Bhutan Observer http://www.bhutanobserver.com Latest News and Archives from Bhutan, Bhutan News, Bhutan Observer, Bhutan Times, Kuensel... Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:06:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 en Bhutan News archive for 12 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-12-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-12-march-2010#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:06:19 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-12-march-2010 International Sources

2009 Human Rights Report: Bhutan - U.S. Department of State
Bhutan is a democratic, constitutional monarchy with a population of approximately 700,000. The current king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, is the head of state, and executive power is vested in the cabinet, headed by the prime minister, Jigme …    [read more]

Bhutanese oranges for Bangladesh - FreshPlaza
Bhutan will export oranges and other horticultural products to Bangladesh through India’s northeastern states, officials have said. “The first consignment of oranges would be exported to Sylhet in Bangladesh soon through the Dawki land customs …    [read more]

Work to resume (on date of completion) - Kuensel Online
Dzongkhag officials, on the other hand, said they did not propose the bypass either and explained that it was recommended by the then home minister and now prime minister Jigme Y Thinley some time in 2008. A civil servant felt the bypass construction …    [read more]

Subsidies only for outgoing and round trips - Kuensel Online
Drukair Fares 12 March, 2010 - Bhutanese travelling abroad were privileged to fly in and out of the country in the national airline at a subsidised rate compared with tourists visiting the country. While this advantage will continue to be extended to …    [read more]

Briefing on the Release of the 2009 Country Reports on … - U.S. Department of State
ASSISTANT SECRETARY POSNER: Thank you, Secretary Clinton, and welcome. I want to just, if I may, say a few introductory words about the report and something about the trends we see, and then open it up for questions. The report covers 194 countries …    [read more]

‘Tibet’s development on course’ - 环球在线
Beijing: Although the negative impact and the shadow of the March 14, 2008 riot in Lhasa, capital of Tibet autonomous region, will always remain, it won’t affect the region’s development, the mayor of Lhasa told China Daily in an exclusive interview …    [read more]

US slams rights abuses in China, NKorea and Iran - France 24
Two ethnic Uighur women pass Chinese paramilitary policemen standing guard in the city of Urumqi in China’s Xinjiang region. The United States on Thursday accused China and Iran of worsening human rights abuses as it raised the alarm about growing …    [read more]

Daily record for Friday, March 12 - Grand Island Independent
GOOSIC— To Jason and Cara (Ocker) Goosic of Grand Island, a daughter born March 7 at St. Francis Medical Center. UHRICH — To Jeremy and Cassie (Paro) Uhrich of Grand Island, a daughter born March 4 at St. Francis Medical Center. Grandparents are …    [read more]

US human rights report: Hillary Clinton says technology … - The Christian Science Monitor
The State Department airs US concerns about “closing space in China” for pro-democracy and Internet-access activists and highlights rising sexual violence against women across parts of Africa in its annual human rights report on the state of …    [read more]

US slams rights abuses in China, Iran - ninemsn
The United States has accused China and Iran of increasing human rights abuses as it raised the alarm about growing anti-Semitism worldwide and discrimination against Muslims in Europe. In its annual report on human rights for 194 countries, the US …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Include tshogpas: PM
Keeping parties alive is pivotal to democracy
Prime Minister is greeted by dzongdags at their conference in Thimphu

11 March, 2010 - Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley asked dzongdas from 20 dzongkhags yesterday to take party coordinators on board in the development process at the local level to strengthen democracy.
   [read more]

No room at the inn
Foreign ministry vies with tourism industry for limited hotel space

SAARC Summit 11 March, 2010 - With just over a month remaining for Bhutan to host the SAARC Summit, the government is stuck in its process of ticking off the list of preparations lined for the national event.

   [read more]

Brought under control
Trashigang Fire Update 11 March, 2010 - The Trashigang fire, which wreaked havoc in the dzongkhag within hours, was brought under control by late yesterday evening, according to Trashigang dzongrab, Dorji Sangay.
   [read more]

First rabies fatality
11 March, 2010 - In what could be a rare case, a 31-year old man from Samtse died of rabies at the Thimphu referral hospital, without any obvious history of animal bite, both wild and domestic, in the last year.
   [read more]

2-day GNH seminar starts
The prime minister with the Indian ambassador Pavan K Varma and co-organiser Malvika Singh at the opening ceremony

11 March, 2010 - In an engagement that goes beyond the usual bilateral relations between the two countries, an academic delegation from India will meet with Bhutanese counterparts for a two-day seminar on GNH, which begins today in Thimphu. “We’re here to learn from Bhutan,” said India’s ambassador to Bhutan, Pavan K Varma, at an opening ceremony last night. The ambassador pointed out that this is the first such kind of engagement between the two countries. It went beyond the mechanics of bilateral relations by engaging in the realm of ideas, he said.

   [read more]

A fearful frontier life
Kuensel’s Tashi Dema spent a night with villagers in Tashiling, Sarpang, in her quest to find out how living on the edge is
Living On The Edge:Tashiling, Sarpang, fell prey to cross-border banditry this year

11 March, 2010 - It’s 10 pm and the night is calm and still except for the shrill chirping of the crickets outside.
Astamaya Rai, 54, lies awake in her one-storey hut in Tashiling, Sarpang. Her husband is half asleep in the other corner. A rattle alarms the couple. The husband gets up to check, but Astamaya stops him. Even a slight disturbance around her house is a matter of concern for the mother of nine. The couple has already been robbed and traumatised once last year. Since then, they never had a peaceful sleep.    [read more]

Last day focus on transfers
18th Annual Dzongda’s Conference 11 March, 2010 - Ministries are taking unilateral decisions in transferring dzongkhag sector staff, even if they are directly under the administration of the dzongkhag, say dzongdas.    [read more]

Additional aircraft for Drukair
To meet growing demand, the national airline may need another Airbus and a small plane

11 March, 2010 - As the country prepares to accommodate more tourists in another year or two, and with more and more Bhutanese able to afford trips abroad, Bhutan’s national airline, Drukair, is also gearing up for the challenges.
   [read more]

Three chortens desecrated in one day
11 March, 2010 - Two Namgay Khangzang chortens, measuring about seven and nine feet, and a Jangchub chorten, measuring 12 feet, were vandalised at Khelwongzor, Trashigang on March 6.
   [read more]

A second chance
11 March, 2010 - If there’s something that can be referred to as a second chance, it’s the education ministry’s continuing education programme that is allowing working people to go to school again and upgrade their qualifications and career prospects.
   [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Phuentsholing’s architectural identity crisis
From a bird’s eye view, one can barely differenti­ate Phuentsholing from the bordering Indian town of Jaigaon. This, town planners and architects say, is because Phuentsholing town suffers from an architectural identity crisis.
Phuentsholing Thrompoen Kinzang Norbu said Phuent­sholing town has little that is Bhutanese because it had been planned before the proper building rules were […]    [read more]

Do you accept homosexuality?
   [read more]


Second private bank Bhutanese will have a more choice in availing themselves of financial services with the opening of second commercial private bank in the country. T Bank will be launched today in Thimphu. T Bank is a domestic bank promoted by three promoters – Wangchuk Dorji, Topgyal Dorji, and Savitri Dorji of Tashi Group […]    [read more]

Barter not Bhutan
Prime Minister is rightly doubtful about joining WTO. WTO is too huge and consumerist for tiny Bhutan. Its philosophy is free trade, which is consumerist in nature. Consumerism is for huge trading economies, not for a young, rudimentary economy like Bhutan.
Bhutan stands to gain little from free trade because we have little to trade. Today, […]    [read more]

Electricity goes to Merak and Sakteng
Works on electrifying Merak and Sakteng gewogs in Trashi­gang have started, and if things go as planned, the two gewogs will receive electricity by the end of this year.
According to Bhutan Pow­er Corporation’s (BPC) Dep­uty Manager in Trashigang, Tshewang Rinzin, apart from the 750 households in the two gewogs, villages enroute to the gewogs like […]    [read more]

Former diplomat sentenced
The Thimphu dzongkhag court on February 24 sen­tenced Peyma Dorje, first sec­retary (Finance) of the Royal Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi, India, to one year and six months in prison for em­bezzlement and official mis­conduct.
The verdict states that the defendant has knowingly and intentionally committed the offence of embezzlement. Section 287 of the Penal Code […]    [read more]

Wildcard re-entry in Druk Star
The Druk Star show has reached the top 10 stage. Deki Choden and Dophu were eliminated last week.
Out of the 10 contestants, six are men and four, women. While five of them are stu­dents, one is a school drop­out, two farmers, one house­wife and another, a teacher.
In addition to the top 10 singers, an eliminated […]    [read more]

Towards creating a knowledge economy
Education for sometimes now has been grabbing media attention. Some­times for good reasons and other times for bad reasons.
If the recent signing of the performance compact be­tween the Ministry of Educa­tion and the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) is anything to go by, tertiary education in Bhutan is almost going to witness three dimensional re­forms. […]    [read more]

‘Our money, our rights’
Bhutan will join the global community in celebrating ‘world consumer rights day’ on March 15. This year, the event will be observed with a theme ‘our money, our rights’. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has drafted the Consumer Protection Bill with assistance from UNCTAD and inputs from stakeholders. The draft act will be submitted to […]    [read more]

Noise pollution causes deafness
Noise pollution causes deafness. World became more and more civilized during past centuries and noise pollution became a serious problem in our days. It is a huge issue, be­cause it affects everyone, especially people who live in big and crowded cities. It is not only airports, cars and factories that produce waste and noise, but […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-12-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 11 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-11-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-11-march-2010#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:05:58 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-11-march-2010 International Sources

Asia - Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband in Central Asia - TMCnet
Bhutan Bhutan, which for a long time preferred to remain isolated from the world, has very … Mobile telephone systems have become increasingly important because the fixed-line infrastructure is outdated and a mobile phone represents the only …    [read more]

Asia-Pacific Overview - The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Muslims living in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes 61 countries and territories, constitute 62% of all Muslims worldwide. The six Asian countries with the largest Muslim populations are: Indonesia (203 million), Pakistan (174 million), India …    [read more]

Beartooth Paddlers to meet at RMC - Billings Gazette
The Beartooth Paddlers meet at 7 tonight to watch a slide show and talk about Bhutan and listen to a local fitness expert talk about conditioning and core training. The meeting will be held at Rocky Mountain College’s Tech Room No. 14 and is free …    [read more]

Is Hong Kong Getting Any Closer to Real Democracy? - Time
When Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was convicted in December of subverting the state after helping to organize a democracy petition , the only protestors gathered outside the Beijing courtroom were foreign diplomats waiting to tell a pack of Western …    [read more]

Get the small town feel in Edmonds, Wash. - Chicago Tribune
EDMONDS, Wash. — When I was growing up there circa 1960, Edmonds was a quintessential American small town. Within about three blocks we had a bakery, a variety store, a soda fountain, a hardware store and the Princess movie theater, where a Saturday …    [read more]

Angry China blasts Dalai Lama’s speech - Reuters AlertNet
Instead it will help people solve problems along the way,” said the vice mayor of Lhasa, Jigme Namgyal, according to the China Daily. Padma Choling, China’s newly appointed Tibet governor, said: “Let (the) Dalai Lama say whatever he wants.    [read more]

