[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 108 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 108

Recognizing the Kingdom of Bhutan as responsible for the oppression and 
forced eviction of more than 100,000 Bhutanese citizens during the late 
                            1980s and 1990s.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2023

     Mr. Brown (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the Kingdom of Bhutan as responsible for the oppression and 
forced eviction of more than 100,000 Bhutanese citizens during the late 
                            1980s and 1990s.

Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan was responsible for the oppression and forced 
        displacement of more than 100,000 Nepali language-speaking Bhutanese 
        citizens, Lhotshampas and Sharchops, in the 1990s due to their identity, 
        culture, language, religion, and political opinion;
Whereas many of these individuals experienced unjust detention, torture, and 
        other forms of human rights abuses;
Whereas many political prisoners continue to be held in Bhutanese prisons for 
        protracted sentences;
Whereas persecuted Bhutanese were forced to cross into Nepal, where some 
        remained for nearly two decades in refugee camps;
Whereas thousands of Bhutanese refugees remain in refugee camps in Nepal, and 
        the Government of Bhutan continues to deny dignified repatriation to 
        those who desire it;
Whereas more than 250,000 Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa Bhutanese still inside 
        Bhutan suffer political, social, and economic oppression as the 
        Government of Bhutan has continuously refused to reinstate the 
        citizenships that were stripped during the 1990s;
Whereas such incidences of human rights violations and abuses and extreme acts 
        of violence perpetrated by any individual actor or state should be 
        condemned;
Whereas the majority of the Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa, who were refugees in 
        Nepal, have now resettled in other countries, including Australia, 
        Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, 
        and the United States;
Whereas, although Bhutan and the United States have not established diplomatic 
        relations, the two countries maintain warm and productive unofficial 
        ties;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan transitioned to democracy in 2008 and has held 
        successive free and fair elections and transitions of power since that 
        time;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has been a leader in the global fight against 
        climate change and is the only carbon negative country;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has stood with the United States and other 
        likeminded countries as the United Nations to condemn Russian aggression 
        in Ukraine; and
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan is a close Indo-Pacific partner of the United 
        States committed to upholding the rules-based international order: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) declares that the Royal Government of Bhutan is 
        responsible for the political, cultural, and ethnic oppression 
        of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas and Sharchops in Bhutan during 
        the late 1980s and 1990s;
            (2) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to conduct a rapid 
        and unconditional release of all political prisoners, whose 
        crime was demanding democracy and human rights, with due 
        restitution and reparations;
            (3) in a spirit of friendship, urges the Royal Government 
        of Bhutan to resume discussions with the Government of Nepal on 
        the status of individuals in Nepal who assert a claim to Bhutan 
        citizenship or residency;
            (4) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan to restore 
        citizenship for all Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas that have had 
        it arbitrarily revoked;
            (5) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan accept the 
        voluntary return of its citizens from the refugee camps in 
        Nepal; and
            (6) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to enter into a 
        holistic peace building and reconciliation process and 
        institute an independent Truth Commission to publicly 
        investigate any human rights violations and abuses committed 
        during the 1990s, publish its findings, and follow through on 
        its recommendations to ensure no future displacement or 
        oppression of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas and other minorities 
        in Bhutan.
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