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UN INTERESSANTE STUDIO COMPLETO SUL TAKIN, L'ANIMALE NAZIONALE DEL BHUTAN
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December 29, 2016
Tourism: Hotels, resorts and guesthouse owners in Bumthang did not see many tourists this year.
The fall in tourists is attributed to the poor road conditions between Thimphu and Bumthang due to the ongoing widening of the East-West Highway.
Many reservations were cancelled as the tourists could not travel to Bumthang. It was pointed out that many tourists returned to Thimphu half way to Bumthang due to landslides and poor roads conditions.
The proprietor of River Lodge and the former president of the Bumthang hotel association, Pema Dawa, said the number of tourists coming to Bumthang dropped this year. He usually gets around 300 tourists during the Tamzhing Phalachoedpa festival that happens in October. He got only 70 tourists this year.
Pema Dawa said Bumthang receives around 2,000 tourists every year during this festival. He estimates that barely 500 came this year. “Usually, tourists travel to Bumthang following the Thimphu tsechu from October 11 and stay until October 16,” he said.
However, this year the road was blocked at Thumangdra in Trongsa following heavy rain from October 11 to October 13. Even flights to Bathpalathang airport were cancelled during this time.
Pema Dawa said tourist arrivals improved during the Jambay Lhakhang Drub. “It was almost like usual as the roads turned dry by then,” he said. Occupancy for all kinds commercial lodging was close to 100 percent.
Some tourists even had to put up in tents as they could not get rooms.
“Those who come to Bhutan are mostly the elderly and they can’t bear the bumpy journey,” he said. Some could not even move around for a few days after reaching Bumthang, he added.
The Swiss guesthouse also saw less guests this year.
“Usually our 26-room guesthouse is full during the three-day Tamzhing Phalachodpa but there were only six tourists this year,” an employee of the guesthouse said. Some tourists who were supposed to stay three days in Bumthang could do so for only a night as they had to spend other days waiting for roadblocks to be cleared.
Proprietor of hotel Jakar View and the chairman of the Hotel Association of Bumthang, Tandin Dorji, attributed the decrease of tourists in Bumthang this year to bad road conditions between Thimphu and Bumthang, the earthquake in Nepal and the political problems in Thailand.
He said hotels in Bumthang suffered during the first half of the tourist season but did well in the second half. For instance, some 40 percent of reservations were cancelled in the first half, but the number of visiting tourists picked up in the second half. “ However the overall number dropped,” he said.
He said they approached the Prime Minister requesting for help in keeping the road open during the tourist seasons. In keeping with Lyonchoen’s instructions, the road was improved but unavoidable landslides along the highway still occurred.
He said hotels might not face such problems in 2017 as there will be no fresh cuttings along the highway. “The work progress is also good till date,” he added.
However, some hoteliers are still worried about facing the same situation in 2017. “Given this situation, we are skeptical about our business next year,” a hotelier said.
Wangdicholing resort’s proprietor, Phuntsho, said his business was not affected despite 18 of his guests returning to Thimphu from Trongsa and seven more returning from Wangdue. He added that while there are problems associated with the widening of the East-West Highway, the highway has to be widened for a better future.
There are 45 hotels, guesthouses, resorts and lodges in Bumthang today.
Nima Wangdi | Chamkhar
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December 22, 2016
National Corruption Barometer Survey (NCBS) conducted by the Bhutan Transparency Initiative (BTI) launched yesterday
Corruption: Favouritism and nepotism in recruitment, promotion and transfer are the most prevalent forms of corruption in the country. This is followed by misuse of public funds and facilities, and the deliberate delaying of decisions with corrupt motives.
Discriminatory and non-uniform application of laws and rules are the main causes of corruption in the country. Other noticeable factors leading to corruption are lengthy procedures, a weak and ineffective media and a strong protective social net of the accused. Weak leadership, lack of information and transparency on rules and procedures, and poor or lack of robust accountability mechanisms in place were found to play a significant role in increasing corruption in the country.
These findings were based on the National Corruption Barometer Survey (NCBS) conducted by Bhutan Transparency Initiative (BTI), which was launched in Thimphu yesterday.
Other findings of the survey include corruption being highly concentrated at the top decision making level while corruption was thought to be comparatively low at the lower supervisory level. The most alarming findings from the survey is that more than a quarter (25.32 percent) of respondents thought that corruption was normal, and that everyone indulged in it thinking it was normal. The report states that these findings indicate the existence of pervasive corruption in the country and a high level of acceptance of corruption as a norm in the society.
The survey also found that another 13.43 percent were afraid that combating corruption would be an uphill task as doing so would require taking on a powerful nexus of judges, bureaucrats, politicians, and businesses. The report states that in a close-knit society, where interdependence is quite the norm, there would not be many who would risk being excluded from this circle of interdependence.
There were other findings such as discrimination on the basis of social status as one of the common problems faced by people on a daily basis while accessing public services. About 20 percent of respondents admitted that such kind of discrimination was the key problem in accessing public services and that the trend is on the rise.
The report also states that the general perception among the people is that the corruption level has been steadily increasing since the introduction of democracy in the country. Around a third (31.5 percent) stated that the level of corruption has ‘increased somewhat’ after the introduction of democracy.
Executive director of NCBS, Pema Lhamo, said the survey was conducted to assess the perception of corruption and to establish a reference point for awareness, education and advocacy on corruption prevention.
