Tuesday, September 25,2007
THIMPHU:
Regarding David Howell's "Happiness can't be legislated": Happiness is not measurable by economic and material prosperity, yet the Bhutanese regime makes every effort to force people to comply with the principles of happiness that a dictator propagated. Media has been suppressed and censored. Speaking against the wrongdoings of the rulers results in severe punishment. Several people still face life imprisonment for doing so. People have no hand in prioritizing their agendas. What the king says becomes law. The demand for human rights and democracy is generally termed "antinationalist," and proponents are expelled from the country.Bhutan's efforts to practice a happiness philosophy were attempts to divert the international community from Bhutan's mistakes of expelling citizens. I agree with Howell that Bhutan brought in the concept of happiness at the wrong time, motivated by other interests; however, I disagree that Bhutan has confined foreigners to camps. Certainly, the people living as refugees in UNHCR camps in Nepal are not foreigners; they are the sons of the land of Bhutan.The "happiness formula" is not relevant at a time when one-sixth of the country's population remains evicted. It is foolish of some to state that only southern Bhutanese are migrants. Historically, Bhutan is a land of migrants.In short, the happiness formula renders comfort to rulers and their nears-and-dears. People in the rural areas still remain outside the benefits provided by national developments. So, in Bhutan's case, happiness is a forced philosophy.
JAPAN TIMES
The Sorry Saga of Bhutan's North
Click over the map to know the differences
i totally agree wit d ethnic nepali speaking bhutanese trying to get back their basic human rites.i have studied wit d drukpas n by d way they express themselve i came to knw how supressive the druk authority in bhutan is n how they blindfold their youths to accept their monarchy.i harshly condemn d druk's expression of their impending fake democracy election coz evryone can see it's just a mockery of international law n democracry in this century.thus i strongly appeall world community,US,UN n india to go thru d eviction of nepali speaking bhutanese from druk dominated bhutan.
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