Thimphu, April 16, 2009: After much speculation, the board of directors of the Bhutan Times, the first private newspaper of the country, has decided that Chief Executive Officer of the paper Tenzin Rigden will continue in the same position.
The directors, mostly the business entrepreneurs, were dissatisfied for ignorance of the paper for covering the business they are attached to. It had undermined the editorial independence of the paper.
Facing pressure from the board, Rigden had resigned as CEO. The dispute began when the management decided without consent from the board to increase the frequency of the paper from weekly to bi-weekly, terminating 15 employees and then closing the book publication wing.
The paper has around Nu 23-25 million in unpaid dues. About Nu 6-8 million of this was the result of the newspaper management investing in the citizen’s initiative for coronation and centenary celebrations (CICCC), of which the board members’ approval was also not sought. An investment close to Nu 3.5 million was also made in the publications but only about Nu 0.3 million worth of books were sold.
The board has now appointed Phub Zam of Yarkey group of companies to look after the business management area of the newspaper.
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Allen Taylor
To save newspaper being wrecked is a nice job of apfa. It would be wonderful if they also do the same for the newspapers particularly the Nepali edition of Kuensel. Afpa managers has never paid any attention to that part of media which is run by and for the Lhotshampas minorities in Bhutan, or if they have done anything to save this edition I will be pleased to see it please. The Newspapers like Bhutan Times, Bhutan Observer and Kuensel, for which often apfa people desired to have it run optimum deserves less attention of them then to Nepali edition of Kuensel and Lhotshamp language department of BBS because the state law protects them since they are run by the elites. Afpa group presenting as watchdog will be appreciated if they open both eyes and see what is happening to the media operated in the language of the minorities.