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The refugee situation in Bhutan comes out of tension between the rulers and the southern Bhutanese. Starting in 1990, the government expelled over 80,000 of their residents – namely ethnic Nepalese. The actual number could be more than 100,000. Bhutan’s position is that they were not legal residents and a public safety danger. The refugees say they were discriminated against because they were would oppose the King as the country moves to a constitutional monarchy. These exiled Bhutanese mostly ended up at one of seven main refugee camps in Nepal. Over 20.000 have taken an offer from the United States to resettle there. Over the next few years, a total of 60,000 are expected. They are grateful for the opportunity to go to school, work, and become citizens of a new country. In return, they hope to contribute positively to American society.Thanks to Meg Dhimal for telling septic radio about his experiences in Bhutan and Nepal, Barbara Clarihew for arranging this discussion, and Peter Newbegin for sharing his years of experience working with these refugees. More information on the United Nations campaign and background reading material can be found at http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e487646.Music for this episode comes from Sudharshan Varadarajan and his 2010 release, Seven (http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/Sudharshan_Varadarajan). A Septic Radio production.