Sept 28: All most all resettled Bhutanese refugees have celebrated their greatest festival Dashain around the world in traditional styles.

Our correspondent in various states of USA reported that despite their busy schedules, refugees enjoyed to observe the day with great significance.

People in Georgia marked Dashain in a community hall of Atlanta city with get together program including Durga puja function and live concert yesterday.

DJ Khaling, one of the organizing committee members of the program, informed BNS that an estimated 3500 people attended the function.

Three Bhutanese organizations including Bhutanese Community of Georgia, Bhutanese Artists of Georgia, and Bhakti Samaj of Georgia have jointly organized the program.

BM Dhakal from Kentucky informed the BNS that the resettled refugees in this state observed Dashain for three days from Saturday by performing various religious activities. Beginning Saturday, the program ended today amidst special function by offering teeka to an estimated 200 Bhutanese refugees.

In Utah, people observed the festival with great enthusiasm at Horizonte Welcome Center. According to our correspondent in Utah, they also organized cultural shows reflecting the significance of the festival. Around 400 people took active participation in the program.

Late reports received from Mohan Sharma in Virginia stated that the resettled refugees in Roanoke city in Virginia performed joint Durga puja on September 26 but they put teeka today on their own apartments in traditional styles. Director of Refugee and Immigration Services Beth Luthjen, among other special guests showed their active participation during Durga puja.

Sharma further informed BNS that school-going children in traditional attires staged a cultural show featuring Nepali folk, filmy, solo song and comedy dance.

Bhutanusa.com, California-based blog, reported that the resettled Bhutanese Families in the cities of Westfield, West Springfield, and Springfield in the State of Massachusetts have organized a get together program on Sunday to mark the festival. Around 200 individuals from at least 45 families took active participation in the program.

Govinda Acharya from Lansing in Michigan informed BNS that around 200 Bhutanese refugees received teeka from senior Nepalese pundit Khem Raj Keshab Sharan. A cultural program was staged in a hall that lasted for almost six hours making the day light wrapped up.

Refugees in Burlington city in Vermont State also observed the festival today amidst a special function by receiving teeka from Bhutanese pundit Dadiram Nepal.

Padam Monger informed BNS that around 250 refugees gathered in a hall provided by Unitary Church in the city where children and youths performed typical Nepali dance to mark the day.

Meanwhile, our correspondent in Washington said around 150 refugees gathered in a meeting hall yesterday to perform Durga puja. Refugees in Spokane city in Washington received teeka on their own apartments beginning yesterday evening.

Around 500 people in Dallas in Texas gathered in a hall to exchange the wishes yesterday. According to Lachu Bastola, representatives of resettlement agencies also observed the program where refugees staged a power point presentation and other cultural shows highlighting the significance of Dashain festival.

Laxmi Acharya from Canada informed BNS that around 40 refugees in Regina celebrated the day today by putting teeka at his apartment.

He further informed that in Quebec in Canada, where larger group of refugees dwell, the day was marked with typical Nepali dances along with teeka-receiving program.

Ichha Poudel reported that resettled refugees at Adelaide in South Australia celebrated Vijaya Dasami, the most important day of the ten-day long Dasain today.

A small but not too congested community hall at the heart of Adelaide city was full of participants who were seen rushing to take blessing with teeka from the senior members of their community.

And, there were seniors from seventy eight year old Bhadra Maya Dhakal to ninety six years old Dhana Pati Poudel who were busy offering teeka, chanting hymn and blessing junior members of the community with longevity, prosperity and peace of mind. Around fifty resettled Bhutanese received blessings from seniors who gathered at the hall at  2 PM after having received tika with blessings from the senior members of the family.

A team of four priests had been praying goddess Durga since yesterday, which is believed to boost the strength of humankind to fight against the evil. The program was conducted with the support from Migrant Resource Centre of South Australia.

Similarly, resettled Bhutanese at other states of Australia also observed Dasain with joy. At Hobart and Launceston, they organized various cultural shows to welcome the approaching Dasain earlier.

Click here to watch a video kept at Youtube that reflects how refugees in Canada celebrated the festival.

By TP Mishra and Kazi Gautam in New York with inputs from other correspondents.

