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 Bhutan Today will be a chore in a country with few passable roads, meaning newsagents will have to carry it to far-flung districts on foot and on horseback.