WÒRDS FÒR YÒU

On the auspicious occasion of our National Day, I offer my deep prayers to Guru Rinpoche, humble reverence to Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, and profound gratitude to His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. I extend my heartfelt Tashi Delek to the people of the 20 dzongkhags and Bhutanese living abroad.  Despite the threats from the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued to successfully pursue our national goals. This is due to the blessings of the Triple Gem, the good fortune of our leaders, the merit of our forefathers, and the unified efforts of our people. The Royal Government has successfully vaccinated the vast majority of our people. This was possible through the generous assistance of many countries like India, United States of America, China, Denmark, Bulgaria, Croatia and other partners like the COVAX Initiative. The quality and efficacy of vaccines such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covishield, and Sinopharm have been impressive. The people of Bhutan deeply apprecia...

The Monggar district court has sentenced a 25-year-old man to a concurrent prison term of nine-years and eleven-months for molesting and raping a 13-year-old girl. The judgment was passed today. The incident took place in September when the victim had gone to the convict for tuition. The court has also ordered the convict to pay Nu 90,000 as compensation. According to the Penal Code of Bhutan, the rape of a child above the age of 12 years is a felony of the second degree with a prison term of nine to 15 years.

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According to the National Commission for Women and Children, (NCWC) every week, a woman or a child was sexually assaulted between 2009 and 2020. These cases take place either at work, school or at home. The Sombaykha MP, Dorjee Wangmo asked the government about their plans to protect women and children. The Foreign Minister who is the Chairperson of the National Commission for Women and Children said people should report such cases immediately. “Many people do not come out and share their problems even if such incidences happen. I also feel that such cases are not reported on time out of fear and guilt. It is a collective responsibility and all of us should report if we know that such cases are happening,” said Dr Tandi Dorji. He also said there are representatives identified even at gewogs to deal with the issue. “The NCWC has worked very hard and created awareness programs across the country. We are working with many people. We have identified people to handle such cas...

I suppose he was the kind of guy that women swoon over that is, a hopelessly romantic, charming, tall, attractive, in touch with his emotions and spontaneous. To me, it all felt contrived, rehearsed, and I wasn’t feeling it. However, I enjoyed his company, we had a myriad of common interests, and he challenged me mentally. So, I engaged, yet he wasn’t enough to make me give up my singledom. There were moments, though, when we bickered, and it felt as if he was more in competition with me like our shared interest in writing. I wrote fiction, and he wrote poetry, but often, he felt the need to make comparisons that were not necessary. In the beginning, he expressed his interest, and I skirted around them, pushing him into the dreaded friend zone. He dated other people, so did I, and when we saw each other at events, he would often leave his companion to engulf me in a hug that communicated to them that there was more than friendship happening between us. Whenever we hung out,...

The much-awaited Jomotshangkha-Samrang highway in Samdrupjongkhar, which has been closed to traffic since June of this year, is expected to open to traffic by the second week of this month. The formation cutting of the 58-kilometre highway was completed in February of this year. The Department of Road (DoR) has also constructed the two major bridges along the highway at Kalikhola and Nunai. Meanwhile, residents of three gewogs in Jomotshangkha drungkhag welcomed the news. A resident, Rinchen Dorji, said since the highway was closed for traffic, they have had to travel along the Indian highway in an escorted group. He said that although the groups are taking care of those travelling via India, it is still risky to travel along the Indian highway because of the rising Covid-19 cases in India. Another resident, Kinzang Choden, said they could not travel and take care of shopping as per their plan when they travel with a group, adding that they also have to wait until everyone ...

𝑊ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑦 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑗𝑜𝑏 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑎𝑙, 𝑖𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑜𝑛-𝑡ℎ𝑒-𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑠 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑢𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡.  As many as 100 job seekers were interviewed during the ‘on the spot’ recruitment drive facilitated by the Labour Ministry for the employers in Thimphu on the 3rd of November, 2021. Employers came with their job openings to find right candidates among many job seekers who fielded their resumes during the recruitment drive. “This is so convenient and fast,” said Sonam Tshewang, 21, a VTI graduate, who got hired as the lathe operator for Lokith automobile workshop. “Thanks to the Labour Ministry for such an initiative.  Given the issue of rising unemployment in the country, the Labour Ministry is exploring every possible method of steering the labour market dynamics. “His Majesty is so con...