Recent political change in Bhutan has given opportunity for public debates on several issues pertaining to Bhutanese nationality, including its official language Dzongkha, which otherwise would have been impossible. Talking relevance of any Bhutanese symbols under absolute monarchy was certain to land people into jails. Discussing their usage today is the healthy democratic culture that [...]

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I hope you are keeping well. Congratulations to your esteemed agency for becoming successful to resettle 30,000+ Bhutanese refugees in various western countries in a short span of time. Indeed, this is one of the greatest achievements, for which the UNHCR should be doubtlessly eulogized. A majority of resettled Bhutanese have started to live up with a new hope, new dreams, and a new life—the progress for which is yet to be seen. It was very pleasurable to go through your interview in the official website of Bhutan News Service

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It might seem a little outlandish to find women, especially in Thimphu, carrying chili powder or tiny Swiss knives with their cosmetics in their handbags these days. While they carry make-up sets to apply on their faces from time to time to accentuate the way they look, chili powder and knives are reserved to keep [...]

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It was not an amazing but surely a set back to read in a recent interview with a Nepalese daily newspaper that Information and Communication Minister Nandalal Rai see the possibility of communal violence in the country if the government initiated to revive the Nepali language version of the state-controlled Kuensel daily. I noted it [...]

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The ‘democratic government’ of Bhutan has given hints that this country is likely to face insurgency or the political turmoil in future. The government a few years back had announced its intention to form a counter-insurgency force, has finally been materialized. The youth sensitization, under police-youth collaboration, followed government’s announcement to form such military armed [...]

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Times and again we are informed that the institution of the Zhabs-drung rule came to an end with the establishment of the dynastic rule in 1907. However, Jigs-med Dorji (1905-1931), born in Tawang region, came to be indentified with the last official incarnation of the Zhabs-drung. Charles-Bell mentions in his Confidential Report of Bhutan in [...]

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At a time when Japan’s economy was in a bubble stage, when the Japanese people were considering TV, washing machine, refrigerator as necessities at their homes, a Japanese youth, an agriculture expert was writing development plans in a remote village in Bhutan under a lamp-light lit from pine extract. The agricultural development in Bhutan and [...]

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No where in histories we see absolute rulers letting the media run freely. In a surprising attempt to keep regime’s direct influence in media sector, coinciding with his 30th birthday anniversary, the young oxford-graduated king of Bhutan, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, issued a royal kasho (charter/decree) formally establishing the Bhutan Media Foundation in the [...]

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Twelve years ago, eastern Bhutan was closed to trap and kill the rebels who raised voice against the autocratic regime in Thimphu. At least one hundred and fifty eastern Bhutanese were arrested and tortured to coerce them to confess being the supporters of Rongthong Kunley Dorji of Druk National Congress (DNC) and United Front for [...]

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Last September infants in Bhutan were immunized using new life saving ‘5 in 1’ vaccine named ‘Pentavalent’. Gross of children succumbed to the vaccine and others suffered from acute side effects. The samples of vaccines were sent to advance laboratories for test. The result took unexpectedly long time to come out. In the mean time, [...]

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