IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 228 

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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 14, 2023 

Mr. KHANNA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

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; 


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•HRES 228 IH 

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; 


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•HRES 228 IH 

Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has stood with the United 

States and other like-minded 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 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) declares that the Royal Government of Bhu3 tan is responsible for the political, cultural, and eth4 nic oppression of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas and 

5 Sharchops in Bhutan during the late 1980s and 

6 1990s; 

7 (2) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to 

8 conduct a rapid and unconditional release of all po9 litical prisoners, whose crime was demanding democ10 racy and human rights, with due restitution and rep11 arations; 

12 (3) in a spirit of friendship, urges the Royal 

13 Government of Bhutan to resume discussions with 

14 the Government of Nepal on the status of individ15 uals in Nepal who assert a claim to Bhutan citizen16 ship or residency; 

17 (4) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan 

18 to restore citizenship for all Nepali-speaking 

19 Lhotshampas that have had it arbitrarily revoked; 


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•HRES 228 IH 

1 (5) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan 

2 to accept the voluntary return of its citizens from 

3 the refugee camps in Nepal; and 

4 (6) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to 

5 enter into a holistic peace building and reconciliation 

6 process and institute an independent Truth Commis7 sion to publicly investigate any human rights viola8 tions and abuses committed during the 1990s, pub9 lish its findings, and follow through on its rec10 ommendations to ensure no future displacement or 

11 oppression of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas and 

12 other minorities in Bhutan. 

Æ 


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