receives. By denying them their passports, Nepal Govt is essentially trying to severe this emotional bond and only hurting itself in the long run.

From a diaspora standpoint, these are all fellow Nepalis. We should be united in asking for our rights rather than be fragmented over who is 'real' or 'fake'. We are all immigrants to the US one way or other and if we remain together we can all succeed. The rising tide raises all boats. If we are united we can fight for not only this right but other rights as well, like:

1) Right for all Nepali citizens to vote in Nepal's elections regardless of where you live in the world.

2) Right to invest and own property in Nepal (as NRNs), and be able to remit your hard earned money to wherever you live without bureaucratic hassles.

3) Dual citizenship. Nepal is doing a great disservice to itself and it's citizen's offsprings by denying dual citizenship. As a child (with Nepali parents) growing up in US (or elsewhere), why would you want to remain attached to Nepal if Nepal does not want to consider you one of its own?

What does the existing Nepali law says? Anyone?? Now don't say me there is no law!!

Fact check

@ Cardinal ,

1. Their govt id shouldn't be Nepalese passport, driving license, immigration document , and later on green card can act as one.

2. For travel they should use travel document.

Now 99 % imaginary number, yes I did imagine it, but please prove me wrong , and this is what most people I interact with think, please prove me wrong until then I will think and advocate for same as fact. For me at least 100% of people who got alylee status , whom I personally know , are all fake. So I am forced to believe most are fake.

Now question regarding their right as citizen of Nepal, they can always get it, if they just drop asylee status, I hope the real 1% of people , who really need security from US govt, no longer need it, as Nepal doesn't seems to be killing people anymore.

And regarding uniting for cause, this is illegal, sorry I can't unite for this. One thing we admire of this country is respect for law and opportunity it gives to people who needs and works hard for it. These fakers have took opportunity from people who really needed it.

So all you high and morally migty work through dhoti consultancy faking 7 yrs of resume? Or still working in ocean city or estes park ? Or your dad took enough ghoos to sustain ur lavish lives in the US?