Include tshogpas: PM - Kuensel Online
11 March, 2010 - Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley asked dzongdas from 20 dzongkhags yesterday to take party coordinators on board in the development process at the local level to strengthen democracy. Addressing the 18th yearly meeting of …    [read more]

A fearful frontier life - Kuensel Online
11 March, 2010 - It’s 10 pm and the night is calm and still except for the shrill chirping of the crickets outside. Astamaya Rai, 54, lies awake in her one-storey hut in Tashiling, Sarpang. Her husband is half asleep in the other corner. A rattle …    [read more]

Raiders exit state tourney after a stunning upset - NorthJersey.com
Will Paro and David Fierro were outstanding freshmen. Warren Gross, Tyler Morgan and Mike Radziewicz played important roles, as well. Puzio would also like to wish the best of luck to seniors Stephen George, Matt Calleo, Sean Murphy and Anthony …    [read more]

Nepal: MoAC devises food security plan - FreshPlaza
Among the South Asian countries, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Pakistan have already formulated such strategy. Under the proposed plan, the MoAC is also proposing different technical research planning so as to enhance productivity in agriculture …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Forest fire wreaks havoc in T/gang
The fire below Drametse, Mongar as seen from Kanglung
Photo : Pankaj Thapa, Sherubtse College

10 March, 2010 - A forest fire, which started yesterday afternoon from Chenari, near Chazam in Trashigang, has burnt down an automobile workshop, three cars and 25 two-wheelers kept for repair there, as the fire spread, fanned by fierce wind.    [read more]

A new look at an old threat
Japanese project to develop a glacier and glacial lake inventory

GLOF Assessment Project 10 March, 2010 - There is a new twist in the story of the threats looming large high up in the mountains. Ten of the 25 glacial lakes, identified by ICIMOD as most dangerous, could be excluded from the category, according to Koji Fujita, who is on a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) assessment project in Bhutan’s Himalayas.    [read more]

Continuing education goes nationwide
Improved Prospects: More than 1,000 in-service Bhutanese can avail of the programme

10 March, 2010 - The continuing education programme, for in-service Bhutanese to upgrade their qualification, has spread its wings across the country, creating opportunities for more than 1,000 civil servants, corporate and private employees this year.    [read more]

130 illegal workers repatriated
Immigration Update 10 March, 2010 - Following a month-long raid on private homes, immigration officials have repatriated more than 130 illegal workers from the country and collected a fine of over Nu 500,000.    [read more]

Much ado about nothing?
The Wagon-R Saga 10 March, 2010 - While some cabinet ministers admitted that the Wagon-R had to be used for multiple purposes, given the volume of work they had at hand, others claimed that it was being used only for official purposes.    [read more]

Dirty pool
10 March, 2010 - Government pool vehicles being misused has been as issue as long as anyone can remember.

One of the early attempts to curb misuse is recorded in a January 1987 Kuensel story about the government saving Nu 15,600 a day in fuel costs in Thimphu alone after a circular restricted pool vehicle movement.    [read more]

Jamyang Norbu – yak herder to quality carpenter
In the woodcraft trade for forty-plus years, he now runs his own successful business

10 March, 2010 - Sundays are agonisingly slow days for Jamyang Norbu. He actually dreads the approach of the holiday. He doesn’t know what to do with his free time. It bothers him when he can’t do what he loves most.    [read more]

Govt. does about turn
McKinsey liberalisation policy reversed with tariff rise to USD 250

Tourism Tariff 10 March, 2010 - The country’s tour operators are doubly happy about the government’s decision to strike down the tariff liberalisation proposal and instead raise it to USD 250 a tourist a day.    [read more]

Phuentsholing – From gateway to dust-bowl
Increased particulate matter in border town’s air from constant traffic and roadwork

10 March, 2010 - Travellers between the 180 km Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway, who endure the ordeal of driving along the long bumpy, dust-ridden highway, are further vexed on reaching a destination where clouds of dust await them.    [read more]

2 in operation by year-end
Single operator of domestic air service to be decided on March 15
Bathpalathang Airport: The govt. owned land in Bumthang identified for the purpose

Domestic airports 9 March, 2010 -

Work on the domestic airport at Bathpalathang in Bumthang will begin early next week to have it ready for use by the end of September this year.
   [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Found a small girl
Found a small girl (approximately 3 years old) near Public Library in Chubachu, Thimphu at 11 am today. Parents/ relatives may come to Bhutan Observer office to take her home or contact 334891 immediately.
   [read more]

Where are the condoms?
One of the common sights in public places like hospitals, basic health units (BHU), out­reach clinics, gewog offices and hotels is the distinctive daechong or condom boxes placed in prominent loca­tions. What is common ev­erywhere is also that these aptly named ‘blissful utility’ boxes remain empty most of the time everywhere. Some are gathering dust […]    [read more]

U-13 girls’ team to soon leave for AFC festival
Bhutan’s under-13 girls team will leave for Sri Lanka on March 11 to participate in the AFC under-13 Girls’ Football Festival.
Upon the recommendation of school sports instructors, 22 players were selected for the team, 17 from Thimphu, two from Gasa and one each from Tashigang, Paro and Haa.
The players were selected after a month-long coaching […]    [read more]

Man dies from drug overdose
Police today reported that a 21-year-old man had died of drug overdose in Thimphu.
At around 7 am, police found an intoxicated boy at the VIP enclave in Motithang. He was wearing a T-shirt and half pants and was shivering.
Police officer on duty recovered 19 capsules of Spasmo Proxyvon from him.
Immediately, the boy was sent to […]    [read more]

National football team selected
The Bhutan Football Federa­tion (BFF) has selected 25 players to form the national team this year. The selection camp was held from February 23 to 26 at Changlingmith­ang and Changjiji ground in Thimphu.
Forty-two football players from across the country at­tended the camp.
The current national play­ers and players of under-23 and under-19 battled for cov­eted 25-man […]    [read more]

Namling flashback more than a decade on
One of the survivors of Bhutan’s worst road accident tells our reporter Gyembo Namgyel the heartrending story of that fateful day
Bus accident of June 16, 1998, at Namling between Mongar and Bumthang was the worst road accident in Bhutan’s living memory. Out of 72 passen­gers jam-packed in a bus with carrying capacity of half the […]    [read more]

Students say GNH transforms them
Students report to the Prime Minister that they are bringing GNH into schools and their communities their way
A GNH wave – if one may call it that – is apparently building up with school students vouching that their beliefs, attitudes and even their lives were transformed by what they learned during the recent GNH meetings […]    [read more]

Cement plant to make Nganaglm a business hub
The construction of mega Dungsam Cement Corpo­ration Limited (DCCL) in Pemagatshel is in full swing promising many economic opportunities for the local communities.
As part of the project, the 15-km road from Indo-Bhutan border to the project site at Chenkari is being broadened to two lanes. Broadening of the road, which is expected to be complete […]    [read more]

Bhutan’s first medical college to come up in Serbithang
The site for the construc­tion of Bhutan’s first medi­cal college, Bhutan Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), has been identified above the Royal Botanical Garden in Serbithang, Thimphu.
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) will be designat­ed as a teaching hospital.
JDWNRH has 17 clini­cal departments out of 20 required for a medical col­lege. Anatomy, biochemistry and […]    [read more]

Community forest entrusts, empowers, sustains, conserves
The introduction of the people-centric forest management has gained momentum in Bhutan. Almost every day, we hear of com­munity forests being handed over to the people in different parts of the country. This is a tectonic shift from the earlier fully government-backed for­est management policy. Now with the people at the fore­front of forest management, […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-11-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 10 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-10-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-10-march-2010#comments Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:05:46 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-10-march-2010 International Sources

A new look at an old threat - Kuensel Online
… identified by ICIMOD as most dangerous, could be excluded from the category, according to Koji Fujita, who is on a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) assessment project in Bhutan’s … GLOF conducted yesterday in Thimphu. Koji Fujita used …    [read more]

Livestock rearing — key to poverty reduction strategies - Hindu
Courtesy: United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan. ( Gavin Wall is FAO Representative in India and Bhutan.)    [read more]

Govt. does about turn - Kuensel Online
The executive order came as a surprise, because none of us tour operators, guides or hoteliers were consulted,” an association for Bhutanese tour operators … operators how liberalising tariff would work for Bhutan. “It’s not that we were …    [read more]

Meet baby-bot Yotaro - Straits Times
Japan is already famous for highly sophisticated robots, from Honda’s humanoid Asimo to pancake-flipping chef Motoman to Paro the fluffy robot seal that helps ease loneliness among the elderly. Hundreds of thousands of industrial robots toil in …    [read more]

‘Visible minorities’ to rise rapidly in Canada - Global Nation
OTTAWA—Canada’s ethnic makeup will greatly change in the next 20 years as the number of non-Europeans or “visible minorities” rises to nearly one-third of the population, a government agency said Tuesday. “Between now and 2031, the foreign-born …    [read more]

Welcome to our place - Stuff
The possibility that international visitors travelling around New Zealand in campervans without facilities may be having a detrimental effect on our environment has led to heated debate. Travel writer Jill Worrall, who is familiar with both the New …    [read more]

UN seeks emerging states’ help to aid poor - Financial Times
India, Asia’s third-largest economy, has traditionally given a large proportion of its assistance to the neighbouring states of Nepal and Bhutan. Although a large aid recipient itself, India has taken steps in recent years to promote itself …    [read more]

Burma on Radar as New Delhi Prepares for Talks With ULFA - Newsblaze.com
The military ruled Burma (Myanmar) emerges as an important actor on the projected peace talks between the Union government of India and the banned militant group, United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). An active and influential underground outfit of …    [read more]

Filipinos in Canada to double in 20 years - Global Nation
Canada’s South Asian population (from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) would remain the largest visible minority group in the country, with a population expected to more than double to as many as 4.1 million.    [read more]

Sky marshals demand star treatment, threaten to quit - Economic Times
The government has, meanwhile, beefed up security at planes to Yangoon as well as Bhutan. It had recently alerted most of the metro airports in the country following intelligence input of hijack attempt by terrorists. The external affairs ministry …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Forest fire wreaks havoc in T/gang
The fire below Drametse, Mongar as seen from Kanglung
Photo : Pankaj Thapa, Sherubtse College

10 March, 2010 - A forest fire, which started yesterday afternoon from Chenari, near Chazam in Trashigang, has burnt down an automobile workshop, three cars and 25 two-wheelers kept for repair there, as the fire spread, fanned by fierce wind.    [read more]

A new look at an old threat
Japanese project to develop a glacier and glacial lake inventory

GLOF Assessment Project 10 March, 2010 - There is a new twist in the story of the threats looming large high up in the mountains. Ten of the 25 glacial lakes, identified by ICIMOD as most dangerous, could be excluded from the category, according to Koji Fujita, who is on a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) assessment project in Bhutan’s Himalayas.    [read more]

Continuing education goes nationwide
Improved Prospects: More than 1,000 in-service Bhutanese can avail of the programme

10 March, 2010 - The continuing education programme, for in-service Bhutanese to upgrade their qualification, has spread its wings across the country, creating opportunities for more than 1,000 civil servants, corporate and private employees this year.    [read more]

130 illegal workers repatriated
Immigration Update 10 March, 2010 - Following a month-long raid on private homes, immigration officials have repatriated more than 130 illegal workers from the country and collected a fine of over Nu 500,000.    [read more]

Much ado about nothing?
The Wagon-R Saga 10 March, 2010 - While some cabinet ministers admitted that the Wagon-R had to be used for multiple purposes, given the volume of work they had at hand, others claimed that it was being used only for official purposes.    [read more]

Dirty pool
10 March, 2010 - Government pool vehicles being misused has been as issue as long as anyone can remember.

