KUENSEL
THAT THE PEOPLE SHALL BE INFORMED
M O N D A Y , J A N U A R Y 0 9 # ) ' ( . › E l ( ,
IN
BRIEF
Education conference
 The four-day National
Education Conference
- “Education Matters:
Towards Excellence” begins
today in Phuentsholing.
The public can provide
suggestions and feedback
on the education ministry’s
Facebook page: Sherig
Bhutan.
IN
Side
HOME
» ePIS to begin in
February in Paro
| PG.5
Spectators at the four-day annual Lhuentse tsechu that began on January 7
DZONGKHAG
Judiciary
Court language
being questioned
Tshering Palden
The recent verdict on the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s defamation case against
Dasho Benji, delivered in English, raises
the question about the language of the
courts.
The Supreme Court issued a notification on February 3, 2016 requiring the
courts to accept the submissions from
litigants only in Dzongkha.
Until then while some believed that
a litigant could make his submission
in the language he understood, the
common view, albeit misconceived,
held by many judges and courts, was
that Dzongkha was the court language
and that court proceedings were to be
conducted only in the language of the
court.
Pg.2
» Establishment of
Dhamdum industrial
park progressing
Policy
36 game-changers
in the new EDP
Tshering Dorji
Call it a “game changer” or the revised
economic development policy (EDP),
its goal will be to achieve a minimum
average economic growth rate of 10 percent and achieve the nation’s ambition
to emerge as a middle-income country
by 2020.
The EDP, which the Cabinet approved on December 21, last year, encompasses major economic reforms
including the restructuring of the macroeconomic base to take on board the
five jewels-hydropower, agriculture,
cottage and small industries, tourism
and mining.
The new EDP has a total of 252 policy
provisions and following this the finance
ministry has already drafted the new fiscal incentive policy. The two policies will
be formally launched toward the end of
this month.
The director general of hydropower
and power systems, Sonam P Wangdi,
who was the chairman of the core group
involved in revising the EDP said there
are about 36 game changers, at least two
in every sector, stipulating a major drift
in all the five jewels of the economy.
In mining, for instance, a major
change in the ownership pattern is expected. “A private party cannot get the
full ownership of any medium or large
mines,” he said, adding that a percentage would be worked out to divest some
shares to the community and minority
shareholders. Pg.2
| PG.9
Weather
Thimphu
Max
15
Min
-4
Kanglung
Max
Min
17
2
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PAGE 2
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
36 game-changers in the new EDP
From Pg.1
Another major development
is in the tourism sector wherein
the royalty fee has been replaced
with a sustainable development
fee. Sonam P Wangdi said the fee
would be used as a promotional
and marketing tool.
The new EDP states that the
volume will be determined by
the absorptive capacity of the
country in terms of infrastructure, culture, and environment.
Although it is left to the Tourism
Council of Bhutan to determine
how to use this instrument,
Sonam P Wangdi said fees
should differ based on the season and if possible there should
be concessions on double visits
and lesser fees to visit places
least visited by tourists. This, he
said, is to promote tourism and
related infrastructures across
the country with due regard to
regional balance and equitable
benefits.
In terms of trade and investment, the new EDP offers an
impetus to up the country’s ease
of doing business ranking to the
50th position by 2019. Sonam P
Wangdi said the country needs
to score 72 percent to achieve the
rank against the current score of
65 percent. “It is not so difficult
but once we do that our status
would be at par with countries
like Thailand, Mexico and Mauritius, among others.”
All bureaucratic red tape,
he said, are expected to be removed since the policy would
drive relevant agencies to bring
procedures and services online besides the one-stop shop.
“One document submitted to
one agency would suffice for all
other purposes, for instance,” he
said. “There would be preferential treatment to those helping
domestic production and employing locals.”
The new EDP also directs
the country to come up with an
entrepreneurship development
institution with linkages both
abroad and within.
The new EDP also seeks to
have laws harmonised and intimates the need to have new laws
and policies. For instance, the
EDP solicits the government to
adopt a Tourism Policy by 2017
and a Tourism Bill to be considered a priority. The timber allot-
Court language being questioned
From Pg.1
As a result, many litigants,
practicing lawyers and the general public have complained
about the refusal of the courts and
judges to accept their petitions in
English as being an impediment
to access to justice.
