The Danish government has ended its assistance of 22 years to Bhutan with a final commitment of 50 M Danish kroner. The 50M is the Danish government’s assistance for the transition period from July this year until June 2015.
A high level and the final consultation between the officials from the Bhutanese government and the Danish government was held on August 30, this year to review bilateral cooperation.
The Danish delegation was led by the head of department of Asia and the Pacific, ministry of foreign affairs, Martin Hermann whereas Bhutanese team was headed by Bhutanese foreign secretary Daw Penjor .
Partners in development: Denmark and Bhutan government at its last consultation on August 30 in Thimphu. Photo Courtesy: Kuensel online
Bhutanese foreign secretary and Bhutanese team leader, Daw Penjor expressed their gratitude to Denmark for its assistance so far. He seemed very positive with the phase out program. To him, it means that Bhutan has been self sufficient; and now the assistance should be focused on more pressing situations in other countries.
Similarly, Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Commission secretary, Karma Tshiteem stated that Bhutan will no more be a recipient only but the relationship shall be changed to that of partnership, based on mutual benefits and shared values.
Bhutan has been receiving the assistance fro Denmark since 1989; and until the end of the 10th Five Year Plan, the total amount comes to be 1.9B Danish kroner. The Danish assistance has been utilized in key areas of health, education, good governance, environment and urban development.
The last consultation also endorsed the “framework for continued Danish-Bhutanese partnership” that provides cooperation in fields of global security; democracy; human rights; among others. The framework shall be approved by both the governments before it is signed at a ministerial level.
यही जुलाई २९ मा न्यूजीलैंडमा सम्पन्न न्यूजीलैंडको भूटानी समाजको वार्षिक साधारण सभाले सुदर्शन अधिकारीलाई आफ्नो सभापतिमा निर्वाचित गरेको छ |
समाजका संस्थापक सभापति बालकृष्ण घिमिरेले व्यक्तिगत समस्याहरुका कारण केही महिना अघि राजिनामा दिएका थिए | कार्यक्रममा समाजका महासचिव डिल्लीराम न्यौपानेले समाजका वार्षिक गतिविधिहरु प्रस्तुत गरेका थिए भने कोषाध्यक्ष पम्फा गौतमले आर्थिक विवरण प्रस्तुर गरेकी थिइन् |
“हामी सबै का लागि पुनर्बास प्रक्रिया निक्कै चुनौतिपूर्ण छ | त्यसैले यसघडीमा हामीले सहकार्य गर्न आवश्यक छ”, समाजका नवनियुक्त सभापति अधिकारीले भने | उनले सहयोग, सहभागिता र समन्वय निरन्तर कायम राख्न सबैसँग आग्रहसमेत गरे |
न्यूजीलैंडको भूटानी समाजको स्थापना डिसेम्बर २००८ मा भएको हो |
न्यूजीलैंडबाट डोमा काफ्लेले पठाएको रिपोर्टमा आधारित
The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Bhutanese Society of New Zealand held on July 29, 2011 at Rangiora Community Hall has elected Sudarshan Adhikar as its new president.
A senior member of the community Lucky Rai, vice president of the society, chaired the AGM. Founding chairman Bal Krishna Ghimire resigned a few months ago due to personal problems. There was a huge gathering of Bhutanese people in the meeting. Dilli Ram Neopane, the General Secretary addressed the mass highlighting the major achievements the society made during the year while Pampha Gautam, Treasurer, presented the financial report and other activities carried out to generate financial resources and assets of the society.
“Resettling process is a quite challenging one for all of us and at such time it is important for everyone that we work together to rebuild our life,” the new president said. The new president in his address to the gathering sought continuous support, participation and cooperation of the community members to successfully materialise the future plans of the organisation.
Surya Bahadur Rai, in his vote of thanks, remarked the gathering as the fruitful and historic one.
The society amidst the mass gathering honored seven senior member of the Bhutanese community with a shawl each as a token of respect and declared Mrs Sancha Maya Subba the eldest member of the community.
