KATHMANDU, 29 October 2009 (IRIN) – Bhutanese refugees in Nepal have expressed dismay at a recent decision by the World Food Programme (WFP) to cut food rations sharply.

“We are worried about the children,” said Yam Gurung, a 33-year-old refugee at the Beldangi-2 camp in Jhapa District, nearly 500km southeast of Kathmandu. “They suffer from an insufficient diet already and this can only make things worse.”

Gurung, who has three children aged 5-14, said each person used to receive a monthly food ration of around 5.6kg of rice, whereas now they receive half that.

“We are still shocked over the news. We hope the cuts won’t last any longer,” 24-year-old refugee Prakash Dhamala said, citing health concerns for the elderly.

Owing to a funding shortfall, WFP on 15 October was forced to cut food rations to more than 88,000 Bhutanese refugees living in camps in Nepal.

WFP has been providing rice, lentils and other food to the refugees, who fled neighbouring Bhutan when ethnic tensions flared nearly two decades ago. They have lived ever since in seven camps in eastern Nepal, where they rely on WFP aid as they are not allowed to work.

The food ration cut effectively means the daily food intake of each individual is less by 700 kilocalories and 14 grams of protein, according to WFP.

WFP said this was the first time in 18 years such action had been taken, and it was working to resolve the problem by appealing to donors for US$4 million to allow continued feeding until January 2010.

Blocked
However, money is not the only problem: Rice, which is the main staple of the refugees’ diet, is generally transported via India’s Calcutta dry port, the main transportation hub for all imports and exports for landlocked Nepal, and large quantities of rice have been stuck there throughout much of Dasain (19-28 September), one of the biggest and longest Hindu festivals for both India and Nepal.

“By the first week of November, if everything goes well, we will deliver a full ration,” WFP country director Richard Ragan told to IRIN, expressing concern, however, over the upcoming strikes in the Terai region organized by ethnic-based political groups.

Ploy?
Some fear the WFP move is a ploy to force them to go to third countries. “Many refugees don’t want third country resettlement and worry the cuts are an attempt to pressure them into accepting it,” Jiten Subba, another refugee, said. WFP has flatly denied such a charge.

The refugees are divided over whether they should aim for resettlement in third countries or return to Bhutan. More than 80,000 refugees have expressed interest in resettlement, but a sizeable minority want to return to Bhutan.

“We try to tell the refugees that this has nothing to do with donor fatigue or third country resettlement. We are spending US$1 million every month for the refugees and it is often a challenge to do that,” Ragan explained, adding that WFP was also feeding nearly two million impoverished Nepalese.

Since March 2008, some 23,000 Bhutanese refugees have resettled in Europe and the USA, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

Meanwhile, many refugees hope this move by WFP will stimulate the debate over jobs: “We should be allowed to generate our own resources – especially those who do not wish to resettle in Western countries,” said refugee Jiten Thapa.

Source: IRIN News, http://www.irinnews.org

Oct 29: The chief election commissioner of Bhutan has written to the prime minister asking the government to revoke CDG Constituency Development Grant (CDG).

Commissioner wrote at a time when National Assembly members has prepared plans and and projects for the CDG.

In the letter he sent earlier this month to Jigmi Y Thinley, the chief election commissioner, Kunzang Wangdi, said that the CDG will compromise the conduct of free and fair elections.

Wangdi has commented that he was hopeful of receiving positive response from the government.

The chief election commissioner also raised the objection in a special presentation made during the international democracy conference in Paro recently.

“The total amount of Nu 2m per constituency per year is a substantial amount and would definitely influence the outcome of future elections,” Wangdi said.

He further said that spending Nu 2m per year by the sitting MP in his or her constituency can be construed as conducting an election campaign.

The CEC also mentioned that members of NA exercising total control over the approval process in the disbursement of state funds for special projects in their constituencies would constitute an office of profit in violation of laws.

