AP News, May 29th, 2007
Indian troops opened fire on hundreds of Bhutanese refugees who have been trying for two days to cross the small patch of Indian territory that separates Nepal from their homeland, officials said.
At least nine people were shot and wounded, said Narhari Adhikari, a police official on the Nepalese side of the border. An Indian official said troops fired about 30 rounds after the refugees hurled stones at border guards.
"We had to open fire because the people on the other side had became violent," said Rajesh Pandey, the top administrative official in charge of the Indian side. "We don't know if they suffered any casualties. The situation is now under control."
A witness, who asked not to be named for safety fears, told The Associated Press by telephone that Indian troops on a border bridge issued a warning, but the refugees marched ahead. Rajesh said about 50 troops were hurt by stones.
The refugees were among thousands who have been camping at the border area in an organized attempt to cross about 35 miles of Indian territory that separates Nepal from Bhutan.
More than 100,000 ethnic Nepalis _ a Hindu minority in Bhutan for centuries _ have been living as refugees in east Nepal since the early 1990s, when they were forced out by Bhutanese authorities who wanted to impose the dominant Buddhist culture across the country.
The refugees have tried to force their way through Indian territory in the past, but it was unclear what prompted the latest attempt.
The refugees have been divided over a U.S. government offer to settle 60,000 of them in the United States, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report last month. Last week, a vehicle carrying U.S. Ambassador James F. Moriarty was pelted with rocks during a visit to the refugee camps to give details about the resettlement plan.
Human Rights Watch some refugees see the U.S. offer as a capitulation to Bhutanese authorities and have created "climate of fear and intimidation" to prevent others from accepting it.
On Monday, Nepalese police fired on a group of Bhutanese demonstrating and throwing stones at police outside one of the seven refugee camps in southeastern Nepal, killing one and wounding several. Officials said the trouble began Sunday when two refugee factions began fighting.
