Meeting of inmates in Bhutan and exiled Bhutanese made public

Though the programme was going on for several years, Red Cross Society has publicly announced that it is taking 40 exiled Bhutanese to Thimphu to meet their relatives who are still in Bhutanese custody.

The International Red Cross has been doing this for several years but it has not come to the public.

The family members in exile will travel to Thimphu to meet the political prisoners serving jail term in Chemgang Central Jail.

According to Nepalese media, there are 28 political prisoners in Chemgang Jail. However, there aren’t any official figures from government or from the political parties/rights groups in exile about the exact number of political prisoners serving jail sentences in Bhutan for demanding democratic changes.

Each exiled Bhutanese going to meet their political prisoner relative in the Central Jail would get NRs 4,000 as travel allowance and four members of a family of each political prisoner would be taken on the visit. The relatives of the prisoners would also get chance to spend two days with them.

It is not clear whether such facilities would be available for people who have gone for settlement leaving relatives still behind Bhutanese jail.