There is no other law besides
the Supreme Court notification
that specifies Dzongkha as the
language of the court.
Section 187 of the Civil and
Criminal Procedure Code states
that criminal charge has to be
written in the language of the
court.
Section 138 of the same
code provides that pleading
must allege a statement of facts
setting forth a cause of action or
defence in ordinary and concise
language. But ordinary language
is not defined.
“It is the right of the litigants
to have their cases adjudicated
in the language they understand.
The inability of the litigant to understand the language used in
court can create significant barriers to justice,” the verdict stated.
A number of international
treaties recognise the right of individuals to be informed of charges
against them in a language they
understand and the right to an
interpreter if they cannot understand the language used in court.
Some lawyers Kuensel spoke
to said that given a choice they
feel comfortable writing their
submissions in English. They are
educated and trained abroad,
learning about the law in English
while they have only a yearlong
training in national law.
“The common view that
Dzongkha is the court language
is not only misconceived and
wrong, but is also against the
principles of fair trial,” the verdict stated.
Earlier, most of the clerks and
judges were only Dzongkha literate. Today the judges and clerks
are modern educated, they said.
Others argued that the court
should stick with the national language in its submissions at least.
Dzongkha is the national language given in the Constitution.
“Yes, I agree that parties
should be given choice of language, but it should not be at the
cost of national identity,” a lawyer said. “Such pressure from the
court would only help to promote
our language in daily use.”
For instance in India, English
is compulsory in the court petition right from the sessions court
till supreme court.
“I feel that while we should
and must let the litigants understand what is being written or
written by courts through the
language they understand for
instance Tshangla, Kurtoepkha,
Khengkha or Lhotshamkha, it
should be written in Dzongkha,”
the lawyer said.
“As language of the court, if we
allow English then what about
those foreigners prosecuted in
the court like Bengali, Germans,
Russians, Chinese who don’t understand even English?”
However, few courts including the High Court allow litigants
or their representatives to argue
in English.
In another ongoing hearing
a defendant asked the Thimphu dzongkhag court to accept
petitions in English. The court
however denied this request.
The judge said that the court can
accept petitions only in Dzongkha. Despite that the defendant
submitted arguments in both
languages.
ment policy is suggested to be
reviewed.
A review of the foreign exchange rules and regulations
is probable in order to re-look
at the allocation of foreign currency. To boost the agriculture
sector, the policy also directs
the Royal Monetary Authority
to provide easy financing to the
agriculture sector.
Import of used but energy
efficient and non-polluting
machines are allowed for the
manufacturing sector. Sonam P
Wangdi said this provision has
been there before but the National Environment Commission guidelines somehow placed
some restrictions. “So the new
EDP seeks for harmonisation of
laws,” he added.
The land Act, immigration
Act, road safety and transport
Act, intellectual properties Act
and local government Act are a
few laws that shall be reviewed
within a year after implementation of this new EDP.
In hydropower, the EDP ensures maximum benefit to local
contractors and producers. The
policy states that while implementing hydropower projects,
mechanisms shall be built into
the contract to ensure maximum
benefit to local suppliers of construction materials, transporters,
contractors, manufacturers, and
other service providers.
It shall be mandatory for foreign contractors to engage local
firms for skills and technology
transfer. The chairman of the
core EDP group said that the
policy gives Bhutan an opportunity to showcase its image as a
knowledge centre for hydropower, be it in terms of repair and
maintenance or consultancy
services.
In the construction sector,
the policy has room to train local
contractors to imbibe a sense of
professionalism in them. To address the labour shortage and
lower maintenance costs, the
policy encourages mechanisation. “With this the contractors
would be given three years
of mandatory liability period
should they take any works,”
Sonam P Wangdi said.
The local government, as
per the policy would be asked
to identify industrial areas by
2017. Sonam P Wangdi said that
currently government land and
state reserve forestland are allotted on a case-by-case basis.
The new policy would eventually demand planning and
zoning of land, as industries,
farmland and commercial areas
would be clustered differently.
