Ram Karki & Awatif Laouedj Introduction  On 30 April 2021, the Japanese government announced to award Dago Tshering with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star to strengthen the relationship between Bhutan and Japan (Mishra, 2021). Dago Tshering, former Bhutanese Ambassador to Japan, was recognised for his services to enhancing the partnership and friendship between Japan and Bhutan. This was the first time the honour had been bestowed by the Japanese government to a Bhutanese citizen. From 1991 until 1998, he was both Minister of Home Affairs and Commissioner of Cultural Affairs (Mishra, 2021). During his tenure, human rights violations took place against the Lhotsampa community, who were victims of ethnic cleansing (Bhattacharyya, 2017). This announcement has dismayed the crime victims, who are now protesting the decision. In the wake of this, considerable attention has been paid to the human rights violations of 1990-1993 under Tshering’s tenure (Bhutan News Service, 2021). Because of Drukpa’s cultural hegemony in Bhutan, the Lhotsampa, originating from Nepal, were made to follow Drukpa’s rules and standards. The Lhotsampa’s Hindu way of life was in stark contrast to these limitations (Bhattacharyya, 2017). In the late 1980s, Bhutanese elites perceived the growing ethnic Lhotsampa group as a demographic and cultural threat. The government enacted discriminatory citizenship laws that disproportionately affected the Lhotsampa community (Human Rights Watch, 2008). Lhotsampa’s were subjected to harrowing atrocities because they were Hindus in a mostly Buddhist society (Bhattacharyya, 2017) and this made them victims of a deliberate cultural and ethnic cleansing. Due to a new Act’s need for proof of residence, the Lhotsampas were labelled as illegal immigrants. From attacks on their dress code, language, and bank accounts to the most severe types of sexual molestation and torture, they were subjected to a barrage of assaults that forced the Lhotsampas to flee Bhutan (Pulla, 2016). About 108,000 Lhotsampas ejected from Bhutan by force were upset at the dismal state…