Teachers: a much maligned lot

31 August, 2007 - Working overtime almost everyday has become a way of life for Tek Bahadur Subba, the principal of Tshengkharla Middle Secondary School in Khamdang, Trashiyangtse.

It began when he was posted as a teacher of a remote boarding school in eastern Bhutan. Apart from teaching 35 periods a week, he had additional responsibilities like supervising morning and evening studies and co-curricular activities. This went on 10 years. “I loved every moment of it,” recalled the principal.

New ambassador to Bangladesh
30 August, 2007 -
The former Chief of Protocol, Tshering Dorji, has been appointed as the new ambassador of Bhutan to the PeopleÂ’s Republic of Bangladesh.

High court upholds verdict
30 August, 2007 -
In a judgment passed on August 24, the full bench of the High Court upheld the verdict passed by bench II, which had sentenced the former coordinator for the bio-mass briquette project of the National Women Association of Bhutan (NWAB), to six and a half years in prison on June 21 this year.

Malaria claims first victim in Phuentsholing

30 August, 2007 - A 29-year-old man died of malaria at the Phuentsholing general hospital on August 27, making it the first reported malaria death in the border town this year.

Corpse found near Chuzom

30 August, 2007 - An unidentified body of a man was found along the riverside of Wang chhu near the Chuzom checkpost bridge, 30 kilometers away from Thimphu, on August 25. The examining medical officer, Dr. Pakila Dukpa, described the deceased as someone aged between 50-70 years, 165 cm (5Â’5Â’Â’) tall, bald sparse white goatee and a stocky physique.

Dantak projects on track

Lt. General K.S. Rao

30 August, 2007 - Completing the task given to project DANTAK within the stipulated time is sacrosanct, according to the director general of border roads, Lt. General K.S. Rao, who was on a farewell visit to the country.

BNB goes global

30 August, 2007 -

Farida Khambata and Kipchu Tshering formalise BNBÂ’s joining the global programme on August 28 in Thimphu

The Bhutan National BankÂ’s trade-finance business can expect to see robust growth with the bank joining the Global Trade Finance Programme of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) on August 28.

The programme will provide the BNB a US $ one million facility risk coverage and access to a global network to promote the flow of goods and services between developing countries.

Humphrey scholarships for mid-level professionals

Mr. Larry Schwartz

30 August, 2007 - It wasnÂ’t until recently that more and more Bhutanese people have begun surfing the Internet looking for scholarships to pursue further studies.

Besides in-service employees working in various agencies for three years or more, mid-level professionals, who have worked for more than a decade, are also looking for open scholarships on the net.

BHU boon for Dramphel

30 August, 2007 - A bustling construction site is not always an eyesore and the people of Dramphel would back that view.
The construction of the Grade II basic health unit (BHU) in the village means that villagers will not have to walk five hours to Wangdichholing hospital in Chamkhar. “We are deprived of health facilities most of the time because of the distance,” said Dema Tshomo, 56. “Illnesses like diarrhoea, aches or even deep cuts are treated at home.”

Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck receives Royal Scarf

29 August, 2007 - His Majesty the King granted the Royal Scarf to His Royal Highness Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck at a simple ceremony yesterday on August 28. The Royal Scarf symbolises “Lifelong commitment to the service of the king, country and people.” According to tradition, princes and princesses of the Druk Gyalpo wear the white scarf. This practice represents the pursuit of knowledge and attainment of the values of simplicity, humility and equality until such age when they begin the work of “fulfilling their sacred duty of service to the nation and people.” His Royal Highness, Dasho Jigyel, was born in 1984. He studied in Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School, completed high school in Choate Rosemary Hall, USA, and graduated this year from Oxford University, United Kingdom. His Royal Highness would have graduated a year earlier, but had returned to Bhutan during the first year of college to join the militia for the military operations in 2003.

