EDITORIAL

For Bhutanese families, Australia’s latest student visa changes could fundamentally change the way studying in Australia is planned, financed and pursued. The most immediate change is that international students will generally no longer be able to bring their spouses or family members. Those already in Australia will not be separated, …

The scrap business may be small, but what is happening to it at the Bhutan-India border exposes a much bigger problem. If trucks carrying legitimate commercial goods can be stopped in Jaigaon by people claiming political connections and forced to pay money, this is not merely a scrap industry problem. …

The Royal Audit Authority is right to tighten the rules on audit clearances. Bhutan cannot have a system where audit observations remain unresolved for years while officials move from one post to another and the same problems are inherited by their successors. Officials who make poor decisions, ignore procedures or …

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 …