Closing time for discotheques and bars in Bhutan

As an interim measure, discotheques may follow previous timings said the Information and Communications Minister, Lyonpo Nandalal Rai. This will come as good news for party goers and discotheque owners alike.

As per a recent notification issued by Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority, bars have to close by 10pm. Discotheques by midnight.

The Information and Communications Minister made the concession after several bar and discotheque owners approached him requesting the ministry to reconsider the recent notification.

Bar and discotheque owners argue that the new rule will seriously hamper their business with some saying that they might as well close shop.

Previously, discotheques can remain open till 2am in the morning.

Tashi Gyeltshen who runs Club Banana, a discotheque in the heart of the capital town, said the matter was never discussed with them.

“We want to cooperate with the government but the government should have discussed this with us before issuing the notification,” he said.

Kinley Penjor, the owner of Splash Club, said “people do not come to the clubs directly from work. They go home, rest and visit the clubs after dinner. They arrive by 11pm. If the clubs have to close by 12, we only get one hour to operate.”

The notification has also affected employees who work in bars and discotheques. Phuntsho Wangdi works as a DJ at Space 34, a swanky night club in the town. “My owner has already decided to cut my salary. How am I going to meet my household expenses,” he said.

The Information and Communications Minister, Lyonpo Nandalal Rai said the new rule was introduced to tackle the growing social problem.

He agreed it was an ad hoc decision and said the issue could be re-discussed if it is affecting business.

“We will discuss the issue once again with relevant stakeholders and see if we can do anything other than shortening the time. We will look for other alternatives,” said Lyonpo Nandalal Rai.

Club owners can keep their business establishments till 2am for the New Year celebration. What is to be done after that is yet to be seen.

Source:BBS

Ambassador of Kuwait in Bhutan

Bhutan will soon have a third embassy based in the capital, that of Kuwait.

Yesterday, the prime minister, Jigmi Y Thinley, met with the new resident ambassador of Kuwait to Bhutan, Nameer Kathem Al Quraine. Welcoming the new and the first resident ambassador, the prime minister said that his appointment was a reflection of the deepening relations between the two countries. Lyonchhoen congratulated the ambassador on his appointment, and said that this was a matter of great satisfaction.

The prime minister also thanked Kuwait for its immediate response and substantial support to help Bhutan during the two disasters in 2009 caused by the cyclone Aila and the earthquake, a press release from the prime minister’s office stated.

Nameer Kathem Al Quraine said that Kuwait will continue to support Bhutan in all areas and fields.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan Film Cardo: The Intermediate State

Is there such a thing as bardo? This question is the driving force behind the latest release from Karma Bumzang films, Bardo – The Intermediate State.

Put in the words of the film’s chief antagonist, Kardon (played by Sonam Choki), when she asks, “Who has seen this thing called bardo?” the film proposes the idea that reality isn’t immediately perceptible. Kardon rhetorically asks in another scene, “If your face is like a flower, who’s to tell that your heart harbours thorns?”

Kardon is an unscrupulous, ambitious and manipulative woman, who kills her brother-in-law, Tenzin (Tshering Phuntsho), so that his brother (her husband), Wangdue (Karma Chhechong), can usurp his place at the head of a successful business empire.

That is one of the two stories in Bardo, told in the Macbeth vein, where it takes one ambitious step to begin an inescapable sink into thicker mire. The other parallel story is one that Buddhists will relate to; it concerns the progression of Wangdue’s soul through the six stages of bardo.

Bardo attempts to correlate a being’s sufferings, brought about by greed, anger, ignorance, pride and jealousy; and suggests that virtuous deeds accumulate good karma, thereby enabling the soul to transcend to a better form in order to progressively gain enlightenment. Religion is, thus not just an element in the film, it is the element.

Pretty much everything in Bardo – costumes, sets, special effects and dialogue – is overloaded. The first conversation between Kardon and Wangdue, for example, leaves you marvelling at the creativity of the scriptwriter, but doubting the plausibility of a real life couple ever speaking to each other in verse, and in singsong tones.

Yet it is for the same reasons that one, conversely, appreciates the sheer effort that has gone into its making. The hard work off-camera certainly deserves applause and bodes well for the future of Bhutanese filmmaking.

Like every other Bhutanese film, Bardo is a musical. Song sequences are necessarily, and awkwardly, interwoven into the story. But the music and dance smack of originality and character.

At a time, when the Bhutanese film machinery is churning out little other than lame romances, frivolous action thrillers and melodramatic tear-jerkers, Bardo stands out as a challenging alternative.

Bardo is currently screening at Trowa Theatre in Thimphu.

Source: Kuenselonline

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A high level delegation team led by the foreign secretary, Daw Penjo, will be in New Delhi, India, for the annual Bhutan-Indo development cooperation talks on September 1 and 2.During the talks, the two governments will review the progress in the implementation of the government of India ( GoI) assisted projects in Bhutan during the 10th Plan.

The annual cooperation talks was preceded by the project monitoring committee meeting between the two countries in Thimphu on July 27 and 28 this year.

The GoI is providing assistance under the three-tier aid programme of Nu 20 bn for project tied assistance, Nu seven billion for small development programme and another seven billion as programme grant in the 10th plan. The GoI has so far released Nu 9.653 bn to Bhutan against the total commitment of Nu three billion.

Foreign secretary, Daw Penjo, will also call on the foreign secretary of India, Mrs Nirupama Rao.

The 19 seater 1900D Buddha Air to Operate from July

Bhutanese wanting to fly from Paro to Kathmandu in Nepal and back will soon have an option of taking another airline besides the National Airline, Drukair.

The 19 seater 1900D Buddha Air, a privately operated airline based in Nepal, made a test flight to Paro earlier today.

According to the Director of the Department of Civil Aviation, Phala Dorji, the bilateral air service agreement with Nepal is already in place and the airline will start operating from the 26th July this year.

The airline will operate 2 flights per week, with further plans to go daily. The airline has already operated the Paro-Kathmandu sector in 2002 for Drukair. They conducted about 70 flights in 2002, when the Drukair was carrying out aircraft maintenance.

When asked about the air fare, the Chief Engineer of the Buddha Air, Megah Thapa, said it will be very competitive. “Right now we haven’t fixed the air fare but it will be competitive price,” he said.

“We thought that Bhutan would be a best place to start the international flight, as both are mountainous countries and we will be joining the two cities Kathmandu and Paro,” he added.

Currently, the airline connects nine destinations in Nepal.

Source: BBS

The documentary Bhutan GNH: Taking the Middle Path to Happiness wins Emmys

The documentary Bhutan: Taking the Middle Path to Happiness by Tom Vendetti (a Hawaii based producer, director, cinematographer and editor) was awarded two Emmys at the 39th annual northern California area Emmy awards on May 18. The documentary won in the historical/cultural program/special category; and the second Emmy was awarded to the composer-associate Christopher Hedge for the films musical composition/arrangement.

The one-hour documentary examines the efforts of Bhutan’s government to create gross national happiness (GNH) for its people, by promoting the four pillars of environmental preservation, cultural promotion, economic development and good governance. Each pillar is discussed in detail through interviews with government officials and the local people, who explain the meaning of the middle path as a concept rooted in Buddhism and how it relates to the Bhutanese pursuit of GNH.

The film was distributed in the United States through PBS (the public broadcasting service) and has been screened at several film festivals around the world, including screenings held by the Bhutan Foundation in Washington DC, New York, San Francisco and Taiwan.

A screening of the film is being planned for early June by the Bhutan Foundation. A preview of the film can be viewed on the official website http://www.bhutan-film.com/index.html.

Source: Kuenselonline

Canada are in Bhutan on a “business mission.”

Call it mere coincidence or meticulous planning. Barely three days after the government released the revised foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, representatives of world-renowned business companies from Canada are in the country on a “business mission.”

