Upon completing a four-day visit to Nepal, the President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Haruhiko Kuroda, reached Bhutan Friday to inquire activities of the projects funded by the bank. While in Bhutan on his three day official visit, Kuroda will speak to various top official and some cabinet ministers. He took an audience with [...]

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Although two of the ministers in the first elected democratic government of Bhutan are of Nepali origin, many people of Nepali origin who still live in Bhutan whisper about the injustices. The stringent rule for jobs, where a no-objection certificate (NOC) is mandatory is one such example. If any member of the family was ever involved in any anti-government (read anti-monarchy) activity, you will not get the NOC. The vague definitions of such activities, left for the interpretation of local authorities at their own discretion, further makes things difficult for people like Shyam Bahadur Darnal. A taxi driver dressed in the traditional ‘national dress’ – Gho or Bakkhu – welcomes me to Bhutan. He introduces himself as Shakti Gurung. A mixed stream of emotions churns inside me with the soothing breeze and altered landscape. Had I not visited the ‘refugee camp’ in Jhapa district of Nepal just a few days ago, I would also have taken the beauty at face value like many tourists in Bhutan.

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Chief District Officer of Jhapa, Yadav Prasad Koirala, Monday asked all the agitation Bhutanese to end up their ongoing relay hunger strike. Koirala requested a joint team of camp secretaries and the struggle committee that has been demanding registration and refugee status of all pending cases. The delegation that reached Chandragadi, Jhapa this morning also [...]

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Days after government’s claim that Bhutan is H1N1 free,  Damphu Lower Secondry School In Tshirang has to be shut down  since yesterday due to Swine Flu outbreak. One student tested positive for Influenza A yesterday and 40 others showed influenza like illness. About 280 people with the flu like symptoms visited the Damphu hospital since [...]

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A meeting of officials of AMDA Nepal, camp management committee and family of the patient reached an agreement to resumes all medical services in the camp. “Now we are working smoothly as before,” Dr Madhurima Bhadra, Program Manager of Bhutanese Refugee Primary Health Care Project (BR-PHCP) told Bhutan News Service, Wednesday. According to camp secretary, Bhanu [...]

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A police squad from Damak Police Office, acting on a special tip-off, arrested at least three Bhutanese from Beldangi-I camp for stealing solar lamps from various camps, Tuesday evening. The detainees were identified as Dilip Rai and Santosh Rai from sector C-2, 145 and Mangal Singh Gurung of C-2, 94/95. Police became successful in arresting the trio [...]

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Dozens of exiled Bhutanese without refugee status and facilities in camps displayed empty plates Monday in camps of Morang and Jhapa districts. They have asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide them with ration to sustain their survival. Around 60 Bhutanese started relay hunger strike in Beldangi-I camp from today.   [...]

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Dozen of Bhutanese youths from Beldangi-I camp have been staging street drama on domestic violence and violence on children at various places of Nepal-India border since a week. The awareness program with a team – role of youths in controlling sexual violence on children in border areas – also features a drama of Bhutanese children [...]

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Saha Bir Subba, who received a bullet on his chest  Friday evening in Beldangi-I shootout, is stable, doctors reported. According to his family source, doctors at BP Koirala Hospital of Health Sciences successfully removed the bullet from Subba’s chest. Meanwhile, Armed Police Force (APF) arrested nine exiled Bhutanese for interrogation. APF arrested Nipta Raj Gurung, [...]

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Sahabir Subba, 21, of Beldangi-I camp sector G-3 hut number 335, has sustained a bullet on his chest when an unidentified gang opened fire at him Friday evening at 9:20 p.m. Critically injured Subba was immediately rushed to BP Koirala Memorial Hospital, Dharan for treatment, camp-based Armed Police Force Iin-charge, Bhupendra Niraula, informed Bhutan News [...]

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