Editor gone missing... Employees out of station.... We'll Be Back!!!! :)

                                        Streets of Thimphu

Street of Thimphu, Greener than before... with the help of our leaders today!!!

                                                                           

Commonly known as Buddha Point.

One of the largest statue of Buddha. Over looking the Thimphu town, the capital city of Bhutan.

its very huge up close and you may not see it but there's a huge diamond right on the statues forehead. Its still under construction and believe it or not, the sacred place is crawling with love bugs around and it's a common sight to see lots of action on the way up. Oh! and yeah, there are a lot of people running for health too.

What a holy place to visit, eh?

The mean streets of Paro town.

Where Man, Animal and Machine share the same path, "happily"..... well, i think its bloody GNH!!!!  Hurray!!! for GNH :) and FYI GNH stands for Gross National Happiness.

The tragedy of Wangduephodrang dzong (JUN 25, 2012)

The tragedy of Wangduephodrang dzong (JUN 25, 2012)

  

The nation mourns today the loss of one of its oldest monuments that, having withstood the test of time for the last almost 400 years, succumbed yesterday to fire.

Utterly grief-stricken families at the site, and those watching the clips on television looked on helplessly as Wangduephodrang dzong got engulfed by a raging fire between 4pm and 5pm yesterday.

Travellers, passing through the dzongkhag stopped on the road between the crackling sound the fire made, as it ate deeper into the dzong above, and the swishing river flowing down below.

It was in utter disbelief that such a mischance would befall the dzong, that they watched it, stunned as they did, wondering and wishing that the fire cease somewhere and not burn down the entire structure.

Everybody, going through the dzongkhag, was used to seeing the dzong, which until yesterday stood proud, flowing along the contours of the ridge high above the river, as a living example of Bhutanese architecture.

The gentle drizzle that evening failed to, leave aside douse, even slow down the wind-fanned fire.

Fire, historically, has devastated such landmarks of the country, and it continues to do so even today, as they dispossess us of the very treasures before our very eyes, helpless against the forces of nature.

It was not foreign invasions that rendered some of the country’s once fortresses ruins, but it was more the constituents within that often caused it.

Then, it was the butter lamps; today, the threat is aggravated by electric short circuits.

There are many more dzongs in the country, just as old and seasoned, exposed to similar threats from fire, which is why the need for provisions to prevent such a mishap.

One obvious question that cropped in the minds of people watching and listening to the news of the dzong’s devastation, was, what of the modern and various fire extinguishers and alarms?

Ground reports were that there was no access for fire engines to squeeze into the interiors to battle the flames more effectively.

The devastation comes at a time when the country is already reeling under the issue of Rupee crunch, and restoring such monuments to their earlier grandeur poses challenges.

With human labour, we might eventually restore the dzong, and perhaps give it a far grander appearance than the structure that was until today, but to the eyes that have dwelt on the past, as had put George Eliot in her classic novel, Mill on the Floss, there is no thorough repair.

P.S. at the scene, it was reported that the fire trucks didn't function and the one that did were out of water. Is it just human failure or is it a bad omen upon the Bhutanese?

                                   The Leaders Of Today...

Provisions of the Constitution of Bhutan

The provisions of the Constitution of Bhutan appear below, grouped into thematic order for the convenience of the reader.

Government of Bhutan under the 2008 Constitution

Elections

Article 23 defines the Constitutional requirements for elections in Bhutan. The Constitution calls for universal suffrage by secret ballot of all citizens over age 18 who have been registered in the civil registry of their constituency for at least one year and not "otherwise disqualified from voting under any law in force in Bhutan." In order to vote, Bhutanese citizens must furnish their Citizenship Card.

Parliament makes, by law, provisions for all matters relating to, or in connection with, elections including the filing of election petitions challenging elections to Parliament and Local Governments, and the Code of Conduct for the political parties and the conduct of the election campaign as well as all other matters necessary for the due constitution of the Houses of Parliament and the Local Governments.

In order to provide for informed choice by the voter, candidates for an elective office must file, along with a nomination, an affidavit declaring: the income and assets of candidates, spouses and dependent children; biographical data and educational qualifications; records of criminal convictions; and whether candidates are accused in a pending case for an offense punishable with imprisonment for more than one year and in which charges are framed or cognizance is taken by a court of law prior to the date of filing of such a nomination.

To qualify for an elective office, candidates must be Bhutanese citizens; must be registered voters in their own constituencies; be between ages 25 and 65 at the time of nomination; must not receive money or assistance from foreign sources whatsoever; and fulfill the necessary educational and other qualifications prescribed in the Electoral Laws.

Persons are disqualified from holding an elective office if they marry a non-citizen; have been terminated from public service; have been convicted for any criminal offense and sentenced to imprisonment; are in arrears of taxes or other dues to the Government; have failed to lodge accounts of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law without good reason or justification; holds any office of profit under the Government, public companies, or corporations as prescribed in the Electoral Laws; or is disqualified under any law made by Parliament. Disqualifications are adjudicated by the High Court on an election petition filed pursuant to law made by Parliament.

Reality Bhutan

brief history.

Bhutan (Dzongkha: འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, tr ʼbrug-yul, "Druk Yul"; Devanagari भूटान, Bhūṭān), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby country of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal.

Cities and towns

• Thimphu, the largest city and capital of Bhutan.
• Damphu, the administrative headquarters of Tsirang District
• Jakar, the administrative headquarters of Bumthang District and the place where Buddhism entered Bhutan.
• Mongar, the eastern commercial hub of the country.
• Paro, site of the international airport.
• Phuentsholing, Bhutan's commercial hub.
• Punakha, the old capital.
• Samdrup Jongkhar The south eastern town on the border with India
• Trashigang, administrative headquarters of Trashigang District the most populous district in the country.
• Trongsa, in central Bhutan which has the largest and the most magnificent of all the dzongs in Bhutan.