Calling it a visit purely focused on business and partnership, the Canadian ambassador to Bhutan, Joseph Caron, who is on his farewell visit to the country, said that the delegation is here on business - to see for themselves what is happening in Bhutan.

The delegation comprising representatives from export development Canada (EDC), Jacobs consultancy, Viking Air ltd, Bell Helicopter, SNC Lavalin, CNK International inc, and Queens university will meet their counterparts in the next few days.

EDC is Canada’s export credit agency, which offers innovative financing, insurance and risk management solution to help Canadian exporters and investors expand international business. Jacobs consultancy is the leading one-stop aviation consulting company worldwide, providing a diverse source of expertise in all areas of commercial aviation. If the government is looking for a domestic air service provider, Viking Air ltd is the leading manufacturer of the iconic Twin Otter series. “It has hopes for Bhutan,” said Ambassador Joseph.

The idea of the country’s chopper service could be renewed if the representatives from Bell Helicopter, the world’s largest helicopter company could strike a deal. Bell produces the most popular helicopters – Bell 407, a light single engine helicopter and the Bell 429, a light twin-engine model.

SNC-Lavalin is one of the leading engineering and constructing groups in the world, and a major player in the ownership of infrastructure and in the provision of operations and maintenance services. SNC provides engineering, procurement, construction, project management and project financing services to a variety of industry sectors, including power, mining, heavy construction and water management.

CNK International inc is a multi disciplinary engineering and management consulting company focused on infrastructure development, excellence and system engineering.

The companies will have a series of meetings with the Druk Holding and Investments, Bhutan chamber of commerce and industry, the ministry of economic affairs and the GNH commission. Ambassador Joseph said that Canada watched the SAARC summit closely, which brought visibility and honour to Bhutan. “A modernisng Bhutan and South Asia provides more opportunities for Canada,” said the ambassador, who will be resigning sometime next month.

“The Thimphu statement and the emphasis on environment, which is a big issue in Canada, the attention to infrastructure and the South Asia free trade agreement (FTA), all these issues concern us and interest us,” he said.

The ambassador said that he was pleased that Bhutan’s new FDI was announced on Friday. “We’re going to be in a listening mode, because we want to know, not only the general orientation of economic development policy, but also the specifics, including FDI,” referring to the meetings scheduled between the business delegation and the government.

The interest in Bhutan, according to Ambassador Joseph, dates back to the 1960s, when many fortunate Canadians dedicated their career and lives to Bhutan, primarily in the education sector. “Bhutan always had a sort of existence to Canada and our job is to make Canada more visible.”

Although too early to say if any deals would be made, Ambassador Joseph said that all meetings are going to focus on the specifics of what is happening in Bhutan. “The delegation for a week has plenty of opportunities to nail down specifics. We’re confident that, at the end of the mission, there’ll be a great understanding and a sense of where they fit, whether in education, power or aviation.”

Asked why they chose Bhutan, Joseph Caron said that size of the country or the market was not relevant. “We live in a globalised world. The thrust towards a modern development has much concern for social and environment consideration and, in a way, Bhutan is way ahead of the international community. With the focus on GNH and, when you dig beyond the title, you get real issues of clean development and education levels,” he said. “Bhutanese like Canadians and Canadians like Bhutanese.”

Among the delegation are the senior trade commissioner, embassy of Canada to Bhutan, and Peter Nesbitt, the vice president for South Asia regional export development Canada.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan is collaborating with an Indian based HCL Info Systems

In a move to make the country a knowledge based society through information and communication technologies, Bhutan is collaborating with an Indian based company called HCL Info Systems Limited.

Towards this, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Ministry of Information and Communications and HCL Info Systems.

The agreement was signed between the Vice-executive Chairman, George Paul and the Information and Communications Secretary, Dasho Kinley Dorji, last evening.

The collaboration will enable setting up of manufacturing units for IT products in Bhutan.

The company will also train Bhutanese on IT hardware technology and related repairs and management. Among others they will also put in place appropriate e-waste management strategies to protect the environment.

With such collaborations, Bhutan aims to achieve its aim of universal connectivity by 2011.

Source: BBྠྠྠS

The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity

The Indian ambassador, Pavan Varma, also a scholar and writer, has authored more than a dozen books; his latest being ‘Becoming Indian: The Unfinished Revolution of Culture and Identity”. In view of the recent discussions on culture and identity in the country, Kuensel spoke with the ambassador on the much debated subject.

1. Your views about Bhutan’s emphasis on preserving its cultural identity?
Bhutan, in many respects, is a role model for other countries in south Asia. For one, it was never colonised and, therefore, there was no rupture in the continuity of its own culture. Secondly, there is an understanding in the leadership here, provided by their Majesties the Kings and now by the democratically elected government, of the need to preserve this culture and identity. I think this is important because, in a rapidly globalising world, people should know where they belong, where they come from and that gives them their unique place in this world.

2. Is there really too much emphasis on physical aspects of cultural identity that some people think they’re just a façade?
Culture is not easy to define, but it is a way of life. It’s a collective of beliefs, faith, community, relations and attitudes; but that’s one part of it because that is the inner journey. That inner journey must reflect also in external attributes, in terms of clothes, housing, food, celebration of festivals, the arts and culture. The two can’t be separated and a mechanical emphasis only on the external features isn’t the answer, although they are important. That’s when it becomes a façade. If there is an organic relationship between the inner journey and its external attributes, then you’re talking of a cohesive and organic culture.

3. Where does cultural identity end and cultural nationalism begin?
Cultural identity and the need to preserve it should not translate into cultural nationalism. The loyalty to what is your own heritage and your sensitivity to be who you are should not translate into xenophobia or chauvinism against other cultures. In fact, the opposite is true. Those, who are confidently rooted in their own culture, are more confident interlocutors with other cultures, display greater understanding to the cultural diversity and are better bridges between two cultures. But those, who are not, display the insecurity that leads to either cultural nationalism or intolerance.

4. Why the need for so much stress on cultural identity as though it would peter out?
No culture can insulate itself from the possibility of change and there are many meeting points for all cultures, because there are certain universal values that animate all enlightened cultures. However, the fact that change is inevitable does not mean that change has to be anarchic or self-defeating. We must accept change, but must also see if we can influence the content, the pace and the direction of change to understand what we need to preserve and what we can borrow. That cultural compass is a very important tool in today’s world. If you are a mature culture, you should be able to have that discrimination, that application of mind because you cannot become an island unto yourself.

5. Your views on the argument that some elite Bhutanese are using the cultural identity argument to maintain the hierarchical structure and retain their supremacy.
Culture cannot become for anyone any reason to blindly fossilise the past. It can’t become a reason to perpetuate mechanically the old in opposition to the new. But this doesn’t mean that the new is always better than the old. Enlightened cultures, rooted as they are, should be able to resist the manipulation of culture for short-term goals and be able to look beyond to the greater good. Good, that is, of those people, who have managed to preserve their cultural identities in an era when such identities are in real danger of being eroded, through a process of cooption, which is the sub-text in the cultural field of a globalising world.

6. How about the argument of engaging too deep into preservation of cultural and identity causing the country to lag behind?
I don’t agree that being conscious about preserving your cultural identity is synonymous with primitivism. I believe that you can be a revolutionary thinker wearing a gho or a leading scientist in a home, which is reflective of architectural ethos of your country. It’s only when societies and nations become intellectually brittle that they focus more on the preservation of the external and ignore the empowerment, which comes from being a spokesperson of your own cultural ethos and identity. It empowers you and only those people, who are thus empowered to win the respect of those with whom they must inevitably interact in a world, which has often been compelled to a global village.

7. Where is architecture’s place in the whole debate on cultural identity?
A house, home or a building is a window to culture, because of the manner in which they are built and the way in which they apportion space reflects the cultural priorities of a people. In a Bhutanese home, there will be space for an altar. This may not be the most comfortable home or the most functional allocation of space, but it nevertheless corresponds to a certain cultural ethos. With modernity and new possibilities in architecture, there could be modifications, which add to the architectural competence of a building, enhance its functionality and improve its services. These can always be incorporated, but it is a mistake to believe that you can take a house or a form of architecture from anywhere and transplant it in some other place. It doesn’t happen so and I strongly believe it should not.

