Bhutan Fantasy

Aerodrome emergency plan tested

2008-03-12T04:51:00.000-07:00

Taxi-driver Namgay Dorji, en route to Paro town, was horror-struck when he saw smoke billowing from the Paro International Airport and firefighters rushing amidst emergency lights flashing and sirens reverberating across the valley. “I thought Druk Air was on fire,” said the panting taxi driver. “No one would have thought this was an exercise.” Indeed, this was the first annual full-scale aerodrome emergency evacuation exercise carried out by the Civil Aviation department and Druk Air. They were testing the aerodrome emergency plan, drafted two years ago and reviewed by consultants several times. “This exercise is basically to prepare every agency at the airport and Paro dzongkhag in case of an emergency at the airport,” said project manager, Sangay Wangdi. The exercise was made mandatory after Bhutan became a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2005. The ICAO audited all the safety-related areas of Druk Air in October 2006 and the report stated that Bhutan had neither carried out any such emergency evacuation exercise nor had any standard protocol to do so in terms of emergency. “This is an annual mandatory exercise according to ICAO,” stated the report. The project manager said that there was no detailed manual in the past to follow in terms of any mishap. “The new plan contains detailed procedures to be followed during such an incident at the airport.” Experts from Sweden, who were monitoring the exercise, pointed out the need for better coordination amongst concerned agencies involved in case of an emergency. The exercise was carried out with assistance from the capacity development project (CDP) financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Paro hospital, Royal Bhutan Army (Shaba), and the dzongkhag were among the 11 agencies involved in the exercise.

Sangay Ngedup persuades the Kabjips

2008-03-07T23:47:00.001-08:00

“ It’s in your hands to decide if you want Bhutan’s first elected prime minister to be your chimi.” The People’s Democratic Party, Sangay Ngedup, posed this choice to the Kabjips as he campaigned in the birthplace of his contestant, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s Tshering Penjor. Sangay Ngedup was in Kabji Yulsaka, above Tshering Penjor’s village, on Thursday as he started combing the Kabji-Talo constituency, campaigning, with just over two weeks left for poll day. Sangay Ngedup declared that he would be the prime minister if PDP won the election on March 24. The people, who attended the meeting, all farmers, needed no introduction to Sangay Ngedup. With their village boy Tshering Penjor contesting against the former minister, many say that it is a difficult choice to make. But if the 100 people or so, who attended the meeting, represent the voters of Yulsaka or the decision-making family heads, Tshering Penjor would have to climb a steep political hill in his own gewog. “I’m confident of winning, but by what margin I can’t say,” said Sangay Ngedup. He is not going from door to door as the party announced. But as he goes from chiwog, to chiwog propagating the Triple Gem strategy to develop agriculture and promising developments on all fronts, most Kabjips could change their mind even if they had decided to vote for their village boy. The villages of Yulsakha, Awakha, Patari, Sirigang, Tongshingn, Yebisa, Botokha, located on the banks of river Mo-chu, has a favourable climate and very fertile agricultural land. Most villagers have recently turned to mass vegetable production to supplement their income and there are many success stories of farmers’ lives becoming comfortable because of vegetable production. Sangay Ngedup’s campaign message hits the right note. The president said that Kabjisa has a lot of prospects and avenues to develop its people. He said that he would implement the concept of Triple Gem, a concept he initiated while he was the agriculture minister, to develop agriculture in Kabjisa. The Triple Gem, also called PAM, aims to develop agriculture through enhanced productivity, accessibility and marketing. “PDP will bring new knowledge in agriculture to improve production,” said the president. “We’ll discuss the priorities with the people and adopt new knowledge to generate income from cash crops, wild products, vegetables, and livestock.” He added that Kabjisa had a lot of potential to become a prosperous gewog. “We’ll tap that potential.” Sangay Ngedup said that, within five years, PDP would not leave a single village unconnected by farm roads to market their products and improve overall agriculture. “We’ll focus on roads because it’s the most important infrastructure development,” he said. Sangay Ngedup knows Kabjisa like the back of his hand and told the gathering that new markets had to be explored to market their products. “I know you carry your farm products on your back and the furthest it goes is to Thimphu,” he said. “We need to expand our market, form farmers’ cooperatives and export our products,” he said. The president also promised a gewog centre with a farmer’s bank, power tillers for hire, agriculture machinery unit, and shops selling hybrid seeds and fertilizers. “When I say I’ll do, I mean it because PDP ‘walks the talk’,” said the president. “It may not come overnight, but I live next to your village (Ritsa) and I’d be ashamed if I make empty promises.” Sangay Ngedup knew he was convincing a voter base in his contestant’s gewog and was quick to warn them to decide their vote not on knowing a person, but on who would benefit them. “I’ll be your chimi if PDP wins. See for yourself who will benefit you,” Said Sangay Ngedup. “Do not cast your vote because someone is your relative or friend or a neighbour. You’ll waste five years.” Having served more than three decades in the government, Sangay Ngedup said that he had contributed much to the people and the government. As he highlighted the Move for Health Walk and other achievements during his tenure, he said that he was not praising his achievements. “But you should look at the work one has done,” he said. The president also took the opportunity to clear accusations the other party workers had thrown at him. “I’ve heard that some people have influenced you by saying that I’ll take all your land if I come to power,” he said. “I had power for 34 years, I’m not after power, but decided to join politics to contribute in fulfilling His Majesty’s vision of a strong democracy.” “You all know that I’ve not bought or own a single land here. PDP is not out to make the rich poor but to make the poor rich.” Sangay Ngedup also told the gathering that the other party had started instilling fear in voters and was trying to present PDP as the bad party. “They’re just confusing people. It’s not good to blame each other or mudsling when we are tasked to form good political parties and fulfill the wishes of the King and the people,” he said. After about three hours of listening to the former minister and jokes and songs from the party’s entertainer, Leki, villagers appeared convinced. Among them is Aum Pasa, Tshering Penjor’s mother. “I came to listen to Lyonpo because I’ve missed him twice,” said the 53-year-old woman. “My son’s a simple man. I think it would be better if Lyonpo is elected to represents us,” she told Kuensel. “If my son was not contesting, I’d vote for Lyonpo.”