“This way it becomes easier to
provide services,” he said. The
state reserve forestland however
would be allotted for standalone
big industries.
Meanwhile, 80 percent of the
EDP 2010 has been amended
since most plans of the old EDP
has already been implemented.
The EDP, Sonam P Wangdi
said is a broad policy that sets
direction for the country’s
economy thereby setting the
tone for other laws and policies
in relation. He said the policy
provides a timeline and places
accountability on all government agencies.
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
KUENDRUP HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
Kuendrup Higher Secondary School is pleased to announce the following vacancies:
Sl.#
1
2
3
4
Subjects
History
Physics/maths
Primary teacher
Accounts/commerce
No. of slots
1
2
1
1
BA
B.Sc
B Ed Primary
B Com/BBA
Eligible candidate may apply to Principal Kuendrup HSS on or before
13/1/2017 along with CV and documents (mark sheets of 12 and degrees
and ID copy) or email to ktandin@yahoo.com.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview before 20/1/2017.
For further enquiries, please contact at mobile no. 17950437.
Principal
HOME
PAGE 3
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
LG
Khamey gup assumes office
four months after elections
Dawa Gyelmo | Gasa
Khamey gup-elect Kuenley
Penjore assumed office earlier this month, more than
four months after wining the
local government election in
September.
Despite being elected,
Kuenley Penjore could not
take office after an election
related court case his opponent Karma Tshering filed
with the Gasa dzongkhag
court following the election.
The gup-elect said after
being selected as a gup candidate in the chiwog zomdu
and prior to local government
election, the election commission had written to him
stating that he was a registered member of the political
party, Bhutan Kuen-Nyam
Party (BKP), and therefore
could not contest for the post.
Following the letter, he
said he approached the commission in Thimphu and
pointed out that he was not
a registered member of BKP.
The commission then inspected records with the party
and found that a party worker
has registered Kuenley Penjore with BKP in May 2013 as
a candidate but he was not
nominated as he did not have
a university degree.
Following their findings,
the election commission allowed Kuenley Penjore to
contest the local government
election. He won the election
against his opponent Karma
Tshering, the former gup of
Khamey gewog.
However, Karma could
not take office as Karma
Tsheirng then filed an election dispute case against the
election commission with the
Gasa dzongkhag court alleging that gup-elect Kuenley
Penjore was reflected as a
registered BKP member when
he submitted his nomination
as a candidate for the gup
post.
Kuenley Penjore said the
dzongkhag court had passed
a judgment stating that he
was a member of BKP when
he filed his nomination for
the local government elections. To contest in the local
government election, he first
had to deregister from the
political party.
“I then appealed with the
High Court, during which the
election commission presented their findings,” Kuenley
Penjore said. He added that
he won the dispute case in the
High Court in December last
year, and assumed office on
January 3.
According to election officials, BKP also admitted the
error on its part for not deleting Kuenley Penjore’s name
from the membership list and
even reported to the election
commission that he had neither paid membership fees
nor attended any meetings.
Kuenley Penjore said
that amid the disputes and
court cases, he has not received any salary nor has
he been able to work for the
gewog. He also missed the
Dhar ceremony of the gups.
Kuenley Penjore is not sure
whether he will be paid for
the last three months after
being elected as the gewog’s
gup.
“I did not earn anything
in the last five months after
contesting as a local leader
in August till the end of the
election dispute in December,” said Kuenley Penjore.
Award
Former education minister
receives award
Former education minister
and president of Royal Thimphu College (RTC), Thakur S
Powdyel, has been awarded the
Distinguished Service Award by
Samata Sahitya Academy, a philanthropic organisation based in
Mumbai, India.
Presenting the award in
Thimphu recently, Dr DS Tandelkar, the founder president of
the academy, said that the academy had been following Thakur
S Powdyel’s life and work as an
educator and had been greatly
inspired by the stories about
his contributions to society. Dr
Tandelkar described Thakur S
Powdyel as an outstanding educator who embodies not only his
country’s values, but also the ideals of the academy.
