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 gearing towards 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 to the capital from the airport in Paro, as well as by road from Phuentsholing.

In addition, 86 editors and journalists from South Asia have already confirmed their participation in the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) organised SAARC journalist summit, which is customarily held in the host country parallel to the SAARC summit.

Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering reported to the prime minister yesterday at a meeting held to take stock of the preparatory progress so far that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is confident all physical works and services will soon be in place.

The pre-summit meetings will commence from the third week of April at the Royal Banquet Hall, while the summit on April 28-29 will be held in National Assembly hall. The retreat for the SAARC leaders will be hosted at hotel Terma Linka in Babesa.

Thimphu will receive a major facelift with gates, flags and banners planted all over the places. A massive clean-up campaign of the town and the riverbank will begin shortly, involving Thimphu’s residents. The facades and rooftops of the buildings falling along the route of the dignitaries will all be done up.

The road between Thimphu and Paro will be improved for safety, while hundreds of school children and other residents waving the flags of SAARC and SAARC countries will receive the dignitaries along the way.

The heads of states and governments, foreign ministers and foreign secretaries will be housed at the Ministers’ Enclave in Motithang, the major facelift work of which is expected to be complete by March 31.

The rest of the dignitaries will be accommodated in 188 rooms in 10 hotels that have already been booked. The possibilities of keeping journalists in Paro are being looked into if Thimphu runs out of hotel rooms.

An elaborate security arrangement is being made besides entertainments showcasing Bhutanese culture.

The preparations, in fact, are being done with the minutest detail from food, traffic movements, control rooms, media centers, gifts and helicopters for emergency medical requirements to docking space at Paro airport for aircrafts that the leaders will fly in. PAGE 6In all 14 sub-committees have been formed to carry out the preparations.

“I have no doubt you are doing your best; our success will be determined from day one,” The prime minister told the meeting. “It’s the mood that we will create that will determine the outcome of the summit.”

The summit will also be attended by observers from China, Japan, European Union, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Iran.

Winter Olympic,a thrilling moments for Bhutanese in Canada

After living 20 years in a Refugee Camp in Nepal, Bhutanese resettled in Canada watched the “live” Olympic Winter games for the first time on their Television sets for 17 days. So far more than 1500 Bhutanese Refugees living in Nepal have been resettled in Canada from the east coast of New Found land and Labrador to the west coast of British Columbia in the west, where the winter Olympic was held.

"This is one of the great accomplishment to be resettled in a develop nation and it’s an extraordinary opportunity for me in Canada and watch the Olympic game in the history of my life" quoted 72 years old Nar Maya Mainly, who is resettled in Regina, Saskatchewan. I am really proud to resettle in Canada, she added in her sharp voice.

After 17 days of thrilling athletic competition, amazing display of sportsmanship and magical moments when lifelong dreams were finally realized on the podium, the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter games drew its official close yesterday night.

We have never ever dreamed of these great moments in our life, watching Olympic, its pretty incredible, said Khagen Adhikari in a telephone conversation. Mr. Khagen who is resettled in Tri-Cities in Vancouver, BC also got an opportunity to meet and greet the well known athletes of the world.

A festive of 60,000 jammed into BC Place Stadium for the closing ceremony, many of them Canadians abuzz over the overtime victory by the men’s hockey team earlier in the day to give the host nation a Winter Olympics record of 14 gold medals where I was also one of the audiences in the arena.

Though when we talk about the winter Olympic Bhutanese may not have sufficient ideas about the performance however the entire community enjoyed the game, it was so fantastic and enjoyable added Lakpa Tamang who enjoyed the entire game in his TV set in St. John. Every people dreams of watching the Olympic game and that has come true in my life he said through Skye interview with us.

Finally the game ended when all the athletes gave a patriotic wave, wipe away the tears and said goodbye to the Vancouver so do the Bhutanese filled their hearts with joys and memories of the Olympic a new experiences in their life, in a far distant land

Bhutanese Maoists to meet Chinese officials.

Feb. 26 The Bhutan Communist Party (MLM) is trying to meet and discuss its issues with the officials of the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal according to Nepali news portal, Ghatana Bichar. BCP (MLM) has been trying to arrange an informal meeting with the Chinese officials, the portal quoted the Chinese embassy as saying. The embassy told the news media that the party attempted to meet with the officials two weeks ago but the embassy source made it clear that it has no direct link with the leaders or cadres of the party although indirect relations have been established .

According to the source, the Party has been split a couple of years ago due to minor conflict among the leaders and now they are separately led by two of their leaders-Birat and Bikalp. There are traces that the Bikalpa faction has its affiliation to Revolutionary International Movement (RIM) and Community Party of South Asia (COMPOSA) while the group led by Birat is trying to build its ralation with the people’s Republic of China. Also, the assumptions are that the Birat faction of BCP is stronger in regards to its organisational foundation but ‘Bikalpa’ has strong international communist hold.

