Are some Bhutanese refugees fleeing Utah for better health care options?

By:By Wendy Leonard, Deseret News.
The Bhutanese refugee community in Utah is tightly knit. They look after each other, according to some of its members.

But their numbers seem to be dwindling, said Tom Neupane, a 25-year-old University of Utah student who arrived in Utah with his family in 2009. He said several families, including some close friends of his, have fled to states where health care for low-income adults is more accessible.

"If nothing happens here by next summer, I'll be moving out of state, too," Neupane said. "We've been waiting for the good news for the last three years and nothing is happening."

The good news, he said, would be an expansion of Medicaid.

Neupane and his wife are insured through his job at the U., though he said he'd like to live in a state where Medicaid is available to a larger population of low-income adults so that he doesn't have to worry so much about his parents and his in-laws, and others in his family.

"Family is a big part of our culture. Taking care of them is our very first priority," he said. "It's been a very hard time."

Neupane doesn't think welfare programs should be free, but because he pays taxes, he wants to benefit from that in some way.

He said the Bhutanese culture is strong, encouraging education and progress in its youth. Many of his peers are seeking or have earned high-level degrees and "have unique talents."

"We could make the area richer, we have different business ideas," Neupane said. "Losing these communities is not a good thing. But it's really happening."

His father speaks limited English and works less than full-time as a janitor, therefore not qualifying for benefits. In 2014, he was paying about $30 a month for health care via www.healthcare.gov, but he now has to come up with $132 a month, just for himself, as rates have increased sharply in the first years of the marketplace.

"My mom doesn't have health insurance," Neupane said. "She needs to see the doctor, but she's not seeing anybody."

A "low-cost" version of imaging his mother needed ended up costing the family close to $3,000. The family applied for financial aid, but Neupane said it is hard to come up with that much when several families are living on so little.

As the most educated person in his family, and the most active in the community, Neupane said he is relied upon heavily.

Bhutanese Vote from United States

But many, closer to home, still find the existing procedure unfriendly
Postal Ballot: Unlike in the past, more than a thousand or so Bhutanese, living and working in the United States, will take part in the country’s electoral process, starting with sending in votes for the second parliamentary elections next year.

This is being made possible through the election commission’s decision to extend the postal ballot facility to Bhutanese living in the US.

Chief election commissioner Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said this was the result of the commitment prime minister made during one of his visits as the head of the government.

In September 2010, Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley told those living in New York that the government would consider renewing their citizenship identity cards without having to come to Bhutan in person, and also to facilitate postal ballots, among others.

“We thought we could make an accommodation to that, since there was a sizeable group,” Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said.

He said that came under the election Act’s provision, which says the commission could consider case by case on who could vote through post.

“Just now it’s those in the United States but, if Bhutanese from other places apply, giving valid reasons, we’ll extend the service, based on the application,” he said.

Welcoming the news, Aum Tshering from Wangduephodrang, who has lived in New York for the last seven years, through an email interview, said they were well updated with political developments in the country through relatives and the media.

“But we could never partake in our country’s democratic process,” she said, adding the least they could do was make their votes count, but that was not obtainable.

According to election rules, only those diplomats and persons working in Bhutanese embassies abroad, persons residing outside Bhutan on special government duty, their dependents and spouses, armed forces, civil servants and students and trainees were entitled to vote through postal ballots.

During the local government elections, however, postal ballots were also made available to spouses and direct dependents of civil servants.

“After the first parliamentary elections, there were issues where civil servants, while they could vote by post, had to travel to the villages to drop their wives and children,” Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said. “Through the Parliament, we made the decision.”

Meanwhile, many private individuals said they should be entitled to the postal ballot facility, since it required closing their businesses for days.

“Unlike civil servants, for us, every hour makes a difference to our income,” a stationery shop owner in Thimphu Pema Tashi said, adding, during the last parliamentary election, he closed his shop for more than a week.

A grocery shop owner at the capital’s vegetable market, Lhundrup Tshering said, making postal ballot available to everyone would encourage more people to vote.

“Voting is not compulsory, so even such facilities should be kept optional to all,” he said.

But those, who could avail postal ballot, said the procedures involved were least friendly.

A voter was first required to register with the commission, then apply to the returning officer, and then cast a vote by post.  In the last National Council election, more than 12,000 votes were rejected, owing to some error in the detail voters provided.

Election commission officials, however, argued that was the simplest process they could offer.

“We can’t make it too simple that in itself becomes difficult,” Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said, adding at every stage, secrecy was involved and they had to ensure it.

He said, wherever possible, they simplified it, like doing away with the requirement of an individual from same constituency having to be witness.

“Any Bhutanese can be a witness now,” he said.

He said, while the commission encouraged people to go and vote in person, and made postal ballots available to only those, who required to be on election duty, among others, postal ballot was not the finest of the practice.

“Big election systems hardly take interest in postal ballots, since it often becomes an issue of questioning the election itself,” he said, adding a little investment, to ensure a competent representative was elected that would make a huge impact, was the least one could do.

By Kesang Dema(Kuenselonline.com)

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Bhutanese in TOP TEN Singing icon of Nepal

An exiled youth has been nominated as top 10 Singing Icon of Nepal in a state-owned television reality show.


"I have never thought I would be grasping opportunities to participate in mega singing events in Nepal and India," says 22-year-old Tek Duthraj of Beldangi-I refugee camp. 

Duthraj was a child of three when his family was evicted from Sarpang district in 1992.

Winter Olympic,a thrilling moments for Bhutanese in Canada

After living 20 years in a Refugee Camp in Nepal, Bhutanese resettled in Canada watched the “live” Olympic Winter games for the first time on their Television sets for 17 days. So far more than 1500 Bhutanese Refugees living in Nepal have been resettled in Canada from the east coast of New Found land and Labrador to the west coast of British Columbia in the west, where the winter Olympic was held.
"This is one of the great accomplishment to be resettled in a develop nation and it’s an extraordinary opportunity for me in Canada and watch the Olympic game in the history of my life" quoted 72 years old Nar Maya Mainly, who is resettled in Regina, Saskatchewan. I am really proud to resettle in Canada, she added in her sharp voice.
After 17 days of thrilling athletic competition, amazing display of sportsmanship and magical moments when lifelong dreams were finally realized on the podium, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter games drew its official close yesterday night.
We have never ever dreamed of these great moments in our life, watching Olympic, its pretty incredible, said Khagen Adhikari in a telephone conversation. Mr. Khagen who is resettled in Tri-Cities in Vancouver, BC also got an opportunity to meet and greet the well known athletes of the world.

A festive of 60,000 jammed into BC Place Stadium for the closing ceremony, many of them Canadians abuzz over the overtime victory by the men’s hockey team earlier in the day to give the host nation a Winter Olympics record of 14 gold medals where I was also one of the audiences in the arena.

Though when we talk about the winter Olympic Bhutanese may not have sufficient ideas about the performance however the entire community enjoyed the game, it was so fantastic and enjoyable added Lakpa Tamang who enjoyed the entire game in his TV set in St. John. Every people dreams of watching the Olympic game and that has come true in my life he said through Skye interview with us.

Finally the game ended when all the athletes gave a patriotic wave, wipe away the tears and said goodbye to the Vancouver so do the Bhutanese filled their hearts with joys and memories of the Olympic a new experiences in their life, in a far distant land.