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 op-
pression 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 deten-
tion, torture, and other forms of human rights abuses; 
Whereas many political prisoners continue to be held in Bhu-
tanese prisons for protracted sentences; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:35 Mar 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR228.IH
HR228
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•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 con-
tinues 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, Neth-
erlands, 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 main-
tain 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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:35 Mar 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR228.IH
HR228
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 228 IH 
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has stood with the United 
States and other like-minded countries as the United Na-
tions to condemn Russian aggression in Ukraine; and 
Whereas, the Kingdom of Bhutan is a close Indo-Pacific part-
ner of the United States committed to upholding the 
rules-based international order: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) declares that the Royal Government of Bhu-
tan is responsible for the political, cultural, and eth-
nic 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 po-
litical prisoners, whose crime was demanding democ-
racy and human rights, with due restitution and rep-
arations; 
(3) in a spirit of friendship, urges the Royal 
Government of Bhutan to resume discussions with 
the Government of Nepal on the status of individ-
uals in Nepal who assert a claim to Bhutan citizen-
ship or residency; 
(4) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan 
to 
restore 
citizenship 
for 
all 
Nepali-speaking 
Lhotshampas that have had it arbitrarily revoked; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:35 Mar 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR228.IH
HR228
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
•HRES 228 IH 
(5) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan 
to 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 Commis-
sion to publicly investigate any human rights viola-
tions and abuses committed during the 1990s, pub-
lish its findings, and follow through on its rec-
ommendations to ensure no future displacement or 
oppression of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas and 
other minorities in Bhutan. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:35 Mar 15, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR228.IH
HR228
kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS