His Majesty issues Kasho on Local Goverment Elections

During the audience granted to those who had appealed against their disqualification, His Majesty the King said that their appeal and the submissions made by the Prime Minister on behalf of the National Assembly, National Council and the two political parties, was with regard to the failure of the respective political parties to abide by the laws on procedures for de-registration in particular and on the interpretation of the laws on de-registration in general. Thus, the appeal would merit full consideration from the relevant agencies, if the individuals had themselves acted in accordance with the laws.

His Majesty said that the Election Commission of Bhutan was simply abiding by the Constitutional requirement that Local Governments must be apolitical. His Majesty said, “I have always encouraged political participation and the growth of political parties. Having heeded my request to all citizens to participate in the political process in the past, you may now, as prospective candidates for Local Government offices, be surprised that your participation in political parties have hindered your chances to run for office in Local Government. The Constitution requires apolitical Local Governments for very important reasons. Local Government responsibilities are very different from those of political parties or any other institution. Local Governments are the foundation for grassroots democracy. They must have intimate knowledge of the daily lives of the people in their constituencies; work in constant and close interaction with their people and nurture cooperation, consensus and close-knit communities. In a largely rural country Local Governments are even more important not just in carrying out vital duties towards achieving development objectives of their people, but also in bringing about a harmonious society.”

His Majesty said, “As individuals, having a preference for a political party is not bad. The majority of people will always hold certain preferences. However, in carrying out one’s duties as part of an apolitical institution, we must keep our political affiliations aside. It is as simple as carrying out one’s official duties without being biased by preference for family and friends at the cost of the larger community.”

His Majesty said that he always encouraged institutions to resolve issues on their own, through consultation. He said, “Once the Throne is involved, the Throne will protect the Constitution and the laws in place – it has no other path before it.”

His Majesty said that, “the sacred Constitutional duty of the King is to protect and uphold this Constitution in the best interest and for the welfare of the people of Bhutan. As I do so, I shall seek if necessary, the Supreme Court’s opinion, for the Supreme Court is the guardian of this Constitution and the final authority of its interpretation.”

Source: BBS

Bihar CM Visit Bhutan for 5 Days

The chief minister of the Indian state of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, is on a five-day goodwill visit to Bhutan, on the invitation of Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley.

In his meeting with Lyonchhoen yesterday in Thimphu, the chief minister said that land to build a temple, an area for meditation and a rest house - dharamsala - had been identified in Rajgir, which is visited by thousands of Bhutanese every year.

Lyonchhoen had made a request for a three-acre plot of land in Rajgir, during his visit to Bihar in September 2010 as the president of the Mahabodhi society.

An exhibition on tourism in Bihar and a cultural performance, followed by a lunch, showcasing the rich cuisine of Bihar, will be held today at the Tarayana centre in Thimphu, organised by the Bihar state tourism development corporation and the tourism council of Bhutan.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who arrived on May 1, leaves the country today.

Source: Kuenselonline

BCCB Twenty20 Final on Sunday

Team Dot Com and BTCL are in the finals of the ongoing Twenty20 tournament being played at the Jigmethang ground in Thimphu.

On Monday, Dot Com brushed aside Rigsum CC comfortably by nine wickets, while BTCL clinched a two wicket victory over Bhutan Telecom.

Choosing to field first after winning the toss proved a correct decision for Dot Com. No other batsman made an impact from Rigsum, except Manoj Adhikari, who scored 35 in 34 balls. Dot Com’s captain Jigme Singye was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Tandin Wangchuk, Lobzang Younten and Nima shared two wickets each.

At the end of their 20 overs Rigsum set a 106-run target. Rigsum brought down Kinley Wangchuk in the fifth over and, thereafter, it was all Dot Com. Leading from the front, captain Jigme Singye hit his first half century of the tournament, while Susil Sharma added a supporting 30 in 31 balls. Jigme Singye was named man of the match for his all-round performance of three wickets and 57 runs.

Later in the afternoon, Bhutan Telecom came close to winning, but it was BTCL, who ultimately passed the pressure situation, beating Telecom by two wickets. It would have been Telecom’s game, if BTCL Ugyen Dorji had not hit four boundaries in the 18th over.

Having won the toss, Bhutan Telecom elected to bat first and set a 123-run target that included 58 runs from Saijo and 20 from Damber Gurung. BTCL’s opening bowler Darjay ripped through Telecom’s opening batsmen, picking up three wickets.

In reply, BTCL scored 123 for the loss of eight wickets. Tandin top scored with 33 runs and Ugyen added a crucial 19 in 10 balls. Vijay Gurung yet again picked four wickets but couldn’t save his team from losing. Sonam Darjay was awarded the man of the match.

The finals is scheduled for May 8.

Source: Kuenselonline

Bhutan national airline Drukair is considering increasing airfares during peak seasons

With aviation fuel prices continuing to surge worldwide, national airline Drukair is considering increasing airfares during peak seasons.

Earlier this year, Drukair committed itself not to increase airfares in 2011, despite rising aviation fuel prices. But this was at a time, when the rate of increase was only around 20-25 percent.

“It has increased by almost 45 percent over one year, but we haven’t increased our fares at all,” said the airline’s commercial manager, Tshering Penjore. “So there’s pressure on the management and we need to also rationalise the amount of increase,” he said.

Between 40-44 percent of Drukair’s operating costs is on aviation fuel.

“We may be forced some time or the other to have a fuel surcharge,” said Tshering Penjore. A fuel surcharge is when an extra cost is added to the airfare to cover the increased fuel price. So far, Drukair has been able to cover fuel price increases because of traffic increase. The airline experienced a 12 percent growth in traffic last year. The airline flew 132,675 passengers in 2010, compared to 118,084 in 2009.

Tshering Penjore pointed out that Drukair is currently still “trying to resist” any increase in airfare. He said that the airline is hoping to offset rising fuel costs by attracting more travellers, which should “mitigate” any increase in airfare.

He added that an increase in airfare would only be for the peak seasons. “We find it pertinent because that’s when demand is at its peak,” said Tshering Penjore. Drukair considers the months of March and April, and September and October as peak seasons. Tshering Penjore added that the rest of the year would see no increase in airfares. He said that Drukair would also continue to maintain its regular discount schemes for both tourists and local travelers.

Source: Kuenselonline

Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda leader, dead - Barack Obama

Bin Laden was shot dead at a compound near Islamabad, in a ground operation based on US intelligence, the first lead for which emerged last August.

Mr Obama said US forces took possession of the body after "a firefight".

Bin Laden is believed to have ordered the attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 and a number of others.

He was top of the US' "most wanted" list.

DNA tests later confirmed that Bin Laden was dead, US officials said.

Bin Laden was buried at sea after a Muslim funeral on board an aircraft carrier, Pentagon officials said.

Announcing the success of the operation, Mr Obama said it was "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda". Read More

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13256676