Bhutan's pro-democracy dissidents say one of their top leaders has started an indefinite fast along with 25 supporters in a high security prison near the country's capital, Thimphu. The Appeal Movement Co-ordination Council of Bhutan said on Saturday that Teknath Rizal, a former royal councillor, started the fast 11 days ago demanding immediate steps by the royal government to bring back tens of thousands of refugees of Nepali origin who have fled Bhutan in this decade. Bhutan's government has neither denied nor agreed to provide any information about the hunger strike. From Calcutta, Subir Bhaumik, reports.

Mr Rizal, who is serving a life sentence in the high security Chamgang prison near Thimphu, first organised a mass hunger strike for ten days in April this year.

He demanded Bhutan must take back all the tens of thousands of refugees of Nepali origin who the kingdom's pro-democracy dissidents allege were forced out by the royal government over the years - a charge Bhutan strongly denies.

The dissident Appeal Movement Co-ordination Council says it now has definite information about a fresh hunger strike started by Mr Rizal and 25 of his supporters at the same prison.

The council's signatory general, Ratan Gazmer, said the hunger strike started 11 days ago and has continued despite intense cold and clear symptoms of failing health of several hunger strikers.

Mr Gazmer said the Nepalese government must exert renewed pressure on the Bhutanese government to take back all the refugees in deference to the wishes of the hunger strikers.

He said if Bhutan does not agree the whole issue should be internationalised by Nepal.

Thousands of refugees of Nepali origin who fled Bhutan several years ago have been forcibly stopped by Indian and Bhutanese policemen whenever they have tried to march back to Bhutan from the camps in eastern Nepal.