India has for the first time said the issue of Bhutanese refugees is an international problem. Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said it was an international problem and the government of India was trying to work out a solution.
The Indian Express, an Indian daily said this quoting Mukherjee as saying. India had been dubbing the refugee issue as a bilateral issue between Nepal and Bhutan, to date.
Emerging from a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee at his residence in Kolkata Saturday night, Mukherjee informed the media that Bhattacharjee told him the refugee problem was creating serious problems in law and order situation in Bengal, and it was unacceptable" to the state government.
The remark of the Indian foreign minister comes at a time when Bhutanese refugees have been eagerly waiting for Indian support for their repatriation. Indian authorities had stopped their Long March -- a campaign for voluntary repatriation -- early this month.
"Nepal claims that these are not Nepalese citizens and Bhutan is also not ready to accept them. The refugees want to enter Bhutan and they want to pass through Indian territory," Mukherjee further said.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister urged Mukherjee to initiate a dialogue with Nepal and Bhutan, according to the newspaper.
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