EDITORIAL

Losing the billions

In 2011, based on investigative reports by the Editor of this paper a special RAA report said that in 2007 the actual legal Bhutan Lottery turnover in India was Nu 263.6 bn but Bhutan was only getting a fractional Nu 210 mn of this. Bhutan being taken for such a …

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His Majesty turns 41

Last year when the nation was celebrating the 40th birth anniversary of His Majesty The King there was little inkling of the tumultuous year ahead. However, COVID-19 made its first appearance in March 2020 with the first COVID-19 case and since then His Majesty has led Bhutan’s fight against the …

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The Great Reform

If there is one thing that marks out His Majesty The King, it is the vision and ability to bring about great and far reaching reforms all the way back from 2006. These include poverty alleviation through land reform, land kidu and resettlement; better corporate governance and performance through DHI; …

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Cautious Optimism

As the nation comes out of the second national lockdown and more than 300 cases of local COVID-19 transmission, mainly in Thimphu and Paro, the words of His Majesty, as relayed by the Prime Minister, should ring clear and loud. His Majesty advised the government to be cautious, alert and …

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Vaccine fears

The combination of the government’s incredulous ‘Dana’ month excuse, and out of context online information on the side effects of the vaccine has given rise to a wave of overnight vaccine doubters. There are an increasing tribe of people, both online and in real life, declaring they will not take …

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Setting the record straight

At a time when the need of the hour is national and societal unity in the fight against COVID-19, the last thing the people want to see is two National Newspapers having a go at each other. However, what is also equally true is that the most important asset for …

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Coordination and complacency

With a large outbreak in Thimphu and Paro it is increasingly becoming clearer by the day that coordination issues and complacency on the ground contributed to the virus spreading in the two Dzongkhags. These twin qualities have long vexed the Bhutanese bureaucracy and system, and this time it reared its …

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Bhutan’s COVID-19 numbers and a global comparison

As of 1st January 2021 Bhutan has 689 COVID-19 cases of which 240 are active cases and 449 have recovered with zero deaths so far. According to the National Statistical Bureau Bhutan’s population in 2020 is 748,931. On the global stage with around 83 million COVID-19 cases for a global …

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Complacency, winter and the COVID outbreak

One of the biggest questions with the outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Thimphu, Paro and other Dzongkhags is on what would have caused it. While the exact epidemiology of the spread will be better known by the Ministry of Health’s tracing and testing teams and experts, two broad reasons immediately …

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