US Embassy responds to allegations
US Embassy responds to allegations
By A Staff Reporter
In its edition of April 11 and April 17, The Kathmandu Post carried articles which made several allegations regarding Thomas Furey, the nominated Ambassador of the United States to the Kingdom of Nepal. Furey was nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to the Kingdom of Nepal on March 3, 2000.
According to an American Embassy press release here April 17, The Kathmandu Post articles contained a number of allegations said to be contained in a letter from an individual to the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The committee has jurisdiction over the department of state and is currently considering Furey’s nomination.
Of the assertions of fact in the article, only one is true; in July 1982 an adoption agency run by the Government of Nepal placed a Nepali child in the foster care of Mr. And Mrs. Furey. The child was in their home for a period of four (not six) months in late 1982. No documents were signed when they took the child into their foster care. They subsequently decided not to proceed to finalisation of the adoption process. The child was then placed in the foster care of another family.
This matter was known to the U.S. Government during the process of considering Furey’s nomination. The circumstances were carefully and thoroughly investigated. American officials and others who were in Nepal at the time were consulted, and there was no suggestion that Furey acted illegally or on any basis other than personal concerns, which included the welfare of the child.
In particular, there is no basis for charges that Furey’s actions in this matter were based on “racism.” In our view, the use of that word in the headline of the article is thoroughly unfair and completely unwarranted and unsubstantiated, since it is nowhere mentioned in association with Furey’s name in the text of the article. The false allegations regarding Furey’s family members are particularly egregious, since the individuals accused are deceased and unable to defend themselves against these allegations.
What is also true is that the decision was a fundamentally personal one for the Fureys. Some Americans and others who were in Nepal at the time had strong opinions about the matter. Many supported the Fureys; others considered what they did, to be mistaken. But neither the Nepalese government nor Furey’s superiors at the time raised any questions about the actions he took. Eighteen years later, this matter should be put to rest. Furey is eminently qualified to be the U.S. Ambassador to Nepal. He has enjoyed a successful career as an officer of the U.S. Government and, most importantly, loves Nepal and its people. If confirmed by the Senate, he will be an excellent representative of the United States Government and people to the Kingdom of Nepal.