Calcutta Telegraph

Oberoi group to invest Rs 4500 cr, add rooms Economic Times, India - Aug 27, 2007 … of hotels including two in Abu Dhabi, one in the Sultanate of Oman, one in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, one in Marrakech (Morocco) and two in Bhutan. … EIH to set up second hotel in Kolkata The Statesman Oberoi group plans expansion Hindu East India Hotels to add 2700 rooms in five years Economic Times Reuters India - Business Standard all 16 news articles

Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck receives Royal Scarf

29 August, 2007 - His Majesty the King granted the Royal Scarf to His Royal Highness Dasho Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck at a simple ceremony yesterday on August 28. The Royal Scarf symbolises “Lifelong commitment to the service of the king, country and people.” According to tradition, princes and princesses of the Druk Gyalpo wear the white scarf. This practice represents the pursuit of knowledge and attainment of the values of simplicity, humility and equality until such age when they begin the work of “fulfilling their sacred duty of service to the nation and people.” His Royal Highness, Dasho Jigyel, was born in 1984. He studied in Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School, completed high school in Choate Rosemary Hall, USA, and graduated this year from Oxford University, United Kingdom. His Royal Highness would have graduated a year earlier, but had returned to Bhutan during the first year of college to join the militia for the military operations in 2003.

Electorate on a learning curve?

29 August, 2007 -
Pema, 33, a businesswoman in the south-eastern dzongkhag of Samdrup Jongkhar, knows how to cast her vote through an electronic voting machine (EVM). Enough training has been provided in her village.

Meeting the leaders

29 August, 2007 -
Formal campaigning is yet to begin but Bhutanese voters are becoming excited by what the Election Commission of Bhutan calls “familiarisation” meetings organised by candidates representing the two registered political parties.

Safety first or last?

Workers at Olakha construction site

29 August, 2007 - A labourer at the new Thimphu hospital has his hips broken when chunks of bricks fell from a wall he is working on.
A construction worker gets his fingers crushed under a heavy excavator.
Recently, a short-circuit in a building near the Bhutan Oil Distributor left the city in darkness for about an hour because wires were left strewn without properly coiling them.
With the boom in construction, what seems foremost in the minds of contractors is not the safety of workers but meeting deadlines.

South Asian Free Media discusses poverty

29 August, 2007 -
The rapidly expanding media industry should play a more serious and responsible role in eliminating poverty and creating a better life for the people.

The situation
29 August, 2007 - As political activities gather momentum, so do the discussions and rumours. Today the primary interest is the electoral process. So is the focus of our strong oral tradition.

Buli Manmo Tsho

Choney Zangmo makes offerings to the lake

28 August, 2007 - The footpath that goes north of Buli village, passing through paddy fields and a dense forest, could be the most used trail in Zhemgang dzongkhag.
The trail, after an half hour trek, disappears into a lake surrounded by tall, dark, broad-leaved Quercus trees. This is the Buli Manmo Tsho (lake), which, according to folklore, can foretell the future.

New gewog boundary leads to tsamdro controversy

28 August, 2007 - The new gewog boundaries, which were drawn to finalise the constituencies for the 2008 elections, has led to a conflict over grazing rights between the villagers of Bardo and Shingkhar gewogs in Zhemgang dzongkhag.

All in the family
The custom of having more than one spouse is an existing practice with the Brokpas

The people of Merak

27 August, 2007 - When Tshering got married 38 years ago, it happened very quickly.
One day, her parents told her that they had arranged for her to marry a man, she had never met before, from a neighbouring village in Merak gewog. She was nineteen then.
The very day she reached her husbandÂ’s house, she was informed that she would also become wife to two younger brothers of the man she had been matched with.

Potato, apple yield down

Empty FCB godown, Phuentsholing

27 August, 2007 - Going by the quantity of
apple and potato crop
arriving at the auction yard of the Food Corporation of Bhutan in Phuentsholing, the yield of these two cash crops has dropped significantly this season.

Canoe.ca

Experts look to Bhutan in search of happiness Times of India, India - Aug 25, 2007 AMSTERDAM: Bhutan?s king long ago dispensed with the notion of Gross National Product as a gauge of well-being. He decreed that his people would aspire to … Measuring happiness INQ7.net all 14 news articles

Calcutta Telegraph

Oberoi group to invest Rs 4500 cr, add rooms Economic Times, India - Aug 27, 2007 … of hotels including two in Abu Dhabi, one in the Sultanate of Oman, one in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, one in Marrakech (Morocco) and two in Bhutan. … EIH to set up second hotel in Kolkata The Statesman Oberoi group plans expansion Hindu East India Hotels to add 2700 rooms in five years Economic Times Reuters India all 15 news articles

MSNBC

Foreign roads pose health hazards MSNBC - 7 hours ago Bhutan is what Nepal was. Suffice it to say that the farther you go, the rougher the roads, the newer the drivers and, more often than not, the wilder the …

Buli Manmo Tsho

Choney Zangmo makes offerings to the lake

28 August, 2007 - The footpath that goes north of Buli village, passing through paddy fields and a dense forest, could be the most used trail in Zhemgang dzongkhag.
The trail, after an half hour trek, disappears into a lake surrounded by tall, dark, broad-leaved Quercus trees. This is the Buli Manmo Tsho (lake), which, according to folklore, can foretell the future.