One of the early attempts to curb misuse is recorded in a January 1987 Kuensel story about the government saving Nu 15,600 a day in fuel costs in Thimphu alone after a circular restricted pool vehicle movement.    [read more]

Jamyang Norbu – yak herder to quality carpenter
In the woodcraft trade for forty-plus years, he now runs his own successful business

10 March, 2010 - Sundays are agonisingly slow days for Jamyang Norbu. He actually dreads the approach of the holiday. He doesn’t know what to do with his free time. It bothers him when he can’t do what he loves most.    [read more]

Govt. does about turn
McKinsey liberalisation policy reversed with tariff rise to USD 250

Tourism Tariff 10 March, 2010 - The country’s tour operators are doubly happy about the government’s decision to strike down the tariff liberalisation proposal and instead raise it to USD 250 a tourist a day.    [read more]

Phuentsholing – From gateway to dust-bowl
Increased particulate matter in border town’s air from constant traffic and roadwork

10 March, 2010 - Travellers between the 180 km Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway, who endure the ordeal of driving along the long bumpy, dust-ridden highway, are further vexed on reaching a destination where clouds of dust await them.    [read more]

2 in operation by year-end
Single operator of domestic air service to be decided on March 15
Bathpalathang Airport: The govt. owned land in Bumthang identified for the purpose

Domestic airports 9 March, 2010 -

Work on the domestic airport at Bathpalathang in Bumthang will begin early next week to have it ready for use by the end of September this year.
   [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Where are the condoms?
One of the common sights in public places like hospitals, basic health units (BHU), out­reach clinics, gewog offices and hotels is the distinctive daechong or condom boxes placed in prominent loca­tions. What is common ev­erywhere is also that these aptly named ‘blissful utility’ boxes remain empty most of the time everywhere. Some are gathering dust […]    [read more]

U-13 girls’ team to soon leave for AFC festival
Bhutan’s under-13 girls team will leave for Sri Lanka on March 11 to participate in the AFC under-13 Girls’ Football Festival.
Upon the recommendation of school sports instructors, 22 players were selected for the team, 17 from Thimphu, two from Gasa and one each from Tashigang, Paro and Haa.
The players were selected after a month-long coaching […]    [read more]

Man dies from drug overdose
Police today reported that a 21-year-old man had died of drug overdose in Thimphu.
At around 7 am, police found an intoxicated boy at the VIP enclave in Motithang. He was wearing a T-shirt and half pants and was shivering.
Police officer on duty recovered 19 capsules of Spasmo Proxyvon from him.
Immediately, the boy was sent to […]    [read more]

National football team selected
The Bhutan Football Federa­tion (BFF) has selected 25 players to form the national team this year. The selection camp was held from February 23 to 26 at Changlingmith­ang and Changjiji ground in Thimphu.
Forty-two football players from across the country at­tended the camp.
The current national play­ers and players of under-23 and under-19 battled for cov­eted 25-man […]    [read more]

Namling flashback more than a decade on
One of the survivors of Bhutan’s worst road accident tells our reporter Gyembo Namgyel the heartrending story of that fateful day
Bus accident of June 16, 1998, at Namling between Mongar and Bumthang was the worst road accident in Bhutan’s living memory. Out of 72 passen­gers jam-packed in a bus with carrying capacity of half the […]    [read more]

Students say GNH transforms them
Students report to the Prime Minister that they are bringing GNH into schools and their communities their way
A GNH wave – if one may call it that – is apparently building up with school students vouching that their beliefs, attitudes and even their lives were transformed by what they learned during the recent GNH meetings […]    [read more]

Cement plant to make Nganaglm a business hub
The construction of mega Dungsam Cement Corpo­ration Limited (DCCL) in Pemagatshel is in full swing promising many economic opportunities for the local communities.
As part of the project, the 15-km road from Indo-Bhutan border to the project site at Chenkari is being broadened to two lanes. Broadening of the road, which is expected to be complete […]    [read more]

Bhutan’s first medical college to come up in Serbithang
The site for the construc­tion of Bhutan’s first medi­cal college, Bhutan Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), has been identified above the Royal Botanical Garden in Serbithang, Thimphu.
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) will be designat­ed as a teaching hospital.
JDWNRH has 17 clini­cal departments out of 20 required for a medical col­lege. Anatomy, biochemistry and […]    [read more]

Community forest entrusts, empowers, sustains, conserves
The introduction of the people-centric forest management has gained momentum in Bhutan. Almost every day, we hear of com­munity forests being handed over to the people in different parts of the country. This is a tectonic shift from the earlier fully government-backed for­est management policy. Now with the people at the fore­front of forest management, […]    [read more]

First elephant awareness workshop
Elephants and humans are in constant conflict in the southern Bhu­tan. To ease this tension and create awareness among the stakeholders, the Nature Conservation Division under Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is organising the first human-elephant co-existence workshop in Lobesa, Wang­due. The workshop started yesterday.
Titled “Getting Along with Asian Elephants”, the work­shop will focus on […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-10-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 09 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-09-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-09-march-2010#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:04:49 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-09-march-2010 International Sources

The perfect solution to all problems is to advertise your Tenders on … - PRLog (free press release)
Please Visit www.tenders.indiamart.com to view 1 Million Tenders. Indian Tenders , Indian projects, Indian Supplier Contractor Database, procurement Get Free Information of Tenders like Domestic tenders, Global tenders, Govt. tenders, Online Tenders …    [read more]

ICIMOD Opens its Doors - PR Inside
More than 3000 people thronged the Headquarters complex of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development at Khumaltar on Saturday 6 March. The Open House was the second part of the two-day ‘ICIMOD Nepal Day 2010′ event in which ICIMOD …    [read more]

Reality check: UN shows shocking gender disparity - Indian Express
India has the maximum number of women dying in the Asia-Pacific region because of discriminatory treatment in access to health and nutrition and sex-selective abortion, according to a report prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP …    [read more]

2 in operation by year-end - Kuensel Online
… from Thimphu. Meanwhile, Yonphula airport in Trashigang is expected to be complete by May end, since it only required some repairs and a transit shelter. “By end of this year two domestic airports will be connected with Paro … Bhutanese    [read more]

The why’s and wherefore’s of the Wagon R’s - Kuensel Online
However, except for Lyonpos Yeshey Zimba, Khandu Wangchuk and Nandalal Rai, other ministers are using the Wagon R for personal work in addition to the secretarial duties, according to their personal staff. This includes shopping errands and school …    [read more]

Government’s Role in Happiness is Focus of New Book - Roll Call Online
The country of Bhutan started it. Deciding that happiness was a better measure of government success than economic indicators, the leaders of the South Asian country created a “happiness index” that included the four pillars of “gross national …    [read more]

Bhutan to produce hydro power for India - Indolink
Guwahati, Mar 8 (PTI) Bhutan government will produce 10,000 MW of hydro-power for India by 2020 under a joint venture, its Consul General Dasho Tsering Wangda said today. India will provide Rs 35,000 crore for the venture. “On India’s request we will …    [read more]

Reality check: UNDP shows shocking gender disparity - Express India
New Delhi India has the maximum number of women dying in the Asia-Pacific region because of discriminatory treatment in access to health and nutrition and sex-selective abortion, according to a report prepared by the United Nations Development …    [read more]

Dehradun, March 8 - Tribune
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, Governor Margaret Alva presented Tilu Rauteli awards to 13 extraordinary women, best anganwadi workers to 22 women health workers who toiled day and night implementing health …    [read more]

Derry woman’s organs, tissue aid 37 others - Eagle-Tribune
Nancy Paro of Derry remembers her 16-year-old daughter Amanda talking at their dining room table about registering to become an organ and tissue donor when she got her driver’s license. She did. It was a decision that six years later, when Amanda …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

2 in operation by year-end
Single operator of domestic air service to be decided on March 15
Bathpalathang Airport: The govt. owned land in Bumthang identified for the purpose

Domestic airports 9 March, 2010 -

Work on the domestic airport at Bathpalathang in Bumthang will begin early next week to have it ready for use by the end of September this year.
   [read more]

GNH in action
16 Class XII students explain to the PM how they practise the philosophy

Feedback Session The prime minister interacts with participants of the Education For GNH workshop

9 March, 2010 - A few students in the capital, who lived within walking distance from school, but would rather have their parents chauffeur them to school in a car, have now begun walking.
   [read more]

The why’s and wherefore’s of the Wagon R’s
The old controversy of misuse of official vehicles

9 March, 2010 - In addition to their designated Toyota Prado vehicle, the 10 cabinet ministers were issued with a Wagon R small car each in August 2009 for secretarial duties, like delivery of letters and documents during office hours.
   [read more]

Picture Story

9 March, 2010 - (From left: Director of department of school education, Tshewang Tandin, and Proprietor of Yana Expeditions, Tashi Kelson Tobgay)
Yana Expeditions, a tour company based in Thimphu, and president of Unique Journeys International in Canada, Linda Sawyer, donated the first batch of around 3,000 English library books to the education ministry for rural students yesterday. The proprietor said that they would be donating more library books to the department this year.
   [read more]

Ministry holds up allotment

The Grass Is Growing For reasons unknown, a long awaited township is still awaited for

Dekiling Town 9 March, 2010 -

The much-awaited new Dekiling town site in Bumthang is ready with 75 plots ready for development, but it is not clear when the plots will be allotted.    [read more]

Women still playing catch-up
While female unemployment rose, they remain under-represented in governance
International Women’s Day Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck at the College of Business Studies in Gedu for the celebrations

Asia-Pacific Human Development Report 2010 9 March, 2010 -

Although Bhutanese men and women enjoy equal inheritance rights, men still continue to lead in the political sphere and labour force participation, states the Asia-Pacific human development report 2010, launched yesterday coinciding with the international women’s day.
   [read more]

Road block on the information highway
9 March, 2010 - Even as the government plans to drive down the information highway, riding on broadband, one irony today is that we are communicating less. It is common to see mistakes made at all levels and by everyone because of lack of communication or miscommunication.    [read more]

Packed to no purpose
Crossed wires between lower courts and police have led to overcrowding of Thimphu detention centre

Thimphu Centre Box 8 March, 2010 - Miscommunication between the district courts and police is causing an unnecessarily high number of citizens to be arrested and detained at the detention centre (centre box) here in Thimphu, Kuensel has found.    [read more]

Backlog builds on empty bench
More than a hundred appeal cases await the appointment of HC judges
Appeals to the High Court continue to increase in absence of judges

High Court 8 March, 2010 - The hunt for nine high court judges, including the chief justice, has not even begun even as appeal cases continue to inundate the high court.    [read more]

200 million to the good
Domestic revenue exceeds previous year’s by Nu 1.7 billion

National Revenue Report 8 March, 2010 - Domestic revenue in the first year of the 10th plan, 2008-09, amounted to Nu 14.049 bn, a Nu 1.7 bn rise from the previous year, and exceeding the revised target by more than Nu 200 mn, according to the national revenue report.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

