Che -Guevara Posted October 21, 2008 By Charles Haviland BBC News, Kathmandu Tuesday, October 21, 2008 Somali refugees living in Nepal have been demonstrating in the capital Kathmandu to gain official recognition by the government. They say their lives are miserable because they are not allowed to work and are threatened with heavy fines if they try to leave the country. Many of the Somalis say they were tricked into coming to Nepal by people traffickers in Mogadishu. Some say they were told they were being flown to the Italian city of Naples. The government says it is aware of the refugees and is discussing what to do about them. Refugee convention There are about 70 Somalis in Nepal, many of them children. All have lost relatives in Somalia's civil war and one man here is disabled, wounded by a bullet. The UN refugee agency in Nepal has recognised most of them as refugees, but the Nepal government has not, as it has not signed the UN refugee convention. Instead it treats them as illegal immigrants, liable to pay huge fines for overstaying their visas if and when they move to other countries. None of these people intended to come to Nepal. They paid money to self-styled agents in Mogadishu who deceived them about where they were going. About 15 say they were told they were flying to the Italian city of Naples by men deliberately using the name's similarity to the name Nepal. Only after arriving did they realise their mistake. Mohammed Said, 11, came to Nepal with his parents and seven brothers. "We came to Nepal to save our lives," he said. "We want the home minister to waive our overstaying fees. The school fees are a problem and my father doesn't have a job. "We don't get to eat food twice a day." There are other refugee or asylum-seeking communities in Nepal from countries including Iraq, Pakistan and Iran. Many of them have been trafficked in a similar way and some are imprisoned here. Nepal's home ministry spokesman, Mod Raj Dotel, declined to give the BBC an interview. But he said the government was "well aware of the Somali refugees" and was discussing what to do about Source: BBC, Oct 21, 2008 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
xiinfaniin Posted October 21, 2008 Habaarkii carabkaa nagu dhacay wallee... رب فرق القوم كأ نهم علي آفاق الأرض نجوم Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winnie Posted October 21, 2008 i dont get it, why are they being trafficked? to be refugees? or to be refugees who will pay a fine to leave country? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miskiin-Macruuf-Aqiyaar Posted October 22, 2008 Ibtilaa heysato ummadeena. Meel walba waa taaganahay, oo cabaadeenaa. A few years ago mid ayaa Bolivia kasoo dhibaato sheeganaaye, oo internetka Soomaalida wax ka weydiisanaaye oo meesha dhibaato ku heysatay. Laakiinse sheekadooda qaaf waaye, Naabuli iyo Nepal since when la iskugu qaldi karaa. Soomaalida ma dhahaan 'Naples,' ee Naabuli ayee dhahaan ee marka Nepal iyo Naabuli maa isku dhawaaq eg. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacaylbaro Posted October 22, 2008 Originally posted by xiinfaniin: Habaarkii carabkaa nagu dhacay wallee... رب فرق القوم كأ نهم علي آفاق الأرض نجوم So true ............. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