“The survey has interviewed a cross section of people from all walks of life. However, the research is still limited and unable to answer questions particularly dynamics of corruption at various sectoral, sub-sectoral and institutional levels both nationally and locally. The interventions against corruption need to match the causes in order for anti-corruption actions to be effective,” Pema Lhamo said.
The study will serve as a baseline for BTI as the findings of the survey will be useful in assessing a general level of corruption experience and perception. BTI will use the findings of the report to design relevant interventions to strengthen initiatives against corruption, Pema Lhamo said.
“The study has found that governance score of selected public institutions are on track. The study also clearly indicates the need for more in-depth studies to be carried out on the governance aspect such as governance codes and regulations, human resource regulations and policies, and other internal control systems to improve governance practices,” Pema Lhamo said.
The study also calls for organisations such as the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) and the BTI to urgently strengthen their anti-corruption activities and programme, and the government to address good governance issues much more seriously that ever before, Pema Lhamo added.
The survey was conducted among 1,200 people from the rural and urban areas.
ACC Chairperson, Kinley Yangzom, said that while agencies such as ACC and BTI can lead the fight against corruption, it is the constitutional duty of every Bhutanese to uphold justice and to act against corruption.
“We must promote accountability, transparency and integrity, and it must start with ourselves – each one of us must practice and promote integrity and stand united in spirit and purpose against the social menace – corruption,” Kinley Yangzom said.
Thinley Zangmo
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December 16, 2016
Savings: It’s the 13th day of the month and it’s the day women in the villages of Pang and Bemji of Nub Chutoe valley come together in a nearby shop with the little money they have saved from selling farm produces.
Keza Dekar, 27, from Pang is one of them. She has walked for 30 minutes from her house with Nu 1,000.
Like other women in the locality, she has come to deposit the money she earned in a month from selling chillies and pepper to Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women (RENEW) officials, who visit the village once a month, to collect money from members of their micro finance project.
Keza has deposited Nu 10,000 as of today, since the inception of the micro finance project scheme in January 2013. But she has also withdrawn about Nu 6,000 till now. As a single mother of two, she withdraws money whenever she has to buy school uniforms, shoes and other necessities for her children.
She said the highest she managed to deposit in a single day was Nu 1,200. “It was in Autumn when I sold vegetables,” Keza said. “In the summer months, it was difficult to even deposit Nu 100.”
Sangay Lham, 28, from Bemji, has come with Nu 150.
The single mother of one said she managed to deposit Nu 10,000 till now from the sale of farm produces. “But I only have Nu 2,000, as I had to take out the money every time we had to buy some edibles at home.”
Sangay Lham is also applying for a loan of Nu 20,000 from the scheme. She wants to renovate her two-storey traditional house. She plans to buy cement.
“It is much easier to avail loans from here. It saves our time and money,” she said. “Repayment is also much more convenient here, as we don’t have to go all the way to Trongsa.”
Keza Dem, 39, joined the project in April this year. She deposited Nu 1,000 on December 13. She said she withdrew from the scheme in 2013 when officials made it mandatory for individuals to deposit money. “But now they made it flexible and anyone can make deposits as long as we send our deposit book,” she said.
Keza Dema added that she saved the money she earned from dancing at an archery match. “My family can use this money whenever we need it.”
Sonam Lham, 43, has saved Nu 7,130 but she withdrew Nu 6,000. “My son-in-law wants to repay his loan with this money,” she said. “He promised to work and replace my money.”
The mother of six said RENEW’s scheme has inculcated some savings habit among the local women. “All women now have savings and they can withdraw money whenever they need it,” Sonam Lham said.
She said the women talk among themselves and when some are able to save more money, others get encouraged. Women said the scheme encourages them to save since the women who do not have much to save feel embarrassed.
Meanwhile, a closer look at how the transaction was made revealed that it was a difficult job for the two RENEW officials, who had come from Trongsa in a taxi.
Since most of the women did not know how to read and write, they did not know their total deposits and how much they withdrew.
A woman, who inadvertently handed in the account book of her aunt, made a fuss when the balance didn’t tally. It took few minutes for her to realise that it was the wrong book.
Tashi Dema
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December 27, 2016
His Majesty The King offered prayers before a special statue of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel at the Simtokha Dzong yesterday.
The six-foot statue, which is at least 250 years old, has been housed in the Asiatic Society building in Kolkata for over a century. The society received the statue from a Captain Hadyat Ally, of the British Army, who is believed to have come into possession of the statue following the Duar War fought between Bhutan and the British in 1864-1865.
For the Bhutanese, the statue is a priceless relic of great spiritual significance, as are all relics attached to the Zhabdrung, who is revered as the great unifier of Bhutan and the founder of the Bhutanese nation state and polity.
His Majesty The King offers prayers before a special statue of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyel at Simtokha Dzong
This year is especially significant as it marks the 400th anniversary of Zhabdrung’s arrival to Bhutan. The commemoration of the event has included the display of precious relics of Zhabdrung, and thousands of people across the country have taken the opportunity to receive blessings from these relics, which are otherwise housed in various temples across the country.
This statue of Zhabdrung has been loaned to Bhutan by the Government of India in light of the great importance that the Bhutanese people attach to it. The Zhabdrung Ku was received in a ceremony at the Paro airport and was brought to the Simtokha Dzong, which is the first dzong that Zhabdrung built in Bhutan.
The statue will be displayed for public veneration in January.
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