By Deepak Adhikari
Kathmandu, April 29—On a recent morning, a diminutive woman wearing long, black and blue Tibetan skirt and a white sweater arrived at the Bouddha monastery’s gate to talk about what seemed like a one person mission. Prayer flags fluttered as she sat to speak amidst the incessant chanting of Om Mane Peme that emanated from the several cassette and CD shops in this tourist destination.
The serenity of the Buddhist temple could hardly hide the severity of Karma Zangpo’s predicament: her Bhutanese refugee husband Tenzing Zangpo was rearrested by Indian police immediately after being freed on bail from a jail in Guhawati, the capital of Assam state in northeastern India. And, she was witness to the bizarre incident on April 6 when Mr. Zangpo, the General Secretary of Druk National Congress (Democratic), without having a word with her, was whisked away in a van to an unknown location.
Karma Zangpo
Ever since that day, Karma has made it a point to fight for her husband’s release, albeit with a little achievement but a lot of hope. She has sought the help from DNC leaders, Bhutanese leaders, fellow refugees and media. Her tiny telephone diary is scribbled with phone numbers of supporters from Kathmandu, Jhapa in Nepal to Siliguri, Sikkim and Guwahati in India. After sending her 12-year old daughter Sangye and 8-year old son Minjure to nearby Pegasus School in Boudhha, the 48-year old embarks on the solo mission to find out the whereabouts of her husband. She fears that the Assam authority might have deported Zangpo to Bhutan where he is likely to face extreme form of punishment, even torture.
The 49-year old leader who was on his way to meet his in-laws in Arunachal Pradesh in Indo-Bhutan border was arrested on November 10 from Guwahati under the Explosive Substance Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He was arrested along with Sabin Boro, a leader of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a separatist outfit active in northeast India. In an attempt to sensationalize this arrest as a link between Bhutanese refugees and the terrorist group that was uprooted from Bhutan in early 2003, Indian police projected Mr. Zangpo as a terrorist involved the serial bomb blasts in and around Guwahati in October last year.
“I even asked him if he had committed such acts (of terror) being a devout Buddhist,” said Karma who herself follows Buddhism. But, he denied any wrongdoing, she said and recalled him reiterating his commitment to fight for his country. A member of Sarchop community from eastern Bhutan, Zangpo had met Karma 15 years ago in Arunachal Pradesh where she had gone to visit her maternal uncle. At that time, he had already been a refugee registered in Timai camp in Jhapa, one of seven refugee camps run by UNHCR in southeastern Nepal. Until last year, they had lived in Birtamode, Jhapa from where Zangpo often travelled to India (they have even secured a travel document from Indian Embassy in Nepal for all four family members). In Kathmandu, Karma ran a restaurant to support her family while her husband kept himself busy in party works. Without her husband to support, she has sold the restaurant.
Hem Lall Bhandari, a Harvard educated advocate pleaded on behalf of Zangpo. It didn’t take long for Bhandari to prove his client’s innocence. After the expiry of the 90 days in Guwahati central jail, he was granted bail by Subhabrata Datta, Special Judicial Magistrate (CBI Court) on March 20.
His wife stood bailer at the court depositing IRs 10,000. The court passed the release order on April 3 but Zangpo was released on the evening of April 6 only to be rearrested shortly. “How long can he remain in jail when there are court orders for his release,” asks advocate Bhandari, a native of Sikkim.
Similar questions must have occurred to Karma, all alone.