Bhutan’s transition to democracy on track

2008-03-07T23:32:00.001-08:00

Despite growing instances of mudslinging between the two political parties and other emerging problems, the chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) Mr Javier Pomes said he was optimistic of a successful democratic transition in Bhutan. Unlike many countries around the world, which opted for democracy following political and social unrest, Bhutan, he said, was introducing the process at a time of unprecedented peace and against the will of the people, who chose to be guided by the wise and visionary monarchs. “There’s no doubt about the success of this new process,” said Mr Pomes. “In our observations so far, most of the processes comply with international standards.” A team of 15 observers from 13 different EU countries arrived in the country to observe, among others, the campaign environment, the role of media, the work of election administration and women’s participation in the historic process. While six of the 15 observers will be based in the capital, nine will be spread across the country in pairs, each covering five regions in Thimphu, Phuentsholing, Samdrup Jongkhar, Trashigang and Bumthang. “Each pair will cover between 10 to 15 of the over 800 polling stations in the country, depending on difficulty and distance of the polling stations,” said Mr Pomes. He said that they normally sent observers in twos to ensure balance in views, analyses and observations. “That is why we have observers from 13 different EU countries,” he said. While the team will keep note of the degree of access parties and their candidates have in the media, by allocation of time on television and space in print media, they will also look into which party or candidate refuses interviews and advertisements in which media or their preference for one particular media organization over others. The election observers will follow all steps of the process, meeting parties, candidates, election officials and the general electorate to compile an in-depth and comprehensive report on the entire process. “Our mission is to meet every Bhutanese citizen interested in the process,” said the deputy chief observer, Luis Martinez Betanzos. He added that they would issue a preliminary statement of the report, based on election observation mission’s preliminary assessments of the process, following the Election Day. The final comprehensive report with recommendations would be issued two months after the end of elections. “That would be very useful for the country in terms of preparing and conducting the next election,” said another EU election observer. source kuensel

One drug bust every two days

2008-03-07T23:30:00.000-08:00

At least one person was arrested every two days in a drug-related case since the start of the new year, according to Royal Bhutan Police records. According to the police, 31 persons were arrested since January this year. Of the 31, 24 were under 25 years and the rest adult, including two women. The latest arrest was made at the Chhuzom checkpost when police caught a 27-year-old man carrying contraband on the evening of February 27. He was travelling from Phuentsholing to Thimphu. Police recovered 67 packets of Relipen tablets, 200 pieces of Nitrosun tablets, cigarettes, and a bottle of local made liquid medicine. On interrogation, the man told police that the substances were for personal consumption and that he had bought them from the border town of Jaigaon. Major Dorji Khandu of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Enforcement Unit said that drug-related cases are on the increase every year. “Most abusers are youth who don’t understand the law,” said Dorji Khandu. He said that the unit is actively involved in creating awareness among youth on drugs and laws related to drug abuse. “Most are first timers and, after we counsel them, it is not repeated,” he said. According to the police record, of the 286 drug cases reported in 2007, 254 cases involved youth. A total of 219 cases were reported last year. Of the total, police had forwarded 114 cases to the court last year. source kuensel

“Arson is involved”

2008-03-07T23:29:00.000-08:00

Mounting evidence has convinced forestry officials that the multiple forest fires, which swept through Paro valley in the past two months, destroyed around 4,000 acres of forest and an ancient lhakhang, may have been deliberate. In the past few days, forestry officials investigating the fire came across a discarded green five-litre castrol jerry can with kerosene in it at Dopshari, a half burnt match stick in Doteng, a page with “Fire Democracy Year 2008” written on it in Doteng, a small camp in the Tsento forest, a sleeping bag and some clothes in the Woochu forests. Paro Fire Diary * 2005 : 6 cases * 2006 : 7 cases * 2007 : 3 cases * 2008 : 17 cases. (Year also with largest recorded fires) Percentage of Paro fire causes in 2008 * 25%- Agriculture and garbage burning related. * 10%- Electric short-circuits. * 5%- Kids, smokers, picnic trips, festivals. * 60%- Unknown. In the Fire line Tiger Nest Fire- Dogsum Lhakhang burnt. Doteng Fire- Sheradango Gonpa vandalized Dopshari Fire (small)- Below Jela Dzong (safe) Shaba Twin Fires- Close to Habu Gonpa and Docheling Gonpa (close but safe) Hungrel Fire (small)– Just above National Museum and Paro Dzong (safe) “We’re positive that arson is involved in some of the Paro fires because never in my 20 years of service have I seen so many forest fires at the same time, with some major fires having multiple starting points,” said the Paro dzongkhag forest officer, Akey Dorjee. Assistant DFO Phub Thinley told Kuensel that, in the recent Doteng fire, it had been set one after the other from at least three different places. The third one went out of control and then the Sheradango Gonpa was vandalized. “We were controlling the fire opposite Taktshang, when a new fire suddenly started almost three km away,” said Phub Thinley. Coincidently, a small abandoned camp was discovered right next to the Taktshang fire that consumed Dogsum Gonpa. The Royal Bhutan Police in Paro said that they had initially suspected electric sparks to have started the fire but the Bhutan Power Corporation Limited said that there were no electrical disturbances in the area. Similarly, on February 28 in Dopshari, just on the edge of a large forest near the remote Bazekha village, local dogs started barking loudly at 11 pm. “Wangchuk Lam got up to see the bushes between her house and the forest burning, at which she woke up her only neighbor, Dorji, and extinguished the fire,” said a RBP official. Wangchuk Lam recovered a green jerry can with kerosene in it, its cap thrown a few feet away from where the fire started. She handed over the jerry can to the police on the next day. Also, around the same time, forest officials heading towards the Doteng fire found a page with “Fire Democracy Year 2008” written on it. A few days later dzongkhag officials received another shock when alarmed local villagers found a sleeping bag, a bed sheet and jeans in the remote Woochu forest. “Strangely, after the Shaba fire, which was accidentally set off by a nine-year-old boy on February 9 and was put off, ten days later two new fires emerged at new locations, both heading respectively for the Docheling and Hebu goenpas,” said a local dzongkhag official. No real leads have emerged on who the culprits might be but, in the past few days, around 30 people from Wangdue, Punakha and Samdrup Jongkhar have been questioned. “Some of them had no papers but had to be left off,” said a RBP official. Of the 17 fires in the past two months, only three cases show farmer involvement. “I’ve a strong feeling that our forest fires are linked to the serial blasts,” said the Doteng gup, Tandin Penjor, at a Dzongkhag Tshogdu meeting in Paro dzong, which was held on Thursday to discuss the fires in the valley. The divisional forest officer, Gomchen, claimed that the real culprits could also be illegal loggers or disgruntled ones, who had been imposed with heavy fines. A DoF official said that it also could be villagers looking for more grazing land. The Paro dzongda, Namgay Wangchuk, said that, as a precautionary step, normal patrolling hours by locals have been doubled to 24 hours. One person from each village household patrols on a rotation basis. Even grandparents and women are on patrol with many people fearing that more is yet to come. “We do not know who is really behind all this but we should not come to quick conclusions because there are multiple possibilities including misinterpretation of evidences recovered,” said the dzongda. source kuensel