8. While we’re trying hard to promote and preserve our national language, English continues to be a preferred medium for communication. Where are we headed in that context?
If Bhutan is seeking to preserve Dzongkha, it’s a laudable endeavour. There’s a language of culture and a language of communication. English is indispensable as a language of communication to interface with the globalising world. But, whether for Bhutan or for India, English cannot become the language of your culture. The language of your culture is the language in which you weep, cry, abuse, compose and create. It is a window to your folklore, to your traditions, lullabies and culture. No greater tragedy can happen to a people, where a language of communication overwhelms or displaces a language of culture. People must persevere to preserve the language of their culture, in case of Bhutan the Dzongkha, and incorporate the many vernaculars in Bhutan, and a language of communication, which has a place of its own. But we must know the distinction between the two.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan government has launched a Government to Citizens project

With an aim of taking government services to the community information centre at the Geog levels, the government has launched a G2C (Government to Citizens) project. The compact was signed by the Prime Minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, the Cabinet Secretary, Dasho Tashi Phuntshog, and the Project Director of G2C, Jigme Thinley.

So far, around 110 services have been identified in relation to this. These include procuring of forestry and environment related clearances, land transaction services, business licenses amongst others.

The Project Director was quoted as saying that they were trying to deliver the services within a day in the communities.

All works are expected to be carried out through IT automation with assistance from the Department of Information and Technology.

Bhutan: Literary festival, Mountain Echoes

Like the recently held SAARC summit, the Bhutanese environment seems to be having quite an effect on visiting writers attending the ongoing literary festival, Mountain Echoes.

But perhaps because it involves writers, instead of politicians, sexual jokes, night hunting and gossip accompanied some of the topics during the second day of the literary festival being held here in Thimphu.

“I’ve heard most of the Indian writers before, but here they seemed more relaxed and better engaged with the audience,” said publisher and editor-in-chief of Penguin India, Ravi Singh, who has attended several other such literary festivals in India.

“I don’t want to sound condescending, but I’ve been impressed by every single Bhutanese speaker as well,” said the publishing company’s editor. So far, Bhutanese writers such as Kunzang Choden, Dasho Karma Ura, Dasho Kinley Dorji, parliament member Sonam Kinga, opposition leader Tshering Tobgay, and Siok Sian Pek Dorji have spoken at the festival.

Ravi Singh said he had observed that Bhutanese writers were trying to find their way in this new landscape, in reference to the first ever literary festival being held in Bhutan. “There’s no self indulgence,” he said, adding that the Bhutanese speakers have been thinking “outside the sphere” and in a “deep” and “honest” way.

By ‘deep’, Ravi Singh was probably referring to his afternoon session with Dasho Kinley Dorji, which touched upon Bhutan’s development, and its cultural identity and preservation approach. Dasho Kinley was subjected to a number of tough questions. For instance, Singh asked Dasho Kinley, whether there is a “worry when championing this (national identity or shared culture) through your writings or otherwise, that there is a danger of homogenising, because you’re talking about human beings?”

Dasho Kinley replied that, as a socially diverse country, the pluralism of society was accepted as part of the national consciousness.

During the question-answer session, an audience member observed that Dasho Kinley’s session showed a desire to “freeze” culture at a “particular point”, when it is actually a dynamic process. Dasho Kinley replied humorously that personally, “I’d like Bhutan to have remained hidden.” He said that Bhutanese society is also engaged in this debate, and that a middle ground or path has to be found.

Dasho Kinley’s session also included a joke, as narrated to him by a traditional storyteller, that involved infidelity and animals.

The honesty of Bhutanese writers, as described by Penguin editor, Ravi Singh, was perhaps most reflected by MP Sonam Kinga, who in response to a question on ‘night hunting’ provided a rather too detailed narrative description of the rural culture. “It’s a kind of dating or courtship,” said the MP, “which the coming of electricity has undermined.” The MP was actually speaking about katsoms or Bhutanese alphabetic poetry, and had briefly mentioned the practice during his presentation.

Another highlight of the second day of the literary festival was award winning author Patrick French’s quest for Younghusband. The author of Younghusband: The Last Great Imperial Adventurer, said that Bhutan would probably not be in the “strong position” it is today if not for the present monarchy being established in 1907. His Majesty the first Druk Gyalpo, Ugyen Wangchuck, accompanied British officer Younghusband as a mediator during the former’s invasion of Tibet at the beginning of the last century.

French said that the invasion was the “most remarkable but most pointless campaign by the British Raj.” He explained that, as a result of the campaign, “a trade mart was opened in Gyentse, and that was it.”

The historical author also added that he is currently working on a book, of which, Bhutan will be a major part.

The last session of the day focused on blogging and new media. Opposition leader Tshering Tobgay, who is a prolific blogger, and one of two politicians, who uses the internet to publicly interact, shared his online experience.

He pointed out that he uses his blog, which he referred to as his own private newspaper, to encourage people to discuss issues.

Although he acknowledged that his readership represents a minority, he said, the blog “forces me to think all the time, similar to a journalist.” He added that more politicians need to blog, and not just before elections but throughout their terms.

He also pointed out that his blog receives the most discussion from topics that deal with the law and the media.

Although the three-day literary festival ends today, some participants, despite appreciating the quality of presentations and interaction, pointed out a negative aspect.

“There’s so much to learn, I’m not going to be able to process it all, there’s so much information and that’s the only downside to it,” said visiting journalist Omair Ahmad, who added that there was certainly a difference from other literary festivals by having it in Bhutan. “I’m glad it’s going so well.”

Source: Kuenselonline

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Amazing Drogba skill in training.

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Why can’t Bhutanese be Bhutanese?

This is just a humble participation in the discussion initiated by Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche in last Saturday’s Kuensel.

In 2008, I attended a two-module management training programme called “Leading for Change” organised by RCSC for mid-level civil servants. At the end of the second module, the resource person asked the participants to come up with sketch drawings on the theme “Bhutan: Twenty years from now.”

Two sketches particularly struck me: one depicted a herdsman from Merak-Sakteng checking the latest international butter price offers on the internet from his home desktop computer; the other was a cleaner haughtily shaking hands with the prime minister of Bhutan as if to say, “I’m your boss and you’re my servant.”

While these two scenarios will indeed be noticeable changes for Bhutan, if at all they happen, one may wonder whether both the changes are in the right direction, the change we can believe in. If they are not, we may have to choose wisely; and to choose wisely, we will have to work hard just as a American politician said, “Change is inevitable. Change for the better is a full-time job.”

Using rinpoche’s figurative expression, I will attempt to share my views on two of the four aspects raised by him.

Language
This is an area where we have to blame ourselves. The problem, I see, is not so much with Dzongkha as a language, but with us as its users and, perhaps, with its strategies and planning.

I have several foreign friends, who have acquired Dzongkha competency — both speaking and writing— by learning genuinely within months if not within weeks. Some foreigners have even written books in Dzongkha.

Some things we have to learn with the brain, but some things we have to learn with the heart. The main problem for Dzongkha not becoming popular is not learning with heart, as I see it at this stage. Of course, there are other issues like proper planning and proper teaching-learning; and for this, we may have to rewrite some Dzongkha literature and we may have to reassess our Dzongkha pedagogy, but we also have to rethink our perception of the national language.

This is not to say that we do not need English. English is a necessary language for us. But saying we need English is not to be considered as same as we don’t need Dzongkha.

I recommend bilingualism. This does not mean mixing Dzongkha and English, but a policy of considering the two languages equally important and defining their domains of use quite clearly.

India has something called three-language formula: Hindi as the official language, English as the associate official language, and mother tongue as a state language or third official language. Singapore and Switzerland have four-language policies; and some other countries, such as South Africa, have eleven official languages. This means that they devote so much time and resources to teach all the official languages equally.

