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Sunday, August 24, 2014
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Malaysian airliner downed in Ukraine war zone, 295 dead
Breaking News:
A Malaysia Airlines passenger jet carrying 295 people from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in an area of eastern Ukraine where separatist rebels have been engaging Ukrainian military forces in recent weeks. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, said the jet may have been shot down.
"We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine armed forces did not fire at any targets in the sky," Poroshenko said in a statement.
The field next to the tiny rural hamlet where MH17 plunged to the ground was a scene of charred earth and twisted metal. Locals were distressed to find body parts scattered around the scene. The body of what appeared to be a young woman lay about 500 metres from the centre of the crash, while a dismembered foot could be seen on the one road leading through the village.
A strong smell of aviation fuel hung in the air as pro-Russian separatist fighters attempted to secure the area. Ten fire engines remained on the scene after rushing there to extinguish the many blazes caused by the crash.
One local resident, Alexander, said he was working in the field a few hundred metres from its final resting place when he looked up. He feared the aircraft was going to crash on him.
The house in which another local, also named Alexander, and his relative, Olga, live in was just metres from the crash site. They said they thought the village was being bombed after hearing two or three loud bangs before the force of the impact threw them to the ground.
In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said Ukraine's air traffic control lost contact with flight MH17 at 2.15pm GMT, approximately 30 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.
"Flight MH17, operated on a Boeing 777, departed Amsterdam at 12.15pm [Amsterdam time] and was estimated to arrive at Kuala Lumpur international airport at 6.10am [Malaysia time] the next day. The flight was carrying 280 passengers and 15 crew." The flight also had a Dutch airline flight number from KLM, KL4103.
Refugee leaders demand asylum
Several of the Bhutanese refugee leaders who have taken initiation on the repatriation movement by refusing the third country resettlement programme have sought political asylum after receiving death threats.
The leaders claimed of being threatened by the same people involved in the murder of RK Budhathoki, founding chairperson of Bhutan Peoples Party (BPP), in 2001.
After the police had then identified and charged 39 people for their alleged involvement in the murder, only 8 were arrested.
The perpetrators were then denied resettlement abroad owing to the charges levelled against them. Disallowed to resettle abroad, the perpetrators have ever since targeted Balram Poudel, the then general secretary and present chairperson of BPP, along with other leaders. “I have always received death threats over the telephone and e-mail,” Poudel said, adding that they would not have to live in constant fear had the government granted political asylum.
Among those receiving constant threats include Chairperson of Bhutan Rashtriya Mukti Morcha DB Sampang Rai, Goop Khila
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Military welcome to Modi in Bhutan,vows B2B ties.
Making Bhutan his first foreign destination, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday vowed to nurture bilateral relations which he described as "B2B" or "Bharat to Bhutan" as he held talks with the Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Premier Tshering Tobgay, discussing an entire gamut of ties.
Embarking on a two-day trip here to display "special and unique" status for Bhutan in India's foreign policy, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the Supreme Court complex built by India as part of the developmental cooperation.
"The primary focus of both the meetings was the extensive development cooperation between the two countries and measures to enhance the economic ties," official sources said.
Modi described the bilateral relations as "B2B relations — Bharat to Bhutan relations," the sources said on his meeting with the Bhutanese king and prime minister.
Modi announced doubling of scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India which will now be worth Rs 2 crore.
Prime Minister Modi also promised to assist Bhutan in setting up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals.
The fact that the Prime Minister chose Bhutan as his first foreign destination assumes significance since China has lately intensified efforts to woo it and establish full-fledged diplomatic ties with Thimphu.
Modi, accompanied by external affairs Sushma Swaraj, national security advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh,,,,,,
Embarking on a two-day trip here to display "special and unique" status for Bhutan in India's foreign policy, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the Supreme Court complex built by India as part of the developmental cooperation.
"The primary focus of both the meetings was the extensive development cooperation between the two countries and measures to enhance the economic ties," official sources said.
Modi described the bilateral relations as "B2B relations — Bharat to Bhutan relations," the sources said on his meeting with the Bhutanese king and prime minister.
Modi announced doubling of scholarships being provided to Bhutanese students in India which will now be worth Rs 2 crore.
Prime Minister Modi also promised to assist Bhutan in setting up a digital library which will provide access to Bhutanese youth to two million books and periodicals.
The fact that the Prime Minister chose Bhutan as his first foreign destination assumes significance since China has lately intensified efforts to woo it and establish full-fledged diplomatic ties with Thimphu.
