Ohio senator urges Congress to address forced displacement of Nepali‑speaking Bhutanese

Senator Cynda Reynolds told the Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety Committee she is sponsoring Senate Resolution 69 to press Congress to address what she described as the forced displacement and oppression of more than 120,000 Nepali‑speaking Bhutanese citizens.

"The forced displacement and oppression of over a 120,000 Nepali speaking Bhutanese citizens and other minorities by the government of Bhutan during the late 1980s and 1990s," Reynolds said, describing people who were stripped of citizenship, subjected to violence, and forced to flee their homeland. She said many spent decades in refugee camps and that Ohio is home to more than 55,000 Nepali‑speaking Bhutanese Americans, some of whom live in her district.

Reynolds framed the resolution as a response to constituent concerns and urged federal action. "We have a responsibility to stand with our Ohio neighbors and call on the government of Bhutan to release political prisoners, restore citizenship, and allow those who wish to return to do so safely and with dignity," she said. She asked committee members for their support in moving the resolution forward so Ohio could "set the example for other states to follow."

A committee member who identified a local Nepali community in Akron thanked Reynolds for elevating the issue and offered assistance. No committee vote or formal action on SR 69 was recorded during this meeting; Reynolds provided sponsor testimony and answered questions from committee members.

The committee did not set a further date for action on the resolution during this session. The next procedural step would depend on any scheduling or referral the committee chair or leadership chooses to set.