The opposition leader Tshering Tobgay, who also got a copy of the letter said, “The ECB in its letter has said that CDG would compromise their constitutional duty to conduct free and fair elections, that it is an office of profit, can be construed as campaigning, undermines local government and is an infringement on executive authority.”

The home minister Minjur Dorji defended the government’s decision to go ahead with CDG. He said, “In CDG, the money goes to the dzongkhags and has to be spent, based on what the local government wants and, in my case, the three gewogs, I represent have already divided the Nu 2 million per year among themselves with plans,” he said,

The funds can only be spent once the intended program has the approval of the gewog tshogde (GT) and the national assembly member concerned.

Oct 29: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said it is alarmed to learn the mass resignation of journalists from the Bhutan Times, after sharp disagreements on editorial process and content with a newly appointed chief executive.

In a statement, the global trade union of working journalists, said ownership of Bhutan’s first privately owned newspaper changed hands early in October, after the company ran up accumulated losses of about USD 116,000. Wancha Sangey, the new chief executive, has since been seeking to impose his will on the editorial staff, reportedly causing serious demoralization within the ranks.

It further said, among the journalists who have resigned is the editor, Gopilal Acharya, who has reportedly said he was quitting to “protect the professional values and principles of independent journalism in Bhutan”.

Sangey is credited with the view that freedom of speech is very important, though not at the cost of forgetting Bhutanese identity. “You can slur a ministry if it is wrong, but not Bhutan as a nation,” he is reported to have said.

Since taking charge, Sangey has reportedly sat in on editorial meetings and publicly upbraided reporters and editorial writers. He has directed administrative staff to mark all internal and external communications to him, even when these concern editorial matters. And he has issued an advertisement in the newspaper asking that public comments on content be sent directly to his email address or phoned in on his mobile number.

“The IFJ wishes the Bhutan Times well and would greatly appreciate any strategy that helps it overcome its current financial difficulties and establish it as a viable news platform working in the public interest,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.

“But we are deeply concerned that the new chief executive of the newspaper is following an entirely wrong tack in seeking to turn around the newspaper.

“No successful newspaper can be run by assaulting the professional morale of journalists and questioning the basic premises on which they conduct their daily tasks.”

Oct 29: A joint team of Hamse Dumse Community Forest and Armed Police Force (APF) entered Beldangi-I camp and seized a truck of firewood and timber yesterday.

With suspicion of exiled Bhutanese collecting firewood abundantly during Dashain and Tihar, the community forest decided to raid huts inside camps.

According to camp secretary T.B.Gurung, the search team entered camp without any prior permission.

“They entered our huts and did whatever they liked,” Gurung told Bhutan News Service.

According to Beldangi-I camp supervisor, such actions need proper approval from camp management committee and camp supervisor.

Forest post in- charge, Jiba Pathak commented that they somehow handed over a request letter to sector heads of sector F and G.

A long discussion among the raid team, camp supervisor, representatives from the UNHCR and LWF took place in the office of camp management committee since the camp residents did not allow the truck carrying timber and firewood to go out of camp yesterday evening.

The joint meet decided to allow such actions with written permissions from various authorities concerned. It also decided to hold another meet today in the camp.

Meanwhile, APF arrested Bhim Bahadur Gazmere of the same camp while he was hiding some timbers during the search.

By Arjun Pradhan, Beldangi-I

Oct 28: Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) has condemned the acts of Bhutan Times management for imposing its interest on editorial team due to which journalists have to leave the paper in group on October 22.

Below is the press statement issued by APFA- Bhutan.

Press Release

Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) condemns the acts of Bhutan Times management for imposing its interest on editorial team due to which journalists have to leave the paper in group on October 22.

According to the journalists, including editor Gopilal Acharya, without even a rudimentary editorial capability or journalistic background, the new CEO of the paper Mr. Sangey Wangcha demanded that the editorial meetings be held in his presence, and that a hard copy of all the stories being written during the course of the week be submitted to him before they went for print.

