The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The border security has been tightened due to the increasing case of abductions along the border areas. The recent abduction of a 14-year-old student, and the two drivers who have still not come home for the last four months, has caused fears along the border areas.
During the 14th Meet-the-Press session, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said that government is working closely with India, at the centre, state and district levels, to solve the problem. “Security along the border have been tightened and His Majesty the King has personally visited the affected areas and commanded the deployment of additional troops along the border including special commandos,” the Prime Minister said.
Lyonchhen said government is also monitoring communications and telephones, with the danger of infringing into the right to privacy. Lyonchhen said, “The bottom line is, we share open borders and open borders have benefited us.” He said that although the open border is creating problems with miscreant coming in and creating havoc, however, the country cannot afford to close the borders.
He said that the people must work together to protect the country. He cautioned the people to travel along the border with care. The Prime Minister said that while there is no guarantee that such problems will stop, however, he is hopeful the situation will improve. Regarding Samtse case, the Prime Minister said it was an unfortunate incident. However, he said government is fortunate to be able to work with officials across the border, under an atmosphere of trust and confidence, given that Bhutan and India are close and very friendly nations. “Otherwise it would have been more dangerous and more difficult, and we are happy that the situation was brought under control very quickly,” the Prime Minister said.
