The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Anti Corruption Commission is looking into allegations that 24 support staff of Gelephu Thromde who visited Bangkok, Thailand, last year on a study tour did not actually undergo a study tour.
The ACC received complaints from a training institute in Bangkok of such being the case with the Gelephu Thromde support staff who travelled to Bangkok in two groups. The first group visited Bangkok from September 13-17 and the second group from September 17-22.
“The study tour was organized to motivate support staff in their work and a study tour is a great opportunity for people to combine overseas travel and cultural experiences,” a Gelephu Thromde official said. “A study tour emphasizes experiential learning and allows learners to explore new territories, culture and people.”
An ACC official said that the Gelephu thromde and a training institute in Bangkok signed an agreement which stated that 24 thromde support staff would visit an institute in Bangkok in two different batches to undergo a study tour but the thromde did not honor the agreement and instead went through another institute.
“We received complaints from the institute with whom thromde initially entered into negotiation and finalized the agreement,” the ACC official said. “We were also told thromde support staff were sent on a study tour but later learnt that they did not actually undergo a study tour because there was no evidence to support that they went for a study tour.”
A Thromde support staff from the first batch claimed that after reaching Bangkok the group went to Pattaya for sightseeing and the next two days were spent efficiently. “We went for a study tour through an agent called Slexsharp where we learnt about sanitation, water supply, sewerage, waste collection and town beautification,” the support staff said.
A staff from the second batch said the tour gave them experiences about the people and culture of Bangkok. “On the final day, we went shopping and explored many historical monuments,” he said.
