December 03, 2009: On the eve of the government presenting its first human right report at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, a new book has been published exclusively incorporating major incidents and trends of human rights violations in Bhutan.
Published jointly by Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) Bhutan and Human Rights Without Frontiers, Nepal, the book provides vivid glimpse of the gross human rights violations in a country where rulers talk about gross national happiness.
The book, ‘entitled Human Rights and Justice in Bhutan’, covers incidents beginning 1990s suppression to political changes and scenario thereafter. According the writers, the failing to submit it as an alternative report to the human rights council due to delay in its preparation, it has been enlarged and published in the form of book.
The book report counters the claims made by RGOB in its report prepared for HRC. The book includes substantive details of human rights violations and state failure to adhere by its legal obligation to protect rights of its citizens.
Dec 02: A group of the Bhutanese refugees resettled and had relocated in different parts of Europe some years back started its formal mission in Geneva from December 1 where Bhutan is presenting its first human rights report.
A team of two persons from the Netherlands and another team of three persons from Norway had landed in Geneva in the mid-day Tuesday. Soon after its arrival in Geneva, the group was seen busy for different initial appointments and arrangements for demonstration and accreditation for the sixth session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Human Rights. All the sixteen participants have been accredited to present physically in the UPR Session.
The group attained a meeting with The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Department of World Service in its meeting hall Wednesday evening.
“We thanked the LWF officials for its continuous support to the Bhutanese refugees and also discussed about the procedures to take up advocacy works in regards to the human rights situation of Bhutanese people”, said Durga Giri after attending the meeting. The meeting was organized with the top ranking five LWF officials including Peter N Prove, Assistant to the General Secretary for International Affairs and Human Rights.
The group also had a separate meeting with Thomas Hunecke, Human Rights Officer, Asia-Pacific Unit in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The officer was informed about the gross human rights violations in Bhutan for last two decades, the rights of the Bhutanese children, the cause of the refugee issue and present situation of human rights inside Bhutan.
The remaining other members from Germany and Norway are scheduled to reach Geneva by Wednesday afternoon.
Beldangi, Oct 2: Shyam Sundar Gurung of Beldangi II Extension has appealed his well wishers to provide financial help to treat his cancer.
Gurung, 24, a student studying diploma, with eyeful of hope to emerge as a man of his own identity, hardly believes that he is living with a cancer. But, the doctor’s note on his examination which terms the disease medically as Non Hodgkins Lymphoma is no more an illusion.
Shyam Sundar is the son of Gopal Gurung, a camp based political and social activist whom Druk leopard ( an under communist party) had earlier threatened to kill if he did not leave the refugee camp in the timeframe they had set.
In the appeal released, Gurung writes, ‘At 25, I have begun to feel the burden of my own life.’
It is important to mention here that the UNHCR policy does not cover the medical cost for such diseases like cancer which is termed as ‘terminal’ case.
(Bhutan News Service appeals our well wishers to contact [email protected] to support Gurung who could prove to be a gem for our community if we saved him. Please contact [email protected] or call 9779804984166 to reach the patient directly)
I want to live
Beldangi, Oct 2: Shyam Sundar Gurung of Beldangi II Extension has appealed his well wishers to provide financial help to treat his cancer.
Gurung, 25, a student studying diploma, with eyeful of hope to emerge as a man of his own identity, hardly believes that he is living with a cancer. But, the doctor’s note on his examination which terms the disease medically as Non Hodgkins Lymphoma is no more an illusion.
Shyam Sundar is the son of Gopal Gurung, a camp based political and social activist whom Druk leopard ( an under communist party) had earlier threatened to kill if he did not leave the refugee camp in the timeframe they had set.
In the appeal released, Gurung writes, ‘At 25, I have begun to feel the burden of my own life.’
It is important to mention here that the UNHCR policy does not cover the medical cost for such diseases like cancer which is termed as ‘terminal’ case.
(Bhutan News Service appeals its well wishers to contact [email protected] to support Gurung who could prove to be a gem for our community if we saved him. Please contact [email protected] or call 9779804984166 to reach the patient directly)
Dec 1: When Bhutan is scheduled to present its human rights report to the Human Rights Council for the sixth session on Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, dozens of resettled Bhutanese and their fellow-asylees in the European countries of Germany, Norway, Holland, Denmark are demonstrating in front of the United Nations main building on December 4.
The demonstration is organized to make the statement on behalf of more than one hundred thousand Bhutanese languishing in Eastern Nepal since 19 years and a few thousands resettled under the present resettlement scheme, said a statement issued by Durga Giri from Germany on behalf of the Bhutanese delegation.
The delegation will also distribute report from the perspective of human rights violation in Bhutan to delegates from 47 participating countries in the meeting.
The event will focus on the denial of the right to adult franchise of more than 80,000 Bhutanese citizens inside Bhutan in the last election of 2008. These citizens are likely to receive regime’s planned eviction in the near future unless the attention of the International community is timely drawn, statement said.
Likewise, the Bhutanese delegation will also raise concern regarding gross national happiness, which is not meant for citizens but just for those who are in power
“Such happiness is meant in the holistic slogan, not in reality,” the statement mentioned.
The group will also hold separate meetings with the representatives of Geneva based UN Refugee Agency, International Organization for Migration and core group countries prior to their demonstration.
We will discuss the issues of delayed cases of families which have declared their interest to get relocated, said Giri in the statement.