The possibility of using Roman script to write native languages, as suggested by rinpoche, is not without problems. This is especially true for languages, such as ours, which have so many similar words, with tonal distinctions to indicate different meanings.

Because of the Dzongkha sound systems, we may have to use diacritics and symbols, which will be far more problematic than the problems posed by using the native script. In fact, in every country, including European and Asian ones, such as Indonesia, where Romanisation is an official policy, there are controversies and problems of arbitrariness in writing their languages.

To talk about the importance of a national language, I think the presidents of China and France or the chancellor of Germany will never address a UN Assembly session or a NATO summit in English at least for another 1000 years. If they do, they will not get votes. Anglos will be Anglos; Romans will be Romans. Why can’t Bhutanese be Bhutanese and move ahead as Bhutanese?

Let us keep rinpoche’s suggestions, which are very objective, as a possible option if things fail miserably and go horribly wrong; but for now, let us continue to do what we do, of course with modifications and adaptations, and see how it goes. Someone said, “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a language. You just have to get people to stop reading them.”

Let us not do this at present.

Happiness
My idea of happiness is that I have a work to exercise my brain or my brawn; that I have a root lama to seek refuge; that I have enough leisure and affordability to go on holidays and pilgrimages; and that my fridge is never empty. My happiness is also a kind of world, where everything is green when I look out of my window; where no person commits suicide; where our streets are free of gang fights; where our neighbours do not complain of burglaries.

It is also a kind of life in which husbands do not beat wives, or vice versa; my grandparents do not feel alienated from society; and my office mates do not die of kidney failure because they could not get enough dialysis.

To create a world like this, which is almost Utopia, I think everyone has to play his or her own part. The government has to generate maximum hydro-ngultrums or dollars; the banks have to think of giving back to the people and to the economy, and not always think of taking away from them; and our companies and industries have to invest in those projects, where there are economies of scale.

Our agriculturists have to grow those crops that we have comparative advantage over other producers in the neighbourhood, and they have to think of creating variability and diversity, so that we have maximum gains from international trade. Our villagers have to plant two saplings for every tree they cut down.

Last, but not least, our lamas and monks have to keep praying or chanting ferociously. Although they do not create tangible outputs, they clear all unforeseen obstacles for our country; so that we can move forward as a small but happy nation, along with automistic-mechanistic countries, like USA or Japan, for as long as the Earth exists.

The nature and weight of our responsibilities may differ. Some may have to carry forests on their backs like mountains; some may have to crack nuts like squirrels; but let us all play our parts in this game of nation building.

Source: Kuenselonline

His Majesty the King granted an audience to the King George Tupou V

King George Tupou V of the Kingdom of Tonga

His Majesty the King granted an audience to the King George Tupou V of the Kingdom of Tonga yesterday. He was escorted in a traditional Chipdrel procession to the Tashichhodzong.

At the courtyard of the Tashichhodzong, King George Tupou was presented a guard of honour by the Royal Bhutan Army and the Royal Body Guards.

Following the guard of honour, His Majesty the King granted an audience at the Tashichhodzong.

King George Tupou V presented His Majesty with the illustrious Tongan order of Queen Salote III.

Tongan order of Queen Salote III

The only recipient is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.

This is his third visit to Bhutan. He visited Bhutan in 2002 and 2007.

King George Tupou the V arrived in the Kingdom on Wednesday.

Source: BBS

Pasakha bridge opened to traffic yesterday by the prime minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley

Pasakha industries should not face problems in the rainy season with an all weather bridge over the Padazekhachu, on the Pasakha-Manitar road, opened to traffic yesterday by the prime minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley.

The 100 m long and nine metre wide bridge has a load capacity of 70 metric tonnes (MT) and cost Nu 63.58M to build. Construction began last year.

“Without a permanent bridge, industries faced a lot of difficulties during monsoon,” said the works and human settlement minister, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba at the inauguration. “It isn’t the biggest but nonetheless a very important one.”

About 140 heavy vehicles ply to and from the Pasakha industrial estate everyday.

Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba also thanked project DANTAK and the Indian government for their continued support.

DANTAK officials said that the new bridge would provide all weather connectivity for all kinds of heavy vehicles to Pasakha industrial area.

The inaugural ceremony was also attended by the Indian ambassador, Pavan K Varma, the director general of border roads, Lt Gen MC Badhani and the chief engineer of Project DANTAK, Brigadier US Dadu.

According to DANTAK officials, the Pasakha-Manitar road, envisaged as a bypass to the slide prone area of Ramitey, Sorchhen and Jumja on the Asian highway of Phuentsholing-Thimphu road, was handed over to the roads department in February 2008, except for two bridges at 0.11 km and 2.85 km from Pasakha industrial estate.

“Pasakha, being a major industrial estate in Bhutan located across the Padazekhachu, the need for a permanent bridge for swift transportation of all raw materials and machineries was felt since years ago,” states a report on the bridge from DANTAK.

Source: Kuenselonline

Japan will provide technical cooperation to Bhutan

The government of Japan will provide technical cooperation to Bhutan in farm road bridge design, strengthening local governance and developing a solid waste management programme, according to officials of the gross national happiness (GNH) commission.

“We had put in five proposals in 2009 under technical cooperation and three have been approved,” GNH secretary Karma Tshiteem said.

GNH officials learnt of these developments yesterday during the sixth ODA/JICA seminar in Thimphu. The seminar is held annually so that recipient countries are updated and fully understand the donor country’s systems and are in a better position to access opportunities. The seminar also provides information on the status of government proposals.

Bhutan had made five proposals under grant aid (projects worth more than USD 2M), of which one has been approved. “Japan has agreed to the replacement of ambulances, which is the priority of the ruling government,” the GNH secretary said.

The proposal for the KR II grant for 2010 was not approved, but this did not mean that the door had been closed, said the GNH secretary. “The government will be resubmitting the proposal, given its importance,” said Karma Tshiteem. “Besides, we’re still getting support under the KR II grant.” The KR II grant supports underprivileged farmers and strengthening farm mechanisation.

The seminar also shared with government officials other possibilities of assistance, such as enhanced access to ODA (official development assistance) loans. For least developed countries like Bhutan, ODA loans are available at a very low rate of interest, under one percent, and repayment periods are very long.

According to GNH officials, Bhutan has already availed one such loan for the rural electrification project. “Given our priorities, we might have to take another to complete the rural electrification project, and another one to fund rural credit,” Karma Tshiteem said.

JICA’s director for South Asia division 1, Hara Shohei, said that the ODA budget has a limitation and cannot focus on all the proposals put forward, but proposals accepted were in line with the government’s priority like helping the eastern region. “I hope we can do something for the people living in underdeveloped places,” he said.

On rural electrification, Hara Shohei said that about three billion Japanese yen would be considered, and discussions had started with department of energy, as well as Bhutan power supply. “Our consultants will carry out a preparatory survey from this month, which will be completed by the end of October this year, and I hope we’ll be able to conclude the loan agreement by end of next March, so that actual distribution and transmission lines in the rural area can be started early by next year, and also meet national target of 100 percent electrification in the rural areas by 2013.”

Hara Shohei said that the relationship between Bhutan and JICA is deep and widespread, which signifies good outcome.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan Celebrates 100th birth anniversary of His Holiness the late Kyabje Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche

His Holiness the late Kyabje Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche

This year marks the 100th birth anniversary of His Holiness the late Kyabje Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche. To pay tribute and celebrate the main accomplishment of His Holiness a three day special prayer ceremony is being conducted at the Satsam Chorten, Paro. His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo attended the ceremony yesterday.

Around 300 monks including Anims and Trulkus from Bumthang Kharchu, Tharpaling, Lhalung, Nimalung and Wangsisina Dratshangs are performing the payer ceremony. It is being presided over by Kyabje Talung Khentse Rinpoche and His Eminence Ugen Tenzin Jigme Lhendup, the incarnation of the late Kyabje Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche.

