Bhutan cracks down on rebels ahead of first poll (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Bhutanese soldiers and police have launched a crackdown against ethnic Nepali rebels ahead of the tiny, isolated Himalayan nation’s first parliamentary elections this month, officials said on Wednesday.

Paro-Thimphu highway receives ACC censure (Kuensel)
5 March, 2008 - A confidential Anti Corruption Commission report has alleged several mistakes “from the contracting process to procedural irregularities, resulting in losses of up to Nu 10 million” on the Nu 200 million eight-kilometre road widening work between Paro and Thimphu, which was done by four Bhutanese companies.

India may construct roads along Nepal, Bhutan borders (Calcutta News)
The central government is mulling a proposal to construct roads along the Nepal and Bhutan borders to improve infrastructure and promote cross-border economic integration.

India may construct roads along Nepal, Bhutan borders (New Kerala)
New Delhi, March 12 : The central government is mulling a proposal to construct roads along the Nepal and Bhutan borders to improve infrastructure and promote cross-border economic integration.

Small stones, big block (Kuensel)
12 March, 2008 - An acute shortage of aggregate stones has led to a delay in and hike in the cost of almost all major road construction activities, worth in total around Nu 5 billion, like the Thimphu-Paro and Phuentsholing-Thimphu highways, and Thimphu road projects like Deubam, Gongphel and Norzin lams.

Progress of India-assisted projects in Bhutan reviewed (Press Trust of India)
Thimphu, Mar 8 (PTI) Indian and Bhutanese officials have reviewed the progress of New Delhi-assisted projects undertaken during the Himalayan country’s 9th Five Year Plan.

60 Bhutanese refugees on way to US, New Zealand (Outlook India)
The process for the resettlement of Bhutan refugees housed in camps in Nepal’s Jhapa and Morang districts was set in motion, with 60 Bhutanese ready to move to their new homes in the United States and New Zealand.

Bhutan refugees leave Nepal for resettlement (AFP via Yahoo! News)
The first of more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing in camps in southern Nepal for more than 15 years have begun to leave for overseas resettlement, officials said Monday.

Bhutan refugees bid tearful farewell to Nepal (IANS via Yahoo! India News)
Kathmandu, March 10 (IANS) Twenty Bhutanese refugees, including a one-year-old child, Monday bid a tearful farewell to Nepal and the hope of ever being able to return home, as they headed for the US to start a new life after languishing for 17 years in closed camps.

Bhutanese refugees start new life (BBC News)
The first of tens of thousands of refugees from Bhutan begin leaving camps in Nepal for a new life in the West.

Who’s invited to the party?
12 March, 2008 - Ask the two political parties and they say their strengths are leadership and a carefully chosen ‘team’.

If the parties are weighed in terms of their ‘team’, the candidates that form the party, both the People’s Democratic Party and the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, are made up of almost an equal number of bureaucrats, educationists, teachers, and professionals from various backgrounds including the private sector (see box for details).

Small stones, big block
Road works worth Nu 5 billion delayed

12 March, 2008 - An acute shortage of aggregate stones has led to a delay in and hike in the cost of almost all major road construction activities, worth in total around Nu 5 billion, like the Thimphu-Paro and Phuentsholing-Thimphu highways, and Thimphu road projects like Deubam, Gongphel and Norzin lams.

Auction recovers one-third
AWP CASE UPDATE 12 March, 2008 - The former managing director of the Army Welfare Project (AWP), Major (retd.) Pem Tshering, still has about Nu 67.18 million to refund the government with Nu 29.32 million recovered from the auction of seven of his 10 confiscated properties.

Tshering Dolkar to the rescue

Tshering Dolkar

12 March, 2008 - With less than two weeks to the Assembly elections, PDP has a new candidate, Tshering Dolkar, joining the race in Gelephu constituency.

The great Pemagatshel debate

Friendly before the fireworks at the debate

12 March, 2008 - Before the Sunday March 9 debate, many wondered how Jigme Dukpa, a singer, would fare against Jigmi Y Thinley, a statesman known for his polished delivery. By his own supporter’s admission, they hoped he would be able to hang in there.

Aerodrome emergency plan tested

Mock exercise in progress at Paro airport

12 March, 2008 - Taxi-driver Namgay Dorji, en route to Paro town, was horror-struck when he saw smoke billowing from the Paro International Airport and firefighters rushing amidst emergency lights flashing and sirens reverberating across the valley.

It will work
12 March, 2008 - We go into the final lap of the campaign process with a good feel for the future. Although we do not have concrete evidence or even credible analyses of who will win the March 24 elections, we are not particularly worried. Our first government will be a good one.

Samkhar could go down to the wire

The ‘doctor’ and the ‘dzongda’ in a keen but clean contest

NA ELECTIONS - TRASHIGANG 10 March, 2008 - The parliamentary race in Samkhar constituency (Kanglung, Udzorong and Samkhar gewogs), Trashigang dzongkhag, may have begun slowly but its voters are not short of alluring options.

Foot surgery trips up candidate
10 March, 2008 - An infection on his left foot has forced the Druk Phuensum candidate for Dorokha-Tading constituency in Samtse, Thakur Singh Powdyel, to break his campaign and seek immediate treatment.

Huts burnt down in Bumthang

Smoking embers is all that remains of the workers’ shacks

10 March, 2008 - Eight workers, employed in the renovation of the Lhodrakharchu dratshang in Bumthang, lost all their belongings when the temporary shelter they were living in was gutted by fire on March 5.

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