National football team selected
The Bhutan Football Federa­tion (BFF) has selected 25 players to form the national team this year. The selection camp was held from February 23 to 26 at Changlingmith­ang and Changjiji ground in Thimphu.
Forty-two football players from across the country at­tended the camp.
The current national play­ers and players of under-23 and under-19 battled for cov­eted 25-man […]    [read more]

Namling flashback more than a decade on
One of the survivors of Bhutan’s worst road accident tells our reporter Gyembo Namgyel the heartrending story of that fateful day
Bus accident of June 16, 1998, at Namling between Mongar and Bumthang was the worst road accident in Bhutan’s living memory. Out of 72 passen­gers jam-packed in a bus with carrying capacity of half the […]    [read more]

Students say GNH transforms them
Students report to the Prime Minister that they are bringing GNH into schools and their communities their way
A GNH wave – if one may call it that – is apparently building up with school students vouching that their beliefs, attitudes and even their lives were transformed by what they learned during the recent GNH meetings […]    [read more]

Cement plant to make Nganaglm a business hub
The construction of mega Dungsam Cement Corpo­ration Limited (DCCL) in Pemagatshel is in full swing promising many economic opportunities for the local communities.
As part of the project, the 15-km road from Indo-Bhutan border to the project site at Chenkari is being broadened to two lanes. Broadening of the road, which is expected to be complete […]    [read more]

Bhutan’s first medical college to come up in Serbithang
The site for the construc­tion of Bhutan’s first medi­cal college, Bhutan Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), has been identified above the Royal Botanical Garden in Serbithang, Thimphu.
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) will be designat­ed as a teaching hospital.
JDWNRH has 17 clini­cal departments out of 20 required for a medical col­lege. Anatomy, biochemistry and […]    [read more]

Community forest entrusts, empowers, sustains, conserves
The introduction of the people-centric forest management has gained momentum in Bhutan. Almost every day, we hear of com­munity forests being handed over to the people in different parts of the country. This is a tectonic shift from the earlier fully government-backed for­est management policy. Now with the people at the fore­front of forest management, […]    [read more]

First elephant awareness workshop
Elephants and humans are in constant conflict in the southern Bhu­tan. To ease this tension and create awareness among the stakeholders, the Nature Conservation Division under Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is organising the first human-elephant co-existence workshop in Lobesa, Wang­due. The workshop started yesterday.
Titled “Getting Along with Asian Elephants”, the work­shop will focus on […]    [read more]

G4S celebrates Happy Day
March 3 was not a usual day for 26 children of Drak Tsho Vocational Training Centre in Thimphu. It was their Happy Day organized by Group 4 Securicor (G4S). In orange shirts and caps, they rejoiced in dancing, painting, music and games.
G4S’s third Happy Day was celebrated on March 3 in Thimphu. The day is […]    [read more]

Khuru still popular
Archery, the national game of Bhutan, is facing stiff com­petition from khuru, which is shining in its own realm among the Bhutanese in the country today. The game is fast gaining popularity among people if the number of tournaments organised are anything to go by.
Khuru is gaining popular­ity especially because of the game’s simplicity. “Unlike […]    [read more]

RSTA found prone to corruption
An integrity assessment joint­ly conducted by Anti-Corrup­tion Commission (ACC) and National Statistics Bureau (NSB) in 2009 found that ve­hicle registration and licens­ing procedures of Road Safe­ty and Transport Authority (RSTA) was prone to corrup­tion. The assessment rated the total integrity of the orga­nization at 6.48 out of 10.
Under the findings, per­sonal attitude was rated 5.26, […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-09-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 08 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-08-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-08-march-2010#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:04:32 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-08-march-2010 International Sources

Why Britain should be glad not to have Japan’s problems - Daily Telegraph Blogs
Britons should be grateful for falling house prices, feminism and rising immigration. The alternative is to end our days with a bankrupt state, less privacy than the inhabitants of the Big Brother house and relying on robotic pets to keep us company …    [read more]

Platinum year sees Gap Adventures predict its next 20 in 10 - TravelDailyNews.com
The Great Adventure People say after 20 years in the business they are perfectly placed to predict the future of adventure travel. The company has launched a number of initiatives to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2010. The latest is its 10 tips …    [read more]

Derry woman’s organs, tissue aid 37 others - Eagle-Tribune
Nancy Paro of Derry remembers her 16-year-old daughter Amanda talking at their dining room table about registering to become an organ and tissue donor when she got her driver’s license. She did. It was a decision that six years later, when Amanda …    [read more]

HS HOCKEY: HoVal shells Nutley - Trentonian
Hopewell Valley (17-5-2) 4 1 1 — 6 Nutley (15-6-7) 1 0 0 — 1 First period: HV-Devaney (DeLisa), Daley 2 (Apgar 2, McQueary), Apgar (Donovan); N-Paro (Newton, McDonald). Second period: HV-Bregenzer (Daley). Third period: HV- Devlin (Kemble …    [read more]

ICIMOD values Nepal - PR Inside
Nepal’s unique role in the Himalayan region, and the role played by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in research and knowledge development for the people of the host country, were the focus of a Nepal-ICIMOD …    [read more]

Footballers require no translations - Stuff
As the first games kicked off in Palmerston North a rainbow loomed over the teams, made up of people Saudi Arabia, Bhutan, Somalia, Ireland, Pakistan, England, Thailand, Fiji and Congolese. There were more than 500 people playing, Ethkick organising …    [read more]

Blueprint for ICT-literate society - Kuensel Online
The RUB component will see that four tertiary institutions of Sherubtse, College of Science and Technology, Jigme Namgyal polytechnic and Geddu Business college are fully equipped with ICT facilities and are connected to each other. The …    [read more]

Thimphu to Paro run against domestic violence - Kuensel Online
8 March, 2010 - Calling attention to advocate against domestic violence in Bhutan, Ms Robin Martz, an American living in Bhutan will run the 50 km highway between Thimphu and Paro, as Bhutan joins the world to observe International Women’s day …    [read more]

3,000 throng ICIMOD climate change event - Himalayan Times
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China , India …    [read more]

Top 10 scariest runways - StarPhoenix
SYDNEY - Nervous fliers, stop reading! Travel website Travel + Leisure has come up with a list of the world’s scariest runways that can make even the most relaxed travelers grip their armrest. 1. Paro Airport, Bhutan Tucked into a tightly cropped …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Packed to no purpose
Crossed wires between lower courts and police have led to overcrowding of Thimphu detention centre

Thimphu Centre Box 8 March, 2010 - Miscommunication between the district courts and police is causing an unnecessarily high number of citizens to be arrested and detained at the detention centre (centre box) here in Thimphu, Kuensel has found.    [read more]

Backlog builds on empty bench
More than a hundred appeal cases await the appointment of HC judges
Appeals to the High Court continue to increase in absence of judges

High Court 8 March, 2010 - The hunt for nine high court judges, including the chief justice, has not even begun even as appeal cases continue to inundate the high court.    [read more]

200 million to the good
Domestic revenue exceeds previous year’s by Nu 1.7 billion

National Revenue Report 8 March, 2010 - Domestic revenue in the first year of the 10th plan, 2008-09, amounted to Nu 14.049 bn, a Nu 1.7 bn rise from the previous year, and exceeding the revised target by more than Nu 200 mn, according to the national revenue report.    [read more]

Blueprint for ICT-literate society
5-pronged program expected to kick off by late April 2010

Total Solutions 8 March, 2010 - The Nu 2.05 bn total solutions project will see 7,200 civil servants, including the prime minister, cabinet ministers, government secretaries and dzongdas attending specialised ICT courses to improve the ICT capacity of the government.
   [read more]

Thimphu to Paro run against domestic violence

8 March, 2010 - Calling attention to advocate against domestic violence in Bhutan, Ms Robin Martz, an American living in Bhutan will run the 50 km highway between Thimphu and Paro, as Bhutan joins the world to observe International Women’s day today.    [read more]

Alcohol: Catching them young
8 March, 2010 - Youth are a nation’s prized possession, for they are the harbinger of changes that the present generation envisions for the country in years to come.

Therefore, the state of our youth today determines what becomes of the country in future.    [read more]

Home fires — with a vengeance
A mysterious fire — an evil spirit, some say — plagues a Thrimshing village
Mystery: The fire burns even inside locked boxes

8 March, 2010 - Norbu Wangdi’s two storeyed traditional house in Tsangpo village, Thrimshing, is famous in the area for a unique reason – mysterious fires that spring up from nowhere inside their home.    [read more]

Raising the dropout census issue
Lyonpo Minjur Dorji with the dzongdas

Dzongda’s Conference 7 March, 2010 - The government should review the cases of people, whose census were dropped after the nationwide census registration. Dzongdas voiced this concern during the 18th annual dzongdag’s conference, which began yesterday.    [read more]

Traffic fines get stiffer … tenfold
7 March, 2010 - Motorists will soon land up paying fines, 10 times higher than today, if they are caught violating traffic rules. This means that a motorist, who paid Nu 50 for parking in the wrong area, will now have to pay Nu 550.    [read more]

The pink elephant in the room
Health ministry study reveals that more than half Bhutan’s drinkers are its youth

Feature 7 March, 2010 - Bhutanese down 12.5 million litres of alcohol a year and a staggering 54 percent of the country’s total 56 percent youth population below 24 years are the main consumers.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Cement plant to make Nganaglm a business hub
The construction of mega Dungsam Cement Corpo­ration Limited (DCCL) in Pemagatshel is in full swing promising many economic opportunities for the local communities.
As part of the project, the 15-km road from Indo-Bhutan border to the project site at Chenkari is being broadened to two lanes. Broadening of the road, which is expected to be complete […]    [read more]

Bhutan’s first medical college to come up in Serbithang
The site for the construc­tion of Bhutan’s first medi­cal college, Bhutan Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS), has been identified above the Royal Botanical Garden in Serbithang, Thimphu.
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) will be designat­ed as a teaching hospital.
JDWNRH has 17 clini­cal departments out of 20 required for a medical col­lege. Anatomy, biochemistry and […]    [read more]

Community forest entrusts, empowers, sustains, conserves
The introduction of the people-centric forest management has gained momentum in Bhutan. Almost every day, we hear of com­munity forests being handed over to the people in different parts of the country. This is a tectonic shift from the earlier fully government-backed for­est management policy. Now with the people at the fore­front of forest management, […]    [read more]

First elephant awareness workshop
Elephants and humans are in constant conflict in the southern Bhu­tan. To ease this tension and create awareness among the stakeholders, the Nature Conservation Division under Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is organising the first human-elephant co-existence workshop in Lobesa, Wang­due. The workshop started yesterday.
Titled “Getting Along with Asian Elephants”, the work­shop will focus on […]    [read more]

G4S celebrates Happy Day
March 3 was not a usual day for 26 children of Drak Tsho Vocational Training Centre in Thimphu. It was their Happy Day organized by Group 4 Securicor (G4S). In orange shirts and caps, they rejoiced in dancing, painting, music and games.
G4S’s third Happy Day was celebrated on March 3 in Thimphu. The day is […]    [read more]

Khuru still popular
Archery, the national game of Bhutan, is facing stiff com­petition from khuru, which is shining in its own realm among the Bhutanese in the country today. The game is fast gaining popularity among people if the number of tournaments organised are anything to go by.
Khuru is gaining popular­ity especially because of the game’s simplicity. “Unlike […]    [read more]