Courtesy: The Kathmandu Post/April 29, 2009
April 29th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Dear friends,
We are all human and let us behave one by being true to oneself. You people are simply commiting a sin not only for yourself but also to your fellow mates, who are innocent. If those of you feel, you are a true sons of Bhutan, there should not have been any turmoil. You created this turmoil and chaios and you left the problem to our fellow bhutanese living in southern Bhutan, and infact to all the bhutansese. We are now in much better position and doing good in the country. We are not traitor like you people, who abandoned the country for greater nepal and for your ethnicity. We are not racist like you people, who actually mastermind to cleanse the bhutanese for greater Nepal. We are not selfish like you people, who revolted against the bhutanese for your ethnicity for greater Nepal twice in 1958s, and 1990. Infact you people should have been happy to be in Bhutan because the bhutanese government have tried all means to integrate the difference in ethnicity by rewarding the marriages, more development in southern Bhutan (Which you see the differences in facility and services even now, compared to other regional districts), most senoir government positions post are holded by southern Bhutanese, equal and free education, health to all bhutanese. What have you people did in return? greater Nepal!! in the name of human rights and freedom!! What have you created then? more non bhutanese, an opportunist, poverty sticken people (many whom did not even know where Bhutan is) to come to refugee camps in nepal so that daily bread is being served by those international organisation. How is the negiciation to solve the refugess being negociated between the two government, Nepal and Bhutan. When bhutanese geovernmwent finally started to survey and record the true bhutanese people for repatration back to Bhutan, those of non bhutanese refugess started to revolt against this strategy of repatration by molesting the bhutanese immigration officials. What happened then? more and more non bhutanese refugees started pouring in the camps for free daily bread and recently some of the country wants to relocate them. What happeded then? Country like USA and Australia could take a bunch of only the poverty sticken opportunist of nepalese speaking ethnicity but not bhutanese refugees, but why? they (opportunist nepalese, not bhutanese refugees) represented the majority. What might possibly they do again in a relocated area? may plan for nepalese expansion!!!
Iam writing against those of nepalese, who are using Bhutan for their own welfare.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:09 am
Dear friends,
We are all human and let us behave one by being true to oneself. You people are simply committing a sin not only for yourself but also to your fellow mates, who are innocent. If those of you feel, you are true sons of Bhutan, there should not have been any turmoil. You created this turmoil and chaos and you left the problem to our fellow Bhutanese living in southern Bhutan, and infect to all the Bhutanese. We are now in much better position and doing great in the country. Don’t try to innate unhealthy fraternity again in Bhutan. We are a peace loving people living in a sacred world. We are not traitor like you people, who abandoned the country for greater Nepal and for your ethnicity. We are not racist like you people, who actually masterminded to cleanse the Bhutanese for greater Nepal. We are not selfish like you people, who revolted against the Bhutanese ethnicity for your ethnicity for greater Nepal twice in 1958s, and 1990. Infect you people should have been happy to be in Bhutan because the Bhutanese people have tried all means to integrate the difference in ethnicity by rewarding the marriages, development in southern Bhutan (Which you see the differences in facility and services even now, compared to other regional districts), most senior government positions post are being holded by southern Bhutanese, equal excess to free education and health services to all Bhutanese. What have you people did in return? GREATER NEPAL!! Misusing the name of human rights and freedom!! What have you created then? More chaos, bloodshed, torture and rape within your own ethnicity group, who refused to join for greater Nepal. You people have now resorted into terrorist fraternity killing innocent people even to this day. You know what? you people have also used and invited your own fellow Nepalese, an opportunist, poverty stricken people (many whom did not even know where Bhutan is) to come to refugee camps in Nepal to increase refugees number to met the international standard so that free daily bread was being served by those innocent international organization. That way you people do not only disgraced your own fellow Nepalese but also the international organization. True citizen would always have feeling of belonging to that country and would remain in that country, because it does not make any sense taking refuge in any other country. Here in Nepalese case, they accepted their own people, their own races, to come back but created so called refugees camps to take revenge on Bhutanese people because they failed in their plans for greater Nepal. Despite all these facts, Bhutan still was in desire to take back its people who left Bhutan during the southern uprising for Greater Nepal in 1990s. No how is the negotiation to solve the refugees being negotiated between the two governments, Nepal and Bhutan? When Bhutanese people finally started to survey and record only the Bhutanese people for repatriation back to Bhutan, those of pampered, lazy, opportunist Nepalese in refugees camps started to revolt against this strategy of repatriation by molesting and insulting the Bhutanese immigration officials because then their daily bread and butter would get cut off. What happened then? more and more Nepalese ethnicity both from India and Nepal started pouring in the camps as refugees for free daily bread and recent news of some country like USA and Australia wanting to relocate them. What happened then? Country like USA and Australia was able to take only a bunch of only the poverty stricken opportunist of Nepalese ethnicity but not Bhutanese refugees in reality, but why? They, Nepalese instead of Bhutanese refugees represented the majority and had hands with the authority. Afcourse not 100% per say, few are genuine refugees and those too are convicted by the law.
