Will Jaigaon accept Ngultrum?

(Phuentsholing) Government’s attempt to ease the rupee crunch by directing the financial institutions to close all accounts of non-resident foreigners, could adversely impact the country’s economy.It is likely to hit the business in the border towns hard and may also dent the trade relations between the two border towns.Impact ,Soon after the notification was issued by Royal Monetary Authority (RMA) to do away with bank accounts of non-resident foreigners, hundreds of Indians queued up outside the banks in Phuentsholing to close their accounts.

“Where to keep our money is not at all a problem as we have so many banks in Jaigaon and nearby towns. The problem that I foresee is how smooth will be the flow of business with our Bhutanese counterparts, who have to deal with us almost everyday,” said Rajesh Kumar, an Indian businessman.

He added that with the strict currency exchange regulation in place, traders in Jaigaon may stop accepting Bhutanese Ngultrum altogether.  

Dementia with a Loop.

Dr. Lakshmi Prasad Dhakal
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Near by the senile
Closer by the uncertain
Wiped of wisdom
Deprived of gesture
Neither the faith
Nor the horror
Perplexed
By own helplessness
Lost in the world
Untravelled by others
I saw them with wide-open eyes.

Projecting themselves
As devastated
Giving impression of
Loss of love, loss of faith
Loss of everything
This is what I think
Not knowing what they think.

Submerged in darkness
Around complexities
Evidences linking to practice
Building my own strategies
How forgetful I am grown
Of my memory
180 days are bygone
With brain full of memories
Lost, yet bright, I am gone.

[For 6 months, I did an internship at Foundation Geriant, in North Holland. The internship is focused on diagnosis and management of dementia. Dementia as a disease, reminds me to acknowledge, what Shakespeare wrote, “sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything”. This poem has been read during my farewell program.- Poet] 

Bhutan Bank ask Indian to close their account

In a tit for tat measure, Jaigaon merchants’association decided not to accept ngultrums
Banks in the country’s commercial hub, Phuentsholing, were busier than usual yesterday, as hundreds of merchants from the adjoining Indian town of Jaigaon crowded the tellers to close their bank accounts, and transfer balances .Although non-resident non-Bhutanese have until March 15 to close accounts, according to the Royal Monetary Authority 

(RMA) circular, most chose to do it yesterday, so that the transfer to their accounts in India is in INR (Indian rupee).“We were told that, if we close our accounts from Monday, March 12, we’ll be given the balance in ngultrum,” a Jaigaon shopkeeper said.

“What’ll we do with ngultrum and where’ll we invest? It isn’t going to be accepted anywhere else in India,” the fishmonger said. “Everything happened immediately that we didn’t get time to raise the issue.”

In Phuentsholing town and in Jaigaon, people stood around in groups discussing the RMA’s sudden decision, and the subsequent response from the Jaigaon business community.

While Bhutanese discussed why ngultrum was not being accepted in Jaigaon, non-Bhutanese tried to figure why they were not being allowed to hold an account in Bhutanese banks. “I don’t know how I’ll send money to my family, because my savings are in ngultrum,” a non-Bhutanese mechanic said. “I don’t know where to take my 200,000 ngultrum I saved so far.”

The banks, however, refused to divulge the number of accounts being closed and the amount of INR being transferred.

In response to the RMA’s circular, the Jaigaon merchant association decided to stop accepting the ngultrum, following a meeting with members of the association on Saturday, March 10.

According to a press release from the association’s president, BL Bardia, the association resolved that, in view of present situation occurring due to non-issue policy of bank draft, real time gross settlement system (RTGS), and exchange of ngultrum into Indian rupee (INR), the businessmen of Jaigaon were compelled not to accept ngultrum further.

The press release stated that this would continue until the Bhutanese government comes with a suitable decision. “We respect the law of Bhutan government and Bhutan currency and it should be vice-versa,” the president mentioned. “We hope suitable decision will be taken, keeping in view of the outstanding Indo-Bhutan relation.”

The impact of the merchants association decision was felt the day it was announced.

“I wanted to chew ‘meetha pan’ (sweet betel), but they asked me to pay in rupee,” a Bhutanese customer said. “I didn’t have rupee, so the shopkeeper then asked me to pay ten ngultrums, instead of INR 5.”