New gewog boundary leads to tsamdro controversy

28 August, 2007 - The new gewog boundaries, which were drawn to finalise the constituencies for the 2008 elections, has led to a conflict over grazing rights between the villagers of Bardo and Shingkhar gewogs in Zhemgang dzongkhag.

All in the family
The custom of having more than one spouse is an existing practice with the Brokpas

The people of Merak

27 August, 2007 - When Tshering got married 38 years ago, it happened very quickly.
One day, her parents told her that they had arranged for her to marry a man, she had never met before, from a neighbouring village in Merak gewog. She was nineteen then.
The very day she reached her husbandÂ’s house, she was informed that she would also become wife to two younger brothers of the man she had been matched with.

Potato, apple yield down

Empty FCB godown, Phuentsholing

27 August, 2007 - Going by the quantity of
apple and potato crop
arriving at the auction yard of the Food Corporation of Bhutan in Phuentsholing, the yield of these two cash crops has dropped significantly this season.

Tourism- fee reduced, deposit increased
27 August, 2007 - There is good news and not
so good news for the 331
Bhutanese tour operators and other hopefuls. The tourism license fee has been reduced to Nu 12,000 from Nu 25,000, but they will have to shell out Nu 300,000 as security deposit with the Department of Tourism.

PDPÂ’s Chumey-Ura candidate

Lham Nidup, the PDP candidate

27 August, 2007 - The former
director of
the department of National Budget, Lham Nidup, has joined the PeopleÂ’s Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate from the Chumey-Ura constituency in Bumthang.

Education ministry asked to take action against officials
27 August, 2007 - The education ministry must
take action against its
officials for the embezzlement of Nu 13 million that the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) confirmed in May this year, or risk being treated according to the Audit Act, says the auditor-general.

University offers Trongsa Penlop Scholarships

Dasho Bap Kesang and Dr. Arthit Qurairat signs the MoU

27 August, 2007 - The Rangsit University in
Thailand will provide 15
full scholarships and 30 short-term courses in a span of ten years as part of what it calls the ‘Trongsa Penlop Scholarships’. In addition, the university will also provide 10 scholarships in civil engineering in 2008, to commemorate the accession of Bhutan’s 5th king to the throne.

Alcohol kills child
27 August, 2007 - A three and a half year old
child of Shingkhar village in
Zhemgang dzongkhag died of excessive alcohol consumption on August 23 according to the Shingkhar Basic Health UnitÂ’s (BHU) health assistant.

Another transformer theft

The stolen transformer in Ahlay village

27 August, 2007 - About 60
households in
Damchu and Ahlay villages under Chukha dzongkhag are left in the dark after miscreants vandalized the recently installed electricity distribution transformers.

Calcutta Telegraph

Oberoi group to invest Rs 4500 cr, add rooms Economic Times, India - 1 hour ago … of hotels including two in Abu Dhabi, one in the Sultanate of Oman, one in Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, one in Marrakech (Morocco) and two in Bhutan. … EIH to set up second hotel in Kolkata The Statesman Oberoi group plans expansion Hindu East India Hotels to add 2700 rooms in five years Economic Times Reuters India all 11 news articles

Boston Globe

Battling the child sex trade Boston Globe, United States - Aug 19, 2007 In 1999, she and her family left Newton and traveled around the world for a year to far-flung villages, including some in Bhutan, Cambodia, and Guatemala. …

All in the family
The custom of having more than one spouse is an existing practice with the Brokpas

The people of Merak

27 August, 2007 - When Tshering got married 38 years ago, it happened very quickly.
One day, her parents told her that they had arranged for her to marry a man, she had never met before, from a neighbouring village in Merak gewog. She was nineteen then.
The very day she reached her husbandÂ’s house, she was informed that she would also become wife to two younger brothers of the man she had been matched with.

Potato, apple yield down

Empty FCB godown, Phuentsholing

27 August, 2007 - Going by the quantity of
apple and potato crop
arriving at the auction yard of the Food Corporation of Bhutan in Phuentsholing, the yield of these two cash crops has dropped significantly this season.