To cite an example; Accidentally, I met few of the Nepalese living in foreign country under Bhutanese refugee status. We were talking for a while and finally I asked which part of Bhutan you come from. He was puzzled for a moment and said, from southern Bhutan. I asked, well southern Bhutan does have a name. He said he forgot. He was a child then when his parents moved to refugees’ camp in Nepal. What a claim!! And they are not ashamed to lie. Infect this is a serious defilement to their own country and a transgressional, traitor, displaying gross immorality to their own ethnicity.
I was in southern Bhutan in 1990 where my father worked in one of the Dzongkhag. I have seen our southern friends raising their arms on innocent Bhutanese and as well stripping of office national costume and forced to wear their ethnic dress. Our stripped national dress was burned in front of us and threatened every one of us coming from east, west, north and central Bhutan. Even to this day, I feel sorry for many people (southern Bhutanese) subconsciously raising arms together with the terrorist.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:22 am
This is what will result to if one tries to shit in the very plate that you ate from. I applaud the smartness of the joint operation between the Assam and Bhutan police in having him arrested before he went on another rampage of blowing up innocent people. A message to his wife; this what happens when you marry a terrorist that kills innocent people and defies own spiritual deities just to gain fame.
Bhutan government have been very linient for a very very very long time and it is high time they start retaliating to these terrorists.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:13 am
Letlive,it is not only Nepalese who are taking advantage of the refugee situation, it is your very own people Drukpas who had gone to the USA for higher education and to work illegally have sought asylum and some of them have already got asylum on the ground that they were descriminated by Bhutan Government under the monarchy.I know some of them who have got asylum in USA live in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta.There are three persons, two of them Bumthaps in Toronto, Canada who got permanent residency status on the same ground, now they are trying to bring their families. If their families can’t get Bhutanese passports they will be issued travel documents by the International Red Cross office in Delhi.So, this is how your own brothers and sisters are defaming your King and country.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Letlive,you can bark as much as you can but nobody will believe your story no more.Over 100,000 people wouldn’t have left their land and other properties to live in bamboo huts and eat rationed food. It is simple as that but you shit heads keeps rattling the same old lies repeatedly. You guys need to cook up new stories fast to impress the west. You must be one of those new settlers in Southern Bhutan living on the land looted from southern Bhutanese by your Gunda Boss 4th King. In his heart Jigme Singye knows what he has done, he will rot in hell, that is all matter.
Another thing, now you Drukpas should think twice before revealing your identity when you travel abroad because pretty soon there will be thousands of refugees wherever you go who would have estabished themselves as Bhutanese. You don’t want to conflict them because you will be outnumbered by them and you don’t want to wash your dirty linen in public. Good Luck Drukpas abroad !!!!
April 30th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Biswa grow up and learn to wipe your own ass first before making such bollywood oriented comments. Looks like you watch too much of those movies that you replicate dailouges in reality. No wonder you people have become stateless and gone begging at the doors of the Whites. Be ashamed for being considered as a begger by the western world and given asylum on sympathy ground. I think it is your kind that you should be very cautious that you don’t get caught in a racial fights because of your nature and become history soon. Besides, making such threats on the net against Bhutanese online will only raise doubts of those countries that might be considering adopting urchins of your kind. Bhutan was kind enough to pardon your barbaric acts because of a compassionate king like the fourth King. The dog eat dog world of the west will have no mercy. The survival of the fittest. The only jobs that are lined up for you guys are whipping the public toilets and cleaning the dishes. Yea, and I am really looking forward to run into you and your kind in such places. Good luck and enjoy.
