Full Coverage: Bhutan

25.03.2008 In the first ever parliamentary poll in Bhutan, the people have made clear their preference for a government that will preserve the peace and development enjoyed under a century of royal rule. The people want stability, says winning party DTP, whose past experience under the former king won the people by a large majority.

06.02.2008 Nepal’s recent decision to resettle refugees from Bhutan in third countries is good news for over 107,000 people who have lived in camps for the last 17 years. The first groups of refugees are expected to begin departing next month.

21.01.2008 Eristäytynyt vuoristovaltio järjestää historiansa ensimmäiset vaalit, kun maalle valitaan 24. maaliskuuta kansalliskokous eli parlamentin alahuone. Bhutan on näin siirtymässä absoluuttisesta monarkiasta jaetumpaan valtaan.

31.12.2007 Bhutanissa äänestetään maan ensimmäisissä parlamenttivaaleissa, jotka ovat askel kohti satavuotisen monarkian lopettamista. Maanantaissa vaaleissa valitaan maalle 20-henkinen parlamentin ylähuone. Äänioikeutettuja noin 700 000 kansalaisesta on vain puolet.

31.12.2007 Bhutan's border with India has been sealed since Sunday as the Himalayan kingdom goes for hisstoric elections today (Monday).
From China View
+ OneWorld Bhutan Guide

30.11.2007 An art and photography exhibition in Kathmandu brings to light the difficulties faced by young Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. Forced out of their home country with their families in the 1990s, these young people have no memories of Bhutan, yet yearn for a return to their old homes.

20.08.2007 Bhutan, a country committed to environmental preservation, is facing a dilemma over reconciling conservation and economic development in the era of rapid globalization.

20.08.2007 Bhutan, a country committed to environmental preservation is in dilemma as how to reconcile conservation, economic development in the era of rapid globalization. As per the law which says the country reserve 70 per cent of its land for 'green' cover, of which 60 per cent should be forests.

09.07.2007 The state power of Beijing's communists and Thimpu's royalists is used to deny freedom to Tibetans and Nepalese under its heel, finds Meenakshi Ganguly.
From openDemocracy

15.06.2007 Bhutanista paenneet nepalilaistaustaiset lhotsampat ovat eläneet Kaakkois-Nepalin pakolaisleireillä lähes 20 vuotta. Tänä aikana Bhutan ja Nepal eivät ole onnistuneet löytämään osapuolia tyydyttävää ratkaisua pakolaisongelmaan. Pakolaisille on tarjottu uudelleensijoitusta, joka on herättänyt sekä toivoa että epävarmuutta ja jopa kahakointia.

10.04.2007 A €1.5 million donation will feed over 108,000 Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal who are unable to work outside the camps where they live.

08.02.2007 Many Bhutanese women and children are still dying unnecessarily, according to a national report. For infants, pneumonia is the major killer, but thousands are still dying from diarrhea too--and many children are stunted, underweight, or lacking vital nutrients.
From: Bhutan Broadcasting Services

29.12.2006 King Jigme Singye of Bhutan made headlines in December by suddenly abdicating and handing the throne to his Oxford-educated son, Jigme Geshar. He has also pledged to grant some measure of democracy by holding elections in 2008. He has not, however, explained the motivation behind his precipitate action, says Murari R. Sharma.
* OneWorld Bhutan Guide

06.10.2006 Yhdysvallat on valmis vastaanottamaan jopa 60 000 Bhutanin pakolaista Nepalin pakolaisleireiltä seuraavien kolmen—neljän vuoden aikana, uutisoi nepalilainen verkkolehti eKantipur.com. Yhdysvaltain pakolaisasioista vastaava apulaisulkoministeri Ellen Sauerbrey kertoi asiasta aiemmin tällä viikolla Genevessä koolla olleessa YK:n pakolaisjärjestön UNHCR:n kokouksessa.

14.09.2006 On September 11, six Bhutanese HIV patients and health officials shared their experiences and lessons on coping and living with the infection.What came out during the interaction was the usefulness of maintaining a state of good mental health through meditation and regular prayers.

29.08.2006 ITU, in partnership with national carrier Bhutan Telecom Ltd (BTL), embarked on connectivity Dagana VoIP Project to expand the VoIP service to ten isolated communities in the remote province of Dagana, Bhutan.

03.08.2006 Twelve more dengue cases have been reported to the Phuentsholing hospital in Bhutan taking the total number of cases to 43.

02.08.2006 Phuentsholing in Bhutan could be on the brink of another dengue fever outbreak warn health officials of the Phuentsholing hospital’s malaria unit.

19.07.2006 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are holding an indefinite protest in Kathmandu to push for talks with Bhutan’s government.

11.07.2006 The tragic death of a mother and her unborn baby in the Thimphu referral hospital recently has highlighted the problem of a shortage of manpower in the health sector.