Damak, September 28: With a number of huts without having joyous moments during Dashain due to several reasons, same number of ramshackle huts accepted this year’s ‘teeka’ as the last festival before getting relocated in a third country.

There is no meaning to celebrate Dashain when whole the camp population is mourning Khadka’s death, said Prem Doha of Beldangi-II camp citing the broad-day slaying of former camp secretary K.B.Khadka three weeks ago.

Like Dahal, the writer encountered dozens of exiled youths expressing similar opinions.

However, many youths expressed that they wanted to celebrate the last Dashain before their resettlement.

“I am getting resettled in Australia by the next Dashain,” expressed Bhim Chhetri of Khudunabari camp, who is processing to resettlement in Australia.

For Lok Bahadur Mahara, who blogs exileeye.blogspot.com, this year’s Dashain has rendered lesser joy as compared with those celebrated earlier.

“It is good that several are getting financially sound since they friends and relative relocated aboard are sending some money,” Mahara said adding, “Separation of family is a big deal to observe festival like Dashain.”

The teeka started at 10:00 am with juniors getting blessings from the seniors and parents.

Kids were much excited to witness the scene, while youths and elderly took tike ceremony as a compulsion.

Youths and some social organizations organized community-based programs to mark Dashain.

“This type of program is to encourage people in camp towards social contribution,” said Indra Timsina, coordinator of Refugee Children Forum, who was present in a group tika offering program in Beldangi-I camp.

The Community Child Care Center at Beldangi-I camp, funded by the UNHCR and managed by Bhutanese Refugee Women Forum, offered teeka and blessings to four vulnerable children who are under care of the center.

Camp-based Armed Police Force (APF) has increased patrolling in and around the camps to provide security to camp residents.

We have regular surveillance and patrolling, both during day and night, Gunjaraj Banya of Beldangi-I camp-based APF told Bhutan News Service.

“We don’t allow any visitors enter into camp after 7:00 p.m.,” said Baniya.

Unlike in past years, just a few buses were seen carrying the Bhutanese from Beldangi camps to other camps.

By Vidhyapati Mishra, Belangi-II
(With inputs from camp-based reporters in othe camps)

Sept 27: Bhutanese Society of New Zealand organised today a cultural program in community hall of Palmertons

North NZ to mark the Dashain festival.

The program was held amidst a special function where manager from city library and other well-wishers among 200 Bhutanese refugees took active participation.

The program was inaugurated by performing Durga puja.

By Doma Kafle/BNS
New Zealand

Sept 21: Two of our correspondents who have been accessing the worsened situation in the September 21 earthquake-affected areas in Bhutan reported that costs of the damages unexpectedly mounted high.     

Sangey Oendray and CP Sharma of BNS informed that the quake has resulted to huge damages in infrastructures that contributed to make hundreds homeless.   

Government officials, local leaders and natural calamities rescuers on the affected areas have made assumptions that the damages has doubled from earlier reports.

Meanwhile, government-controlled Kuensel reported that the quake has damaged a number of homes, schools, historical monuments and government infrastructure.

According to Kuensel. tn Trashigang district, the number of homes damaged now stands at 820, of which 135 have been reported as non-repairable.

The quake also affected 35 government offices and 25 schools in the district, which have closed temporarily. The dzongkhag officials also said that 73 lhakhangs and 81 chortens were damaged. In Udzorong gewog, which prime minister Jigmi Y Thinley visited yesterday, there was major damage to 70 homes. In Mongar, more than 750 homes and 77 chortens have been affected by the quake, as of yesterday. Officials, assessing one of the worst hit areas, Narang gewog, yesterday confirmed that 74 houses there have collapsed and needed to be rebuilt, while 128 houses have been partially damaged. The Narang school and BHU have also collapsed.

Our correspondents further stated that a huge number of Royal Bhutan Army have been deployed on the affected areas to extend relief aid to the victims. 

In an attempt to extend relief aid, UNICEF also donated about 1,000 blankets, 150 tarpaulins and 23 tents for the quake victims.