Finance secretary resigns

2008-03-07T23:28:00.000-08:00

The finance secretary, Dasho Yanki T Wangchuk, Bhutan’s highest-ranking woman civil servant in the bureaucracy, has resigned after 31 years in the government. Lam Dorji, the former secretary of the planning commission, has been appointed as the new finance secretary with effect from March 4, according to a press release from the Royal Civil Service Commission. After completing higher secondary education from New Zealand in 1972 she completed the IA&AS course from India and started her career as a trainee officer in 1978 in the ministry of economic affairs (formerly the trade ministry). She moved to the Royal Audit Authority as deputy director in 1980 and became deputy auditor general in 1988. She became the joint secretary of the finance ministry in 1997 and the director general of the department of aid and debt management in 2000. She was appointed as the finance secretary in 2003 and was promoted to grade one as an executive level one officer in 2004. Dasho Yanki T Wangchuk,54, was awarded the red scarf by the fourth Druk Gyalpo on December 7, 2006. source kuensel

From myth to merchandise?

2008-03-07T23:26:00.000-08:00

In its pure form, it’s an annual three-hour song and dance custom by the women of Makrong village in Ura gewog to appease their local female deity, Ashi Lham. Men are not allowed to watch. Of late though, the Ashi Lham tradition has started to feature on the cultural programme lists when important functions are held in Bumthang and everyone gets to watch a truncated version of this unique perfomance. The dancers wear dongkhebs and the dance leader bears and beats a traditional drum (nga). To the layman, the performance has a rhythm and tone of some ritual recital, that is punctuated by drum beats and the circular movements vary from a slow sway to quick tempo, depending on which stanza they have reached. “During official functions, only a very short version is performed,” said Phuntsho Pelden, 28, from Makrong, who added that the Ashi Lham was performed in the village only during the annual Sang (incense) festival. The Sang festival is observed on the 8th day of the seventh month of the Bhutanese calendar to appease the local female deity known as Ashi Lham for the wellbeing of the village. “All dancers are required to bathe and clean themselves the day before they go for the celebrations to Purshila and Rathpela, which are a day’s walk from Makrong village,” said Chimi Wangmo, 28, who regularly performs that dance. Makrong village elders said that the dancers sing the dance song from the time they leave the village till they reach Purshila. They move to Rethpala on the second day. One requirement is that the drum kept in the village lhakhang must be used. Phuntsho Pelden, an Ashi Lham performer, said that girls are taught the song and dance only when it is time for them to learn. Makrong villagers do not know when the performance was instituted, but they hope that it remains for all time to come. Local deity Ashi Lham, however, may not be too pleased that what was once exclusively hers is now for the masses. source kuensel

On the Mongar menu: Age and gender

2008-03-07T23:25:00.000-08:00

The five gewogs that make up Mongar constituency - Chali, Drepong, Mongar, Tsamang and Tshakaling - are a closely-knit rural community where everyone seems to know everyone else by name or by sight. Until recently it was barely a blip on the national scene. Today, as party candidates and tshogpas crisscross the constituency, scrambling for support before the March election, people’s loyalties are being put to a severe test. The two parties are relentless, inflicting their friends, families and tshogpas on bemused Mongarpas. At the bottom of it all are the two candidates – Karma Lhamo of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), a former teacher, and Dr Jigme Singay of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), a former minister, each vying for a place in the sun. The alternatives facing Mongar voters boil down to a choice between freshness and experience and between a woman and a man. Karma Lhamo, 29, from Tshakaling gewog, is one of the youngest National Assembly candidates and the only woman up against a former minister. Her support here appears largely to do with her role as a modern working woman from the community, and hence a symbol of feminism for rural Bhutanese women. She has also played on her upbringing as the daughter from a humble rural background. “My strength is my common touch,” she says. From the start of her campaign, Karma Lhamo has embraced the idea that she might be the first woman to be elected as a National Assembly member from Mongar, and celebrated her candidacy in historic terms at her meetings. “I want to be able to prove that a woman from a rural background can become somebody if she has the will and the determination,” says Karma Lhamo. “I want to prove and give inspiration to rural people that ‘yes, we can rise above our humble beginnings.’ This is my aim.” This sentiment is central to Karma Lhamo’s strategy. In villages, she has set out to energize women, young and old, with this message. The strength of her idea is conveyed through her good communication skills and her twin personality of traditional femininity and modern career woman. Women flock in droves to her meetings joyfully. Karma Lhamo is five-foot-six with a lissom shape and a bold, confident demeanour, each of which seems reconciled to the other. Perhaps though, because of campaign strains, she looks a good deal older than her age. Her voice is sprightly and brimming with confidence. In a Kuensel interview, she appears as though she will flatten Dr Jigme Singay’s candidacy any day. With a show of convincing enthusiasm, she proceeds to break up the percentage of support from each gewog, and for good measure, throws in persuasive reasons. “That way I’m quite confident,” she said. Her development priority, she said, was roads in tandem with the government’s five-year plan. Observers here say much of her confidence and support may stem from the fact that she is the daughter of a revered Lam Neten of Zhongar dzong in Mongar dzongkhag. “Maybe,” she says, but adds that she is carving out a separate identity for herself and that she wants people to take her as she is, as a separate individual. “I took up politics against the wishes of my parents and my husband, you know.” But observers say it’s impossible for her not to become entwined with her father’s standing in society. Many say she is running, bolstered by her parent’s record and influence as religious figures in a society, where religion matters a lot. Karma Lhamo also doesn’t have much of a record you can dissect (she was a teacher for two years before she joined politics) and her advantages, according to her, include her newness and woman status. Dr Jigme Singay, 56, is clearly seen here as a formidable candidate for the Mongar constituency. He has the most powerful name in the gewog. He has a smoothly working political set-up. He has a wealth of experience (28 years) in the executive branches of government. And he exudes competence. He is widely seen as the former health minister, who brought home the biggest referral hospital, next only to Thimphu, to Mongar constituency. All told, his supporters say, he looks likely to translate this into a victory on March 24. That way, Dr Jigme Singay seems to benefit from strikingly more intense support from his followers. In his meetings, he describes in glowing terms what further difficulties he has found in the constituency and what he would do about it if people elected him. He focuses on specific issues like roads and electric fencing to prevent wild animals from destroying crops rather than grand schemes. But the biggest approval from the crowd comes when he says PDP will set up a one-window service in gewog centres to deliver fast and effective services. No more going to the dzongkhag and no more waiting, he says to a chorus of appreciative laughter. Which incidentally is also DPT Karma Lhamo’s USP. “When we say we’ll give, it means we’ll give, no matter what,” says Dr Jigme. “Our hope is that you’ll give us your votes.” Listening to him, one gets the impression that his style is simple and declarative, like good advertising copy, even when the rhetoric and the sentiments it seeks to convey are soggy. But Dr. Jigme Singay slides through his meetings with charm and a smile. There is about him a sort of teacher’s-pet quality- an air of someone confident of winning things his way. In meetings, he tries to suffuse his voice with bonhomie and, indeed, his enthusiasm appear communicable. Older Mongarpas warm up to him happily. But, besides firing up his existing supporters and courting undecided voters, Dr Jigme’s staunch support seems threatened by Karma Lhamo. Though not at meetings but elsewhere in the villages, they trumpet Dr Jigme’s experience over the callow youth of Karma Lhamo, urging voters to keep Mongar in the hands of experience. Her youth and experience, Kuensel found, are signs of her continuing difficulty in getting voters beyond her hard core supporters to warm up to her. In the eyes of villagers, she and the minister are presented, at a visible level, as a new paradigm of the male-female relationship. That has made others here uncomfortable. “She’s an infant near our Lyonpo,” says one. That said, there are women, even those, who aren’t particularly fond of her, who feel empathy, knowing full well the Bhutanese experience that any woman, in a world dominated by men, has to walk a tightrope between femininity and masculinity, strength and vulnerability. Karma Lhamo herself suggests that her most useful training comes not from hanging around government administrative circles but rather from experience rooted in the real lives of real people. And that she has, she said. “I was born, bred and educated in Mongar.” Her hope is pinned on her tireless stumping in remote hamlets that might somehow allow her to snatch a victory. How much muscle rural women and men will put behind her remains to be seen. On the other hand, some believe that long service in the government is the best preparation for the National Assembly, but it’s not a given yet if length of experience will be a good predictor of success. There are other factors. Both candidates are also running on the platform their presidents have built. “You all know what former Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup has done for us,” says Dr Jigme in his meetings. “Our President, former Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley is a two-time prime minister and the ideal choice to lead us through this transition to parliamentary democracy,” Karma says. Mongar constituency is also one of the most developed places in Bhutan. Besides the still under-construction Mongar referral hospital, there are two higher secondary schools (a private one is coming up), and scores of primary schools. It could be also one of the most politically aware constituencies. Bhutan’s current prime minister, Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji, is from here as well as several government secretaries and a good number of directors too. Many engineers and teachers in Bhutan are also from Mongar constituency. How they will judge the two candidates is an open question. For the moment though, both Karma and Dr Jigme have donned the mantle of identity politics. A Karma Lhamo victory wouldn’t just be a victory for one woman, it would be a victory for little girls everywhere in Bhutan. A Dr Jigmi victory would be about continuing the Mongarpa dream, keeping the experience meaningful. source kuensel

