Wow Bhutan

Shawl bags only Bhutanese award

Karma Yangchen’s natural dyed cotton shawl proved a worthy symbol of Bhutanese craftsmanship. The shawl was among the 13 handicrafts Bhutan had submitted in the South Asia UNESCO award of excellence for handicrafts in September in Chennai, India this year. ‘Handicrafts’ here is defined as products that are produced either completely by hand or with the help of tools. A total of 167 entries from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal were judged by an internatio...

Bells and chants launch Bhutan’s first daily newspaper

THIMPHU, Bhutan (Reuters) - Buddhist monks prayed for the success of Bhutan's first daily newspaper, which was launched Thursday but could take a week to reach remote areas of the tiny Himalayan nation carried on ponies and on foot. Bhutan Today, an eight-page morning paper, is part of Bhutan's attempt to build a free press after its former monarch and fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, forced his largely unwilling subjects to accept democracy earlier this year. Delivering copies of Bhut...

Immunising Bhutan – with Japan’s help

The government of Japan will continue to support the expanded programme on immunisation (EPI) in Bhutan for the next three years. The health secretary, Dasho Dr Gado Tshering, the resident representative of JICA, Tetsuo Yabe, and head of development cooperation division of the GNH commission, Thinley Namgyel, signed a project agreement on Monday. Under the project, the Japanese government will supply vaccines and vaccine storage equipment, also called cold chain equipment. Japanese tec...

Bhutanese take divorce in their stride

It may sound like a comment from Scandinavia - but this is Bhutan and the speaker is a young artist, Barun Gurung. His own parents divorced 10 years ago, when he was 13 and his brother a little older. "I think during their marriage they used to have small fights which, you know, used to have bad impact on us," he told the BBC. "They used to fight and you know my father used to put hands on my mother. So it was quite bad to see that." We meet in the studio where Barun works - a collectiv...

Bhutanese monk to spend weekend at Tibetan museum

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel, a Bhutanese Buddhist monk, will be at the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art Jan. 3-4 for a weekend of special blessings, teachings, a fire ceremony and dance. Lama Karma is the founder, spiritual director, and teacher at the Drukpa Mila Center in Boulder, Colo. The center fosters religious exchange between Bhutan and the West. From the age of 7, Lama Karma grew up in the monasteries of Bhutan where he became a chant and dance master an...

Recession hits Bhutan’s tourism industry

THIMPHU: Global meltdown has hit Bhutan's all-important tourism sector and tour operators have sought special measures from the government to deal with the crisis. The Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO) has said that over 1,500 tourists have cancelled their proposed trip to the country in 2009 following the financial crunch. “More bad news may be in store. Even the ones coming in do not or will not stay long,'' ABTO General Secretary Sonam Dorji said. ABTO is requesting “in...

John McCain visits Bhutan, gives tips on democracy

John McCain visited the world's youngest democracy on Thursday, one month after he lost the race to lead the world's oldest. McCain stopped in Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom nestled high in the Himalayas between IJohn McCain visited Bhutan on Thursdayndia and China, while on a tour of South Asia. He was joined by Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, two frequent companions during his campaign for president. Bhutan, known for its unique index...

Nepal humble Bhutan

Nepali bowlers showed the same discipline that won them their previous match against Malaysia to take Nepal to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over lowly Bhutan in the ACC U-19 Women's Cricket Tournament, at Gym Khana ground, on Sunday. Batting first, Bhutan batted the allotted 25 overs losing nine wickets. Thanks to Sonu Khadka's excellent bowling, Nepal restricted Bhutan to 34 runs. In reply, Nepal completed the chase in 9.3 overs losing just a wicket. Opener Maya Rawat posted an u...

Bhutanese refugees tell dark side of Himalayan kingdom

If Canadians know anything about Bhutan, it likely revolves around the tiny Himalayan nation's seemingly enlightened monarchs, often praised for ushering in democracy and championing a state-sponsored philosophy dubbed Gross National Happiness. But this week, the first of 5,000 refugees from Bhutan arrived in Canada, offering a reminder of the dark side of the country's recent history. The refugees -- ethnic Nepalese and mostly Hindu -- were effectively forced out of Bhutan by that same, Budd...

Sick steel industries seek cash transfusion

The cries of the Pasakha steel factories for rescue after the Wall Street crisis hit them with mounting losses has prompted the minister of economic affairs Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk to drive down south this week to assess the situation for himself. The steel factory owners are seeing this as indicative of the government’s willingness to help. But the minister has not given away anything yet, only that they submit a “report” to the government. The owners says that they are in desperate need of w...