Mountain girl, graze you cattle well before you run out of options to survive and might have to go selling your tuchie…:). Those Bhutanese went on their own will chasing American Dreams and not by revolting against Bhutan government like your kind. Please don’t let me find you in one of those best strip clubs I go to. I will take you up the dirt road.
May 1st, 2009 at 4:46 am
Yo Biswa. i guess its you people who should stop spreading propaganda because world has stopped believing you guys anymore. so shut up and live in peace ..and let live in peace.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Biswa, the way Nepelease breed..i will eat my hat if they didn’t (one day) become the majority in US – may be stage a demonstratation with your khukuris to change the american flag! old habits die hard!
you can shout over the top of your voice and say anything about our kings, but the fact remains that Nepla now is a failed state and Bhutan is not only stable, but a courtry with civilised people and above all very loyal to our kings – we will never sell our county and our kings for anything unlike you morons who eat and shit in the same place.
the fact that Gorkhas are facing difficults times re resettlement in UK is a testiment to my words – many gurkhas took the UK government to court over injustices…..you guys will never be satisfied because of your greed.
May 3rd, 2009 at 6:30 am
Tamang from New York, why do you hide your identity,instead of saying Drukpa.You must be one of those Bhutanese who are living illegaly in New York, hiding from the immigration and selling pictures, posters in the streets of N Y, at night sending your Bhutanese women to strip in the bar, it is a known fact that Bhutanese women are living as nannies and kanchhis with the families in NY and LA. They leave their husbands and little children behind to enjoy life in the States.
Regarding Bhutan doing better than Nepal,you guys think you are enjoying freedom in a feudal society. You guys are used to living like donkeys by bowing down to Dashos, you can’t even say a word, can’t look at the King directly, You guys didn’t even get to take pictures of your own King’s coronation because you had to follow driglam namza.
While we will earn our living by working hard in the western countries, you Drukpas will still be begging for a piece of our bread in the name of donation to develop your country. We will throw a piece of our hard earned money at you by contributing taxes to our adopted country’s share of donation to Bhutan. Don’t talk big you free loaders.Your Government can’t even feed and clothe your own Army and Police,Uniforms and ration of your Army and Police come from India Government. That is why IMTRAT occupies the prime land in your Capital, actually Indians think Bhutan is just a state of India, which stupid fool would allow the other country’s army to have settlement in the heart of the Capital.
Regarding your fourth King ,he sure took the country for a ride. First by keeping Dorji Om, a married woman and her sisters as mistresses for years and making eight children on the sly. When he married the mistresses your present King, Jigme Khesar was already eight years old. He was born out of wedlock, I will not use the word because it is not his fault.How are you guys supporting the upkeep of your countless royal family ?? from the share of our tax money. Keep begging for donation to develop your country and go around boasting how good Bhutan is doing. All your ministers do when they go to the International events is ass kissing of the western diplomats to beg for donations.
May 3rd, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I along with my family have been living in Denmark for last ten years, we came straight from the Bhutanese refugee camp in Nepal, I am originally from Ghumauney, Samchi (Samtse).I and my family have been paying taxes from our each pay check. Denmark being one of the biggest donors to Bhutan,you should be grateful to us for contributing to the development of Bhutan. On one hand you Bhutanese go around begging for money from the donors and on the other hand you spend lavishly on the coronation of your King. You should be ashamed to spend donated money like that.
May 18th, 2009 at 12:18 am
this is in regard of tenzing”s arrest,sorry for those small-innocent two kids.this is pitty sad for them and need concern.but i know tenzing personally,his all activities are not precise and straightforward.we can easilly judge him and say that he used to involve in some sorts of terrorist activities either in india or in bhutan.he needs to face the legal punishment but his wife and kids should take care by said DNC coz they have enough black money to be use.
February 16th, 2010 at 12:53 pm
Dear Moderator – I think you must remove Tamang from NY’s post as it is threatening in content, that is he threatens to rape mountaingirl
we teach our children not to bully in cyberspace and you are allowing this post to remain.
Please remove and state why so that others will not think it is just to shut him up – or delete the offending sentences and state why – alluding she is whore or strip girl and threatening to abuse her