The Bhutan Journal | The Bhutan Watch

Journal

Editorial

by The Bhutan Watch March 8, 2022

Democratic days of Bhutan heralded with the transfer of power from fourth to fifth kings with new king accepting the fact that governance should be through the peoples’ elected representatives. In the past the monarchy used to face pressure to relinquish power; the transition to democracy witnessed appreciation and approval. The maturing of democracy did not go well in terms of practice, functioning and delivery. The monarchy remained the central force influencing decision-making and intervening the projects of the elected government. Though the constitution includes enormous royal prerogatives, it was positively hoped that path to democracy will widen as time goes. Many steps taken by the palace are proving to be otherwise. Read full

Journal

The Bhutan Journal 2.1

by The Bhutan Watch January 16, 2021

Editorial This issue also carries many grievances of the past and the agony of unsolved issues. This journal like the first one also carries sentiments and contents of Bhutanese diaspora more than Bhutan. De-Suung: The Orange Army By Dr Govinda Rizal Formed on the principle of volunteerism, the Orange Army is dedicated to crowd control, rescue and operation during emergencies, takes up the role of alert citizens. The Orange Army is now running a parallel government and is growing incredibly popular among the citizens most of whom are not happy with the democratic parliamentary system in the country and victims of calamities. Citation: Rizal, G. (2021). De-Suung: The Orange Army. The Bhutan Journal, 2(1), pp 3-19. Bhutan Watch Democracy, Adult Franchise, and Public Participation By I P Adhikari Bhutan promotes adult franchise, conducts periodic elections and has elected parliament and government. It has political parties contesting elections. But it lacks accountability mechanisms, participatory channels, independent and active civil societies, democracy education, and monitoring system that are central to a functional democracy. Citation: Adhikari, I. (2021). Democracy, Adult Franchise and Public Participation. The Bhutan Journal, 2(1), pp 20-38. Bhutan Watch Integration and Satisfaction Among Resettled Bhutanese in Australia  By Prof Dr Manfred Ringhofer Forcefully evicted out of country, 20% of the Bhutan’s Lhotshampa population spent decades in refugee camps in eastern Nepal. Now they are resettled in developed countries and are starting a new life. They are happy. They have embraced their new country and connection with Bhutan is gradually eroding.  Citation: Ringhofer, M. (2021). Integration and Satisfaction Among Resettled Bhutanese in Australia. The Bhutan Journal, 2(1), pp 39-58. Bhutan Watch Bhutanese Settlement and Community Leadership  By Om Dhungel Refugee resettlement provides opportunities for key stakeholders to work more collaboratively by adopting strength-based approaches in driving positive settlement as well as successful integration outcomes. The focus of this article  is on learnings from the Bhutanese refugee settlement experiences in different settlement countries and the role community leaders can play.  Citation: Dhungel, O. (2021). Bhutanese Settlement and Community Leadership. The Bhutan Journal, 2(1), pp 59-72. Bhutan Watch Bhutanese Refugee Cultural Complex: An Outsider-Insider’s Perspective By Dr Susan Banki The proposed Bhutanese Refugee Cultural Complex in Jhapa in eastern Nepal is worth asking about its purpose(s). Such commemorative structures are used for documenting history, preventing future problem events, reconciliation, individual healing, and tourism. Citation: Banki, S. (2021). Bhutanese refugee Cultural Complex: An Outsider-Insider Perspective. The Bhutan Journal, 2(1), pp 73-83. Bhutan Watch Democracy and Political Prisoners in Bhutan By Ram Karki Everyone said Bhutan attained democracy in 2008. King agreed for…