Modi, accompanied by external affairs Sushma Swaraj, national security advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary Sujatha Singh,,,,,,
Friday, May 23, 2014
Bhutan's forgotten people.By Subina Shrestha.
In the early 1990s, Bhutanese of Nepali origin suddenly found themselves stripped of their citizenship. Bhutan enacted a royal decree of single national identity, forcing more than 100,000 ethnic Nepalese to leave. For the next two decades, they lived in refugee camps in eastern Nepal. Almost two decades later, Bhutan remains silent on their repatriation.
Filmmaker Subina Shrestha gives her view |
Now the refugee camps are emptying with the majority of people resettled in the west. But some want to stay -- clinging on to the hope of returning home, despite reports that Bhutan’s discriminatory policies have left a percentage of its population grossly unhappy.
Bhutan is known to many as the Last Shangri-la; the country of "Gross National Happiness". But behind the façade of a peaceful nation is a state that forcefully drove out a sixth of its population -- an act which has been described as a systematic "ethnic cleansing".
Sabitra Bishwa is one of more than 100,000 Lhotsampas or Bhutanese of Nepalese origin, who found themselves stateless. In the 1980s, Bhutan introduced the policy of "one nation, one people" and alienated the Lhotsampa culture. This was followed by a revision of citizenship laws. Many Lhotsampas found they did not qualify and in the early 1990s, many were forced to leave, reaching the border with India.
But India's government also rejected them, taking them to the border with Nepal. In the 22 years since, the refugees have been unable to return to Bhutan. Without India's support, the Nepalese government has been unable to influence Bhutan.
In the first of two special programmes,
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
90,000 exiled Bhutanese resettled
A major landmark was reached today when the 90,000th exiled Bhutanese departed from Nepal for resettlement, UNHCR said in a statement on Tuesday (20 May).
Eleven-year-old Suman Tamang left Kathmandu for Toronto, Canada, accompanied by his parents and younger brother. When they arrive in Toronto on Wednesday they will meet Suman’s aunt and cousin who were resettled three years ago.
“I was very sad to leave my friends behind in the camp, but I am excited to meet my cousin soon,” said Suman, spending some quiet family time at the IOM transit centre in Kathmandu before leaving for the Tribhuvan International Airport. “I hope we will be able to go to the same school which will be fun.”
The resettlement of refugees from Bhutan began in 2007. To date, over 5,800 exiled Bhutanese have been resettled in several communities across Canada, including Charlottetown, Saint-Jérôme, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver. The other resettlement countries are Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The majority of refugees have been resettled in the United States – over 75,000 people.
The Chairperson of the Core Group of eight resettlement countries, British Ambassador to Nepal, Mr. Andy Sparkes said, “This is another important step towards resolving one of the most protracted refugee situations in Asia. This has been possible due to the strong support of the Government of Nepal and the excellent cooperation between the resettlement countries, UNHCR and IOM. The courage and resilience of the refugees has been a great motivation for us to continue our engagement with this refugee population.”
Of the some 27,000 refugees remaining in the camps, about 21,000 have already expressed an interest in resettlement and are expected to depart in the coming years.
A major exercise is underway in the camps in eastern Nepal in which refugees wishing to be considered for Group Resettlement are required to submit a Declaration of Interest (DOI) form to UNHCR before the deadline of 30 June 2014. After this date, no new DOI forms will be accepted and the Group Resettlement process will only continue for those who have formally submitted the DOI form to UNHCR before the deadline.
Source:Bhutan News Network
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Bhutan’s Human Rights Record Defies ‘Happiness’ Claim
The UNHRC is looking at Bhutan’s record on human rights. It is less than stellar.
By VISHAL ARORA.
By VISHAL ARORA.
Bhutan takes pride in, and is internationally acclaimed for, its unique policy of gross national happiness(GNH), which measures the nation’s progress in terms of the wellbeing of its citizens. However, Bhutan’s claim to fame may fall flat when the UN Human Rights Council evaluates how well this nation has respected the rights of its people on April 30.
During its first universal periodic review (UPR) in 2009, Bhutan stated in its report, “Ultimately the Royal Government believes that without the enjoyment of all human rights, Gross National Happiness, to which it is also deeply committed, cannot be achieved.”