Following the election, Adhikari called the first executive meeting of the society on August 5 to discuss future plans of the society. The meeting discussed educational issues, resource mobilisation, building relations with other community among others.
The Bhutanese community of Palmerston North has congratulated the new president and thanked him for his interest in community welfare despite himself being a student at university.
Bhutanese Society of New Zealand was established on the third day of December 2008 couple of months after the arrival of second lot of Bhutanese at Palmerston North.
In separate media statements received by BNS, the Druk National Congress (Democratic) and Human Rights Organization of Bhutan (HUROB) have extended their warm felicitations to Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal.
“Although resettlement is not the conclusion in the crusade for repatriation, failure to convince Bhutan despite all diplomatic persuasion has perhaps compelled Bhutanese enmasse to embrace the choice of third country resettlement. Obviously, that is also an opportunity to empower them through experiences given required exposure and educational prospects,” reads the Statement of DNC-D.
The HUROB Chairmain, SB Subba, meanwhile, has said that since 1991, the Bhutanese refugees have seen 34 prime ministers coming and going. According to his statement, in their tenure, some tried to resolve the festering problem through bilateral talk between two governments of Nepal and Bhutan, while a few made blunders and a few even never spoke of the problem.
“More outrageous is that now the core countries have opened the option of third country resettlement and options of repatriation, which of course is the priority and local assimilation are completely sidelined,” added Subba’s statement, which further sought support from Bhattarai-led government for repatriation.
The President of DNC-D, Thinley Penjore, added that his party wished to apprise the newly elected Prime Minister and further appeal his government to give priority to the two decade long suffering of the unfortunate people discriminated by the Bhutanese regime.
HUROB has further said that on the part of Nepal government, it also demonstrates the failure of the diplomatic efficiency to deal appropriately with the intransigent Bhutan government and not reciprocating to Nepal government flexibility and thus not allowing single Bhutanese refugee to repatriate despite verification and proving at the least 75% Bhutanese even with the strictest scrutiny by the Bhutan government.
The Bhutanese Refugees Association of Intellectual Novas (BRAIN) honored at least six most vulnerable women of three Beldangi camps amidst grand celebration of this year’s Teej festival, Wednesday.
Eastern Coordinator of Maiti Nepal Govinda Ghimirey honors single women (Picture : Monarath Pokhrel)
Over 200 single women of the three camps gathered at Beldangi-II to celebrate the Teej together, according to BRAIN Coordinator Basudev Khanal.
The program, which was sponsored by the Punya Foundation, marked a variety of stage performances, including group dance and drama from the women group.
Representatives of various aid agencies, security personnel, Maiti Nepal and Happy Nepal, among others were also present during the function.
Meanwhile, the BRAIN also honored half a dozen of exiled journalists during the program.
Speaking at the program, Manager of Bhutan News Service, Vidhyapati Mishra, expressed his gratitude towards the organizer and community for recognizing the contribution made by the exiled media.
Executive Director of Punya Foundation, Dr Lakshmi Prasad Dhakal from the Netherlands said, the foundation sponsored the program as it aims to work for empowerment of vulnerable people under the slogan of ‘justice seeking through education and empowerment’.
Thaga Maya Dhakal and Puskar Poudel from Australia, Ramesh Gautam from Norway and Shantiram Poudel from America contributed for the program through the foundation, according to Dhakal.
“On behalf of Punya Foundation, I would like to thank BRAIN team and all the volunteers who have given time and energy to remember those women still in the refugee camps who are living under harsh conditions.”
I also thank those individuals who from the countries of their resettlement extended their helping hands to make the empowerment program a success, added he.