In the course of preparing the first issue with him as the CEO on October 4, Mr Sangey sat beside the editor and tried to impose his idea of how a story should be edited.

On October 12, Sangey questioned the editorial ‘A drunken nation, are we’ humiliating the sub-editor. He alleged that the editorial had slurred the nation. This demotivated the reporters so much that they didn’t want to work under him. During the same editorial meeting, he also complained bitterly about an opinion piece filed in by a contributor.

He accused reporters of plagiarism and reminded the editor of his ‘social’ standing.

As the CEO, he assumed the role of de facto editor-in-chief by centralizing the newsroom around him. To do so he took the following decisions:

• He directed the receptionist to pass all incoming calls to him including those per­taining to the news­room.
• He directed the marketing section (where the company’s fax ma­chine is installed) to collect all the fax messages and bring them directly to him including those addressed to the editor for news coverage.
• He made it clear that all the reporters directly report to him.
• He wanted the reporters to divulge their sources and file in all their information in a cabinet in his chamber.
• He called some of the reporters to his office and used fear tactic to be grateful to him for not throwing them out.

He intimidated reporters and gradually the reporters started self-censoring their news. He himself started writing news and opinions (see October 25 issue of the paper).

He ran an ad (see October 25 issue) asking read­ers for their comments: “Please convey your com­ments, views, opinion and even news, information tips to Bhutan Times at email: [email protected] or call 17116384,” (which is his personal mobile number.

As a gesture of promoting independent journalism and live on the ethics of media practitioner, the seven journalists walked out of the company. APFA appreciates their step and term it as a milestone to media freedom in the new democracy. The political and business leaders in Bhutan for long suppressed the media in protecting their interest. Following the publication of Bhutan Times as the first private newspaper in Bhutan, many unreported but unethical activities of the business and political leaders have come to the surface. Not been able to feel this burnt, the management used all its force to compel the journalists work for their interest. However, the seven journalists took a bold step to defy the management orders and censorship.

APFA urges for independent press in this new democracy. For the democracy to flourish, media has important role to play. Subduing media is directly or indirectly linked to subduing budding democracy.

Not to let this pioneer media die, already hit by financial crisis, the management must create environment whereby these journalists can return to their newsroom and work independently, without any force or fear. Let journalists decides what goes in news and editorials.

I. P. Adhikari

President, APFA- Bhutan

Oct 27: One resettled Bhutanese in Kent in Washington has met severe accident today morning at around 6.30 am local time.  

According to Shyam Poudel, Narbada Timsina, 20, was hit by a heavy truck while she was trying to cross the street to board the public bus to reach her work place.

Yub Dabadi from Washington quoted father of the victim, Moti Khar Timsina as reporting that operation for one of the intestines was done after bruises were noticed.  

Narbada, who was immediately rushed to the Harborview Hospital located in the Down Town Seatle after the incident, is also diagnosed to have fractured her right leg below knee.

According to doctors at the hospital, the condition of the victim is critical and yet they suspect more affect on her intestine, whose confirmation is still sketchy.

Police investigation is reported to be underway.

Timsina family, formerly from Beldangi-I camp in Sector A/3-248, moved to USA under third country resettlement program last year.

By TP Mishra/New York

Oct 24:  The Bhutanese government has seen a loss of Ngultrum (Nu), Bhutanese currency 2.5 billion due to the deadly earthquake of September 21, and it could delay in the programs of the 10th Plan.

The early recovery of the disaster is expected to cost the government Nu 2,192 million which is almost 70 per cent of the annual net revenue of Tala, the country’s biggest hydropower project. Although the earthquake would cost the 10th Plan, Prime Minister of Bhutan Jigme Y Thinley has implied that the international communities will help with the reconstruction.

“I have been receiving overwhelming responses from the international communities to support the reconstruction”, says the Prime Minister adding there may not be such a big problem to carry out even the 10th Plan. The government will see an immediate assistance from UNDP and UNICEF that have committed USD 400,000 and USD 140,000 respectively.