Following is the data of loss, according to Kuensel

Almost 1,900 homes damaged
47 schools
130 lhakhangs
180 chortens
5 BHUs
12 fatalities
25 injured  

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, with officials from the Gyalpoi Zimpon’s office and MPs of the eastern districts, have visited Mongar and Trashigang districts yesterday to assure victims of possible help.

PM Thinley has assured that the government would leave no stones unturned to extend support to the quake victims.

Sept 26: At a time when the international community is pouring criticisms for Bhutan’s commitment to press freedom, the country’s fifth paper has hit newsstand from today.

Business Bhutan, country’s first financial magazine is a 40-page weekly, tabloid size, 252 by 355 mm, costing Nu 15, and will be published every Saturday.

The magazine’s editor Tashi Dorji has said that there is a lack of focus in business and analysis on business stories mainly in the mainstream media.

Eight of Business Bhutan is in Dzongkha. The Dzongkha edition, called Druk gi Tshongdel will carry translated English stories. Six of its 40 pages are in colour.

Dorji has further said that the paper was having a challenge to step into advertisement market.

The magazine is printed and published by Galing printers and the business community and private sectors are its target readers.

Sept 25: Bhutanese community in Anchorage in Alaska today organized a special function to mark Dashain festival.

According to our Alaska correspondent HP Kafle, the program was organized at the office of Catholic Social Service and Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services.

The organization provided some financial support to manage the program.

Representatives from resettlement agencies, Alaska Literary Program, the students of school of nursing of Alaska and volunteers working at the resettlement agencies, among others attended the program.

All 11 families resettled in Anchorage took active participation in the program.

Sept 25: Resettled Refugees in Georgia has started to broadcast a two-hour long radio program Bhutani Awaj (meaning- voice of Bhutanese) from Sagal Radio Services-Voice of New Americans 1420 AM (www.sagalradio.org))located in Atlanta city in Georgia.

Mahendra Dahal, one of the active members of the program, informed BNS that the program went on air since August 21.

According to Dahal, the program was started in coordination with the Radio Services that mainly broadcast in the issues relating on Bhutanese community.

DJ Khaling, a social activist of Bhutanese Community in Georgia informed BNS that the radio program came into shape after continual talks and lobbies with the community in the city, the immigrants and in particular with the Community Program of Emory University since early 2009.

Khaling further added that the Radio Services accepted the program after they submitted the proposal for it with assistance from the University.

The program, aired every Friday from 6 to 8 PM Eastern Standard Time, includes at least four segments viz dharmik karyakram, yuba prativha, Bhutani sandesh and the news section that covers the current events.

The program can also be listened in a cell phone in USA dialing 712 432 7228.

Meanwhile, the 2-year old BNS-run radio program Saranarthi Sarokar from Kathmandu will go live throughout Nepal, some regions of India and most parts of southern belt in Bhutan from the first week of October.

By Tri Bikram Adhikari/BNS

Sept 24: Bhutan Nepal Peace Committee (BNPC) has warned of strong peaceful protest against the murder of social activist KB Khadka on September 8.

In a press statement issued today, BNPC has accused authorities of not being able to book the culprits.

BNPC has urged the local administration to arrest the culprits and bring them to public light.

Late Khadka was serving as secretary at BNPC.

Sept 22: The death toll in earthquake, which rocked southern part of Bhutanese soil on Monday, has mounted to a dozen by today.

Five people, including three women and a two-year-child, were among the dead victims found in the Monger. Three other dead victims were found in Trashigang district. Meanwhile, four Indian workers were also found dead, whose bodies were recovered in Samdrup Jhonkhar district.

Officials have confirmed that as many as 20 people sustained injuries in the earthquake that had left affect to even some of the Indian states.

Meanwhile, the country has observed a special prayer in the capital city Thimphu to mourn the death of fellow citizens.

Rescue teams fanned out across the country today to access the details of damages reported large scale devastation in six eastern districts – the worst hit being Mongar, Trashigang and Samdrup Jhonkhar. Various reports say, more than 100 houses and monasteries have been damaged. Several roads and schools and government offices are also damaged.

Roads have been block and access to eastern districts has become difficult. Thousands of people in the eastern districts spent the night out in the open.

By Sangey Oendray/BNS
Thimphu, Bhutan