South Thimphu candidate appeals for time (Kuensel)
Update 12 January, 2008 - The Peoples’ Democratic Party candidate for South Thimphu, Sonam Tobgay Dorji, has appealed to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) to give him some time to prove his innocence of the recent ECB allegations against him that he donated Nu 200,000 to a lhakhang in his constituency to garner votes.

Bhutan to act tough on ‘misbehaving’ MPs (Hindustan Times)
With elections to Bhutan’s lower house still to be held, the Himalayan country has already issued a stern warning to its MPs-to-be, saying those found guilty of misbehaving when the National Assembly is in session will be dealt strictly with.

Bhutanese refugees to begin relocation in US (Gulf Times)
KATHMANDU: Thousands of Bhutanese refugees living in camps in eastern Nepal will begin to be resettled in the US in March under a third-country resettlement programme, media reports have said.

In Bhutan, China and India collide (Asia Times)
As the world’s newest democracy, the Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan has won praise around the world.

A Dramatic Royal Transformation Happening In Asia (Sin Chew Jit Poh)
A dramatic royal transformation is taking place throughout Asia. The latest political moves toward democracy in Bhutan and Nepal went two separate ways. Other monarchies try to remain relevant through succession and reinvention.

Bon, Buddhism or both - What do we Bhutanese believe? (Kuensel)
11 January, 2008 - While we in Bhutan may be Buddhists in faith, it seems that we are more Bon in our daily rituals.

Saudi Arabia remain unbeaten after two days (Bangkok Post)
CHIANG MAI _ Day 2 of the Under 19 Challenge Cup cricket tournament on Sunday saw Saudi Arabia remain undefeated as they handily disposed of China by 10 wickets. Bhutan, after looking strong in their first match, lost by 21 runs to the Maldives.

Gang rape trial gets going (Kuensel)
9 January, 2008 - The trial of the five soldiers of the Royal Bhutan Army - who were alleged to have gang raped a 16-year-old Bhutanese girl on July 2 last year - began this week in Thimphu district court.

REF : On Bhutan : Unmasking King’s Democracy- Rongthong (News From Bangladesh)
Rongthong kinley represents a sad phase of bhutan where self-serving individuals misguided many innocent citizens for their political gain. ronthong kinley has been out of bhutan for almost 2 decades and it is clear he has lost touch with reality in bhutan. bhutan`s foray into democracy is genuine. the people do have the choice to elect their leaders as has been demonstrated through the recent …

Bhutanese refugees to begin resettlement in US: report (IANS via Yahoo! India News)
Kathmandu, Jan 10 (DPA) Thousands of Bhutanese refugees living in camps in eastern Nepal will begin to be resettled in the US in March under a third-country resettlement programme, media reports said Thursday.

Treating thangkas with respect

Handle with care - Ann Shaftel brings anims up to speed

14 January, 2008 - If you thought rolling up your thangka
or kuthang (scroll painting) neat and tight to store it, you’ve
got another think coming.

Saving the strays

Memelakha: A dog-eat-dog world

14 January, 2008 - Dogs in Thimphu and especially puppies have a
good reason to be happy now. They have a new home with enough space to
run around, warm huts with straws and sacks to sleep on, enough food and
water and dedicated caretakers.

Good intentions, bad execution
Update 12 January, 2008 - Education officials admit that undue haste and the absence of preparation were the two main causes of problems in the implementation of the curriculum of Bhutan history in Dzongkha today.

Postal ballot’s poor show
12 January, 2008 - Almost two-thirds of the 17,876 applications for postal votes in the National Council elections on December 31, 2007, never made it to the ballot to influence the outcome of the country’s first parliamentary election.

Prank caller’s trial called off
12 January, 2008 - The Paro woman, who dragged a male prank caller to court last year for tormenting her over the phone, has withdrawn her case after discovering that the anonymous caller was a paraplegic waist down.

South Thimphu candidate appeals for time
Update 12 January, 2008 - The Peoples’ Democratic Party candidate for South Thimphu, Sonam Tobgay Dorji, has appealed to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) to give him some time to prove his innocence of the recent ECB allegations against him that he donated Nu 200,000 to a lhakhang in his constituency to garner votes.

Men: 19 - Women: 0

Aerial combat at the basketball court

12 January, 2008 - Team Ikon’s Khendrup couldn’t beat the buzzer to tie the game when he missed both free throws with 13 seconds left on the clock in the ongoing 24th national basketball championship yesterday. Ikons then went on to lose the game to Hitz, 39-35.

From policy to reality
12 January, 2008 - Teaching history in Dzongkha … this is one of the current dilemmas facing our school system. It needs to be debated and distilled into a good teaching initiative, not just to make Dzongkha work as a language of instruction, but as an example of how to implement policy decisions that are made by parliament.

Bon, Buddhism or both - What do we Bhutanese believe?

Tonpa Shenrab, the Bon Buddha look-alike

11 January, 2008 - While we in Bhutan may be Buddhists in faith, it seems that we are more Bon in our daily rituals. In the past, because of our lack of understanding of Bon, we simply relegated it to the villages (cf earlier Kuensel article written by Rinzin Wangchuk), where animals were sacrificed and Yul lhas worshipped. But Bon actually constitutes more than that.

Bringing uniformity to NgaChham

Mask dance teachers go back to school

10 January, 2008 - For six hours every day, 20 men take to the Drametse monastery’s courtyard, learning the precise steps and movements of the Ngachham or ‘Dance of the Drums’, one of many sacred dances performed during tshechus (religious festivals).

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