नेपालका नवनिर्वाचित प्रधानमन्त्रि डा.बाबुराम भट्टराईलाई सो पदमा आसिन भएको अवसरमा आफ्नो संगठनको तर्फबाट शुभकामना सन्देश दिँदै भूटान संयुक्त क्रान्तिकारी मोर्चाले माओवादीहरूको उत्प्रेरणाबाटै आफूहरू भूटानमा क्रान्ति गर्न उत्साहित भएको जनाएको छ ।
मोर्चा अर्थात यूनाइटेड रिभोल्यूशनरी फ्रण्ट अफ् भूटान (यूआरएफबी)द्वारा विद्युतीय माध्यमद्वारा जारी गरिएको एउटा सञ्चार सन्देशमा संगठनका कमाण्डर कर्मले भूटानमा हुन गइरहेको सशस्त्र संघर्ष नेपालमा भएको दशकौं लामो माओवादी आन्दोलनकै प्रेरणाबाट विकसित भएको बताएका छन् । कमाण्डर कर्मले एउटा पत्रात्मक विज्ञप्तिको रूपमा भूटान समाचार सेवालाई पठाएको सन्देशमा थप भनिएको छ,‘‘डा.बाबुराम भट्टराई नेतृत्वको नेपाल सरकारबाट हामी भूटानमा हुने सशस्त्र संघर्षमा बलियो सहयोग र समर्थन पाउने आशामा छौं ।’’
विगतमा भूटानभित्र भएका अधिकतम विस्फोटन काण्डहरूमा आफ्नो संलग्नता रहेको दाबी गर्दै आएको सो मोर्चा स्वघोषित भूमिगत सशस्त्र संगठन हो ।
Extending the Front’s congratulations and best wishes to the newly elected Prime Minister of Nepal, Dr. Baburam Bhattrai, the United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan (URFB), stated that the undergoing ‘armed-revolt’ in Bhutan was an inspiration from the Nepalese Maoists who waged decade-long armed struggle in the country.
A media statement sent to BNS via email by Front’s Commander-In-Chief, ‘Karma’, has further sought support and solidarity from Bhattarai-led government for armed struggle in Bhutan.
A little-known URFB, which placed itself behind the explosions in Bhutan quite sometimes in the past, is one of the self-declared underground revolutionary outfits.
After a series of meetings, resettled Bhutanese in the UK have reached to a decision and declare the launching of Bhutanese Welfare Association in the UK.
Refugee Action, the resettling agency and the Gateway Programme helped the Bhutanese refugees in the UK to facilitate meetings and streamline the need of a community organization.
After several rounds of meetings, objectives have been set and a constitution is adopted.
An interim committee of eight members from the resettled Bhutanese is constituted headed by Prem Giri as its Chairperson, KN Pokhrel as treasurer and Amit Budathoki as its Secretary. A student of Charter Accountancy (ACCA) in the Manchester Metropolitian University, UK, Giri is a resettled refugee from Beldangi II Extension.
As informed by the committee, the Association is entrusted with the responsibility of organizing the forthcoming Dasai festival and conduct General Election in the nearest possible time frame.
“It took us months together to reach to this stage. We thank the Refugee Action and Gateway Programme for their continuous support and guidance in streamlining our community organization,” said Giri.
It is also informed that Refugee Action has expressed its willingness to work in partnership with the Association in resettling new Bhutanese refugees in the UK and in meeting the service needs of the resettled Bhutanese in this country.
It was perhaps a strong symbol, which clearly reflects our devotion towards long-practiced culture & tradition.
“I am so joyous,” says one of the senior Bhutanese citizens, who almost could not wait to drop tears that scroll down when one is over-excited. She further adds that she longed to see similar event until it really happened after three years she had wished it.
Like this senior citizen, hundreds in Lansing, MI, were thrilled to see what many say first-of-its-kind ‘four-day Shreemad Bhagawat Puran,’ which completed on August 23.
Devotees listen to the pundit's prawachan. Photo courtesy/Author.
The Puran, according to the organizers, started with the community folks participating in a Kalash Yatra (pitcher-tour) that stepped into a community hall, where pundits and purohits (Hindu priests) chanted vedantic mantras (hymns) together in a rhythmical scale.
Additionally, Shreemad Bhagawat, Vedh, Gita, Bishnushasranam, Rudri, Chandi were among some of the treatises recited during the four-day program.
