I have the honour to address this letter to you on behalf of the Bhutanese forced by the government to live in exile as refugees for close to two decades now in Nepal and elsewhere. I hope you would not regard this letter as an unwanted intrusion in your busy official and private engagements, but … Read more
BY S. B. SUBBA: The Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley speaks of equity and just in his every addresses. But, his ruthless treatment with injustice and unfair social welfare to the laborers who are in fact the back bone of the infrastructural developments could be easily interpreted. When the salary of the government employees and the MPs were revised two times in the span of three years, the wage of the laborers remained stagnant to Rs. 100 per day with hard labour from 7 am till 5pm. Although the labour Act 2007 enacted probably sans economic welfare as if the escalating price does not affect the poor. The constitution says that Bhutan is a secular country and the king is the custodian of all the religions. The Buddhist philosophy and principles of respect, tolerance and co-existence is the fundamental guiding factor and pivot that GNH revolves on […]
It was 7:22 am when fire broke out in one of the houses in Goldhap. The blowing wind carried the flame from hut to hut. The fire became uncontrollable. In ninety minutes, 512 huts out of 605 were reduced to ashes. Fire brigade was called. They moved into action and yet they could not arrest the fast spreading fire. Along with the huts our Child Play Centre and Youth Friendly Centre were totally consumed by fire and nothing could be salvaged.All the materials in our Palliative Care Centre were burnt out. The fire also engulfed the Health Centre run by Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) Nepal.
The Caritas/JRS Nepal team was the first to reach Goldhap and be with the victims of fire. As our school has brick wall and tin sheet roofing, it was not affected. Hence it has become now the shelter for about 3,800 people displaced by fire […]
The day was March 22. It is hard to believe that two fire accidents could take place on the same day in two refugee camps. From all information collected in both the camps, it was accidental and not purposely done. It was 7:22 am when fire broke out in one of the houses in Goldhap. … Read more
The journey for the third day was mainly a steep downhill slope, and with a significantly heavy bag-pack, it wasn’t easy to balance ourselves. We knew we were closer to our destination comparatively, but because we were from different villages, quite far apart, our route had to bifurcate at some point. The point, still at a distant, we were convinced that we would not reach there in the day light. From the day we penetrated into the forest, we never encountered a human being, but at least now, we started seeing some cattle graze in the pastures […]
BY DHRUVA MISHRA: Political discrimination and ethnic victimization by the Bhutanese feudal system is not new. In fact, the rulers so cleverly formulate the laws and statutes that criticism of government policies is automatically prohibited. The rise of people’s voice has always given them fear and insecurity and put their ambitions at stake. From the arrest of Tek Nath Rizal in 1988, to the recent arrest and imprisonment of Prem Singh Gurung, a Christian activist; incidences of arrests and inhuman treatment to the minorities in Bhutan, on the basis of political or religious beliefs, has remained routine. Gurung was arrested for screening movies on Christianity and has been sentenced to three years’ in prison by a District Court; on charges of attempting to promote a civil unrest […]
I feel greatly honored and privileged to stand in front of you all today and say a few words about the Bhutanese and their struggle for existence in the third countries. Bhutan, a tiny country, situated between the emerging superpowers of India and China, hailed by some as ‘the last Shangri-La’, has generated one of … Read more
The Supreme Court has ruled that the government violated the Constitution by raising taxes without seeking the Parliament’s approval. This is a landmark verdict. But the verdict should not be seen as a loss for the government. Nor should it be seen as a win for the opposition party. In fact it should be seen, … Read more
As per an open request posted in his blog by Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay on February 14, a person called Kinley Shering has started “amend the tobacco control act” in one of the most powerful media, the facebook. As of Sunday, the group has 244 members, including the OL and executive director of Bhutan Media … Read more
The government on Tuesday ruled out the immediate possibility of dissolving. Addressing a press gathering in the capital yesterday, Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley asked people to remain assured that his government would not leave in the middle. PM Thinley, who criticized courts that ruled against the government move on taxation last month, said he … Read more