Call for law to protect rights of refugees

KATHMANDU, Dec 1 - Human rights activists, Constituent Assembly members and legal experts have stressed the need to introduce a separate law for the protection of refugees' rights.They were speaking at a programme on Prospect for Refugee Law in Nepal.

President of INHURED International Gopal Siwakoti presented the draft relating to ...

Gautam said the government will hold discussions on the draft in the Parliament.

Chief whip of CPN (Maoist) Dinanath Sharma lauded INHURED International for preparing the draft refugee law. He pledged to discuss the draft in the parliament.

Legal expert and CA member Khimlal Devkota said refugees' rights and refugee law should be taken as a part of international human rights law. He said, "There should be a law to safeguard refugees' rights.

"A number of economically-backward African countries take Nepal as a model as far as burden-sharing of refugees is concerned," Devkota said.

Subodh Pyakurel of INSEC (Informal Sector Service Centre) and professor and former member of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Kapil Shrestha also highlighted the need to introduce laws to protect refugees' rights.