Kathmandu(AsiaNews) – Hundreds of refugees yesterday started a sit-in outside the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to protest a decision to cut the monthly allowance that guarantees their survival.
At the moment there are around 700 refugees inNepalcoming from all acrossAsia: most are exiles fromPakistan,Bangladesh,Myanmar,ChinaandIran. All have been declared political refugees who fled their home countries because of different types of persecution. Then there are around 106,000 Bhutanese refugees who live in special UN camps in the eastern part ofNepal.
Norbert Ray, a Nepalese activist who supports the refugees’ cause, said the decision to cut back on aid by around 15% was “atrocious”. He said: “I wonder how anyone could survive on 32 dollars a month [the new UN allowance] in places likeKathmandu.”
The High Commissioner defended its position in a press statement, saying “the increased number of refugees together with budgetary constraints have obliged UNHCR to review the terms of assistance. The decision taken inNepalreflects a policy that the UNHCR has decided to apply across the world.”