Samata Sahitya Academy honours and highlights
the remarkable contribution
of true leaders of society working constantly and honestly for
the betterment of society living
away from name and fame. It
honours individuals in the fields
of art, drama, music, theatre,
journalism, education, literature,
science, sports, business, and inventions, among others. It has
been organising the award ceremonies since 2008 across India
as well as in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Accepting the award, Thakur
S Powdyel said it was deeply
humbling for him to see high
officials of the academy come
all the way to the RTC to bestow
the honour. “This award is an
acknowledgement of not an in-
dividual, but of the many men
and women who have made
education their passion and lifelong commitment over many
years,” he said.
He thanked the academy
and expressed his commitment
to promoting the education
sector as the vital instrument of
nation-building. He dedicated
the award to His Royal Highness
Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck.
Thakur S Powdyel received
the prestigious Gusi Peace Prize
for Life-time Contribution to Education in 2011 and the Global
Education Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education
in 2012.
Contributed by
Needrup Zangpo
TRAINING ANNOUNCEMENT
MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS
DITT/ PRO (LOCAL)/03/2016-17
January 17-19, 2017
VIEWS & FEEDBACK
Call 324684
or mail to
news@kuensel.bt
13, 2017
stenzin@dit.gov.bt or 17974139
January
Director
PERSPECTIVES
PAGE 4 KUENSEL | Monday, January 09, 2017
Fixing our potholed roads
MY COUNTRY, MY TOWN
F
or those of us in Thimphu city, especially vehicle owners and drivers, hope
is on the way.
The thromde will soon get funds
from the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) to fix the potholes that pockmark most of the
capital city’s roads. It is also presumed that the ADB
support will also cover broken and missing slabs that
cover drains along and across roads.
Some of our roads are in terrible condition. For instance, the road that leads to the Kuensel office besides
the expressway resembles both an old blanket and the
surface of moon, with numerous patches and craters.
Some potholes on some roads are allowed to mature
into large ones and remain a constant source of annoyance and potential damage to vehicles. How much
potholes and bad roads cost the country in terms
of vehicle damage is not calculated but definitely is
adding to our foreign currency outflow. The failure
to spend minimally to fix a small fissure or pothole
results in higher costs being entailed later to not only
fix it but repair vehicles.
The question is what causes our roads to deteriorate to such poor conditions, not only in the capital
city but in other dzongkhags as well.
There are several reasons. One has been identified
by the thromde already and that is water and sewage
leakages. No matter how well a road is built, it will
deteriorate faster if it comes into contact with flowing
water and ice. The thromde currently has a team out
looking for and fixing leakages before the potholes
are fixed.
However, besides leakages, inadequate drainage
is another factor. Again, the thromde has plans to
address this problem. As a short term measure, it will
repair drains and also look to divert water. Nu 2 million
has been invested to come up with a drainage master
plan. Only once the drainage system keeps water off
our roads, can we expect our roads to last longer.
Another reason for the roads deteriorating is the
constant digging that occurs to lay or repair water
pipes or electrical cables. Even roads that have been
newly paved are not spared. The repair work that usually follows is shoddy or sometimes even ignored.
Clearly there is a need for the thromde to get strict
and penalise those who illegally dig up or damage
public roads. The thromde must also ensure that the
repairing of dug up roads is paid for by the digger and
returned in the original form, not with some subpar
paving. The same goes for our footpaths as well. The
details do matter.
But in the long term, constant digging up of roads
must not happen. The thromde must begin constructing spaces or culverts below our roads so that pipes
and cables can pass through and be easily accessible
during times of inspection and repair.
The state of our roads has even led to the formation
of a Bhutan Pothole Police on Facebook. This is positive development in that members of the public will
begin identifying potholes and bring it to the attention
of the thromde. Perhaps, this could lead to more collaboration between relevant agencies and the public
in not only finding potholes but identifying those who
destroy our roads, and in fixing them.
Walking wheel: At
the end of his journey in
all likelihood is a vehicle
with a flat tyre and no
spare
Photo by Sova Subba, Bajo,
Wangdue
Send in your pictures to:
news@kuensel.bt
MY SAY
Children’s Parliament a platform for youth
Sir,
The winter session of Bhutan
Children’s Parliament
(BCP) concluded on Friday.
According to a Kuensel
article, the issues discussed
during the winter session of
the Children’s Parliament
were as important as
those deliberated in a real
Parliament session.
