Bhutanese poachers behind killing of Tiger and Leopard

Forest officials track down and apprehend three long-time poachers. The tiger was poached by their Indian counterparts along the Assam-Bhutan border on request while the leopard was killed in Nganglam.

Three long-time Bhutanese poachers were apprehended in connection with the illegal transaction of tiger and leopard parts on 26 March.

However, what could send shockwaves through Bhutan’s conservation community is that the Tiger was killed…

REDD-iness

Bhutan stands to gain but various issues need to be considered

Bhutan is slowly gearing towards developing a national strategy on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD +). However, there is skepticism from various quarters at the country actually becoming a signatory to the mechanism. REDD+ is a mechanism that establishes incentives for developing countries to protect and better manage their forest resources by creating a financial value for the carbon stored in forests.

The three mechanisms under REDD+ include: the…

Wholesale cartel makes 216% profit on imported vegetables

A study by Department of Agriculture and Marketing Co-operatives shows that Bhutanese kitchens pay exorbitantly high rates and recommends that FCB take over wholesale of vegetables to bring down prices

Next time you visit the Centenary Farmer’s Market in Thimphu make sure that you drive a hard bargain.

A study by the Department of Agriculture and Marketing Cooperatives (DAMC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) conducted in 2010 and now made public has found that a major…

Non-resident foreigners’ bank accounts in country is money laundering: RMA Governor

He added that closing the accounts was always a priority

Earlier this week, the RoyalMonetary Authority(RMA) Governor, duringa meeting with about 150 representatives from the private sector, made it clear that Indian businessmen across the border holding bank accounts in Bhutan was not legal and closing these accounts had remained a priority ever since the central bank learnt about it more than seven years ago.

Governor Daw Tenzin said a foreigner who holds an account in another country, even if it is for…

Special skills training for monks and nuns

For more than a decade, the Labor ministry (MoLHR) has been providing Special Skills Development Programme (SSDP) for groups not integrated into the general education system.

Initially, the group included armed personnel, juvenile and disabled youth. But from the year 1999 till 2011, the ministry has also trained around 845 monks and 209 nuns in the traditional arts and crafts which were taught in religious institutions such as dratshangs, shedras, gomdeys and dubdeys in olden times.

It was believed that these skills came into existence from religious beliefs…

Saving the highlanders

In a few years’ time Yeedpa (fermented cheese) and yak meat might just make it to your last supper and chugo (hard cheese) maybe a story of a rock-hard milk candy that you tell your children about if yak herders opt off their nomadic life.

This is indeed a possibility if there are no developmental activities to enhance the…

Three men suspected of stealing 53 horses caught

Three men suspected of stealing 53 horses in Wangdue Phodrang, out of which seven belonged to His Eminence Gangtey Truelku, have been detained by the police.

One of the suspects is a taxi driver from Punakha and the other two are farmers from Phobjikha, Wangdue Phodrang.

The horses went missing from Phobjikha where they were grazing.

Wangdue police said the horses were sold in two trips. The first trip was a success but during the second when they took eight horses towards Tango, Thimphu, they were caught…

Basics taught in Dzongkha, a possible hurdle for learning Science in English

Environmental studies (EVS) which is taught in Dzongkha from classes PP to III is taught in English from class IV onwards as social studies and science.

This sudden U-turn, some observers feel, will be to the detriment of the students’ performance. But according to the Principal Curriculum Officer for environmental studies, with the Department of Curriculum and Research Division (DCRD), Wangda Dorji, children learn the basic terms in Dzongkha more easily.

“Moreover, there is no need for any…

NHDC looks at alternative housing materials

The National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC) is exploring the possibility of using alternative housing materials such as prefabricated building components or stabilized mud blocks to afford cheaper accommodation to middle and low-income people.

The corporation plans to implement this project in far-flung districts or urban centres in Bhutan where accessibility is difficult or the cost of construction for conventional materials is high.

This plan is being initiated to cut down on the soaring costs of transporting construction materials to such…

Kharang: a sensitive issue

The glaring headlines of the 14 April issue almost elevated unconfirmed toxicity of Kharang to that of “radiation exposure” of radioactive nuclear waste in post-tsunami Japan then. This story comes out as if hurtling with the haste to prove Kharang leads to cancer.

We use kharang almost every day in the family menu. It represents a simple staple diet to most of the struggling folks in the east. Kharang is popular in Thimphu and other major towns as well now.

With the little that Bhutancan…