Similarly, the government of Kuwait shall be assisting with USD 2 million and the government of Turkey has pledged USD 100,000 as immediate assistance. The latest report made public by a team of government, World Bank and UN officials highlights that the country saw a huge damage of Nu 1,118.8 million on houses and Nu 716 million on health and education sectors because of September 21 earth quake. 　

Oct 23: Citing interference by the management, the editor and the half of the entire reporters of the Bhutan’s first private newspaper, ‘Bhutan Times’ (BT) tendered resignation yesterday.  

The resignation signed jointly by the editor Gopilal Acharya, the chief reporter and five other reporters was turned into the management, publicizing the notice into effect immediately as dated.  

The resignation letter seems clear enough to reveal the management’s persistent anti-ethical pressure to screw-up the journalists’ pens and mouth piece the public media for the interest of an individual or a limited group.  

Acharya, in his resignation said that to protect the independent journalism in Bhutan and keep up the professional values and principals of journalists primarily caused him and his newsroom staff to end up resigning.  

Wangcha Sangey, the CEO and newly appointed chairman of BT alleged the resigning staff to have been plotting the conspiracy to bankrupt the company. He further said that the BT has no alternative to comply with their decision as they themselves terminated their three years old trained services wherefrom they earned their livelihood.  

“I requested them that the freedom of speech being very important, you can even slur the ministry if it’s wrong, but not Bhutan as a nation. We shouldn’t be prompting personal agenda”, said Sangey.  

He also disclosed the written commitment given by the reporters to work towards accomplishing the company’s goal following a management-editorial meeting that week. Responding a reporter’s question on the probable court case follow up, the CEO stated that he would not choose to waste his time dwelling on the legitimacies.

  Needup Zangpo, the editor of “The Bhutan Observer” affirmed the certainty of the Bhutanese media scenario being crippled with the walk-off of these journalists. He doubted on the possibilities of the following issue being published. Expressing his obligation to the readers Sangey assured to bring out the Sunday issue as scheduled.  

Just over a couple of weeks ago, BT had proclaimed a loss of Nu.(Bhutanese Currency) 5.39 million, causing to endure a change in its management system. Its first issue published on April 30, 2006, BT is the first and the only public limited private media in Bhutan.

Oct 24: Indo Bhutan Friendship Society (IBFS) has decided to expedite its campaign for establishing ‘people to people relationship’ and to work actively for finding an outlet to the problem of southern Bhutanese. 

A conference held in New Delhi in India on Friday also decided that two delegations of IBFS will soon access the situation both in Bhutan and in camps.  

According to wrapping up of conference, IBFS will launch ‘Indo-Bhutan Friendship rally’ from Delhi to Thimphu coinciding December 17, the national day of Bhutan.

Newly elected chairperson of IBFS Dr. Professor Ananda Kumar has stressed on the need to boost-up ‘people to people relationship’ to ensure bilateral relations.  

Senior journalist Ananda Sworup Verma stated that discrimination system in Bhutan should be eliminated. Verma also cautioned that possibilities of violence were equally unavoidable if Bhutan government pays no heed to the problem.      

Historian cum analyst A.C. Sinha said that India has always failed to protect its interest in Bhutan.  

Meanwhile, Delhi-based exiled Bhutanese leader R. K. Dorji termed Bhutan’s democracy as fake one. “The real democracy in Bhutan is yet to be fostered,” added Dorji.  

Addressing the conference, chairperson of Human Rights Organization of Bhutan S. B. Subba said that the offer of third country resettlement was forcefully imposed to refugees.  

I. P. Adhikari, president of Association of Press Freedom Activists – Bhutan stressed on the need of establishing human rights mechanism in Bhutan. Four Bhutanese representatives including exiled journalist Vidhyapati Mishra also attended the program.