The Children’s
Parliament is one of the most
important and significant
initiatives taken by the
Election Commission of
Bhutan (ECB). The initiative
has been a success although
some questions have been
raised about its legality.
The Children’s Parliament
will definitely promote active
and constructive youth
engagement in discussions
that could contribute to
the policy consideration
at the national level. The
parliament was conceived
by the ECB to help students
hone their leadership
skills and to facilitate the
articulation of opinions,
views, hopes and aspirations
of children.
Some of the issues
discussed by student MPs
were as important as those
deliberated in the National
Assembly and the National
Council.
The Children’s
Parliament also highlighted
the importance of recruiting
trained cooks in schools
to ensure balanced diet
for students. This is one of
the most important issues
our MPs have overlooked
although issues related to
Central Schools have been
raised time and again.
The Children’s Parliamet
also highlighted the
importance of providing
adequate facilities in nonCentral Schools to match
that of Central Schools. The
Children’s Parliament also
stressed the importance of
driglam namzha (national
etiquette) in society and
stated that it should be taught
as a subject in classes below
eight.
Meanwhile, student
MPs seem to be learning
bargaining instincts from
Members of Parliament.
Our MPs have fought for
increasing their own salaries
and other emoluments. MPs
say they will be handicapped
without adequate allowances
and salaries. One of this
session’s resolutions is a
recommendation to increase
the daily subsistence
allowance for students
participating in activities
organised by the government
and private agencies.
Make your opinions known. Send your letters to
news@kuensel.bt
MANAGING DIRECTOR - Bachu Phub Dorji, EDITOR IN-CHARGE - Gyalsten K Dorji,
PRINTING GM - Karma Nima, CIRCULATION MANAGER - Ugyen Norbu, KANGLUNG REGIONAL MANAGER - Ugyen Wangdi
Karma
Thimphu
HOME
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
PAGE 5
Update
ePIS to begin in February in Paro
Kinga Dema
An electronic Patient Information System (ePIS) for
Paro that was planned since
last year is now scheduled
for launch next month, according to health ministry
officials.
Department of Medical
Services director general Dr
Pandup Tshering said that
the pilot project will be carried out in February in Paro
followed by Trashiyangtse
and if possible in Bumthang.
The ePIS piloting was to
be introduced in July last
year. However, as the project
was dependent on technical experts from the World
Health Organisation (WHO),
it was delayed, said health
officials.
The ePIS is expected to
benefit the health system
through improvement of the
patient information system
besides providing accurate
data on individual patients.
“There will not be duplica-
tion of prescription and reduce wastage of resources
while patients don’t have
to carry prescriptions and
reports when they visit different health facilities in the
country,” Dr Pandup Tshering said.
As part of the Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) vision,
ePIS is one of the projects
to be implemented wherein
details of the patient’s illness
and investigations would be
recorded in the system.
For instance, if a patient
is referred to Thimphu from
Trashigang, even if they
misplace their prescription,
health officials in Thimphu
can refer the details on the
system using the patient’s
code.
However, some of the
challenges foreseen are
internet connectivity, computer literacy of health
workers and acceptability of
the users, according to the
health ministry.
The ePIS is part of health
ministry’s vision to move
away from paper-based
medical records and enhance use of ICT.
The ePIS will be piloted
in all Basic Health Units I
and IIs and the district hospital in Paro. The pre-pilot
project (phase I) in Paro is
expected to last about six
months. The health ministry will spend Nu 1.5 million (M) while the WHO will
spend about USD 210,000
for technical support and
capacity building activities.
The project was planned
under the WHO collaborative programme for 2016-17.
It is expected to benefit the
health system in the country through sustainable and
interoperable e-Health solutions that will further help
improve health service delivery and develop a more resilient health system. Likewise,
it will also support the larger
national e-health vision and
action plan that will respond
LETTER OF INVITATION
MINISTRY OF WORKS & HUMAN SETTLEMENT
Policy & Planning Division, Thimphu
MoWHS/PPD-Legal/03/2017/2387
“Design and Development of Tenancy Services System”.
www.mowhs.gov.bt
January 9, 2017.