According to Shekhar Chapagain, Chairman of the Puran organizing committee, all Bhutanese pundits and purohits of Lansing were invited to the program. “It is in fact a social program and we want impartiality and transparency of the work we do,” adds Chapagain.
The hall was filled with enthusiastic devotees dressed in traditional outfits. The smell of scent sticks, beautifully adorned mandap (altar), offerings of fruits and ambrosia by the devotees, tinkle of bells, conch sound, fresh rosaries in hands waiting eagerly to be offered were some of heart touching scenes that bewildered everyone first and rejoiced them later that being in this unknown land they saw what they had seen and done back in the country and the refugee camps time and again.
Most of the devotees said ‘no’ to work for these four days and attended the extreme bliss of the program. Devotees from Grand Rapids, a city in environs, made their way to Lansing for these four days and decided to stay back till the last day of the program. Prawachan from different Swamijis, which was once befriended to every life in the refugee camps, came in line and mingled everyone within its vast immeasurable and intrinsic doctrine.
The other specialty of the program was Bhajan-Kirtin. The two Bhajan teams each from Lansing and Grand Rapids added a beauteous charm and pleasurable nourishment to the program. “I sing Bhajans at home but was looking for a platform to sing them openly with all my energy and make devotees dance to its rhythm,” said one of the Bhajan singers.
The devotees were, indeed, looking for an opportunity to be a part of social program since they left refugee camps. Bhajans singers finally made everyone dance to their last. Elderlies in their 90s and juvenile together set their foot at the verse of Bhajans and gave the spectators compassionate ecstasy.
In fact the program became paragon to every devotee who was lost among themselves from their identities and cultural values.
Hundreds of Bhutanese in MI attended the function. Photo courtesy/Author.
The Bhutanese Hindu of Lansing, accustomed to rich Prawachan of Khemraj Keshav Saran, decided to invite Swami Damodarachrya for Prawachan. Khemraj Keshav saran visited Lansing in the past two years and elucidated a short Prawachan. Upon inquiry, the devotees replied Swami Damodaracharya is from Bhutan and would like to benefit from social manpower. Swami Damodracharya, a lanky elite educated in Vanarasi, India gave marvelous and divine Prawachan on Shreemad Bhagawat. Every devotee has a surge of pride that they had person like Swami Damodracharya in their own society.
The last day, August 23, was even gorgeous. There were lots of cheers and happiness when a baby adorned as Krishna sway gentle out from a cradle. Devotees exchanged best wishes among themselves and prayed for world peace.
There was management of food for every devotee for all four days. Devotees would just rise up and declared,” Food for today is from my side, water from me and so on”. Help from every community member and assigned volunteer was unquestionable.
The Bhutanese Hindu Community honored three elder members of the society out of which one was from Nepal. A small token of love was given to all honored elderly, pandits and purohits and volunteers from the hands of Swami Damodracharya.
The Bhutanese Community Organization of Minnesota (BCOM) observed the Haritalika Teej today in Lauradaul City wall amidst a special function .
According to the organizer, the program was attended by more than 150 people. Participants danced to the rhythm of teej songs played on a CD player.
Two Bhutanese women, who posed to camera, smiles while other community folks rocked the floor in MN in background. Photo courtesy/Sila Dahal's facebook page.
One of the board members highlighted on the importance of the cultural and tradition aspect of teej celebration with a view to inform and keep the children and youths in contact with the culture. The community also recognized five high school graduates out of 10 graduates who completed their high school degree this year with khada.
Chairman of the BCOM also congratulated the graduates for their accomplishment and wished them the very best on their future endeavors.
Meanwhile, other founder members and well wishers were remembered and thanked even though they could not make it to the program. The founding members of Nirvana Center, who were present in the meeting: Dr Chabilal Sharma, Mangala Sharma and David Stamp were recognized for their tremendous contribution in bring the organization to the present stage. They were honored with khada.
Finally, the 501(c)3 status of the Nirvana Center was announced by the board members. They also reiterated the promise that they would do whatever was possible in their power to help the community grow as a vibrant community in the area.