Tourism- fee reduced, deposit increased
27 August, 2007 - There is good news and not
so good news for the 331
Bhutanese tour operators and other hopefuls. The tourism license fee has been reduced to Nu 12,000 from Nu 25,000, but they will have to shell out Nu 300,000 as security deposit with the Department of Tourism.

PDPÂ’s Chumey-Ura candidate

Lham Nidup, the PDP candidate

27 August, 2007 - The former
director of
the department of National Budget, Lham Nidup, has joined the PeopleÂ’s Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate from the Chumey-Ura constituency in Bumthang.

Education ministry asked to take action against officials
27 August, 2007 - The education ministry must
take action against its
officials for the embezzlement of Nu 13 million that the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) confirmed in May this year, or risk being treated according to the Audit Act, says the auditor-general.

University offers Trongsa Penlop Scholarships

Dasho Bap Kesang and Dr. Arthit Qurairat signs the MoU

27 August, 2007 - The Rangsit University in
Thailand will provide 15
full scholarships and 30 short-term courses in a span of ten years as part of what it calls the ‘Trongsa Penlop Scholarships’. In addition, the university will also provide 10 scholarships in civil engineering in 2008, to commemorate the accession of Bhutan’s 5th king to the throne.

Alcohol kills child
27 August, 2007 - A three and a half year old
child of Shingkhar village in
Zhemgang dzongkhag died of excessive alcohol consumption on August 23 according to the Shingkhar Basic Health UnitÂ’s (BHU) health assistant.

Another transformer theft

The stolen transformer in Ahlay village

27 August, 2007 - About 60
households in
Damchu and Ahlay villages under Chukha dzongkhag are left in the dark after miscreants vandalized the recently installed electricity distribution transformers.

The Unheard Cries
contd.

26 August, 2007 - I never felt so confused in
my life. But the appearance of another similar man, drawn with pain, almost drove me out of my mind.

The Mistake
26 August, 2007 - It was a beautiful morning in
spring; the sun was about to
show its face to the lovely valley of Khaling, the dew on the trees on the hills, overlooking the Jigme Sherubling High School, was rising in the form of light vapour. “O what a beautiful day,” I sang.

The Unheard Cries
contd.

26 August, 2007 - I never felt so confused in
my life. But the appearance of another similar man, drawn with pain, almost drove me out of my mind.

The Mistake
26 August, 2007 - It was a beautiful morning in
spring; the sun was about to
show its face to the lovely valley of Khaling, the dew on the trees on the hills, overlooking the Jigme Sherubling High School, was rising in the form of light vapour. “O what a beautiful day,” I sang.

.

His Majesty the King with the Director-General of Border Roads, India, Lt. General K.S. Rao PVSM, SC, SM at the Dechenchholing palace on August 24. His Majesty granted an audience to the Lt. General and hosted a lunch. Lt. General Rao, who arrived in the country on Thursday, August 23, is on a four-day goodwill visit.

Simple Coronation – Great Vision

25 August, 2007 - The Prime Minister conveyed
His MajestyÂ’s wish to have a
“simple, warm and intimate occasion, designed for the Bhutanese people in all 20 dzongkhags.”

“A burning issue”
25 August, 2007 - The new political parties
want people to know
that they have work on their mind, or rather the lack of it for a growing number of Bhutanese.

303,650 registered for NC election
25 August, 2007 - As of August 24, 303,650
voters of the 400,626
eligible voters have registered to vote for the National Council elections in December, according to the first draft Electoral Roll, which was released by the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) yesterday, August 24.

Kerosene dealer sentenced
25 August, 2007 - The proprietor and
chairman of Druk
Penden Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Sonam Wangdi, was sentenced to four years in prison for forgery, fraud, criminal misappropriation and breach of trust in a verdict jointly passed by the high court and the Royal Advisory Council (RAC) on August 24.

Service delivery: A concern for dzongdas
25 August, 2007 - The chief executive officers of
the districts, the dzongdas,
identified statistical services, building farm roads, health and school infrastructure, and organising workshops and conferences as some of the services dzongkhags could outsource or privatize.

The apolitical civil servant
25 August, 2007 - Civil servants contemplating
politics should make up their
minds quickly.

Transport United exacts revenge

Transport United players receive the award

Sports 25 August, 2007 - Defending champion Chap-cha Middle Secondary School missed all three kicks from the spot to give away the champion spot to Transport United in the womenÂ’s open football tournament, which concluded on August 24.