February 9, 2017, 11:00 am
11:30 am,
(02-324395/17565185).
to health and development
goals in measuring and
achieving Universal Health
Coverage and Sustainable
Development Goals.
Phase II of the project,
also expected to last about
six months, will expand to
two more dzongkhags and
cost about USD 300,000 after
which it will be implemented nationwide. The overall
duration of the project is ex-
pected to last four years with
an estimated cost of about
USD 2.5M.
Going
n a t i o n w i d e,
which is part of phase III of
the project including referral hospitals is expected to
last about three years. The
estimated cost is about USD
2M, but is subject to reliable
internet connectivity in all
health facilities across Bhutan.
Initiative
Gelephu clears
bushy areas
Yeshey Dema | Gelephu
Bushy areas in Gelephu will
soon be turned into agricultural land.
People in Gelephu gewog
began clearing bushy areas
from September last year.
About 35 percent of bush
land remains to be cleared.
The areas could not be
cleared either because the
owners could not be contacted or as land tax had not
been paid.
Gelephu Gup Ugyen
Wangchuk said that the
gewog tried to contact the
land owners but it was not
possible.
“Some land owners have
not paid their land tax for so
long and some people did
not turn up for clearing of
bushes,” the gup said. “The
land will be turned into government land in future,” he
added.
Gup Ugyen Wangchuk
said that the motive behind
the clearing of bushes is for
increased security, to remove hiding places for wild
animals and the youth, and
most importantly to increase
the amount of area available
for cultivation.
The gup said that drug
paraphernalia, used condoms, and even stolen items
were found in such bushy
areas. “It means that youth
are indulging in such activities in these bush areas,” he
said.
He added that after
clearing the bushes and creating more cultivable land,
it would help in fulfilling
annual performance agreement targets thus contributing to the development of
the country’s economy.
Gelephu residents also
said that such bushy areas
allows for criminal activities
like kidnapping, substance
abuse, rape and hiding of
stolen items, among others.
“After clearing all the
bushes, the area for agriculture will increase leading
to the improvement of the
livelihood of the farmers
and also contribute to the
economy of our country,” a
resident said.
G elephu Thrompon
Tikaram Kafley also pointed
out that the keeping the
bushy areas has drawbacks.
He said that such areas are
also an eyesore especially to
those visiting the gewog.
ASIA
PAGE 6
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
New Silk Road’s impact on
shipping will be limited
China rail links to Europe to
have little effect on Singapore as a key port.
China’s ambitious plans
to create a modern-day Silk
Road by way of building
roads and railways abroad
are unlikely to change the
face of global shipping, said
industry observers. This
means Singapore’s position
as a key hub port, in turn,
will be little affected as well.
China made further
headway in its drive to connect with the rest of the
world by high-speed rail
when it launched its first rail
freight service to Britain.
China Railway Corporation announced that the
train, carrying clothes, bags
and other items, departed
from Yiwu in the eastern
Zhejiang province, said a
Bloomberg report. It will
travel more than 12,000km
over 18 days - passing
through places such as Kazakhstan, Russia and Germany
- before arriving in London.
London is the 15th European city to now have direct
trains from China as part of
President Xi Jinping’s “One
Belt, One Road” initiative,
which is aimed at boosting trade ties with markets
across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
Mr Turloch Mooney,
senior editor for Asia at IHS
Maritime & Trade, expects
rail freight services between
China and Europe to grow
strongly. But he added that
the impact on shipping will
be “minimal” because of the
limited capacity that block
trains offer. The Londonbound train, for example,
is carrying about 200 TEUs
(twenty-foot equivalent
units) of goods, while a large
container vessel can carry as
many as 20,000 TEUs.
“Rail does offer certain
advantages over sea freight
and air freight,” Mr Mooney
told The Straits Times, noting that rail journeys from
China to Europe can take
about 15 to 19 days - about
half the time taken by sea (33
to 38 days), though slower
than by air (three to five
days).
“However, the capacity
limitation means volumes
are unlikely to ever amount
to more than a few per cent
share of total Europe- bound
volumes,” he said.
He added that while
transporting a container
by rail can be 20 times less
expensive than by air, it is
still three to five times more
costly than shipping by sea.