The prayer ceremony was attended by His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo, Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck, Their Majesties the Queen Mothers and Her Royal Highness Ashi Kesang Wangmo Wangchuck. It was also attended by the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, Chairperson of the National Council and the Cabinet Ministers.

During the occasion His Eminence, the incarnation of the late Rinpoche presented a statue of the late Kyabje Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche to Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother. Her Majesty also presented a statue each to the followers of the late Rinpoche.

Hundreds of devotees are attending the prayer ceremony. The sacred relics of His Holiness are also being displayed for the public. A movie on the life of his late Holiness will also be screened for the public.

His Holiness the Late Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was born in 1910 in eastern Tibet to a family descended from the Royal lineage of the 9th century King Trisong Detsen. When he was still in his mother’s womb, Rinpoche was recognized as a Trulku or incarnation by the illustrious teacher Mipham Rinpoche. He was enthroned as the emanation of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, one of the most important Tertons and writers of the 19th century.

Dilgo Khentse Rinpoche studied with many great teachers, including his root Guru, Shechen Gyaltsap from whom he received all the essential empowerments and instructions of the Nyingma tradition. From the age of fifteen until he was twenty eight, he spent his time meditating in silent retreat, living in isolated hermitage and caves.

In the late 1950’s Rinpoche and his family fled Tibet. They were welcomed in Bhutan by the Bhutanese Royal Family.

The opening centennial celebration was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on February 20. Apart from Bhutan, activities will be held in Europe, Northern America, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia.

The closing ceremony will be held in Bodhgaya, India on December 28.

Source: BBS

His Majesty the King George Tupou V

His Majesty the King George Tupou V of the Kingdom of Tonga arrived in the country on a five-day official visit today.

On arrival at the Paro airport He was received by Her Royal Highness the Princess Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Cabinet Ministers, speaker of the National Assembly, the National Council Chairperson, the Opposition Leader and other senior government officials.

This is his third visit to Bhutan. He visited Bhutan in 2002 and 2007. His Majesty King George Tupou V ascended the throne on September 10, 2006 following the demise of his father His Majesty King Tupou IV at the age of 88 years.

Later, at the Taj Tashi Hotel He was received by His Royal Highness the Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.

Tonga is a Kingdom, roughly the size of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean.

Source: BBS

His Majesty the King George Tupou V of the Kingdom of Tonga arrived in the country on a five-day official visit today.

On arrival at the Paro airport He was received by Her Royal Highness the Princess Ashi Sonam Dechan Wangchuck, Cabinet Ministers, speaker of the National Assembly, the National Council Chairperson, the Opposition Leader and other senior government officials.

This is his third visit to Bhutan. He visited Bhutan in 2002 and 2007. His Majesty King George Tupou V ascended the throne on September 10, 2006 following the demise of his father His Majesty King Tupou IV at the age of 88 years.

Later, at the Taj Tashi Hotel He was received by His Royal Highness the Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.

Tonga is a Kingdom, roughly the size of Japan, in the Pacific Ocean.

Source: BBS

Bhutan: online system Security Clearance Certificate

The initiative to ease obtaining security clearance certificate (SCC) through an online system will run on a trial basis, starting today, for a month.

The system will be formally launched after June 11, to allow people from any part of the country with internet facility to process the certificate online. “It’ll take time to reach everywhere instantly, because some places aren’t connected with internet,” said home ministry’s assistant information and media officer, Jigme Singye.

Villagers would have to visit police outposts, which would be equipped with the new system, until the facility is extended to the 205 gewog administration offices. “The gewog administrative officer will guide villagers to register online.” Jigme Singye said. If the gewog is not connected with internet, villagers will have to go to dzongkhag police station.

Jigme Singye said that, along with the trial run, they would observe how helpful the system was and get views and feedback from the people. “Through feedback, if required, then we’ll advance the system,” he said. “We’ll also study how many people apply for the certificate in a day.”

Security clearance certificate is one of the most important document a Bhutanese must have to apply for citizenship, employment, licenses, higher education, promotions, travel documents and loans.

SCC generated through the trial run will however remain invalid. “People should follow the regular procedure to produce certificates till then.” Jigme said.

With the system, an applicant is expected to receive the certificate within 24 hours of registration. Applicants will have the option of checking the status of their applications. Depending on applicants’ information, certificates will either be approved, left pending or rejected by law and order bureau, census and registration division and the police in Thimphu.

With the new update system, applicants can check the status of their application with citizenship card instead of memorising a unique number to track the status. People can re-submit the SCC application, if it is rejected or is left pending, without having to repeat the whole process with just the use of an identity card.

Once the formalities are done, no paper certificate as such will be issued, but a soft copy would be e-mailed to the concerned person. “The whole idea of not letting the applicants print SCC is to be make the system environment-friendly,” Jigme said.

The service is available at http://scs.rbp.gov.bt.

Source: Kuenselonline

Lyonchhoen attributes to combined Bhutanese efforts

India and Pakistan, two nations wrought under a spell of belligerence, returned to their respective nations yesterday, back to talking terms, amid hopes of forging ahead with a new peace process.

Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai and some other SAARC delegates were seen performing Trashi Labey in Bhutanese national dress at the Bhutan house, the night before leaving the kingdom.

Some delegates were said to have been moved to tears from the hospitality they received in Bhutan and the Bhutanese ambience, which helped them, for once, forget all troubles back home, on the day they were flying back.

They had promised to return, but without any official strings attached.

Although modest, the climate that the country had set for the SAARC heads of states to meet, they had said, would be difficult for nations, which will host the Summit next, to match.

All that was made possible, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley said, because Bhutanese came together to ensure the success of an event of national and regional importance.

Heads of states and delegates, who attended the summit, along with observers and media representatives, Lyonchhoen said, left the country greatly satisfied and convinced that they were leaving with a unique experience.

“The experience of having observed a nation fulfilling a responsibility of an association, of which they have become a member despite many limitations,” he said. “They have seen how the people of this little country can come together to fulfill obligations that were indeed enormous.”

He explained that the DPT government undertook such a responsibility, against many who thought it was unreasonable and beyond the country’s means.

“I’d full confidence in the people of Bhutan, a country where we’ve always united against odds in the interest of the tsa-wa-süm (triple gem),” Lyonchhoen said.

The summit was important, he said, in the enhancement of the country’s sovereignty, in projecting it as one pursuing a unique development path and deserving sympathy and support of the global community.

He attributed the summit’s success to their Majesties the King and the fourth King and the royal family members for inspiration, valuable guidance and support, His Holiness for the blessings and dratsangs, drubdays and chhoedays whoch performed kurims.

“They propitiated our guardian deities and blessed us with a wonderful three days at a time when we were experiencing strong winds and heavy rainfall,” Lyonchhoen said.

The guests admired the quality of the services rendered, which he said was because civil servants, particularly in Thimphu and Paro, worked at odd hours from planning and management down to sweeping and cleaning toilets.

The welcome team, comprising principals, teachers and students, who stood along the main Thimphu-Paro highway giving dignitaries a feeling of joyous welcome extended on behalf of the entire Bhutanese citizens. So did the public, who came out of their shops, to greet guests, unlike in other cities.

“They were charmed and enchanted by the welcome that showed on the faces of our smiling children,” Lyonchhoen said.

The heads of states, he said, were at ease in terms of safety and security because Bhutanese soldiers and police ensured complete safety and security in the region throughout the summit.

“To this end I know hundreds of soldiers and police went hungry and thirsty in the jungles surrounding the capital, highways and along the streets,” Lyonchhoen said.

You, Lyonchhoen said, referring to Bhutanese citizens he was conveying his message to, “have made the country and me proud and I know the royal families are proud of us.”

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan hosting its first ever SAARC summit

It has been a hectic week in the capital, with Bhutan hosting its first ever SAARC summit that ended yesterday.

