EDITORIAL

Nepal’s catastrophe is not a tragedy to watch from a safe distance. It is a warning from the mountains. On August 26, a glacier and rock collapse above the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed a devastating flood. Hundreds are dead and thousands are missing in Nepal and Tibet. The disaster destroyed roads, …

With 31 MPs, the ruling People’s Democratic Party should have had no difficulty securing the post. Yet Opposition BTP candidate Tempa Dorji won 24 votes against 23 for PDP’s Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk. The secret ballot has exposed the depth of discontent within the ruling party. The identities of the eight …

The reaction to the Shaba Higher Secondary School case is deeply troubling. Instead of questioning how a teacher allegedly struck a 16-year-old child 22 times with a rubber pipe, sections of social media supported it. Some argue nostalgia-driven populism: that corporal punishment made past generations respectful and successful, and today’s …

Bhutan may have just received one of the most important pieces of economic news in its modern history. If the ongoing ground validation confirms the airborne survey findings, we could possess significant deposits of tungsten, copper and perhaps even rare earth minerals at a time when global demand for these …

The Special Audit Report on the Bhutan Integrated Taxation System (BITS) has become much bigger than the failed BITS 1.0. It now raises fundamental questions about accountability, governance and whether Bhutan can encourage innovation without creating a bureaucracy too afraid to act. The audit memos issued against the former Prime …

The survey by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development on student wellbeing is an important step in the right direction. Policymaking should be guided by evidence, and understanding what students are experiencing inside and outside the classroom is essential if schools are to become safer and more supportive places. …

For one and a half years, Sonam Tobgay has remained in detention in Shigatshe with little information reaching either his family or the Bhutanese government. During this time, his wife has struggled to raise two young children, his elderly mother has lived with unbearable anxiety, and a family has watched …

The Annual Incident Report Analysis of the JDWNRH deserves appreciation because a hospital cannot improve if it first refuses to acknowledge its own shortcomings. The report paints a picture of a hospital under immense strain. Patients absconding, aggression against staff, fights between patients, self-harm attempts, verbal abuse, and even a …

Bhutan has declared war on drugs. That war should not begin only when a young person is caught with narcotics. It should begin much earlier with the cigarette or vape in a student’s hand. Smoking has quietly become more visible in Bhutan. Students smoking in public is no longer an …

On 20 May 2026, this paper asked the media focal person of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for the amount spent on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system and the manpower allocated for GST implementation so far. The MoF media focal person said they were extremely tied up with …