Mr Victor Wai, lead analyst for ports at Drewry Financial Research Services,
said that all of this means
that shipping is not likely to
be replaced by rail freight
services.
“The cost advantage of
sea freight over rail freight
remains significant, especially when container ships
come with economies of
scale. High-value or time-
sensitive goods will benefit
from the shorter transit time,
but not general merchandise
goods,” he said.
Mr Wai added that where
Singapore is concerned, the
impact, if any, will be negligible. Even the East Coast
Rail Line project - a RM55
billion (S$17.6 billion) railway link financed by China
that will connect ports on
the east and west coasts of
Peninsular Malaysia - is unlikely to pose a threat to the
Republic as a transshipment
hub.
Ocean Shipping Consultants director Jason Chiang
said: “The time savings from
using the East Coast Rail
Line project is likely to be
minimal, and it would be difficult to see how it could be
commercially viable, given
that a shipper would need
to pay for multiple port and
rail handling fees instead of
shipping directly.”
The Straits Times
ANN
CLASSIFIEDS
Rent:
Announcement:
Required:
Vacancy:
Vacancy:
NU. PER UNITS OF FOREIGN CURRENCY
as of yesterday
NOTES
Buy
Sell
US $
66.90
69.15
POUND
82.90
85.20
EURO
70.90
72.85
YEN (100)
57.65
59.25
HK $
8.65
8.85
AUS $
49.10
50.45
46.65
47.95
SING $
Courtesy BNB
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FEEDBACK
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Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
Hist
isdom wise
LIFE and WORKS
ry
Jamgon Ngawang Gyeltshen
A jug fills drop by drop.
Buddha
A WORD a day
Avuncular.
adj. 1. Of or relating to an uncle; 2. Kind and
friendly toward a younger or less experienced
person.
M
any things in Bhutan had changed during Jamgon's seven years
of absence. The 2nd Je Khenpo Sonam Yoezer, his Root-Lama,
had already passed away one year after he had left, and in 1694
Gyalse Rinpoche Tenzin Rabgye had retired from the post of
Desi at the age of 57 due to bad health, and gone into retreat at
Tango. Lopon Sangngag Lingpa also passed away. Gelong Drakpa Gyamtsho and
some other spiritual friends had gone to different places for solitary retreat. In
1697, within two years of Jamgon's retreat, the 3rd Je Khenpo retired and left for
Pumo Dechen Chokhor for meditation.
He was avuncular, reassuring, and trustworthy.
Fungi of Bhutan
Om Shamong
Interconnectedness
Blanket
ANSWER:
REBUS
Daily Living
Sudoku
Scientific name:
Lactarius lignyotus
t *TJOFEJCMF
t *TGPVOEJOUFSSFTUSJBMBOETPMJUBSZUP
TPNFUJNFTTDBUUFSFEIBCJUBU
t *TFBTZUPJEFOUJGZJOUIFöFMEEVFUPJUT
CMBDLDPMPVSXJUIXIJUFMBUFYCVUIBT
NBOZWBSJFUJFT
t 5IJTPOFIBTBSPVHIDBQTVSGBDFBOE
UIJDLøFTIUPNFEJVNTJ[FCVUUIFSFBSF
PUIFSMBSHFWBSJFUJFTBOETNBMMFSPOFTUPP
One who loves nature can cherish other people, value
peace and possess a richness of character unfettered by
selfish calculations of personal gain or loss. Those who
live in a calculating way will end up calculating their
own worth detrimentally. Such a life is limited in the
extreme. Nature, however, is infinite.
- Daisaku Ikeda
Medical
Terminologies
Stale
Stamina
Tech Tips
Indesign: Keys for Tables
How to play
Fill in the grid so that
every row, every column, and every 3 X 3
box contains the numbers 1 through 9.
Answer
BC
Sterile
Move to first/last cell in row
Windows:
Alt+End
Sterilize
Alt+Home/
MAC: Option+Home/
Option+End
To be continued...
ecotip:
Home Heating
R
educe the house temperature one degree at a time,
and wear a sweater or fleece to stay comfy. At night
or when you’re away, set your thermostat for lower
temperatures. Keep your window drapes closed at
night, and close doors to seldom-used rooms until you
need them. Caulk windows and doors to keep heat inside and cold
air out. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to find
out how to improve your home’s insulation and energy efficiency.