"100 years of Monarchy- A tribute to our beloved kings," released

2008-03-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

March 1: Her Majesty the Queen Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck released a book titled “100 years of Monarchy-A tribute to our beloved kings,” yesterday. At a ceremony to mark the event were Her Royal Highness Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck and the Prime Minister Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji. In the foreword to the book, Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck says 100 years ago, the wheels of our collective destiny as a people of Bhutan were turned on that auspicious day as the Druk Gyalpo Ugyen Wangchuck took on reins as the first king of Bhutan. A100 years later, our nation stands strong and united, our people enjoy peace, progress and increasing prosperity and our innate rich culture, spirituality and natural heritage flourish. The book, a pictorial tribute to Bhutan’s beloved monarchs, captures significant events over the 100 years that have shaped the destiny of the country. The book offers rare glimpses into the private moments in the lives of Bhutan’s monarchs, past and present. The book priced at Nu. 3,000 is jointly compiled by Rabsell Media Services and RENEW, a non-profit organization. Part of the proceeds from the sale o the book will go to RENEW to uplift women and girls from financially disadvantaged background.

Fire season sparks off in Bhutan

2008-02-29T20:14:00.001-08:00

1 March, 2008 - A 300-year-old lhakhang was razed to the ground by a forest, fire that started 11:30 on Thursday, above Satsam Chorten in Paro, and has still not been brought under control. According to a Paro dzongkhag official, nothing could be salvaged from the Dogsum lhakhang, a private lhakhang, which was destroyed in minutes by the fire. The lhakhang was the dengsa (seat) of Dupthob Sangay Bjorden, according to the Paro Dzongda, Namgay Wangchuk. “All the nangtens were destroyed,” he said. The owner and the caretaker left for Satsam Chorten to call for help when the fire destroyed the lhakhang. Another fire, which started above the Taktshang Goenpa (Tiger’s Nest) also destroyed hundreds acres of forest. But no loss of property was reported. Meanwhile, the capital city was engulfed under a thick blanket of smoke when the forest fire, that started above the Dechencholing Goenpa, at the same time as the Paro fire, could not be brought under control for almost two days. Yesterday morning, visibility was reduced to about 200 hundred metres when smoke engulfed the capital city. Hundreds of volunteers from the Royal Bhutan Army, Royal Bhutan Police, Royal Body Guards, and forestry officials are still fighting the fire. The fire was suspected to have caused by a spark from an electrical transmission line. Fire fighters told Kuensel that the steep cliff and falling stones made it difficult to fight the fire. Some Thimphu residents called up the media saying that the fire had engulfed the Wangditse monastery when huge billows of smoke started arising from behind. However, the fire has not as feared spread to the monastery. Source kuensel

EU Neutral observers begin to arrive

2008-02-29T20:11:00.000-08:00

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 28 February, 2008 - Members of an Euro-pean Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) team have arrived in Thimphu to observe and assess the run up to the National Assembly election and the March 24 poll day. Five experts from the team reached the capital on February 22, and 10 more led by the chief observer of the mission, Mr. Javier Pomés Ruiz, a member of the European Parliament, will be here shortly. Nine of them will be deployed to other parts of the country until poll day. Deputy chief observer, Luis Martinez-Betanzos, told Kuensel that the mission provided support to the host countries, which invited them, to hold a standard election. “We’ll assess and monitor the election process, make sure everything is within the constitutional framework and in accordance with regional and international standards,” he said. The EU EOM works independently with the mandate to conduct a comprehensive assessment of electoral process and offers an impartial, balanced and informed analysis of the elections. It assesses all aspects of the electoral process, including delimitation of constituencies, registration of voters and candidates, training of election staff, voter education, media coverage, campaign and the preparations for election day, as well as the appeals process. On poll day, observers will visit polling stations to observe opening, voting, counting and the aggregation of results. The deputy chief observer said assessment will be done in line with human rights aspects in the election process, which includes “right to be elected” and “right to vote”. The mission also includes media analysts who will monitor media coverage during the election using international methodological standards of quantitative and qualitative analysis. Press expert, Andrea Malnati, said that they would monitor the main media in the country, especially the state television, Kuzoo radio, and the three newspapers. “Quantitative analysis will include details like how much time and space was allocated to both parties and candidates, see if it is balanced, and also check the tone of coverage towards the candidates and quality of news reported,” he said. The media monitoring will inform the EU EOM on the performance of media through regular reports and it would also form part of the overall evaluation of the election process. Meanwhile, observers from different professional backgrounds from 13 member countries, who will arrive this week, will travel to all regions of the country and come out with an assessment. The deputy chief observer said that the mission will not make any statement until the election was over and will be doing so within 48 hours after the election. “We’re here not to interfere with the process but to help through study and observation and make recommendations for future elections,” said Luis Martinez-Betanzos. Source Kuensel