But at the end of it all there is a deep sense of satisfaction with everyone involved that all went well if not perfectly.

This sense is not only shared by those, who were directly involved in some way with the summit, but also by their friends and family members in the capital and beyond, who were equally tense about how it might go.

Such a feeling grew from the fact that a lot of preparation work was still going on or seemed to be going on even at the last minute.

The unusual weather a few days before the summit threatened to rip apart decorative flags hung all over the city.

There were stories about rushed coordination meetings with no agenda, the interiors of recently completed SAARC villas still smelling of fresh paint and volunteers, who would serve and prepare some meals for the dignitaries, doing some last minute crash course.

Thus a sense of uncertainty as the day drew close. And when it came, everyone did the best they could, starting early and staying late into the night, so that visiting dignitaries were comfortable and felt at home.

Still then the summit was not devoid of its awkward moments. There were stories of hungry angry grumbling journalists, who were ushered into the summit hall hours in advance, but there was nothing to eat once inside.

There were also rumours about how the lights went off in one villa, and the water running out for some time in another and about a canine getting to one delegate. All these incidents unfortunately are true.

But the overall ambience of the summit prevailed, which was one of friendship, harmony and cooperation. The summit in itself went the way it has always been. The leaders gave their speeches and certain declarations were adopted, but a shared sense of destiny for the region did seem to emerge at the end of it.

The summit proceedings broadcast live on national television was watched with interest all across the country, like people normally do when watching an international soccer match.

Today Bhutanese know more about SAARC than they ever did and children can identify the flags of SAARC nations as well as their leaders.

And the country’s organisational capacity to host such summits has been through the litmus test. If it came through, it is because everyone, despite differences, came together as a team.

Now it is time to get back to serving the people and addressing issues, like alleviating poverty, one of SAARC’s founding goals.

Source: Kuenselonline

Lam Tshering, coffee with Indira Gandhi

As you drive by Paro airport’s runway, you might have passed by Lam Tshering tilling his paddy fields.

Nothing about the 59-year old sunburned farmer strikes one as exceptional. But ask him a little about his past – and it’s a bagful of surprises, including an incident involving having coffee with Indira Gandhi.

In 1969, Indira Gandhi hosted a gathering, says Lam Tshering, and he was on the guest list. How did he get to coffee with Indira Gandhi?

When Lam Tshering was 18, he was picked by the government, along with ten other boys from his village in Paro, to become mask dancers. These mask dancers eventually went on to journey around the world exhibiting Bhutanese culture in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

By the end of his dancing career, Lam Tshering had travelled to 17 countries, including Iran, at a time when only very few Bhutanese had the privilege to step outside the borders of Bhutan.

“It was a very hot place,” he says in Dzongkha on his visit to the middle eastern country. “And it was even hotter, because the only clothes we had were bura ghos.”

Today, Lam Tshering, who never had a formal education, is able to converse only in Dzongkha. On how he communicated with people, “We usually just smiled and looked at each other’s faces,” he says with a laugh.

He narrates an incident in Iran, where an Iranian came up to him and asked him what he was eating. “I had taken along some thingay (Chinese pepper) in my hemchu (gho pocket) for my gastric, which I would pop into my mouth occasionally,” he said. The Iranian man asked him for some. Lam Tshering pulled out a fistful of thingay to show the man. But to his astonishment, the man scooped the fistful into a palm and before he could stop him, gulped the thingay.

“I didn’t know how to tell him not to eat it, and that night I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking that I’d killed him.” The Iranian man had become silent after eating the thingay and run out the room.

“Japan and Australia were the cleanest countries I’ve visited,” says Lam Tshering. “But Delhi was my favourite because I could speak some Hindi.”

Back to his coffee incident, he says that he was surprised that he was only offered plain coffee. “We waited and waited for the milk and sugar, because coffee or tea without milk and sugar in Bhutan was considered a poor man’s brew.” He explains that they were baffled they were being offered such a poor man’s drink, when the prime minister had just told us that she was honoured to have them at her residence as her first Bhutanese guests.

After a long wait, they realised they would not be getting any milk and sugar and, not to offend their hosts, gulped down their cold black coffees. “Only later did I realise there was something called black coffee,” he says with a snicker.

Would he want to travel like he once did? Lam Tshering says he is satisfied, especially that, as a poor uneducated villager from Paro, he was able to travel the world free of cost. “Today I’m too busy with my family and farm,” he says.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bangladesh community in Thimphu and Bhutanese dignitaries celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh

The small Bangladesh community in Thimphu, joined by Bhutanese dignitaries, yesterday celebrated the 39th anniversary of the Independence and National Day of Bangladesh at the embassy ground.

The Bangladesh ambassador to Bhutan, Mujibur Rahman Bhuiyan, said that the day will always remain special to the people of Bangladesh, as it marked the beginning of independence of Bangladesh after nine-month long armed struggle with Pakistani forces and immense sacrifices of lives of Bangladeshi people and finally achieving the independence on March 26,1971.

“This day also marked the beginning of a new nation, where the people had the freedom and right to self determination and it was the dream of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, to build Bangladesh into a happy and prosperous country in a democratic environment,” he said.

“Bhutan is an old and close friend of Bangladesh and among the first nations to recognise Bangladesh as an independent country. This is important because Bhutan helped us when we needed the most, and that’s why Bhutan will always have a special place in the hearts of all the people of Bangladesh.”

In her message to the nation, Sheikh Hasina paid tribute to the three million heroes, who sacrificed their lives, and 200,000 women, who lost their innocence in the war of liberation. “I recall with deep gratitude the leader of our liberation struggle, the greatest Bangalee of all time, the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” said the prime minister in her message.

“Our government has been striving hard to establish Bangladesh as a poverty-, hunger- and illiteracy-free digital Bangladesh by 2021, the golden jubilee year of our independence. For the success of the noble endeavour, I call upon all people wherever they may be to join us with their utmost sincerity, honesty and dedication.”

The foreign secretary, Daw Penjo, home secretary Dasho Penden Wangchuk and the chief of protocol, Singye Dorjee were present at the celebration.

Source: Kuenselonline

Paro Festival: Most popular festival in Bhutan

Under a warm spring sun, and dressed in their finest ghos and kiras, Parops, pilgrims, and an almost equal number of tourists, celebrated the first day of Paro tsechu, Nangcham, witnessing sacred dances performed in the cobble-stoned courtyard of the Rinpung dzong.

Events inside Rinpung dzong commenced with monks performing Shingje Yab Yum, the dance of the lord of death (Shingje) and his consort.

This was followed by Durdag, the dance of the lords of the cremation grounds, Shanag, dance of the black hats, Drametse Ngacham, dance of the drum from Drametse, De Gye Mang cham, dance of the eight kinds of spirits, and finally Chhoeshey, a religious song.

Intermingled within these sacred dances, were also zhungdra and boedra dances performed by the dzongkhag’s dancers.

Kuensel spoke to a few tourists, who witnessed the festival. All of them pointed out that the festival was uniquely different from similar festivals in other countries, in that it was not staged for tourists, but conducted for the local people.

“It wasn’t for travellers but for the people,” said Peter Hollingworth, a doctor from England, who witnessed the celebrations for the first time. “It was very natural, genuine.”

“People joked, laughed and interacted, it brought people together and it was very beautiful,” said Australian Peter Davissen, an electrician.

“You could feel the joy and fun, the happiness, and the peaceful atmosphere of the community,” said Christian Gruber, a German IT project manager with Shell.

“I feel privileged to have been able to attend such a magnificent festival,” said Felipe Chirinos from Peru. Paro tsechu continues for another four days.

Source: Kuenselonline

is Majesty the King graced the final day of the Talo Tsechu in Punakha, Bhutan

His Majesty the King graced the final day of the Talo Tsechu in Punakha this morning. His Majesty joined thousands of people from in and around Punakha and neighbouring Dzongkhags. His Majesty also granted audience to the Kidu beneficiaries.