Bhutanese customers, who had crossed over to Jaigaon for shopping, tried their best to negotiate with the shopkeepers to accept ngultrum.

Some gave up and returned empty handed, but few managed to convince the shopkeepers and came back with goods worth less than a thousand ngultrums.

Bhutanese, living in Jaigaon, have also been affected.

The residents said they were unable to buy ration or basic items for the past two days because they don’t have INR. “When we went to exchange ngultrum, no Indian shopkeepers agreed,” a resident said. “They said they are out of INR too and ngultrum is no use to them.”

A Phuentsholing businessman said, “The only solution to the problem could be if Jaigaon shopkeepers ask only INR and we should also ask them to return the change only in INR.” But a few shopkeepers, who are unaware of the situation, were accepting ngultrums as of yesterday.

A government decision is expected this week on the issue.

Source: Kuenselonline Newspaper

Amazing dance by two little kids

Are you a dancer?If so you might get some wonderful tips from this dance.Two kids showing a mind blowing performance at one of the show in Europe.Look at their body how flexible it is? Judges were stunned and so the audience.After all its amazing!!!Amazing!!!

Its Entertaintment Time! Refresh your mind.

Are you tired to go through my blog?Especially watching news and stories?Come on!! Time for Entertainment.You might love Pop song,sentiment voice or filmy fresh dialogue.how about watching FOLK song?Have you ever seen somebody dancing in your folk music?Certainly this video will refresh you how folk dance has to be performed in a group.Change your mind so you can change the world!!Young AFRICAN GIRLS PERFORMING A DANCE IN A NEPALESE FOLK SONG.Have Fun!!!!!!

NO TO REPATRIATION:Opposition Leader

BY M B SUBBA

The leader of the Opposition Party, Tshering Tobgay has slammed the Prime Minister’s statements concerning the people living in the camps of eastern Nepal.

During the 20th Meet the Press last Thursday, Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley said that “presently the position of the government is to take back anybody who fulfills the criteria agreed upon between Nepal and Bhutan in bilateral discussion.”  

“No. Repatriation is no longer possible,” the Opposition Leader (OL) said, unveiling his party’s official stand. He said repatriation of some people was possibility 10 years ago, but only if the verification process was honest and complete, which was not. According to the OL, repatriation was not possible 10 years ago, in spite of the best efforts of the governments of Bhutan and Nepal. “I don’t see and understand how the prime minister can even talk about it as a possibility now.”

The OL also said he is baffled about what the PM is talking about concerning “criteria”. “What and where are the criteria?” he asked, adding there is no basis of even identifying whether a person is a genuine Bhutanese or not. “I fail to see any logic in the PM’s statement.”

He further referred to settlements that people from the camps have made in third countries and expressed his gratitude to the countries.  While he did not specify what the best solution to the issue would be, the OL said: “I strongly support honest dialogue between the governments of Bhutan and Nepal to consider workable ways of closing this difficult problem.”

Verification of the people, which began in 2001 came to an abrupt end after a Bhutanese team led by the current Works and Human Settlement Secretary, Dasho (Dr) Sonam Tenzin was attacked in 2003.

The joint verification team (JVC) categorized only 2.5% of the people as confide Bhutanese citizens and 24% non-Bhutanese.  Another 70 % had migrated voluntarily and 3% had fled Bhutan after participating in anti-national activities.

Meanwhile, in the press brief, Lyonchhen said the issue needed to be resolved quickly and revealed that the government was willing to repatriate some of the people living in camps in eastern Nepal if they fulfill the criteria agreed upon earlier by the governments of Bhutan and Nepal.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), despite momentous resettlement program in third countries, at least 10.37 percent of the people are likely to remain even after the ongoing resettlement program ceases by 2015. The resettlement program was launched in November 2007. Since then the population in the camp dropped to 54,652 from the initial figure of 113, 486. The latest report states 58,834 individuals have left for various western countries by January 19 this year.

The latest report says people have been resettled in eight countries, 49,396 in the United States, 4,213 in Canada, 3,217 in Australia, 589 in New Zealand, 612 in Denmark, 372 in Norway, 324 in the Netherlands, and 111 the United Kingdom.

Of the remaining residents, at least 42,873 individuals have declared an interest in resettlement. After that there will be only 11,779 people in the camps.

At the start of the resettlement program, there were 108,000 people.
Source: Kuensel(Bhutan National newspaper)Daily