Je Khenpo on first tour of the year

2008-02-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

1 March, 2008 - In the first major religious tour of the male earth rat year, His Holiness the 70th Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Chhoeda, left Punakha Dzong yesterday to visit eastern and central Bhutan on a 40-day programme. His Holiness will preside over the five-day Moenlam Chhenmo (Great Prayer ceremony) which begins tomorrow in Gelephu. During his religious tour, His Holiness will also conduct the annual Moenlam Chhenmo in Trashiyangtse, one-week Mani Dungdrup in Trongsa and consecrate Tangbi Tashiling monastery, also in Trongsa. Source Kuensel

SC complex - Back to square one?Government takes over; private sector cries foul

2008-02-29T20:08:00.001-08:00

29 February, 2008 - The construction of the Supreme Court complex in Thimphu, which has been embroiled in delays and controversy over the bidding process for the past year, will now be undertaken by the government, say judiciary officials. “The inter-ministerial committee, which evaluated the re-tendered bids, came to decision that the bids were still unreasonably high,” said the Supreme Court construction project director, high court judge, Jigme Zangpo. “So the government has decided that it will take up the project itself.” Nima construction had bid Nu 568 m and Kelcon construction, Nu 639 m in the re-tender, which was evaluated by the committee, that comprises representatives from the Standard and Quality Control Authority, School Planning and Building Division, National Property Bureau and other consultancy firms. The government estimates to complete the government of India-funded project at a cost of just under Nu 400 m, said Judge Jigme Zangpo. “A project team will have to be formed and the Department of Urban Development Engineering Services (DUDES), under the works and human settlement ministry, will be the lead executing agency.” The project will need at least 11 engineers, of which four engineers and a supervisor will have to be provided by the consulting firm, Christopher Charles Benninger Architects Private Ltd, which did the designs for the project. The other engineers will have to come from DUDES, said judge Jigme Zangpo. The DUDES director, Rinchen Dorji, said that the department had so far not received anything in writing from the government designating it as the lead agency to undertake the project. The decision of the inter-ministerial tender evaluating committee has met with distaste from contractors who took part in the tender for the project and have numerous accusations against members of the tendering and evaluation committee. “It’s easy for them to say that the tenders have been called off,” said a contractor who took part in the first bid. “What about the Nu 500,000 or so we spent on the tender forms, the amount we declared as security deposits, among others?." Wangchuk of Kelcon construction added that the committee should have stopped the tendering from the beginning when they saw the rates submitted during the second tender. “They take a month to evaluate the tenders to find out that bids are extremely high based on the total amount quoted,” he said, adding that the committee should have at least gone through the analysis of the contractors on each of the items required by the tender document. The contractors also said their bids were on the high side because the consultancy firm, Christopher Charles Benninger Architects Private Ltd from India, which the government hired without calling tenders, had included numerous unwanted items in the tender document. The roofing materials, for example, were to be procured all the way from Singapore, when similar materials could be purchased at a cheaper cost from India. “The cost of the roofing materials increases by 400 percent when they have to be bought from Singapore,” said Wangchuk. He said that these materials, if bought from India, would only cost Nu 7 million as compared with Nu 30 million from Singapore. “Besides, unlike other GOI-funded projects, there was no tax exemption in this case,” he said. Wangchuk also said that it was a mockery of the people involved in the committee to talk of budget constraints on one hand and have fancy materials to be bought all the way from Singapore. He pointed out that the consultant had “wilfully” omitted the false ceiling (the ceiling, which separates the top floor from the roof). “That is one of the main requisites of a building, which could cost anywhere between Nu 30 m and Nu 35 m,” he said, adding that it was deliberately left out so the winning contractor could quote his own rate and gain from it. Contractors also pointed out that the conditions in the tender documents were too stringent and tailored to suite one particular construction company. Clauses like the need to have at least 11 engineers from a site engineer to a project in-charge manager between five and 25 years of experience, who had been on the company’s payroll for at least 12 months. The other was a “no escalation and deviation” rule should a company win the project. “In the whole construction industry in Bhutan, no company can have 11 engineers on the payroll at a time,” said another contractor who had participated in the first bid. “Even the Construction Development Board rule requires a construction company to have only three engineers.” Wangchuk said that any company could have hired engineers if awarded the work like they did equipment. “When we are allowed to hire equipment, why can’t we hire people?” he asked. He also said the reduction in the cost of sand and timber by 50 percent only led to five percent reduction in the overall costs. This was because the consultants had included too many items in the tender document required for the project. According to him, the consultants get seven percent of the overall project cost. The judiciary are, however, bent on getting the project going. The development of the project site has been completed and the project has a completion period of 30 months, according to judge Jigme Zangpo. Source Kuensel