The three-day Tsechu ended with the unfurling of Zhabdrung Phunsum Tshogpai Thongdrel.

His Majesty witnessed the mask dances and offered prayers and butter lamps.

His Majesty the King also interacted with the people who had gathered to witness the Tsechu.

Source: BBS

His Majesty the King granted an audience to the gups of Nation (Bhutan)

His Majesty the King granted an audience to the gups at the Lingkana Palace today

Profits dip by Nu 44 million: Bhutan National Bank

Foreign exchange movement, not performance, led to a slump in Bhutan National bank’s profits, the first time in eight years, say bank officials.

“If you exclude the foreign exchange (forex) component for 2008 and 2009, we’ve actually grown by more than 23 percent,” said BNB’s chief executive officer, Kipchu Tshering.

In 2008, the bank had a windfall of Nu 84 mn through forex and last year it suffered a loss of Nu 19 mn. BNB, like most banks, is required to maintain at least USD 10 mn in foreign exchange to facilitate third country transactions.

According to the bank’s profit and loss account, which was not obtained from bank officials, BNB’s profits fell by about Nu 44 mn in 2009, with profit after tax slipping to Nu 266.2 mn from Nu 310.3 mn in 2008.

While income from interest on loans grew to Nu 1.14 bn from Nu 917 mn, interest paid on fixed deposits shot up to Nu 588.9 mn from Nu 329 mn in 2008.

The bank’s management said that the raise in corporate fixed deposit rates last year to attract more funds had increased the cost of funds. “Our lending was growing but not our deposits, so we raised the fixed deposit rates to avoid a cash crunch,” said Kipchu Tshering.

While this increased deposits to Nu 21.65 bn from Nu 14.60 bn and loans also grew to Nu 11 bn, shareholders pointed out, during the bank’s annual general meeting in Thimphu on March 23, that the huge interest payments on fixed deposits had significantly eaten into the profits.

“The bank has made money, but it could have made much more had it not taken so much deposits,” said a shareholder. “It’s a lapse on the management for not being able to track investment as well as fund flow.”

The bank did the same in 2002 and its profits fell for the first time after it was formed in 1997, said another shareholder. “It’s a repeat of 2002, they took in just too much money.” He also said that the bank could be stuck with paying high interest rates for some time, particularly for long term fixed deposits.

For the Bank of Bhutan, the cost of funds were much cheaper, because most government agencies, for whatever reasons, had their current accounts with them, on which the bank incurred no cost but charged for services rendered.

BNB today has an excess liquidity of about Nu 4 bn, but its officials expect large borrowers only after some hydropower projects are completed. “Domestic power consumption has reached its peak and no new industries can come up without power,” said Kipchu Tshering. There was no land either to set up new industries, although the government has made announcements to develop several industrial estates.

Kipchu Tshering said that there were no investment avenues within the country to utilise the surplus money. “Elsewhere, you have mutual funds, the stock market and government bonds. Here even the issue of government bonds isn’t consistent.”

The bank is waiting to invest several hundred million ngultrums as consortium financing to the Dungsam cement project, which announced earlier this year that it would borrow about Nu 2 bn domestically.

Despite the drip in profits, the bank declared a dividend of Nu 28.50 a share, the same as the previous year. It will paying Nu 101 mn as dividend, Nu 79 mn will go into reserves. As in 2008, Nu 50 mn has been set aside as reserve to build an office complex.

Source: Kuenselonline

GNH philosophy into the country’s economic policies

Much has been done to beef up the country’s economy, just as much has been said about the need to protect its environment that is underpinned by the gross national happiness (GNH) philosophy.

Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley said the government would incorporate the GNH philosophy into the country’s economic policies to promote a ‘green and sustainable economy’.

“We’ll give incentives, tax relief and bonuses to economic activities, promoting a green and sustainable economy with value addition and minimum impact on environment and culture,” the prime minister said.

He said this was already incorporated in the government’s final economic development policy (EDP) document, which will be made public next week.

Source: Kuenselonline

Anything leading to the depletion of resources with minimum benefit to the country, he said, would be discouraged. He explained that exploiting and exporting raw minerals, for instance, would not receive priority. He assured that, rather than terminating the existing industries, they would be encouraged to add value to their products.

“We’ll go for economic activities that ensure highest return, while also ensuring the intergeneration equity in the sharing of natural resources,” the Lyonchhoen said.

Sources said the FDI policy was delayed on the advice of the cabinet to incorporate the philosophy of GNH into the document.

Lyonchhoen said the government would encourage FDI in activities that made Bhutan a regional services hub in health and wellness, education centre, tourism, financial services, data centres and ICT.

He said Bhutan was promoting hydropower, both inside and outside the bilateral framework, and the pursuit of renewable energy sources.

An important component of GNH in economic development, he pointed out, was also the promotion of Bhutan as an organic farming country, which would immensely benefit farmers exporting their products abroad.

The prime minister admitted that, although some of his colleagues in the cabinet, like Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk and Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba favoured accession to WTO, he delayed the process.

He said they were still unclear to questions like how WTO could reconcile with Bhutan’s pursuit of GNH, its impact on Bhutan’s economy and, unlike EDP based on GNH, accession to WTO would mean indiscriminately opening up all barriers to external services and goods.

Bhutan could join WTO any time it wanted, but to withdraw would be difficult and a traumatic process, he said.

On bridging the divide between the big economic policies, GNH and the everyday needs of the people, Lyonchhoen said GNH was also about equitable development and empowerment through not just the ballot but also economic and social empowerment.

He said to achieve that equity and empowerment, the government was focusing on providing essential services like roads, water, electricity, and telecommunications among others.

Lyonchhoen explained that to promote equitable development, the government would provide incentives to businesses that opened in remote areas or those other than established places like Thimphu and Phuentsholing.

He also said the country saw an influx of imported junk food, which most developed nations refused to accept because of their contents.

Products such as carbonated drinks and other juices, which were harmful to people’s health and lead to environmental pollution, he said, would be taxed heavily.

“Some of the main elements of the economic policy will be creating an environment where the population grows as healthy, intelligent and educated people, who will have the capacity to turn into meaningful instruments the power of the ballot,” the prime minister said.

Giving the international context, the prime minister said the present macro economic policies was leading to crises similar to the global financial crisis, pollution and great disparities in wealth. Therefore, he said, Bhutan would have to pursue a different path of GNH that could also be the world’s saviour.

With all the economic activities and growth the country was experiencing, Bhutan, the prime minister said, would be an economically self-reliant country by 2020, no longer dependent on foreign grants.

Gups, elected gewog heads, from 199 gewogs are in Thimphu

Gups, elected gewog heads, from 199 gewogs are in Thimphu to discuss and resolve various local government issues, but mainly to understand where they stand in the new political structure.

An upshot of democracy, the gewog leaders said, is that their workload has increased, respect from the people has diminished and they are struggling to understand and draw a line between politics and local governance.

This year’s annual conference of the gups, which began yesterday, is the second such meeting, since the introduction of parliamentary democracy, and the first after the recent reinstitution of the local governance department under the home ministry.

“We’re all trying to understand our place in the new system, not just the gups, but also the mangmis, party coordinators, tshogpas and parliamentarians,” said Sarpang’s Chuzargang gup, Sangay Tshering, adding that a gup’s responsibility has doubled post 2008. “We’re looking after the enormous Plan works, holding meetings and dealing with people, who now seem more vocal and powerful,” he said.

About six of the 205 gups are not attending the five-day annual conference, because of various reasons, officials of the local governance department said.

Some gups told Kuensel that their roles in the gewogs have remained the same, while many said it was changing.

For instance, some gups said that most of the party coordinators and tshogpas were former local leaders themselves and therefore they shared a close relationship.

“Our mandates are clear that we aren’t supposed to get into politics. But some of us are going to contest in the local government elections, and we expect the same people, who voted for the government, to vote for us,” one of the gups said.

