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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 NEW DELHI 000761 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G, G/TIP, G/PRM, G/DRL, SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2016 
TAGS: PREL PREF ELAB PHUM IN NP BT
SUBJECT: INDO-US GLOBAL ISSUES FORUM REVIEWS PRM/TIP ISSUES 
 
REF: NEW DELHI 736 
 
NEW DELHI 00000761  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
Classified By: DCM Bob Blake for reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary: A US delegation led by Under Secretary for 
Democracy and Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky discussed 
Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees, trafficking in persons, and 
forced labor with the Indian delegation headed by Foreign 
Secretary Shyam Saran at the Global Issues Forum in New Delhi 
 
SIPDIS 
on February 1.  The two sides agreed on the need to maintain 
momentum to resolve quickly the Bhutanese refugee situation, 
with Saran remarking that Bhutan will have to take back some 
"as a matter of principle."  The US delegation highlighted 
increased US-India collaboration to address trafficking in 
persons.  Saran welcomed expanded US engagement on child 
labor and forced and bonded labor through existing programs, 
but cautioned that high-profile agreements would be 
counterproductive as they would attract domestic opposition 
to "foreign interference."  Other GIF issues reported 
septels.  End Summary. 
 
Bhutanese Refugees 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  (C) PRM Director of Admissions Terry Rusch outlined the 
US assessment of the status of Bhutanese refugees in camps in 
Nepal, and expressed our hope that India would continue to 
use its good offices with the Governments of Nepal and Bhutan 
to begin expeditiously the process of repatriation of at 
least the Category 1 and 4 refugees.  She noted that the 
United States is prepared to admit substantial numbers of 
Bhutanese, and suggested that the USG would likely ask the 
GOI for permission to process refugees for admission on 
Indian territory given the unstable situation in Nepal. 
However, she warned, in meetings with the Bhutanese 
Ambassador in New Delhi (reftel), the RGOB appeared to be 
backtracking on its commitments to move ahead with the return 
of refugees.  Rusch also noted that the US might make a 
similar request regarding future resettlements of Tibetans 
resident in Nepal. 
 
¶3.  (C) Saran reviewed the Indian history of engagement with 
Nepal and Bhutan to resolve the refugee problem, noting that 
India is keenly interested in a settlement as the existence 
of the camps poses a continuing security risk to India. 
Noting that UNHCR's requests for "elaborate monitoring 
conditions" of the returnees had contributed to Bhutan's 
decision to scuttle an earlier plan, he added that treatment 
of returning refugees would not be a "state secret," as any 
mistreatment would be reported quickly through media and 
communications linkages.  Rusch noted that monitoring of 
refugees is a standard practice, and another group, such as 
the ICRC, could perform this function.  Saran stated that 
India had expended great efforts behind the scenes to set up 
the aborted deal, and continues those efforts to move the two 
countries towards an agreement.  Saran's latest interactions 
with the Bhutanese Foreign Minister had given no indications 
of RGOB backtracking, Saran said, adding that while the GOI 
would continue to press Bhutan, both the US and India also 
needed to keep pressure on Nepal to fulfill its commitments. 
Many Bhutanese stayed in India after being expelled from 
Bhutan, more have moved here from the camps to find 
employment, and New Delhi expects that in any final 
settlement even more refugees will eventually settle in 
India, Saran said.  However, the GOI believes that Bhutan 
will need to take back some refugees as a "matter of 
 
NEW DELHI 00000761  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
principle."  (NOTE: See further GOI comments on Bhutanese 
refugees in para 7.  END NOTE) 
 
UNHCR Representation 
-------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) After Rusch raised the question of the GOI's 
accession to the Convention Relating to the Status of 
Refugees, Saran noted that India's lack of signature had 
never stood in the way of welcoming refugees.  Saran 
explained that the Government is considering enacting a 
refugee law, after which it may reconsider the question of 
signing the Convention.  Regarding the lack of a New Delhi 
UNHCR office, Joint Secretary (UN Economic and Social) 
Manjeev Puri asserted that India has a good working 
relationship with UNHCR, although the formal establishment of 
an office is hampered by lingering disappointment over UNHCR 
leaving India "high and dry" with Tibetan refugees in 1971. 
Saran added that the GOI would be willing to entertain a 
formal request from UNHCR if it wished to open a New Delhi 
office. 
 
Trafficking 
----------- 
 
¶5.  (C) G/TIP Senior Coordinator Mark Taylor commended 
India's increasing efforts to stamp out trafficking in 
persons, and welcomed proposed amendments to the Immoral 
Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA), noting the importance of 
increased law enforcement to target clients.  He also 
applauded our expanded bilateral dialogue on TIP, citing 
"unprecedented law enforcement cooperation" such as our 
recently agreed $2 million UNODC training program.  Taylor 
suggested that with Nepal's recent ratification of the SAARC 
Convention on trafficking, India could play a leading role in 
implementing mechanisms to stop regional trafficking and 
repatriate victims of international trafficking.  Saran 
agreed that regional trafficking was a high priority for the 
GOI, and outlined steps India has taken to combat it, 
including appointment of nodal officers in the Ministry of 
Home Affairs in New Delhi to interact with Nepal, and GOI 
nodal officers in Mumbai and Calcutta to coordinate efforts 
on trafficked persons; and stepped up surveillance and 
questioning of suspicious travelers at selected high volume 
crossing points along the open India-Nepal border.  India and 
Bangladesh have agreed to set up a similar arrangement, he 
noted.  Puri told the US delegation that the amendments to 
the ITPA, aimed at removing penalties for the victims of 
trafficking and beefing up enforcement against the procurers 
of trafficked persons, had recently cleared the Cabinet, and 
the GOI expected to table the amendments in Parliament soon. 
 