From P/ling to Paro, by prostration

2008-02-29T20:06:00.001-08:00

28 February, 2008 - It's got be pure devotion and determination that has driven a 38-year-old tour guide to do what he doing; prostrating a distance of 200 km plus to wash away bad karma and attain enlightenment in the next life. Chimi, 38, from Jabana village in Paro, started prostrating on February 16 from Phuentsholing gate and hopes to end the journey at one of Bhutan’s oldest temples, Kyichu, in Paro. A glimpse of Chimi is definitely a traffic stopper on the highway. With a face-mask as protection from dust, he has yak hide strapped on both his legs and wooden hand-shields for his prostrations on a road that is pockmarked with potholes and thick with traffic dust. Tied by chains to his waist is a wooden trolley where he carries his rations, a sleeping bag and change of clothes. With every step forward, he drags the trolley and then prostates flat on his belly. He has been on the road for ten days and he has just reached Takti, near Chhukha, about 70 km from his starting point. Talking to Kuensel, Chimi said that his actual plan was to start from Bodhgaya, but dismissed the idea due to dangerous traffic along the border. He said that he decided on his long trip of prostrations after receiving Buddhist teachings from his great teacher Ramjam Rinpoche. “I believe that the only time to cleanse our sins is now when we have the energy and the willingness to do so,” said the guide. “It’s wrong that many people today think that religion is only for the elderly.” Chimi is married and has two sons and a daughter. He studied up to the eighth standard in Shaba school and then started his career as a tour guide in 1995 for Rabsel tours and treks. The proprietor of Rabsel tours and treks, Sanghey Tensin, told Kuensel that he received good reports from most tourists about Chimi and, over the years, became very close and treated him like family. “In the past, Chimi was never spiritually inclined, instead he was an active, aggressive and a fun-loving person, who was really interested in taekwando and achieved a black belt,” said Sanghey. Last year, Sanghey Tensin took Chimi along with him to Dharamsala and Bodhgaya, and also introduced him to his brother Rabjam Rinpoche. Chimi transformed and developed a deep interest in religion. He met many Rinpoches and also started reading holy scripts. “The sudden change in his attitude and his behaviour such as quitting smoking and turning vegetarian really shocked me,” said Sanghey Tensin. One young passenger, watching Chimi with curiosity, exclaimed that he must be mad to do such a thing in such modern times. But others eyed him with apparent respect. Some offer cash as donations, and others food as homage, and good wishes for his incredible undertaking. Source Kuensel

It’s back to (school for) the future

2008-02-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

27 February, 2008 - 160,000 children returned to schools on Monday for the start of another academic session

First group of Blacknecked crane arrives in Bumdeling, Trashi Yangtse

2007-11-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

November 17: The first group of Black necked crane has arrived in Bumdeling in Trashi Yangtse dzongkhag. The group of four cranes arrived on Friday. The endangered cranes spend the summer in Tibet. They roost in winter during the winter. The flat valley of Bumdeling in Trashi Yangtse is an ideal roosting ground for the black necked cranes. The Blacknecked crane is an endangered species. With the onset of the winter they fly from Tibet to roost in Phobjikha, Bumdeling, and Getsa in Bhutan. Ugyen Tshering the senior forest ranger in Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary said all four cranes are adults. Last year the first group of cranes arrived in Bumdeling on 30th October. A total of 123 cranes spent their winter in Bumdeling last year. The cranes feed on grains in the paddy fields. Ugyen Tshering said every year the roosting area get flooded during the monsoon leaving behind heaps of sand and debris consisting of logs, boulders and gravel. To prepare the habitat for the arrival of the cranes, the Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary with the help of students and local people clean the area after the monsoon is over. The cranes usually arrive in Bumdeling in mid November and return to their summer roosting ground by early march.

Weaving a sell

2007-11-19T03:26:00.001-08:00

19 November, 2007 - Bhutanese are master weavers; their textiles are colourful and intricate. But there is more than colour and intricacy if weavers are to market their product to international clients. “Without compromising traditional design, there are means to make Bhutanese textiles more attractive and saleable in the international market,” says Amy S Frey, a product specialist from the US, who is training weavers in Thimphu. Amy S Frey said that there are techniques like pile weaving, block printing, embroidery and appliqué, which can be blended with handwoven textiles to make them more attractive. “We are working on simple techniques, which blend easily with traditional designs,” said Amy S Frey. With a lack of market information being the biggest obstacle to potential exporters in Bhutan, about 18 trainees, most of them weavers, were trained on how to blend these innovative techniques with traditional designs during the three-day product and development/design and retail workshop, which started on November 14. The training also stressed on colours and designs that international clients would prefer. “Clients prefer simple designs with dull colours and this is the kind of information and knowledge weavers here need to know,” said Amy S Frey. Trainees also had hands-on training on drawing designs and colour combination of simple textiles. They were also shown samples of products made in Thailand, India and Nepal. Amy S Frey told Kuensel that they focused on creating small products like cushion covers and bags because they would be cheaper than ghos and kiras and more usable. “We now have a better understanding about what our clients want,” said one of the trainees, Karma Choden. Four men also participated in the training. “We get new ideas and I hope we’ll be able to work further on them,” said Karma, a weaver from Lhuentse. The training is organised by the EU-Bhutan Trade Capacity Development project to create additional income opportunities and increase foreign exchange revenues, while preserving and promoting a traditional Bhutanese craft. “We are giving them a taste of what the modern concept is all about,” said the coordinator of the Bhutan Trade Capacity Development project, Sangay Khandu. Among other objectives, like increase sale of textiles, the project also aims to assess the supply situation for hand-woven Bhutanese textiles in view of the market requirements. After the project steering committee meeting on November 19 where the progress of the project would be discussed, a one-day retail training program will be held for all handicraft shop owners in the capital. The shopkeepers would be taught to package, label and display their products better. According to Sangay Khandu, there are about 60 handicraft shops in Thimphu. This is the second time such a training workshop is being held in Thimphu. The first was organised by United Nations Development Program. In July, a study was presented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) the Bhutanese business community in Thimphu, which showed that, while Bhutan had the potential to export woven textiles, bottled water and spices, traders first needed to be educated on the ways and standards of the international market.

Second successive Sword of Honour for RBP officer

2007-11-19T03:25:00.001-08:00

17 November, 2007 - Captain Sisir Chhetri of the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) was awarded the Indian Police Service (IPS) Association’s Sword of Honour for the “best” in outdoor training, making him the second Bhutanese police officer to bag the award in India, says an RBP press release. RBP’s Captain Karma Phuntsho won the award last year. Under the Bhutanese and Indian government memorandum, RBP officers regularly undergo basic training at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad, India. According to the press release, the academy is a reputed training institute where IPS officers are trained. Attending the school, its 59th course, this year, were four RBP officers, along with four Maldivian police officers and 88 IPS probationers. Along with Captain Sisir Chhetri three other RBP officers also won prizes. Captain Chogyal bagged the Maharaj Singh Cup for “overall best” in games and sports and was the adjudged the school’s best athlete of the 59th course. Captain Sonam Wangchuk won the snooker championship and Captain Dorji Peljor, the best marksman in the reflex firing component of the course conducted by the Tamil Nadu Special Task Force. The Bhutanese officers were awarded on the academy’s ‘passing-out ceremony’ on October 30 this year.

Jigmi Thinley talks with Tsirang ...