Many gups, however, felt that they were no longer the only figure of authority and trust in the gewogs with the advent of parliamentary democracy. “The respect we used to receive isn’t the same anymore,” said Samtse gup Dorji Wangdi.

Similarly, other gups said that some people preferred discussing their problems with party tshogpas, coordinators or directly with members of parliament, in the belief that the government would respond faster to them than the gups.

Describing the role of a gup as “crucial”, home minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji said that the gups have a lot of work to do to ensure that the desired actions take place in the gewogs.

“There’s no drastic change in their roles and responsibilities, but they have so much work to execute,” Lyonpo Minjur Dorji said. “Their main role is to implement activities on the directives of the government and support democracy, instead of sidelining it. Any political inclination shouldn’t affect their work. We hope to discuss these issues and educate them in the next five days.”

Another gup from Drujeygang gewog in Dagana, Sherub Dorji, said that the government’s success would also be judged from the work completed at the local level and many gups faced greater work pressure. “I’m very worried because, in my gewog, I’ve been able to complete only 5 percent of the Plan work and we’re running out of time,” he said.

Chuzargang gup Sangay Tshering said that, besides executing the Plan work, they had another important responsibility – ensuring that gewog tshogdus are functional and active for democracy to flourish. “We need more guidance to ensure that people understood democracy, because we’re in direct contact with the people,” he said.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutanese look forward to weekends: Druk Star

Weekends are always looked forward to as a time to relax. But these days, Bhutanese look forward to weekends for a special reason. And the reason is Druk Star. Ever since the show began, almost all Bhutanese in Phuentsholing have been spending their weekend home watching the show.

Seventy three-year-old Angay Mindu is among the many ardent Druk Star fans in Phuentsholing. Angay Mindu makes it a point to be home every weekend to watch the show.

“I always watch the show leaving behind everything. I eat my lunch quickly before the show begins so that I can watch it uninterrupted. The show is very interesting and I like it very much,” said Angay Mindu.

Her heart broke when her favourite contestant Gyem Dorji got voted out. But now that he is back into the show through the wildcard entry, angay Mindu is determined to keep him in. She even learned how to vote.

“I voted for Gyem Dorji all the time. When he was voted out last time, I felt very sad. I want to vote for him again. I like the boy very much. He is young and has a very good voice,” Angay Mindu said.

Her husband is also a great fan of the show. He never misses the show.

“Wherever I am, I rush home to catch the show. If I can’t make it, I watch from where ever possible,” said Dendup Rinchen.

Every time he watches the show, the talent of the contestants leaves him mesmerized and amazed.

“It is not easy to sing Zhungdra. But the Druk Star contestants sing very well. To be able to sing Zhungdra at such young age is really commendable,” Dendup Rinchen said.

Their daughter Kinley is even a greater fan of Druk Star. Kinley lives in Samtse but the place she stays in has no cable connection. So every weekend she makes a trip to Phuentsholing to watch the show.

“Friday after office I drive to Phuentsholing and go back on Sunday after the show ends. For the result, I call my family to find out, “Kinley said.

Like them, most Bhutanese families stay glued to BBS TV watching the show on weekends. When Druk Star came to Phuentsholing early this week, fans rushed to watch their favourite contestants perform LIVE.

The Norgay cinema hall, where the show was performed, was packed with people. The contestants performed amidst cheers and applause.

Bhutan’s national team is gearing up for ACC elite cup in Kuwait

Bhutan’s national team is gearing up for the Asian cricket council (ACC) elite cup in Kuwait, which will begin in April. The squad of 14 players, despite leaving behind five key players, is confident and optimistic about performing at their best.

Lobzang Yonten, a teacher from Merak Sakteng and Manoj from Tashi Bank are two of the five. “Although they’re really interested in joining the team to Kuwait, they’re bound by their official duties,” said the coach

Bhutan will be playing against United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Singapore, Nepal, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Malaysia.

“I’ve never played an ACC elite cup and I’m very excited and nervous at the same time,” said bowler Tandin Wangchuk.

Many team members expressed their concern over the lack of a good bowler, including the youth national coach of Bhutan cricket council board Damber S Gurung. “In spite of their absence, we feel competent and up for the tournament,” said Damber.

Although winning the tournament seems like a distant dream, the national squad is eying at least two wins to retain their position in the elite cup group. Failure to do so will result in the team being relegated to challenge cup level.

“It’s a golden opportunity for me to play in the elite cup,” the team’s youngest player Susil S Luite said. “It’s a matter of pride and satisfaction for me to be representing my country.”

Instances of burglary in Phuentsholing are nothing new

Instances of burglary in Phuentsholing are nothing new. It’s the flip side, residents say, of being the country’s main gateway for trade and other commercial activities.

Since the last two years, burglary in the country’s commercial hub has been increasing much to the dismay of locals. Police in Phuentsholing recorded 84 burglary cases in 2009, which accounts for as many as seven burglaries a month, up from 43 reported cases in 2008.

Since the beginning of 2010 to date, Phuentsholing police registered as many as 18 burglary cases.

A Phuentsholing police spokesperson said that, despite raising awareness among residents, the crime was still on the rise.

“Besides handling cases, we distributed pamphlets on safety measures last year,” the spokesperson said, adding that they reminded residents and building owners to install doorknobs, peepholes or chains to prevent strangers from entering the house.

“While some install, some don’t,” he said. “Those, who do, don’t make use of it.”

Many residents, Kuensel spoke to, had some bitter experiences to relate of their encounter with burglars.

In 2008, Kesang, now a college student, remembered how she was pushed from the balcony of her room on the first floor of a building in Karbreytar by a burglar.

It was in December at around 3 am when Kesang was preparing for her Class XII board examination that a stranger, who was behind her, pushed her off the balcony when she stood up and turned around.

“I fractured my right arm and my thigh and had to undergo surgery,” she said. She could not sit for her examination that year. Kesang said her family did not lodge any complaint with the police, because she had not seen the criminal’s face.

A senior resident said that burglary in Phuentsholing, whether during the day or night, was nothing new as it shared a porous border with the Indian state of West Bengal. “I think it occurs to every third person you meet on the streets,” a resident. He said some of his guests from other parts of the country who lived with him for a few nights, were robbed off mobiles phones and cash from his residence.

A private employee, Dawa Tshering, recalled his encounter with a burglar last year. On one occasion, while climbing up the stairs to his office, he noticed a half open door of one of the units. He peeked in and saw an Indian walking towards him. “He claimed to be the caretaker of the unit while its owner was out,” Dawa said. “I even took a glass of water from him.”

He grew suspicious of the man and went to ask a neighbour if the stranger was really a caretaker but was interrupted by the stranger who followed him to ask him if he looked like a thief to Dawa.

“I went out for a while and on returning saw the house burgled,” he said.

Most Phuentsholing residents said burglars always studied a particular house they wanted to break into. “So they know which house is left unattended during the day and night,” said a resident. “With the datho predicting rise in crime, especially burglary this year, we have to be more careful,” said another.

Her Royal Highness, Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck : Semso for those affected by the fire in Haa

On behalf of His Majesty the King, Her Royal Highness, Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck met with those affected by the fire in Haa, and granted them Semso.

Her Royal Highness expressed condolences and delivered His Majesty’s Semso and Soelra to the 25 families who lost their properties in the fire.

The fire on Monday burnt down a two- storied traditional house, and partially damaged another house near Ugyen Dorji Higher Secondary School.

Her Royal Highness granted Nu. 15,000 each to the owners of the houses. The tenants affected by the fire, also received Nu. 20,000 each as Semso.

Moreover, Her Royal Highness granted CGI sheets to those affected by the fire last November; these families had already been compensated earlier with His Majesty’s cash Soelra.

Her Royal Highness reassured the families that they would be given free timber to reconstruct their homes, as well.

Her Royal Highness then granted Tokha to the families.