RSTA found prone to corruption
An integrity assessment joint­ly conducted by Anti-Corrup­tion Commission (ACC) and National Statistics Bureau (NSB) in 2009 found that ve­hicle registration and licens­ing procedures of Road Safe­ty and Transport Authority (RSTA) was prone to corrup­tion. The assessment rated the total integrity of the orga­nization at 6.48 out of 10.
Under the findings, per­sonal attitude was rated 5.26, […]    [read more]

Schools take first GNH steps
This year, there is an unmis­takable air of earnestness in the Bhutanese schools.
Students in most schools meditate for a few minutes before the morning assembly. And each teacher leads a class meditation before starting any lesson.
A few weeks after the schools reopened, some prin­cipals and teachers are al­ready implementing GNH val­ues in their schools.
The principal […]    [read more]

Quality infrastructure – A necessity!
Following the devastat­ing earthquake that shook our tiny King­dom on September 21, 2009, earthquakes of different mag­nitudes took place in some countries of the world – Chi­na, Haiti and other countries, the most recent one in Chile on Saturday February 27, 2010.
I would like to quote from the Washington Post of March 1, 2010.
“A powerful […]    [read more]

His Majesty grants audience to Indian Cabinet Secretary
His Majesty the King granted audience to visiting cabinet secretary of India, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, today.
The  cabinet secretary also  called on  Prime Minister, besides meeting his Bhutanese counterpart.
Discussing a gamut of issues with the Prime Minister, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, who is on his first visit to the kingdom, described Bhutan as a […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-08-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 07 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-07-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-07-march-2010#comments Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:03:49 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-07-march-2010 International Sources

Rochester ramps up census preparation - Democrat and Chronicle
Within weeks, Americans will be asked 10 questions that could affect almost every aspect of life in some way. They’ll be completing the national census, which the U.S. Constitution requires every 10 years. The actual survey forms will start arriving …    [read more]

New mammal in Manas - Kuensel Online
… Wangchuk. The ferret badger was caught in one of the traps set up during their “Small Mammal Survey Training” conducted at the park from February 11-16. “The finding of the mammal was an addition to the rich biodiversity list of Bhutan …    [read more]

Glacier melting a key clue to tracking climate change - Taipei Times
The world has become far too hot for the aptly named Exit Glacier in Alaska. Like many low-altitude glaciers, it’s steadily melting, shrinking 3km over the past 200 years as it tries to strike a new balance with rising temperatures. At the Kenai …    [read more]

Traffic fines get stiffer … tenfold - Kuensel Online
7 March, 2010 - Motorists will soon land up paying fines, 10 times higher than today, if they are caught violating traffic rules. This means that a motorist, who paid Nu 50 for parking in the wrong area, will now have to pay Nu 550. The decision to …    [read more]

Derry woman’s organs, tissue aid 37 others - Eagle-Tribune
Nancy Paro of Derry remembers her 16-year-old daughter Amanda talking at their dining room table about registering to become an organ and tissue donor when she got her driver’s license. She did. It was a decision that six years later, when Amanda …    [read more]

ACC Trophy from March 31 - Himalayan Times
Singapore, Kuwait and Oman complete the Group A while Group B comprises of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, Malaysia, Bahrain and Bhutan. Nepal finished fourth in 2008 after losing against the eventual finalist the UAE in semi-finals.    [read more]

Academy of Arts director resigning - Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Stephen Little, Honolulu Academy of Arts director since 2003, has resigned “to pursue new creative and professional opportunities.” “It has been a great honor and privilege to serve as the Academy’s director for the past seven years,” Little said in …    [read more]

Little resigns as head of Honolulu Academy of Arts - Honolulu Advertiser
During Little’s tenure, the Academy presented several high-profile exhibitions, including The Dragon’s Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan,” “Japan and Paris: Impressionism, Postimpressionism, and the Modern Era,” “Neo Rauch,”Life in the Pacific of the …    [read more]

Tibetans fear China’s hand in Dalai Lama succession - The Malaysian Insider
TONGREN, China, March 7 — For Tibetans living near the birthplace of the Dalai Lama, one question is very much on their minds these days — who will succeed the aging exiled spiritual leader once he dies? The possibility that scares most of them …    [read more]

Experts urge rigorous study on snow melt - Himalayan Times
… change underlined more rigorous research on snow melt in the Hindukush-Himalayas that cover eight countries - China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Bhutan. “To raise our voice strongly in order for it to be heard …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Raising the dropout census issue
Lyonpo Minjur Dorji with the dzongdas

Dzongda’s Conference 7 March, 2010 - The government should review the cases of people, whose census were dropped after the nationwide census registration. Dzongdas voiced this concern during the 18th annual dzongdag’s conference, which began yesterday.    [read more]

Traffic fines get stiffer … tenfold
7 March, 2010 - Motorists will soon land up paying fines, 10 times higher than today, if they are caught violating traffic rules. This means that a motorist, who paid Nu 50 for parking in the wrong area, will now have to pay Nu 550.    [read more]

The pink elephant in the room
Health ministry study reveals that more than half Bhutan’s drinkers are its youth

Feature 7 March, 2010 - Bhutanese down 12.5 million litres of alcohol a year and a staggering 54 percent of the country’s total 56 percent youth population below 24 years are the main consumers.    [read more]

New mammal in Manas
The ferret badger, a hitherto unknown species, found during Small Mammal Survey Training
Unmasked Possibly of the small-toothed variety of ferret badger (Melogale moschata)
Picture by Tenzin Wangchuk, CFO, RMNP

7 March, 2010 - A research team from the Ugyen Wangchuck institute for conservation and environment and royal Manas national park (RMNP) staff have found a new species of mammal, the ferret badger (Melogale species) in the park area.    [read more]

Wamrong: Well on way to recovery
Looking Up: More than three-quarters of the construction work is complete

7 March, 2010 - As royal Bhutan army soldiers put their last finishing touches to the one-storied house, Dorji Wangmo’s eagerness to move into her new home, built free of cost, is evident. The house has CGI roofing and supported by strong stonewalls.    [read more]

Gelephu to get long awaited landfill soon
7 March, 2010 - Debris of all sort, scattered around the Aiepoli causeway, about a kilometre from Gelephu towards Sarpang, has become an eyesore for travellers even as they start enjoying the smooth drive.
   [read more]

Picture Story

6 March, 2010 - His Majesty the King yesterday granted audience to the cabinet secretary of the govt. of India, KM Chandrasekhar    [read more]

Dagachu qualifies
Nu 300 million plus as annual carbon trading revenue

Clean development mechanism6 March, 2010 - The 114 MW Dagachu project has been accepted as a clean development mechanism (CDM) project by the United Nations framework for climate change.

The acceptance, which came in February, means that the Nu 8 bn project would earn CDM revenues of more than Nu 300 mn a year, in addition to the Nu 1 bn in electricity revenues.    [read more]

From exploitation to exclusion
6 March, 2010 - Not being registered in the annual national census is tantamount to not being a citizen. This means no access to schooling as a child and to health, employment, business licenses, voting rights and the like as a grown up.
   [read more]

Seven appeal to high court
Samtse Mining Case6 March, 2010 - Seven defendants, including the former mining head and national resource development corporation limited (NRDCL) managing director, Sangay Gyaltshen, who were sentenced by Samtse district court in February for being involved in a mining scam, have appealed to the high court.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

First elephant awareness workshop
Elephants and humans are in constant conflict in the southern Bhu­tan. To ease this tension and create awareness among the stakeholders, the Nature Conservation Division under Ministry of Agriculture and Forests is organising the first human-elephant co-existence workshop in Lobesa, Wang­due. The workshop started yesterday.
Titled “Getting Along with Asian Elephants”, the work­shop will focus on […]    [read more]

G4S celebrates Happy Day
March 3 was not a usual day for 26 children of Drak Tsho Vocational Training Centre in Thimphu. It was their Happy Day organized by Group 4 Securicor (G4S). In orange shirts and caps, they rejoiced in dancing, painting, music and games.
G4S’s third Happy Day was celebrated on March 3 in Thimphu. The day is […]    [read more]

Khuru still popular
Archery, the national game of Bhutan, is facing stiff com­petition from khuru, which is shining in its own realm among the Bhutanese in the country today. The game is fast gaining popularity among people if the number of tournaments organised are anything to go by.
Khuru is gaining popular­ity especially because of the game’s simplicity. “Unlike […]    [read more]

RSTA found prone to corruption
An integrity assessment joint­ly conducted by Anti-Corrup­tion Commission (ACC) and National Statistics Bureau (NSB) in 2009 found that ve­hicle registration and licens­ing procedures of Road Safe­ty and Transport Authority (RSTA) was prone to corrup­tion. The assessment rated the total integrity of the orga­nization at 6.48 out of 10.
Under the findings, per­sonal attitude was rated 5.26, […]    [read more]

Schools take first GNH steps
This year, there is an unmis­takable air of earnestness in the Bhutanese schools.
Students in most schools meditate for a few minutes before the morning assembly. And each teacher leads a class meditation before starting any lesson.
A few weeks after the schools reopened, some prin­cipals and teachers are al­ready implementing GNH val­ues in their schools.
The principal […]    [read more]

Quality infrastructure – A necessity!
Following the devastat­ing earthquake that shook our tiny King­dom on September 21, 2009, earthquakes of different mag­nitudes took place in some countries of the world – Chi­na, Haiti and other countries, the most recent one in Chile on Saturday February 27, 2010.
I would like to quote from the Washington Post of March 1, 2010.
“A powerful […]    [read more]

Indian Cabinet Secretary calls on His Majesty and Prime Minister
The visiting cabinet secretary of India, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, called on His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister, besides meeting his Bhutanese counterpart today.
Discussing a gamut of issues with the Prime Minister, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, who is on his first visit to the kingdom, described Bhutan as a “happening place” with great […]    [read more]

Nganglam finally gets a bank
Opening of a Bank of Bhutan (BoB) branch in Nganglam in Pemagatshel last month is expected to benefit civil ser­vants, business community and the public of the dung­khag.
After repeated requests by the public and dungkhag ad­ministration for more than two years, BoB opened the branch coinciding with the 30th birth anniversary of His Majesty the […]    [read more]


   [read more]

Do you think that Bhutan should welcome Airtel?
   [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-07-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 06 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-06-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-06-march-2010#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:03:14 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-06-march-2010 International Sources

Bear’s Den: Restaurant-museum a tribute to legendary UTEP coach - El Paso Times
The former location of the O2 Lounge, left, at Cincinnati Avenue and North Mesa Street will be the site of the new restaurant and sports bar named after legendary UTEP basketball coach Don Haskins. The venue will also house Haskins memorabilia. EL …    [read more]

Bollywood Women 2.0 - IndiaTimes
Like India,Bollywood too changed in the 21st century.So did its leading ladies.Getting drenched in chiffons was no longer mandatory.Alternative became mainstream as new millennium Mumbai cinema found roles that not only captured the urban Indian …    [read more]

Refugee Center celebrates region’s diversity - Observer-Dispatch
Guests at the 7th annual Passport to the World benefit Friday sampled appetizers from a variety of cultures to support a local organization that assists similar diversity in the community. The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees relies on the …    [read more]

ICIMOD values Nepal - 24-7PressRelease.com
March 06, 2010 /EIN News/ — Nepal’s unique role in the Himalayan region, and the role played by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in research and knowledge development for the people of the host country, were the …    [read more]