Many nations, including Japan and Canada, have expressed aspirations to emulate GNH, which shuns purely economic yardsticks like gross domestic product (GDP), on the assumption that the policy has resulted in Bhutan’s people being happier than elsewhere. But happiness goes hand-in-hand with human rights. So does Bhutan really have respect for human rights?
Based on concerns raised by member nations, the Council made 99 recommendations to Bhutan, and Thimphu agreed, or pledged, to implement more than 70 of them. Statistically, it was an impressive response. But a qualitative look at the ones Bhutan remained uncommitted to paints an uninspiring picture.
Notable recommendations to which Bhutan chose not to give a clear response included abolition of discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity and religion, resolution of the Bhutanese refugee issue, protection of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression, formation of an independent human rights commission and civil society organizations, and ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Discrimination
Among the main stakeholders in these recommendations were the “Lhotshampas,” as Bhutan’s southerners are called. They are part of the nation’s ethnic Nepalese minority. While some of them have risen to become ministers, many others do not even have full citizenship rights.
The citizenship ID cards the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs issues to them contain seven categories. Category 1 is,,,,,
Lethbridge home to the largest Bhutanese community in Canada.
Lethbridge is one of the most sought after cities for Bhutanese refugees who want to call Canada home.
At the end of May, 50 additional refugees will be moving to the Lethbridge which means Lethbridge will have the largest population of Bhutanese in the country.
At the end of May, 50 additional refugees will be moving to the Lethbridge which means Lethbridge will have the largest population of Bhutanese in the country.
Hundreds of Bhutanese spend their days learning English, many of them struggling to adjust because they have never spent a day in their lives in school.
Elma Guinto, Director of Flexibility Learning Systems says while many of the Bhutanese they work with have never gone to school they do end up working.
“We work with them and eventually over 90 per cent of them will get a job in Lethbridge.”
Vic Rizel, a 30-year-old Bhutan who moved here 5 years ago now has a full-time job at Lethbridge Immigrant Services. Rizel is just one of thousand Bhutanese refugees from the small Asian country who call Lethbridge home.
“They see prospects here they see growth and they like the people and place,” said Rizel. “That’s why it’s a centre of attraction for a lot of the refugees.”
Sarah Amies the program director with Lethbridge Immigrant Services
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Bhutanese facing resettlement ‘hassle’
By.Chetan Adhikari.
The third country resettlement programme has become more of a hassle than convenience for a large number of Bhutanese refugees at Beldangi Camp in the district. Frequent delays in their resettlement process have taken its toll on those vying for resettlement.
For instance, Lok Bahadur Bhattarai, his wife and four children were all set with their bags packed to fly to Canada 13 months ago. However, due to unspecified reasons they failed to live their dream. It is the fourth time their resettlement date has been postponed. Each time they sell their belongings to prepare for their resettlement and give their shanty to others, they are compelled to start afresh.
The Bhattarai couple remains ignorant as to why the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) postponed their resettlement repeatedly. However, despite frequent delays in the resettlement programme, they are still clinging on to it with a glimmer of hope.Likewise, Tilak Bahadur Bhattrai of Shanty Number 39 at the camp in Beldangi-3, who applied for resettlement four years ago, was called for interviews many times. However, for the past one year he has neither been called for an interview nor has his process gained momentum. In a letter addressed to the camp manager’s office, Tilak has stated that the UNHCR did not contact him after his confession about his stint in the Bhutanese armed forces and his friends’ visits to the camp. His three daughters have resettled in the US while the family has been living in the camp with a young daughter.
Likewise, a family has been facing problems for the past five years due to inaccuracies in dates recorded by the UNHCR’s interviewer and one recorded by the Nepal government official regarding the time they were driven away by the Bhutanese government. The UNHCR
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
US resettles 75,000 Bhutanese refugees from Camps.
Of the nearly 89,000 Bhutanese refugees resettled in the third countries so far, the United States of America (USA) alone has resettled 75,000 Bhutanese refugees as of Tuesday.
According to the US embassy in Kathmandu, the 75,000th refugee from Bhutan departed from Nepal for the USA on Tuesday.
Forty-four-year-old Tilak Chand Ghimire left Nepal with his wife, 12-year-old daughter and 75-year-old parents to start a new life in Akron, Ohio
According to the US embassy in Kathmandu, the 75,000th refugee from Bhutan departed from Nepal for the USA on Tuesday.
Forty-four-year-old Tilak Chand Ghimire left Nepal with his wife, 12-year-old daughter and 75-year-old parents to start a new life in Akron, Ohio
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