2007-11-19T03:24:00.001-08:00

17 November, 2007 - “Shar gi thrung thrung karmo nga chey tshugi ngotag …” the music of the party’s theme song wafted in the chilly breeze as 1,200 people, including two on wheelchairs, from Rangthangling, Kilkhorthang, Zhemjong and Tsholingkhar gewogs gradually gathered at the soccer field in Damphu town yesterday morning. They came in four trucks, that made repeated trips to nearby villages and gewogs. They talked in groups about the paddy yield, weather and other daily activities, while waiting for the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa president and party members to arrive. Most of the people assembled said they were looking forward to knowing what the party had to say. The DPT president, Jigme Y Thinley, introduced the party’s candidates N B Gurung from Patalay-Tsirang Toe and Yangku Tshering Sherpa from Mendrelgang-Kilkhorthang constituencies to the gathering. He emphasized that the people should understand the party, its potential and the candidates before going to polls. He said that his party had very capable people of three broad categories: old, medium and young. The old and experienced can lead, if given a chance in 2008, and the younger ones would ensure the party’s strength through experience over time. According to Ugyen from Goshingang village, dzongkhag officials had urged people to attend the familiarization meetings of both parties. Many villagers had to leave their paddy harvesting half way done and come for the meeting. But the overcast weather bothered them. “We hope it doesn’t rain today or our crops will be ruined,” said a farmer from a nearby village, looking up at the sky. DPT party workers of the four gewogs said that almost all people in their villages came to attend the meeting, as they had agreed to bear the cost of travel arrangements and served suja-desi to the gathering. Thuji Tshering, the national observer appointed by the election commission to monitor the meetings in Tsirang, said that it was illegal for parties to use their funds to move around people to attend meetings. The DPT dzongkhag coordinator clarified that the cost of transportation was being borne by the gewog party workers and not out of party funds. However, DPT party workers were disappointed with the total turnout and blamed PDP party workers for it. The party’s dzongkhag coordinator, Dorji, said, “Some PDP party workers called the people to say that the meeting had been postponed.” Only a single person from Dunglaygang gewog attended the meeting, as the gewog was conducting a national council nomination on the same day. “In the end, if we choose a good government that benefits Tsa-Wa- Sum, it’s the peoples’ glory, but if the government cannot function according to the needs of the people, it’s not the political parties that are losing but the people of Bhutan,” said Yangku Tshering Sherpa, the candidate from Mendrelgang-Kilkhorthang constituency.

... while Sangay Ngedup speaks to Samtse

2007-11-19T03:23:00.001-08:00

17 November, 2007 - “Paila hami janta haru naukar ho … sarkar malik, abo prajantantra ma janta sarkar ho, sarkar hamro naukar,” said the president of the People’s Democratic Party, Sangay Ngedup, stirring to life some 1,300 eligible voters of Pugli-Samtse constituency, some of whom had walked for hours to attend the PDP meeting in Gomtu yesterday. This roughly translates to “Earlier, we were the servants of the government; now, with democracy, we are the servants of the people.” The villagers seemed oblivious to the groan of machinery from the nearby cement factory and trucks ferrying sand and boulders or the tiny dark dust particles falling on them as Sangay Ngedup spoke to them softly and easily in his not so impeccable lhotshamkha. He told the gathering that his party’s principles were akin to those of the fourth Druk Gyalpo and His Majesty’s vision, in the sense that the party strived to build more roads, schools, hospitals and bring electricity to places where such facilities had not reached, and to maintain those already existing. For the farmers, who depended on agriculture for livelihood, the party president stressed mechanisation like introducing power tillers, for which the farmers would require financial support. Sangay Ngedup said that he had always wanted to develop the agriculture sector by bringing banks into the gewogs, so that people had easy access to finance. “Our party, if elected to power, intends to fulfill that vision, so that people have easy access to finance with smaller collaterals,” said Sangay Ngedup. A villager, Nir Bahadur, asked the president if the party could resolve the problems they faced in obtaining security clearance, which affected their children more, as they could not be enrolled in schools. Sangay Ngedup explained that, while they could not promise anything at the moment, since they were still just a party, they would have to study and understand the issue thoroughly before they said or did anything. Most villagers Kuensel spoke to had made up their minds to vote for PDP. They said that they had not heard of any other party other than PDP. Most villagers dubbed the party ghora chhap (horse seal), after they saw the logo pasted on the walls and doors of some of the village houses. “Our minds have been made up on voting for the party,” said 60-year old Chakar Bahadur Sunway of Bhotaykharkha village, a three-hour walk from Gomtu. “It’s quite impossible to think otherwise now; we have been accustomed to PDP and its leader for months.” Jaman, 43, from the same village, said that their village tshokpa only introduced them to PDP and talked about the many development activities that the party would bring to their villages and gewogs. “We know the PDP leader well,” he said. Village tshokpa Agam Singh Yakya, 72, said he was bent on giving his vote to PDP and that he had already swayed the people in his village to do the same. He added that he would not attend any other meetings. “Sitting through another talk by other party leaders will only confuse us, the villagers,” he said. “Anyway, how can we switch parties now that we’ve already eaten PDP’s lunch?” The Pugli-Samtse constituency has 21 chiwogs and more than 2,500 eligible voters.

... while Sangay Ngedup speaks to Samtse

2007-11-19T03:23:00.000-08:00

Druk Holding: The Journey Begins

2007-11-19T03:22:00.001-08:00

17 November, 2007 - A result of the profound inspiration of His Majesty and a fitting response to the challenges and opportunities facing Bhutan today, Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) was created with the primary objective of safeguarding national wealth for all times to come, said the chairperson of DHI, Lyonpo Om Pradhan. In keeping with the Royal Charter issued on November 11, DHI was formed with an initial grouping of 14 companies in sectors such as hydropower, banking, minerals and natural resources, where the government has full or partial stake. It has a total value of Nu 19,000 billion (US$ 500 million approx.). “DHI will not only complement the government’s efforts to accelerate development activities, but also provide critical support and services to the growth of the private sector,” the chairperson told Bhutanese media on November 15. DHI aims to achieve its objectives by promoting competitiveness in the Bhutanese economy by transforming its subsidiaries into highly efficient and productive companies that strive for excellence. DHI’s role in promoting corporate governance would be in setting trends. In the fully owned companies, DHI would set corporate governance guidelines, required to be followed by these companies and, in the companies where it has shareholding representation, it would submit through the directors exemplary guidelines that could be followed. The chief executive officer (CEO) of DHI, Karma Yonten, said that DHI was being set up as a full time organisation with professional people. “DHI would primarily look at two areas: enhancing the performance of DHI linked companies and looking at new investment opportunities. As the investment arm of the government, it will have to look at which projects it will execute. Some national projects have already been identified for execution and these will be implemented through DHI.” Karma Yonten said that, in the past, most companies under DHI were managed by the ministry of finance, which already had other mandates as a government agency. “In a sense, the ministry of finance did not have enough time to devote to management of these companies and they might not have had specific skills to do so,” said DHI’s CEO. “With DHI making investments on behalf of the government, the government will have more time to focus on its other mandates like policy, regulations and planning.” DHI will be involved in the selection of the board of directors of its subsidiaries, who will appoint the CEOs, which will have to be approved by DHI in keeping with the Company’s Act. However, it will not get involved in the operational aspects of its subsidiary companies. “DHI will have a higher level sort of control, in the sense that it will set targets for these companies and guidelines and closely monitor their performance but they will have autonomy in an operational sense to take their own initiatives,” explained Karma Yonten. Karma Yonten said that all DHI employees would be on a three-year contract, four years for CEOs. “Indefinite periods of appointments will no longer be there. One has to ensure that one has performed in order to be eligible for renewal.” He also said DHI will shortly be advertising vacancies through the media. Government companies play a critical role in the economy and in the growth of the private sector. Without effective performance of these companies, the government’s drive to improve the private sector and the economy would be unlikely to succeed. The board of directors of DHI had their first meeting on Friday.

