I’m sorry

Posted inMiscellaneous
We walked from Sipsoo in Samtse through Sombaykha, and arrived in Dorikha in Haa yesterday. I couldn’t go online during the entire journey, as I couldn’t connect to B-Mobile’s signal. Their cellular signal was generally unavailable and in the few places that I could connect to B-Mobile, their signal was weak, and data transfer impossible. It wasn’t like this last year. Then, when I traveled through the same villages, I’d been able to connect to B-Mobile and go online through most of the journey. And I’d celebrated their coverage in Connecting Bhutan. This time I couldn’t blog or tweet…

Sonam’s lawyer

Posted inJustice16 Comments
Sonam Tshering now has legal help. Ritu Raj Chhetri, an accomplished lawyer and ex-PDP candidate, has agreed to represent him free of charge. Earlier today, I went to the detention center to meet Sonam, and to introduce him to his legal counsel. I’m hopeful.

Facing the Ban

Posted inJustice
Kinley Shering, a concerned citizen, has launched "Amend the Tobacco Act", a group on Facebook. The group is closed but, if you have a Facebook account, you can ask to join the group. Cee Dee Jamtsho, another concerned citizen, posted this on Kinley's Facebook group:

Bhutan today

Posted inJustice
Bhutan Today's editorial, for readers who do not have access to the newspaper. Their website is woefully inadequate!

Calling concerned citizens

Posted inJustice58 Comments
Sonam Tshering is 23 years old. He is charged with smuggling tobacco. And, if convicted, he could be jailed for 3 to 5 years. If Sonam Tshering did indeed smuggle tobacco, he should be sent to jail. That’s what the Tobacco Control Act sanctions. The laws of the land must prevail. But think about this law. Think about how draconian the Tobacco Control Act really is. Sonam Tshering could go to jail for 3 years for possessing four packs of Baba chewing tobacco. Each pack has a dozen packets. So he had a total of 48 packets of chewing…

No exams?

Posted inEducation
The education ministry is reportedly considering doing away with written examinations for students of PP to Class III. Please take the poll asking if phasing out exams for PP to Class III is a good idea. And please share your thoughts on this important issue.

Happy Losar

Posted inCulture
Lopen Tshewang Tenzin, a lharip instructor at the National Institute for Zorig Chusum in Thimphu, tells the story behind the Thuenpa Puenshi: A golden era it was for the kingdom of Varanasi. The king, his prime minister and the people all claimed the credit. In the end, they sought the wisdom of the reclusive hermit. "The golden era has been brought about by the four friends in the forest," said the hermit. The bird, the rabbit, the monkey and the elephant had devoted their lives to propagating good deeds. The king and his entourage went into the forest to…

Devika Darjee

Posted inPeople, Sports
A winnerAlmost 200 of you took part in the poll to decide who would be our sportsperson of the year. Thank you for voting. And thank you for your many comments. I closed the poll at midnight on the last day of January. The race was close. Ugyen Yoeser (cycling) and Devika Darjee (cricket) ran neck and neck in our informal competition. Eventually Devika won, but by barely a whisker – she secured 55 votes against Ugyen’s 53. Devika Darjee was the only lady among my nominees for the sportsperson of 2010. She beat nine men to the top…