Both these party secretaries have been actively serving their terms anonymously and are in good standing with their Nepali counterparts. There are evidences of intimacy between the Maoist parties of these two land-locked countries. Cadres of Bhutanese Communist Party were conferred trainings in war arts in the eastern region of Nepal during the revolutionary movement. Also, Moni Thapa, a Nepali Maoist leader attended the anniversary of the BCP (MLM) while he was assigned to serve the party ordinance at the Indo-Nepal border. The leaders of both the parties pay regular visit to another Nepali Maoist leader, Mr. C. P. Gajurel.

Meanwhile, one of the top leaders of the MLM has been reported to have reached Australia through third country resettlement program.

The Party believes in resolving the crisis associated with Bhutanese refugees through armed revolution in Bhutan. The party manifesto reads their primary focus is to knock down the Wangchhuk oligarchy and establish people’s republic in Bhutan.

The Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) is a recently established and banned political party in Bhutan. Formed in UN refugee camps in Nepal and largely composed of Bhutanese ethnic Nepali refugees, the BCP (MLM) calls for a New Democratic Revolution and the overthrow of the Bhutanese monarchy.

Source:Bhutanusa.com

WFP reduces Sugar to Bhutanese Refugees

Thursday 2/25/10,Kamal Uprety,BurlingtonVermo-nt,USA.


United Nations World Food Programme(WFP) has said that they are force to reduce the amount of sugar that is being supplied to the Bhutanese Refugees living in Eastern Nepal.

This announcement has come when the International Sugar Market increased the price of sugar tremendously.India,the nearest sugar supplying partners of WFP has also increased the price owing the International Market and the demand.

WFP Country Representative in Nepal,Mr.Richard Ragan said that,we are extremly concern about the reduction however the sugar market has gone up and the required budget couldnot meet the present price.

Citing rapid increase in price of Sugar in an International Market we are forced to deduct the amount of Sugar to Bhutanese Refugees,he added in a press release.

The reduction will results in s daily loss of 10 grams of sugar per refugee per day.WFP normally provides 280 grams of sugar to Bhutanese Refugees.The actual reduction will begin at the end on this month.

So far more than 80,000 refugees have expressed their interest in third country re-settlement since the re-settlement programme began in November 2007.This process is expected to continue upto five years to complete.

There is a great security concerns in the refugees camp especially in Beldangis after a series of murders of different people in the camp.Security has been tightened and in high alert now.


No comments. Keywords: UNHCR, WFP, Bhutanese Aid, Refugee Crisis

Richmond Bhutanese Society announced

By Dadi Ram Antim.Virginia, US Resettled Bhutanese in United States, Virginia state living in Richmond city announced to be united under platform of Richmond Bhutanese Society (RBS) saturday at a mid function organized at Virginia Council of Churches Hall.


Nine member executive body under the president ship of Bhupendra Baral was elected. Body constitutes Vice-president Thakur Ghimirey, General Secretary Chandra Dhakal, Treasurer Amber Bhattarai , Employment Secretary Bhim Kumar Kadel, Cultural Secretary Kanchi Maya Monger, Public Well-fare Secretary Thagi Maya Chamlagain, Out-reach Coordinator Dadi Ram Antim and Education Secretary Dhurva Mishra.


Newly elected President Baral talking in the function said,” for overall development and prosperity of Bhutanese Americans resettled in Virginia, we ought to be in one platform of RBS. He stressed that, it is our primary duty to serve our community in every prospectus enriching people with different qualities.


Jon Domiano from Virginia Council of Churches Chief Guest of the function congratulated Bhutanese people being united for betterment of community. Commentating the program Warren Pierce of Richmond’s First Baptist Church wished for the future success of the organization.


Program was chaired by the elderly intellectual of the Bhutanese Community Bhim Bahadur Magar and anchored by Thakur Ghimirey.

Former Bhutanese Camp Secretary Shot Dead !

The Former Camp Secretary of Bhutanese Refugee Camp, Beldangi-I, Mr. Ramesh Subba was shot dead last night at around 7.30 P.M by an unidentified armed group at Itabhatta near Kakarbhitta, a town nearby Nepal-India border.

Forty years old Mr. Subba was a refugee of Beldangi-I camp Sector-G. He was on a visit to his cousin's house to Mechinagar-3,Ramailo village while a group of armed gunmen randomly fired him in his chest and stomach. Subba died on the spot.

According to our Beldangi correspondent police have recovered three rounds of used 7.6mm bullets from the site. They have also recovered two mobile handsets and Rs.15000 in cash from Subba's body. His dead body is kept at Bhadrapur Hospital for post-mortem and further investigation. So far no one has owned up the responsibilities neither any arrest has been made.

As per the local media from Jhapa, Subba is reportedly said to be the chief of a Bhutanese underground organisation United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB). Nepal Police has also accused him of his involvement in connection to the murder of K.B.Kharka and Santiram Nepal.