Beach’s future cloudy - Pensacola News Journal
Slow down. Scale down. And too expensive. These were the main messages that came out of a two-hour public meeting Friday to discuss citizens’ opposition to a conceptual $46 million master plan to improve Pensacola Beach. Tammy Bohannon, chairwoman of …    [read more]

Falling between the census cracks - AsiaOne
We feel sorry for those children, who we believe that the fathers are bonafide Bhutanese citizens although the mother could not determine who the father was.” Home minister Lyonpo Minjur Dorji said that the ministry is studying the situation and …    [read more]

Dagachu qualifies - Kuensel Online
Bhutan and India have an umbrella agreement on the 10,000 MW that includes an article on achieving CDM status for the projects. Bhutan can also use the Indian baseline for emissions, which means that Bhutan can earn CDM for preventing carbon …    [read more]

Tibetans fear China’s hand in Dalai Lama’s succession - Indian Express
We think China will try to appoint its own Dalai Lama, as it did with the Panchen Lama,” said Jigme, a monk in the Tibetan region of Tongren in the arid northwestern province of Qinghai. “If that happens, we will protest,” he added, punching his …    [read more]

Reopening of jute mills will generate employment – Minister - Fibre2Fashion
Dr Hasan Mahmud, State Minister for Environment and Forest, stated that reopening of the closed jute mills would benefit the economy. It will also generate employment while salvaging the country from environmental pollution. Lesser quantity of …    [read more]

Tibetan Singer Gets Prison - Radio Free Asia
Rare court papers also show jailing of a Tibetan monk. Local resident Tashi Dhondup in an undated photo. KATHMANDU—Authorities in a Tibetan area of western China have sent a local singer to prison after he recorded and distributed CDs of songs …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Picture Story

6 March, 2010 - His Majesty the King yesterday granted audience to the cabinet secretary of the govt. of India, KM Chandrasekhar    [read more]

Dagachu qualifies
Nu 300 million plus as annual carbon trading revenue

Clean development mechanism6 March, 2010 - The 114 MW Dagachu project has been accepted as a clean development mechanism (CDM) project by the United Nations framework for climate change.

The acceptance, which came in February, means that the Nu 8 bn project would earn CDM revenues of more than Nu 300 mn a year, in addition to the Nu 1 bn in electricity revenues.    [read more]

From exploitation to exclusion
6 March, 2010 - Not being registered in the annual national census is tantamount to not being a citizen. This means no access to schooling as a child and to health, employment, business licenses, voting rights and the like as a grown up.
   [read more]

Seven appeal to high court
Samtse Mining Case6 March, 2010 - Seven defendants, including the former mining head and national resource development corporation limited (NRDCL) managing director, Sangay Gyaltshen, who were sentenced by Samtse district court in February for being involved in a mining scam, have appealed to the high court.    [read more]

Falling between the census cracks
Children born out of wedlock remain out of the mainstream

5 March, 2010 - The recent annual census registration across the country left a 27-year old woman in Zobel gewog, Pemagatshel, perplexed.    [read more]

7,000 new jobs in 2010
Filling up the 40 percent quota for Bhutanese job-seekers

Hydropower Projects 5 March, 2010 - The construction of two more hydropower projects, scheduled to begin this year, will create more than 7,000 new jobs in 2010, according to a preliminary study carried out by water and power consultancy services ltd., India, (WAPCOS).    [read more]

Picture Story

5 March, 2010 - His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choeda, arrived in Gelephu yesterday to conduct a five-day moenlam chenmo (great prayer ceremony) starting Sunday. His Holiness is on a 49-day tour of the south, central and eastern dzongkhags    [read more]

Industries continue to violate pollution laws
NEC Pollution Report 2009 5 March, 2010 - Despite numerous warnings, promises of action by authorities, some fines and criticism in the media, a national environment commission (NEC) report shows that industries continue to pollute as usual.    [read more]

Bhutanese brinkmanship
5 March, 2010 - It is not surprising to see that most Bhutanese take it positively whenever someone, especially foreigners, say they have a laid-back attitude. This relaxed and calm Bhutanese nature may please the occasional tourists, but it is becoming a problem.    [read more]

Streamlining statistics
Cabinet approves proposal to make NSB lead agency on all national data

5 March, 2010 - In a bid to strengthen the country’s statistical system, the cabinet has approved a proposal to pool scarce resources, create a common processing system and establish uniform standards so that data generated is consistent and reliable.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Khuru still popular
Archery, the national game of Bhutan, is facing stiff com­petition from khuru, which is shining in its own realm among the Bhutanese in the country today. The game is fast gaining popularity among people if the number of tournaments organised are anything to go by.
Khuru is gaining popular­ity especially because of the game’s simplicity. “Unlike […]    [read more]

RSTA found prone to corruption
An integrity assessment joint­ly conducted by Anti-Corrup­tion Commission (ACC) and National Statistics Bureau (NSB) in 2009 found that ve­hicle registration and licens­ing procedures of Road Safe­ty and Transport Authority (RSTA) was prone to corrup­tion. The assessment rated the total integrity of the orga­nization at 6.48 out of 10.
Under the findings, per­sonal attitude was rated 5.26, […]    [read more]

Schools take first GNH steps
This year, there is an unmis­takable air of earnestness in the Bhutanese schools.
Students in most schools meditate for a few minutes before the morning assembly. And each teacher leads a class meditation before starting any lesson.
A few weeks after the schools reopened, some prin­cipals and teachers are al­ready implementing GNH val­ues in their schools.
The principal […]    [read more]

Quality infrastructure – A necessity!
Following the devastat­ing earthquake that shook our tiny King­dom on September 21, 2009, earthquakes of different mag­nitudes took place in some countries of the world – Chi­na, Haiti and other countries, the most recent one in Chile on Saturday February 27, 2010.
I would like to quote from the Washington Post of March 1, 2010.
“A powerful […]    [read more]

Indian Cabinet Secretary calls on His Majesty and Prime Minister
The visiting cabinet secretary of India, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, called on His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister, besides meeting his Bhutanese counterpart today.
Discussing a gamut of issues with the Prime Minister, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, who is on his first visit to the kingdom, described Bhutan as a “happening place” with great […]    [read more]

Nganglam finally gets a bank
Opening of a Bank of Bhutan (BoB) branch in Nganglam in Pemagatshel last month is expected to benefit civil ser­vants, business community and the public of the dung­khag.
After repeated requests by the public and dungkhag ad­ministration for more than two years, BoB opened the branch coinciding with the 30th birth anniversary of His Majesty the […]    [read more]


   [read more]

Do you think that Bhutan should welcome Airtel?
   [read more]

Down to top 12, Druk Star heats up
Ten weeks after Druk Star singing show was started, the competition has become more stiff and fierce. Contes­tants are spending more time practising songs, and of late, many of them have begun informally campaigning for votes.
Many regular viewers say that with every passing week, the contestants have improved their singing talent as well as presentation […]    [read more]

Give Thimphu respite
Until recently, we have rarely planned bigger than ourselves. Now, we are. But what we often tend to overlook is that bigger plans need bigger space.
We are planning a knowledge city in Thimphu. By far, the largest FDI venture, it aims to bring in between 15 and 30 top universities and 40,000 students into a […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-06-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 05 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-05-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-05-march-2010#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:02:32 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-05-march-2010 International Sources

The Lesser Path - New York Times
UDAIPUR, INDIA — It’s not every day that you get to meet a real blood and dust tribal missionary — a man who’s heard Mother Theresa’s confession, been knighted by the Queen for “services to the poor in India,” written dozens of books …    [read more]

ICIMOD values Nepal - PR Inside
… Development, ICIMOD, is a regional knowledge development and learning centre serving the eight regional member countries of the Hindu Kush-Himalayas - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan , China , India , Myanmar , Nepal , and Pakistan - and based …    [read more]

Providing refuge - State News
Community Relations and Marketing Director Julie Reynolds Picot works with Refugee Services of St. Vincent Catholic Charities by educating the community through outreach. Here Reynolds Picot is in the Lansing office, located at 2800 W. Willow St …    [read more]

North Central Massachusetts Community Calendar - Sentinel & Enterprise
Shirley Well Adult: Nashoba Associated Boards of Health, in conjunction with the Shirley Board of Health, announces that a free well-adult clinic will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at Town Hall Senior Drop-in room. La Leche Meeting: La Leche League of …    [read more]

Sangma meets Ulfa leader in jail - Daily News and Analysis
The shifting of Ulfa ideologue Bhimakanta Buragohain from Tezpur Jail, where he was lodged since his capture during Operation All Clear by Bhutan Army in 2003, to the Guwahati Central Jail on February 21 last is also being viewed as a step to …    [read more]

Tibetans fear China’s hand in Dalai Lama’s succession - Indian Express
We think China will try to appoint its own Dalai Lama, as it did with the Panchen Lama,” said Jigme, a monk in the Tibetan region of Tongren in the arid northwestern province of Qinghai. “If that happens, we will protest,” he added, punching his …    [read more]

Please end the daily tamasha at Wagah - Rediff
We have a similar post at Nathu La on the Indo-Tibet border, with Burma at Moreh and I am sure with Bangladesh as well as Nepal and Bhutan. To the best of my knowledge, this kind of tamasha does not take place at those places. Some years ago, the …    [read more]

Walking the ramp as difficult as playing: Pankaj Advani - New Kerala
Malkani took inspiration from Bhutan for the collection - she feels that it is the happiest country in the world. “During my travel to Bhutan, I decided to create a line of garments which will represent the happiest country of the world,” explained …    [read more]

Revel in the wonder of the Solar System - BBC Science/Nature
There are maps you can buy which show how light pollution blocks out the night skies. Look at the map for the UK, and English star-gazers have it the worst. It would take a trip to a few scattered oases in Northumberland, East Anglia or the West …    [read more]

INDEPENDENT TIBET – THE FACTS : BY JAMYANG NORBU - Phayul
Tibet was a fully functioning and independent state before the Chinese invasion. It threatened none of its neighbors, fed its population unfailingly, year after year, with no help from the outside world, and owed nothing to any country or …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Falling between the census cracks
Children born out of wedlock remain out of the mainstream

5 March, 2010 - The recent annual census registration across the country left a 27-year old woman in Zobel gewog, Pemagatshel, perplexed.    [read more]

7,000 new jobs in 2010
Filling up the 40 percent quota for Bhutanese job-seekers

Hydropower Projects 5 March, 2010 - The construction of two more hydropower projects, scheduled to begin this year, will create more than 7,000 new jobs in 2010, according to a preliminary study carried out by water and power consultancy services ltd., India, (WAPCOS).    [read more]

Picture Story

5 March, 2010 - His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choeda, arrived in Gelephu yesterday to conduct a five-day moenlam chenmo (great prayer ceremony) starting Sunday. His Holiness is on a 49-day tour of the south, central and eastern dzongkhags    [read more]

Industries continue to violate pollution laws
NEC Pollution Report 2009 5 March, 2010 - Despite numerous warnings, promises of action by authorities, some fines and criticism in the media, a national environment commission (NEC) report shows that industries continue to pollute as usual.    [read more]

Bhutanese brinkmanship
5 March, 2010 - It is not surprising to see that most Bhutanese take it positively whenever someone, especially foreigners, say they have a laid-back attitude. This relaxed and calm Bhutanese nature may please the occasional tourists, but it is becoming a problem.    [read more]