Nov 30: Performing the best among 14 participants selected for final round, Prabin Diwali, 11, of Beldangi-I camp and Sancha Maya Tamang, 12, of Beldangi-II became male and female child start 2009 respectively yesterday.
Similarly, Indra Prasad Gazmere from Khudunabari and Nirmala Sanyashi from Sanischare Pathri ranked second in the Inter-camp Child Song Competition.
Organized by Sanischare children forum, the event was jointly funded by the Lutheran World Federation and UN Refugee Agency.
Some 600 children from seven camps participated in various selection rounds and were finally reduced to 14 participants, one male and one female from each camp.
Representatives of aid agencies distributed medals and trophy to winners amidst a program organized in Sanischare camp yesterday. Around 25 000 spectators witnessed the final program.
Tilak Niraula from Goldhap reads a report on English-Language class to resettling Bhutanese while Durga Giri updates regarding Geneva demonstrations. In the second part, you can listen to Bidesi Chautari and listeners’ comments on sarokar.
Nov 30: Resettled Bhutanese in Arizona performed Satyanarayan puja on November 28.
According to Ganga Neupane, around two dozen of resettled Bhutanese including senior citizens participated in the puja ceremony.
It was such a nice feeling to be able to perfom puja here, Neupane told Bhutan News Service, “I myself felt well about it since people in camps have different feelings about religion whether they’d be able to practise their culture and religion in resettling countries.”
A resettled pandit, Chet Mani Rizal, who has a part time job in Ekta Mandir in Arizona, conducted the puja ceremony.
“The puja was organized by Baral family,” Khagendra Baral said. The good thing was that we observed the puja in our own home – a place to call heaven, he added.
Nov 28: Bhutan has pulled out from the 2009 Philippine International Mathematics Competitions (PIMC) to be held December 1 in Iloilo City following the massacre in Maguindanao on November 23.
Worried for their safety, contestants from Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka also decided to back out from the contest.
Young math wizards from these countries have sent word they were no longer taking part in the 27-nation PIMC, said Robert Degolacion, executive director of Mathematics Trainers’ Guild-Philippines (MTG), which is conducting the PIMC along with the Department of Science and Technology, DOST’s Science Education Institute and the Department of Education.
Math teams from 21 countries had started arriving in Iloilo to participate in the PIMC.
Close to 180 numbers aces will participate in the PIMC’s Asia Inter-cities Teenagers Math Olympiad (AITMO) while over 200 others will compete in the Philippine Elementary Mathematics International Contest (PEMIC). Jerry E. Esplanada
Nov 28: The first phase of an international project to reduce the risk of growing and increasingly unstable glacial lake bursts in Bhutan has started.
In a joint effort by the government, communities and WWF, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Austrian Coordination Bureau this year succeeded in lowering the lake water level by 86 cm, in the first phase of a project intended to artificially lower the water level at Thorthormi Lake by 5 meters in 3 years.
A team of over 300 workers from 20 districts of Bhutan and from all walks of life – tourist guides, farmers, women and yak herders – walked for up to 10 days to reach the site and dig and realign existing outlet channels to safely drain water from the lake. The team braved thin and frigid air and harsh weather conditions including the assault of Cyclone ‘Aila’ in May 2009. Heavy rains associated with the cyclone damaged access to the site and effort had to be shifted to repairing this.
Thorthormi Tsho is a glacial lake situated at 4428 m in the remotes Lunana. It is rated as one of Bhutan’s likeliest future catastrophes. Breach and outburst flood through Thorthormi Tsho’s unstable moraine walls would most likely spill into the also vulnerable Raphsthreng Tsho, 80 metres below, with the combined flood suddenly releasing up to 53 million cubic meters of water and debris into the upper catchment of the Pho Chu.
The valley had experienced Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in 1994 that more than people and devastated villages and wrecked transport and power facilities.
The Thorthormi Tsho burst will also invite crop destruction and livestock losses, loss of a vital bridge and roads, and damage to hydropower facilities under construction in Punakha and Wangdi valleys. Punakha Dzong is among 16 historic monuments at risk.
The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGB), monitoring the growth of the glacier with Japanese assistance, has sought assistance to reduce the dangers posed by the lake by artificially draining its waters.
Some 16 new glaciers and 82 glacial lakes have formed in Pho Chu headwaters alone.
1974AD scheduled to perform for Music for Relief. Photo By Wave
Nov 27: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Caritas Nepal are organizing a concert ‘Music for Relief’ in Damak on November 28, with the famous Nepali rock band 1974 AD joining in to promote awareness of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
“The main objective of this concert is to bring together the refugees from Bhutan in the camps in eastern Nepal and the local community to fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Rianawati, Head of UNHCR Sub-Office in Damak.
Amalraj , the Field Director of CARITAS Nepal said “Everyone committed to protect human life from the impending disaster of HIV/AIDS will attend and ever remember this music concert. We welcome everyone for this mega show and enjoy it.”
The joint statement also mentioned that the event is funded by Més que un Club, a campaign lunched by Spanish football giants FC Barcelona and the UN refugee agency aimed at bringing sports, education and life skills to refugee youngsters around the world. FC Barcelona is one of the world’s best known sports clubs.
This concert is part of the activities planned by the UNHCR with its implementing partners to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign which begins from 25 November, said the statement.
More than 2000 people are expected to attend this unforgettable concert at the premises of the Saraswati Higher Secondary School, Itabhatta, Damak. It will start at around 12:00 hrs. It is a free show and no passes are required.
violations in Bhutan.