DPT’s youth meeting

2007-11-19T03:21:00.001-08:00

19 November, 2007 - Ensuring an appropriate platform for youth to voice their concerns on the political process and informing them on political activities happening in the country were some of the objectives of the meeting organised by the young members of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa on November 11. The party president, Jigmi Y Thinley, and the young members of DPT, aged 18 to 35, met about 200 young people at the Kelki auditorium in Thimphu. The participants, mostly fresh graduates, were briefed by the party president on democracy and the party’s principle and objectives in a nutshell. The president also urged the young participants to be energized, more responsible and organised for the development of the country. While some of the participants had heard about the meeting on the private radio stations, Kuzoo and Radio Valley, some were informed through their friends and relatives. Sonam Phuntsho, 27, a recent graduate told Kuensel that the meeting was productive and more such meetings should be conducted in future. “Such meetings are important and they should involve us now because we are the future leaders, future politicians and it is important that we understand the change right from the beginning,” he said. But there were participants who expected something different. “I expected an informal and interactive session, but it became a formal meeting with less discussion,” said Chencho, 26. Organizers said that the meeting was initially planned to get young people thinking and bring out or discuss issues they thought were important. “But since this was just the start, the party will have more such gatherings as a forum to actually discuss issues that young people think should be addressed,” said Khandu Om. “Young people should attend all such meetings of all political parties to get a picture of what’s happening and to make an informed choice in the elections, because youth forms a major part of the population today.”

A ‘backlog’ bolt from the blue

2007-11-19T03:20:00.002-08:00

19 November, 2007 - A graduate of the Paro College of Education, Tashi, who was posted in a remote Zhemgang dzongkhag school as a teacher, was surprised to find one day, out of the blue, that he had lost his job. A letter from the education ministry told him that his appointment had been cancelled. In addition, he had to refund Nu 24,000 to the ministry for salaries made to him till then. He had been in the job eight months. “All I could do was pray that it was a horrible dream,” he said. He could not call the dzongkhag education office, which was a five-day walk away. So, the next day, he walked to a nearby school that had a telephone. The district education officer confirmed his worst fears and informed him that he had a “backlog”- he had not passed one of his papers - and that, according to Bhutan Civil Service rules, any graduate from the Paro school, who had a “backlog” could not be appointed as a teacher. Tashi was not the only one. Sharing the same fate were 13 other graduates of the Paro College of Education, who were posted in remote schools of Bumthang, Trongsa, Mongar and Zhemgang, and who were told, midway into their first year, that they were no longer in the civil service. The education ministry’s officiating chief human resource officer, Sonam Tshering, said: “Once they clear their papers, they will be appointed permanently.” However, the teachers are perplexed and are asking why now. The teachers said they thought their backlog was considered when they got their appointment letters. They said that the education ministry should not have appointed them in the first place if such a rule existed. Chief human resource officer, Sonam Tshering, said it was a mistake. “All Bhutanese names are same. It’s a lesson for us. In future, appointment of teachers will be made only after we receive the results.” He also said that the recently disqualified teachers could serve as temporary teachers, at a lesser pay. “It’s an option,” said Sonam Tshering. The victims said there was a severe shortage of teachers in remote schools and that they should be allowed to re-sit the exam, to clear their paper. Sources say backlogs were nothing new in schools. Samtse College of Education gives students a chance to re-sit backlog exams.

Court sentences in land scam case

2007-11-19T03:20:00.001-08:00

19 November, 2007 - Thimphu district court last week sentenced two officials of Thimphu City Corporation (TCC) to prison terms ranging from one to three years in connection with a land transaction with Montu Khan, the Indian car salesman, who was selling cars illegally in the country. The survey officer of TCC, Pema Dorji, was sentenced to three years in prison for “deceptive practices, official misconduct, manipulating city records and tampering of public records.” According to the court statement, the defendant had transacted 17 decimal land bought from one landowner in Semtokha to Santa Maya, wife of Montu Khan, and received Nu 516,000 and a Toyota Qualis car worth Nu 600,000 from Santa Maya in January 2005. But after an article on Montu Khan’s business appeared in the media, he returned the car but the full amount of money could not be paid. Fearing controversy, the survey officer transferred the ownership of the land to his wife. It was established that two separate ownership certificates were issued for the same plot of land. One was a joint ownership in the name of Santa Maya and her sister, Pema Dema, and the other in the name of the survey officer’s wife. Pema Dorji had fabricated records and issued certificates. According to court officials, the illegal deal surfaced when Santa Maya wanted to transfer her census from Sarbangtar in Sarpang to Thimphu and was looking for land in Thimphu which she bought from Pema Dorji. Pema Dorji had sold the same plot to a third owner and received Nu 300,000. The court ordered the government to confiscate 17 decimal land and asked Pema Dorji to pay back Nu 300,000 to the third party, who bought his land without changing ownership. Pema Dorji has also to pay Nu 516,000 to Santa Maya, which he received as advance when he sold the land. The court also sentenced Karma Lhamo, also a city official, to one year in prison for “official misconduct and failure to report to the government”. According to the court statement, she issued ownership certificates without checking supporting doucuments. Pema Dorji had bought a 17 decimal land in Setokhan at Nu 60,000 a decimal in 2004. In the meantime, Montu Khan had heard about it and offered the survey officer Nu 68,000 a decimal. The illegal car dealer, Rahmant Yar Khan, popularly known as Montu Khan, and his brother Babu Khan were sentenced to six years each in prison for “deceptive practice, forging documents and being jointly involving in illegally selling stolen Maruti vehicles to Bhutanese buyers between 2003 and 2006”. Both brothers have been sentenced in absentia.