Bhutan on going Jigme Dorji Wangchuck memorial archery tournament

Bhutan Visit defeated Phunsum Dhendup Khorlo in two straight games in the ongoing Jigme Dorji Wangchuck memorial archery tournament on traditional equipment being played at the Changlimithang range in Thimphu.

Bhutan Visit finished the first game when its opponents managed 10 points. In the second game, which stretched to the second day of play, Bhutan Visit scored 25 points, while its opponents lagged behind at 14 points.

Likewise, Tashigang Radhi beat Chang Namcha in two straight games. Chang Namchag scored 13 in the first game set and manage a single point in the second game, which was stretched to the second day.

Since the annual archery tournament commenced on April 2, four teams have been sent out of the tournament. In today’s match, Phuntsho Drayang will play Chapchap construction and Geang Thong will take over Eston boys.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan security clearance certificate available online will happen this month

The long time awaited move to make security clearance certificate available online will happen this month, provided things go as planned.

The home ministry postponed its launch more than twice before.

Although the ministry officials claim the system was well in place, home minister Minjur Dorji said the launch would happen soon after the return of the director-in-charge, who was engaged in official work elsewhere.

A month before, ministry officials said they were waiting for the minister and secretary’s return, who were attending the mid-term review meetings then.

In December last year, the ministry had planned to go online starting January this year. They had missed the initial deadline of March 2010, because of the time spent in visiting the 20 dzongkhags for sensitisation program.

The ministry’s information and media officer, Jigme Singye, said everything was in place, but they are yet to finalise the launch date.

In an earlier interview, he said once the system was introduced, anyone across the country with an internet access, can avail the certificate within 24 hours.

He said an applicant’s information would go in parallel to the crime branch, census office and the law and order section of the home ministry. After verifying the details, the final version of the certificate will be sent to the police, from where it was to be discharged to the applicant.

Everyday, more than 100 people visit the royal Bhutan police’s security clearance office, in an attempt to avail the certificate. Some wait for at least a week before the job gets done.

Source: Kuenselonline

Groups of nomads from Trashigang’s northern community

Groups of nomads from Trashigang’s northern community are beginning to frequent the little town.

Clad in their maroon traditional costumes, 10 men from Sakteng appeared yesterday in front of the election office.

They were there to fulfil the process of filling up election forms, a prerequisite for filing in their nominations for the numerous local government posts.

The 10 rough-looking men were among those contesting for the gup, mangmi and tshogpa posts in the upcoming local government election.

Two recently passed the second functional literacy test and the rest completed the first.

The group walked for two days until Phongmey, before hitching a ride in a taxi towards Trashigang. Phongmey is about 35km from Trashigang.

Many of them said they foresaw opportunity to bring in developments to their community, besides exposure and experience they might gain in the course of running one big community.

Tswangpay, 36, who wants to contest the post of mangmi, said they wished to complete all paperwork and initial formalities to avoid any delay in the upcoming election.

“We have to make sure we have our no-objection-certificate, medical certificate and other such documents on time,” he said. “We live very far and can’t afford to be running to Trashigang for small formalities.”

Tswangpay attended non-formal education.

He intends to bring changes to his community that he said remained cut off for a long time.

Rinchen Letha, 31, contesting for gup’s post, said this was a call towards realising his ambition to do something big for his community and earn a reputation for himself.

“People of my community believe I can make a difference,” the class VIII drop out said. “It’s on their instance and belief that has me vying for the most important post in the local government.”

Except for two, the remaining 10 interested candidates for the upcoming election were interested in the gup and mangmi posts.

Younten Jamtsho, a retired lay monk, 38 has been a tshogpa for almost two years, and intends to contend for the same post.

“Being a tshogpa I’ve learnt, we’re more close to people and understand the issues facing them better,” he said.

He explained the salary structure of the tshogpas was unfair, especially given that they had to do most of the running-around, understood issues facing each individual in a community that made them the real representatives.

“For these reasons no one is interested in becoming a tshogpa,” he said. Others contesting for other two prestigious posts agreed many in their community expressed dissatisfaction over the miserly pay.

“In our entire community in Sakteng, we’ve only five people contesting for the tshogpa post,” he said. “The government really ought to do something about it.”

Failure to act on this matter would soon lead to disappearing of the post.

“The tshogpas are not given enough salary but the parliament members are entitled to state funds for campaigning,” one said, adding that no one raises this issues at the capital. “Our previous representatives, though not qualified, spoke on our behalf and bore our interests in mind.”

Rest of the candidates from Merak and Sakteng are expected to reach Trashigang today.

The dzongkhag electoral officer Sonam Wangdi said they were here to learn what to do before election and fill up the forms.

“We hope to have all the rest,” he said. “These group will hopefully inform the rest in their village.”

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan showing some important progress

Although the health ministry projects that about 893 people will live with HIV/AIDS by 2013, Bhutan is showing some important progress and true commitment to reaching universal access to HIV services, according to the UN resident coordinator Claire Van der Vaeren.

The resident coordinator was reflecting on Bhutan’s response to AIDS during the launch of the United Nations secretary-general’s report on HIV/AIDS in Bangkok yesterday, where Bhutan joined nearly 30 countries from Asia to review progress and challenges, and develop key actions for the way forward in the region’s efforts to ensure universal access to HIV services for all.

“Moving forward, one of our key challenges is continued funding support of the HIV and AIDS program in Bhutan,” said the resident coordinator. “We need to explore new and innovative avenues to ensure a sustainable AIDS response to improve the lives of Bhutanese men, women and children living with HIV and those vulnerable to infection.”

A press release from the UNDP office in Bhutan stated that, in Bhutan, there has been significant progress in scaling up HIV prevention and treatment, in providing free healthcare services and, importantly, in bringing Bhutanese living with HIV into the national response.

However, universal access across HIV prevention, treatment, care and support is still not a reality in the Asia-Pacific region, including Bhutan, it stated. Across the region, one in three people does not have access to treatment; 60 percent of people living with HIV in the region do not know their HIV status; and key affected communities continue to be subjected to stigma and discrimination, punitive laws, policies and practices, which obstruct access to services.

Many countries in the region – including those with or approaching middle-income status — rely heavily on international funding for their AIDS responses.

At the regional consultation, UNAIDS Asia-Pacific regional director, Steve Kraus, said that governments must create a new form of mutual accountability –government to government – to build a unified regional AIDS response beyond national borders.

“Governments in this region have the economic means to take on greater responsibility for financing AIDS, the results of which will directly impact their continued development,” he said.

ESCAP social development division director, Nanda Krairiksh, added: “The world’s most populous region can’t afford complacency on AIDS. Political leadership with civil society and the key affected communities as the cornerstone of the response requires fresh perspectives from the ground.”

Health officials, during the mid-term review meeting of the ministry last December, said that, of the many millennium development goals that Bhutan has been lauded for keeping steady towards meeting, reversing and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015 looked grim.

This, they said, was because, at the start of 10th Plan, the number of people detected with HIV was 140. The country’s projection is 893 HIV patients by 2013. Since the first case in 1993, the ministry has so far detected 217 cases. World Health Organisation estimates revealed Bhutan had 500 cases in 2008 alone.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan: Dzongkha readers now have three newspapers to choose

Dzongkha readers now have three newspapers to choose from. The third newspaper was launched by the Secretary of the Dzongkha Development Commission, Dasho Sherab Gyeltshen on Sunday.

The Druk Gyalyong Sharshok, a weekly, will be available every Sunday.

An editor from the newspaper said the paper will help increase readership and help promote the national language.