Streamlining statistics
Cabinet approves proposal to make NSB lead agency on all national data

5 March, 2010 - In a bid to strengthen the country’s statistical system, the cabinet has approved a proposal to pool scarce resources, create a common processing system and establish uniform standards so that data generated is consistent and reliable.    [read more]

Indian cabinet secretary in Bhutan

5 March, 2010 - The cabinet secretary of the government of India, Mr K.M Chandrasekhar is on a three-day visit to the country starting today.    [read more]

Giving the buyer some bite
Awareness workshop over, next step, parliament

Consumer Protection Bill 5 March, 2010 - Consumers should be able to return a product, if not satisfied with it, and get a refund once the consumer protection bill is passed.    [read more]

Farmers’ cooperative for financing
Sumthrang Ngomen Tshogpa 5 March, 2010 - As potato-farming season warms up in Bumthang, many farmers across the valley are seeking loans from financial institutions or borrowing from moneylenders.    [read more]

Picture Story

5 March, 2010 - A taxi driver Nado from Chamkhar and Tamzhing Lhakhang monk Sonam Tashi each received Nu.50,000 soelra from his Majesty the king on March 3 in recognition of their courage and exemplary display of respect for the Dharma.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Indian Cabinet Secretary calls on His Majesty and Prime Minister
The visiting cabinet secretary of India, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, called on His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister, besides meeting his Bhutanese counterpart today.
Discussing a gamut of issues with the Prime Minister, Mr K M Chandrasekhar, who is on his first visit to the kingdom, described Bhutan as a “happening place” with great […]    [read more]

Nganglam finally gets a bank
Opening of a Bank of Bhutan (BoB) branch in Nganglam in Pemagatshel last month is expected to benefit civil ser­vants, business community and the public of the dung­khag.
After repeated requests by the public and dungkhag ad­ministration for more than two years, BoB opened the branch coinciding with the 30th birth anniversary of His Majesty the […]    [read more]


   [read more]

Do you think that Bhutan should welcome Airtel?
   [read more]

Down to top 12, Druk Star heats up
Ten weeks after Druk Star singing show was started, the competition has become more stiff and fierce. Contes­tants are spending more time practising songs, and of late, many of them have begun informally campaigning for votes.
Many regular viewers say that with every passing week, the contestants have improved their singing talent as well as presentation […]    [read more]

Give Thimphu respite
Until recently, we have rarely planned bigger than ourselves. Now, we are. But what we often tend to overlook is that bigger plans need bigger space.
We are planning a knowledge city in Thimphu. By far, the largest FDI venture, it aims to bring in between 15 and 30 top universities and 40,000 students into a […]    [read more]

Little hope for dying parties
The Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) has given Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) and People’s Demo­cratic Party (PDP) until 2012 to become financially sound. And the party offices in all 20 dzongkhags should be up and running.
ECB has issued a notice cautioning that any party having credits in 2012 cannot contest in the 2013 elections.
But both […]    [read more]

Bird flu under control
The recent outbreak of bird flu in Rinchending, Phuent­sholing, is now under control, according to officials from the livestock department.
The Department of Live­stock and Bhutan Agriculture and Food Regulatory Author­ity are successfully carrying out the decontamination, de­population and disinfection (3D) in Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse, Gelephu, Sarpang and Phuentsholing.
Until March 1, veterinar­ians depopulated or culled 1,119 […]    [read more]


Wai! Have you realised that sometimes it’s worth years of learning to go back to the past and reflect on it. In my wayward fancy, I’ve often tried to identify myself with many of the characters in our folk tales. I’ve tried to give them flesh and blood and put them in a social setting […]    [read more]

Standardising tourist hotels starts
A six-member team led by TCB started a countrywide hotel standardization and classification assessment yes­terday. The assessment is in line with the government’s decision which requires all hotels catering to tourists to be upgraded to a minimum of three star category.
The month-long exercise will assesses tourist hotels and accommodations reg­istered with the Tourism Council of […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-05-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 04 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-04-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-04-march-2010#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:01:45 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-04-march-2010 International Sources

Rate of Glacier Melting May be Key Clue to Tracking Climate Change - Insurance Journal
The world has become far too hot for the aptly named Exit Glacier in Alaska. Like many low-altitude glaciers, it’s steadily melting, shrinking two miles (3 kilometers) over the past 200 years as it tries to strike a new balance with rising …    [read more]

Glacier melting a key clue to tracking climate change - IndiaTimes
Like many low-altitude glaciers, it’s steadily melting, shrinking two miles (3 kilometres) over the past 200 years as it tries to strike a new balance with rising temperatures. At the Kenai Fjords National Park south of Anchorage, managers have …    [read more]

A platform to promote peace and culture - Hindu
HIGH DRAMA: (From left) Theatre director Kirti Jain; National School of Drama Director Anuradha Kapur; ICCR Director-General Virendra Gupta and Veena Sikri of Jamia Millia Islamia addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday to announce …    [read more]

euronews - Euro News
SINGAPORE/ ANCHORAGE (Reuters) – The world has become far too hot for the aptly named Exit Glacier in Alaska. Like many low-altitude glaciers, it’s steadily melting, shrinking two miles (3 kilometres) over the past 200 years as it tries to strike …    [read more]

NextYatra.com - A Gorkha Travel Venture Officially Launches - Newswiretoday.com
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal, 03/04/2010 - Nextyatra, the online venture of Gorkha Travels that markets and sells different tour, trekking and adventure packages of Nepal, India, China, Bhutan and Tibet is finally launched …    [read more]

USAID delivers food aid worth $5m to Nepal - Himalayan Times
KATHMANDU: As per its commitment made in July last year, the United States delivered the final shipment in food assistance worth US$ 5 million for the UN World Food Programme’s (WFP) operations in Nepal, said the US Embassy in Kathmandu in press …    [read more]

Mehbooba Mufti hails PM’s plan for viable India-Pakistan parleys - Thaindian.com
Incidentally, the Prime Ministers of both countries will meet at the SAARC summit in Bhutan in April. (ANI)    [read more]

Glaciers track climate change - Beeld
Singapore - The world has become far too hot for the aptly named Exit Glacier in Alaska. Like many low-altitude glaciers, it’s steadily melting, shrinking 3km over the past 200 years as it tries to strike a new balance with rising temperatures. At …    [read more]

Clinic fell through cracks - Philadelphia Inquirer
Yet it wasn’t until last week that the State Board of Medicine suspended the doctor’s medical license and shut down his clinic in West Philadelphia, calling it a “clear danger to the public.” The suspension order - following a raid by federal drug …    [read more]

Two Vincentian nursing homes experiment with robotic pets for … - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Millie Lesek, 89, pats Paro, a $6,000 furry robot at Vincentian Home in McCandless. At right is Eileen Oldaker, her daughter. When Millie Lesek called his name, the white furry creature looked over at her. Then Paro cooed and blinked, his long lashes …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

School expenses pinch pockets

2 March, 2010 - The past week has been a busy and an expensive one for most families. As February rolled in, most parents were out and about shopping, first for Losar and then rushing out the next day to buy their children’s school stationery.
   [read more]

The bottle-rigged modeller

2 March, 2010 - Like many, Tsheten Dorji also packed his bags six years ago for Thimphu, with the dream of getting a job in Thimphu. “I couldn’t continue studying after class 12, because of financial problems,” recalls the 25-year-old.
   [read more]

Decongesting Thimphu
Technical and possible financial help from Norway
Department of geology and mines (DGM) identified tunnel sites

Tunnel Proposal 4 March, 2010 - Travel time within the country could be reduced from days to hours and even minutes if a government plan to build tunnels through mountains connecting major valleys is implemented.    [read more]

Getting it online
Security Clearance Certificate 4 March, 2010 - The cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle a new online system, which will ease obtaining security clearance certificates (SSC) within hours or at least 24 hours that otherwise took about a week.    [read more]

Human error to blame
Bus push-started before vacuum brakes were ready

HK Market Accident Update 4 March, 2010 - Traffic police has confirmed “human error” as the cause for the bus accident at the Hong Kong market on Tuesday afternoon, when a bus rammed into 13 vehicles, causing severe damage to three cars.    [read more]

Fire victims receive soelra
Paro Jangsa HRH Ashi Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck at the site of the fire

Paro Fire Update 4 March, 2010 - Her Royal Highness Princess Dechen Yangzom Wangchuck, on His Majesty’s command, yesterday met with and granted soelra to the victims of the February 28 Paro Jangsa fire, which left 13 families homeless.    [read more]

The farm road fiasco
4 March, 2010 - Farm roads are to farmers what veins are to the heart, lifelines that allow rural residents passing through a rough patch to grow to a point where they can provide for themselves.    [read more]

Dedicated division created
Backbone Of Economy: The new department will also help develop the cultural industry

Small And Cottage Industries 4 March, 2010 - The cabinet has approved the creation of a separate department of small and cottage industries under the ministry of economic affairs to promote micro, small and medium enterprises.    [read more]

Juggling pedagogues
4 March, 2010 - The education ministry’s recent attempt to redress uneven teacher distribution between urban and rural schools and teacher excess in the capital is still very much a work in progress.    [read more]

Initial land demarcation done
963 acres have been earmarked, almost half of it private-owned
Flights From June 2011:The shaded region represents the land required for airstrip and terminal

Gelephu Airport 4 March, 2010 - The preliminary field report on the demarcation of the Gelephu airport has been submitted to the dungkhag and Sarpang dzongkhag yesterday (March 3).

The demarcation of 963 acres of land, identified by the department of civil aviation, has been completed on March 2, according to land commission’s cadastral information division head, Sangay Dorji.    [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Bigger responsibility for NSB, better data for nation
The National Statistical Bureau (NSB) has been given greater powers and responsibilities to strengthen the cadre of statisticians and validate all data generated in the Kingdom.
It will act as a clearing house on how data is collected, processed, and published or used in the various government ministries and agencies thus ensuring that the data generated […]    [read more]

New dept to promote small and medium enterprises
The cabinet has approved the establishment of a new department in the economic affairs ministry to promote micro, small and medium enterprises in the kingdom.
To be called the Department of Cottage and Small Industries, the department will help create equitable and balanced regional development while at the same generate employment and facilitate the development of […]    [read more]

Saarc summit: preparations in full swing
The preparations for the 16th Saarc summit are underway in earnest with various royal government agencies spearheading the work having set a March end completion deadline.
In all about 450 delegates are expected to attend the summit, besides a media contingent of approximately 150 which will converge into the capital from the airport in Paro as […]    [read more]

Druk United wins PCAL foundation cup
After a long three-day battle in the final, Druk United won a hard-fought victory over Thimphu United A to clinch the 2010 PCAL Foundation Cup.
In the final of the archery tournament, Thimphu United strode high in the beginning to notch the first game when Druk United reached only 14 points. But Druk United came strong […]    [read more]

Entrepreneurs get fund to start business
Ministry of Labour and Hu­man Resources (MoLHR) completed the first entrepre­neurial skills development training for 63 participants of two batches with the fi­nancial support from UNDP as part of Human Security Project under the Income Generation Start-up Support programme yesterday.
The 29 male and 34 fe­male young entrepreneurs have the proposals to set up businesses in […]    [read more]

