Coinciding the 10th anniversary of the South Asian Free Media Association’s (SAFMA), Bhutanese journalists came together in Thimphu on July 3.
Needrup Zangpo, the editor of Bhutan Observer and President of the Bhutan chapter spoke on SAFMA’s activities and achievements in the region. He said that, although not much could be done until then, Bhutan chapter was planning several activities for the coming months.
It was announced that SAFMA Bhutan chapter will elect its new office bearers including the secretary general, vice president, and coordinator for South Asia Media Commission. While the secretary general, Kuensel’s Dzongkha editor Rinzin Wangchuk, is out of the country for long-term studies, other office bearers are no longer with the media.
The Bhutan chapter held its last election for office bearers 11 months ago on August 9, 2009. Bhutan was the last of the eight south Asian countries to join SAFMA on August 5, 2007. Despite its commitment to advocate for press freedom in the country, the Bhutan Chapter of SAFMA has been a mute spectator to various incidents relating threat on media freedom.