Forced Labor: Abroad and at Home 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Turning to forced and bonded labor, Taylor 
acknowledged India's interest in protecting its citizens 
working abroad from inhumane conditions, as well as at home, 
and expressed USG interest in partnering on this front, 
including replicating the successful USG-funded program for 
reintegrating victims of trafficking.  U/S Dobriansky 
highlighted the example of Indonesia's recent efforts to work 
multilaterally with other countries to establish standards 
for working conditions for migrant labor in the Middle East 
and elsewhere.  Saran outlined the elaborate procedures India 
has in place to protect its migrant workers in the Gulf 
 
NEW DELHI 00000761  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
region, such as a requirement for emigration clearance from 
the Protectorate of Emigrants, a watch list for suspect 
employers and agents, and an ombudsman role for Indian 
Embassies in the region.  He assessed that India's 
cooperation with the US on international and domestic labor 
standards was "going well," but cautioned that high-profile 
bilateral actions on domestic labor conditions would be 
"sensitive."  The GOI welcomes further practical cooperation 
through the medium of existing programs to address forced and 
bonded domestic labor, without seeking an official agreement 
"that would invite opposition" to outsiders meddling in 
India's domestic affairs. 
 
Further Discussions on Bhutanese Refugees 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) PRM Director Rusch, accompanied by PolCouns and 
Poloffs, discussed further India's role in resolving the 
question of Bhutanese refugees in a February 2 meeting with 
MEA Joint Secretary (North) Pankaj Saran.  She outlined USG 
objectives of Bhutanese repatriation of a small number of 
refugees, UNHCR registration of the camps, and third country 
resettlement in large numbers, to include tens of thousands 
to the United States.  Saran noted the increasing impatience 
in the international community with delays by Nepal and 
Bhutan, and assured Rusch that the GOI is continuously 
engaged with Kathmandu and Thimpu on finding a solution. 
However, he cautioned, the international community must take 
into account concerns of the mountain kingdoms' governments, 
including negative experiences with UNHCR in the past, in 
crafting a solution that both nations will find comfortable. 
Additionally, the governing crisis in Kathmandu makes it 
unclear if Nepalese interlocutors can deliver on their 
commitments.  Saran promised to continue the GOI's efforts to 
push Bhutan and Nepal to find a solution.  He declined to 
commit to allowing eventual USG processing of Bhutanese 
refugees on Indian territory, noting that this would be an 
issue in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs and 
MEA's division of Citizenship, Passports and Visas. 
 
¶8.  (U) Under Secretary Dobriansky has cleared this message. 
 
¶9.  (U) Participants in the February 1 meeting: 
 
USG: 
- U/S Paula Dobriansky 
- Claudia McMurray, Assistant Secretary (Designate) for 
Oceans, International Environment and Scientific Affairs 
- Theresa Rusch, Director for Admissions, Bureau of 
Population, Refugees and Migration 
- Bob Blake, Deputy Chief of Mission 
- Harlan Watson, Senior Climate Negotiator 
- Joaquin Ferrao, Senior Advisor to G 
- Mark Taylor, Senior Coordinator, G/TIP 
- Geoff Pyatt, Minister Counselor for Political Affairs 
- Vaughn Turekian, Special Assistant to G 
- Don Brown, Acting Science Counselor 
- Altaf Lal, Health Attache 
- Greg Drazek, Political Officer 
- Jai Nair, Political Officer (notetaker) 
 
GOI: 
- Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran 
- KC Singh, MEA Additional Secretary (International 
Organizations) 
- Prodipto Ghosh, Ministry of Environment and Forests 
 
NEW DELHI 00000761  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
Secretary 
 
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- Sujata Rao, Ministry of Health Additional 
Secretary/Director, National AIDS Control Organization 
 
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- RPS Katwal, Ministry of Environment and Forests Additional 
Director General for Wildlife 
- S Jaishankar, MEA Joint Secretary (Americas) 
- Sanjiv Arora, MEA Joint Secretary (UN Political) 
- Manjiv Puri, MEA Joint Secretary (UN Economic and Social) 
- Vineet Choudhry, Ministry of Health Joint Secretary 
- Gaitri Kumar, MEA Director (Americas) 
- Santosh Jha, MEA Deputy Secretary (Americas) 
- Viraj Singh, MEA Under Secretary (Americas) 
 
¶10.  (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: 
(http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/sa/newdelhi/) 
MULFORD