2010 for children of gods
Buddhist astrologers say 2010 will produce the best of children. SONAM PELDEN finds out more.
2009, the Earth Female Ox year, saw Bhutanese parents religiously plan­ning to have babies as the year of mewa gumar (ninth number of destiny) was con­sidered the best year to have babies. This belief, however, is misplaced, according to Buddhist astrologers.
Lopoen […]    [read more]

The lens master
He is the master of the lens. The frames, shutter, aperture, and lighting are at his com­mand. The visual treat in a film depends on him. He is cameraman Tshering Sam­drup.
He had his tryst with the camera in 2003 when he started his career in the film industry as a crew member. Today, 23-year-old Tshering […]    [read more]

When art meets wants
Weaving has helped Radhipas cultivate their fields.
The tradition of weav­ing buray (silk) clothes and growing rice has become mu­tually supportive activities in Radhi Gewog in Trashigang. The two have become inter­dependent.
Farmers from Khudump­ang village said weaving buray clothes is not only an alternative source of income, but also indispensable with­out which paddy cultivation is not […]    [read more]

Keeping customers pouring in for 25 years
About two hours drive from Gelephu to Samdrup Jong­khar on national highway 31C at Chapaguri in the Indi­an state of Assam is Hotel Hi­malaya, an eatery exclusively for Bhutanese travellers.
The 80-seater hotel is packed with travellers, and most of the time customers have to eat standing.
The 25-year-old hotel ca­ters to over 1,000 Bhutanese travellers every […]    [read more]

Hunt for top 10 archers
The national game will as­sume a different dimension with the start of Top Ten Ar­chery Tournament on March 1 at the Changlingmithang archery range in Thimphu.
The tournament on com­pound bows and arrows will pit the country’s best archers against one another. There is no teamwork. The archers will compete for the top 10 positions in […]    [read more]

No Tags]]> http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-04-march-2010/feed Bhutan News archive for 03 March 2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-03-march-2010 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-03-march-2010#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:01:31 +0000 http://www.bhutanobserver.com/2010/news-archives/bhutan-news-archive-for-03-march-2010 International Sources

Theatre fest from South Asia on Women’s Day (With Image) - Thaindian.com
The festival, first of its kind in the region, will feature plays from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India — all SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) countries.    [read more]

ULFA ideologue fails to appear in court due to ill-health - Zee News
Two other ULFA cadres Bolin Das and Amulya Charan Roy, arrested along with Buragohain during Operation All Clear launched by Royal Bhutan Army in 2003, were produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge court and their case will be heard …    [read more]

Theatre fest from South Asia on Women’s Day - New Kerala
The festival, first of its kind in the region, will feature plays from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India — all SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) countries.    [read more]

India, Pakistan likely to talk again in Washington - New Kerala
By Manish Chand, New Delhi, March 3: With last week’s foreign-secretary level talks ending in a stalemate, the leaders of India and Pakistan are expected to meet on the sidelines of a global security summit on nuclear security in Washington next …    [read more]

Talks only way forward: Gilani - Statesman
ISLAMABAD, 3 MARCH: Pakistan Prime Minister Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani has said dialogue is the only way forward for resolving all issues between India and Pakistan despite a perceived lack of progress during the recent foreign secretary-level talks …    [read more]

Talks only way to resolve Indo-Pak issues: Gilani - Zee News
Islamabad: Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani has said dialogue is the only way forward for resolving all issues between India and Pakistan despite a perceived lack of progress during the recent Foreign Secretary-level talks. “We raise our hopes and then …    [read more]

Clinic fell through cracks - Philadelphia Inquirer
Yet it wasn’t until last week that the State Board of Medicine suspended the doctor’s medical license and shut down his clinic in West Philadelphia, calling it a “clear danger to the public.” The suspension order - following a raid by federal drug …    [read more]

First South Asian Women’s Festival to kick off on Mar 8 - Press Trust of India
New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) An Afghan story about the Bamyan Buddhas, a love ballad from Bangladesh and an anti-war musical from Pakistan, these are among the plays that will be staged at ‘Leela’ the first South Asian Women’s Theatre Festival beginning …    [read more]

Platinum year sees Gap Adventures predict its next 20 in 10 - pressreleasepoint.com
The Great Adventure People say after 20 years in the business they are perfectly placed to predict the future of adventure travel. The company has launched a number of initiatives to celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2010. The latest is its 10 tips …    [read more]

Talks only way forward to resolve Indo-Pak issues: Gilani - Daily News and Analysis
Referring to his meeting with prime minister Manmohan Singh in Sharm el-Sheikh in July last year and an expected meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming Saarc summit in Bhutan, he said “whenever we meet, it would be meaningful.” Responding to a …    [read more]

Kuensel - Bhutan’s National Newspaper

Runaway bus wreaks havoc
Hong Kong Market Mayhem: The rogue omnibus and a couple of its 13 vehicular victims

3 March, 2010 - Just as Hong Kong market residents were settling down to another slow afternoon yesterday, a brand new bus with its driver screaming came speeding down the slope of Phendey lam ramming into 13 vehicles and injuring three people.    [read more]

Farm roads found wanting nationwide
RAA Report 3 March, 2010 - Of the 266 farm roads built in the 9th Plan, 49 farm roads worth Nu 200 million are non-functional, according to a royal audit authority (RAA) report.

The report also found that many other farm roads lacked bridges, were not built properly, had huge cost escalations, were too steep and led to non productive areas.    [read more]

Umbrella org. for all ICT personnel
Human Resources Committee 3 March, 2010 - All government information communications technology (ICT) personnel will, henceforth, come under direct administrative control of a committee, which will be formed towards the end of this week.

To be known as the human resources committee, the entity will take the responsibility of recruiting, training, transferring and promoting government ICT officials.    [read more]

Liaison officer case filed for prosecution
MoH Corruption Update 3 March, 2010 - The anti corruption commission (ACC) forwarded its first ministry of health (MoH) case to the office of the attorney general (OAG) for prosecution yesterday.

The case pertains to allegations of bribery against the MoH liaison officer in Kolkata, Tshewang Samdrup, while procuring drugs for patients, who were referred from Bhutan for treatment to Kolkata.    [read more]

Bhutan’s first big summit
3 March, 2010 - The date is drawing nigh for Bhutan’s next major event – the hosting of the 16th SAARC summit scheduled for April end.

As Bhutan is hosting a regional event of such scale for the first time, there are feelings of excitement and concern on how it will turn out. Every citizen is hoping for the best.    [read more]

Learning to build safe homes
Carpenters from Trashigang and Trashiyangtse learn through practical exercises

Local Artisan Training 3 March, 2010 - The recurring aftershocks of the last two major quakes, which hit the east last year, continue to haunt residents.

The last major tremor, felt two day ago, was all the bigger stimulant for people in eastern region to build stronger and seismic resistant homes.    [read more]

Culling and compensation going hand in hand
Bird Flu Batallion: Poultry culling operations being carried out in Chengmari, Phuentsholing last week

Bird Flu Outbreak 3 March, 2010 - Nu 115,376 has been paid as compensation for the culling of 795 adult birds, young poultry and day old chicks, and the destruction of 91 coops and 157 eggs, following the recent outbreak of bird flu in Rinchending, four kilometres from the border town of Phuentsholing.    [read more]

Back to the blackboard
The beginning of school year brings to light the increasing enrolment and teacher deficit

2 March, 2010 - More than 16,000 children attended their first ever day of school around the country recently, even as the education system continues to face a shortage of teachers at the primary level.

   [read more]

PNB’s 15 bn offer
2 March, 2010 - Punjab National bank has offered a loan of Nu 15 bn to Druk Holding Investment (DHI) for its investment plans. The offer was made in mid February 2010 by the Druk-PNB bank CEO, N K Arora, on behalf of PNB bank in India.

   [read more]

Fuel hike
Petrol, diesel and Indian-made cars to be dearer

2 March, 2010 - The price of petrol has increased by Nu 2.44 and diesel by Nu 2.45 with effect from Sunday in the capital. With the increase, a litre of petrol now costs Nu 44.35 and diesel Nu 35.17. The prices of kerosene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) have not changed.
   [read more]

Bhutan Observer

Bigger responsibility for NSB, better data for nation
The National Statistical Bureau (NSB) has been given greater powers and responsibilities to strengthen the cadre of statisticians and validate all data generated in the Kingdom.
It will act as a clearing house on how data is collected, processed, and published or used in the various government ministries and agencies thus ensuring that the data generated […]    [read more]

New dept to promote small and medium enterprises
The cabinet has approved the establishment of a new department in the economic affairs ministry to promote micro, small and medium enterprises in the kingdom.
To be called the Department of Cottage and Small Industries, the department will help create equitable and balanced regional development while at the same generate employment and facilitate the development of […]    [read more]

Saarc summit: preparations in full swing
The preparations for the 16th Saarc summit are underway in earnest with various royal government agencies spearheading the work having set a March end completion deadline.
In all about 450 delegates are expected to attend the summit, besides a media contingent of approximately 150 which will converge into the capital from the airport in Paro as […]    [read more]

Druk United wins PCAL foundation cup
After a long three-day battle in the final, Druk United won a hard-fought victory over Thimphu United A to clinch the 2010 PCAL Foundation Cup.
In the final of the archery tournament, Thimphu United strode high in the beginning to notch the first game when Druk United reached only 14 points. But Druk United came strong […]    [read more]

Entrepreneurs get fund to start business
Ministry of Labour and Hu­man Resources (MoLHR) completed the first entrepre­neurial skills development training for 63 participants of two batches with the fi­nancial support from UNDP as part of Human Security Project under the Income Generation Start-up Support programme yesterday.
The 29 male and 34 fe­male young entrepreneurs have the proposals to set up businesses in […]    [read more]

2010 for children of gods
Buddhist astrologers say 2010 will produce the best of children. SONAM PELDEN finds out more.
2009, the Earth Female Ox year, saw Bhutanese parents religiously plan­ning to have babies as the year of mewa gumar (ninth number of destiny) was con­sidered the best year to have babies. This belief, however, is misplaced, according to Buddhist astrologers.
Lopoen […]    [read more]

The lens master
He is the master of the lens. The frames, shutter, aperture, and lighting are at his com­mand. The visual treat in a film depends on him. He is cameraman Tshering Sam­drup.
He had his tryst with the camera in 2003 when he started his career in the film industry as a crew member. Today, 23-year-old Tshering […]    [read more]

When art meets wants
Weaving has helped Radhipas cultivate their fields.
The tradition of weav­ing buray (silk) clothes and growing rice has become mu­tually supportive activities in Radhi Gewog in Trashigang. The two have become inter­dependent.
Farmers from Khudump­ang village said weaving buray clothes is not only an alternative source of income, but also indispensable with­out which paddy cultivation is not […]    [read more]

Keeping customers pouring in for 25 years
About two hours drive from Gelephu to Samdrup Jong­khar on national highway 31C at Chapaguri in the Indi­an state of Assam is Hotel Hi­malaya, an eatery exclusively for Bhutanese travellers.
The 80-seater hotel is packed with travellers, and most of the time customers have to eat standing.
The 25-year-old hotel ca­ters to over 1,000 Bhutanese travellers every […]    [read more]

Hunt for top 10 archers
The national game will as­sume a different dimension with the start of Top Ten Ar­chery Tournament on March 1 at the Changlingmithang archery range in Thimphu.
The tournament on com­pound bows and arrows will pit the country’s best archers against one another. There is no teamwork. The archers will compete for the top 10 positions in […]    [read more]

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