Purchase "green energy" when that option is available from your
utility company. (Green energy is renewable and sustainable
energy)
ASIA
PAGE 8
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
Nearly 1 million Thais swamped
by relentless southern deluge
Flooding in lower Thailand
has now expanded to leave
10 of the 15 southern provinces inundated, affecting
nearly a million people and
claiming 11 lives, according
to the Interior Ministry’s
Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation Department.
And eight provinces –
Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri
Khan, Chumphon, Surat
Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Ranong
and Phang Nga – face more
heavy rain until today.
Relentless heavy downpours that triggered floods
in the eight provinces – plus
Narathiwat, Yala, Songkhla
and Pattani earlier in the
week – had affected a quarter of a million households
or 744,422 people in 3,376
villages in 85 districts, Department chief Chatchai Phromlert said yesterday.
Surat Thani reported
three deaths while Songkhla, Narathiwat, Nakhon Si
Thammarat and Phatthalung
saw two deaths each. One
person remains missing after
being swept away by floods
in Phatthalung, he said.
Phatthalung, Chumphon
and Trang reported rising
floods, while other provinces said water was stable or
starting to recede, he added.
Meanwhile, Education
Minister Theerakiat Charoensetthasin said more
than 1,400 schools in the
South were affected and
their properties damaged
by floods. Classes were suspended as a precaution for
student safety, he said.
The Office of Vocational
Education Commission dispatched technical college
students and teachers to
repair flood-damaged appliances, vehicles and agriculture tools – for free.
Deputy Education Minister ML Panadda Diskul
will preside over a meeting
tomorrow of related educational agencies to find meas-
ures to aid flood-affected
schools and students.
The severe flood also
raised concerns over ancient
sites in the region. Culture
Minister Veera Rojpojanarat
said he had ordered officials
to survey flood damage at
ancient sites in the South for
restoration later.
Fourth Army Region
chief Lt-General Piyawat Nakwanich made a helicopter
survey yesterday of Songkhla
to inspect the flood situation. Military aircraft delivered food to 100 marooned
residents in Phatthalung’s
Khuan Khanoon district and
flood victims in Nakhon Si
Thammarat’s Cha-uat and
Noppitham districts.
With water levels still
high in many areas, soldiers
would cook and deliver food
as well as open army camps
as temporary shelters, Piyawat said.
In Trang province six of
seven districts were seriously hit. Na Yong, Rassada,
Huay Yot, Kantang, Wang
Wiset, Muang were all declared disaster zones.
Trang Governor Siripat
Pattanakul said that floods
in the Na Yong, Muang and
Rassada districts had eased
but Huay Yot, Wang Wiset
and areas near the Trang
River Basin were still under
up to a metre of water, making roads impassable.
Dozens of people were
marooned in their homes.
And Trang is bracing for another deluge from Nakhon Si
Thammarat in coming days,
he said.
More than 10,000 relief
bags and drinking water
were given away to affected
residents and he will soon
withdraw Bt50 million from
state emergency funds to aid
the victims.
Trang’s Muang district
saw three flood barriers
along the Trang River busted
later yesterday in Tambon
Nong Trud, Na Ta Luang and
Children paddling through a flooded neighbourhood in the southern Thai
province of Narathiwat. Photo: AFP
Bang Rak, which inflicting
more misery on local communities, as the rain continued. Some 100 monks and
novices at Wat Prasitthichai
in Muang district moved
their belongings to higher
ground, as the Trang River
rose. They also cooked their
own meals as the floods prevented them from going out
to receive alms.
In Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Muang district, a
number of crocodiles escaped from display areas at
the flood-hit Thung Tha Lat
Zoo in Somdej Phra Srinagarindra 84 Park. Zoo workers were making efforts to
capture them. They warned
residents in the vicinity that
some might have escaped.
Residents in Songkhla’s
Ranote district suffered a
second blow yester-day following runoff from Nakhon
Si Thammarat and Phatthalung, which also caused
Songkhla Lake to rise. This
left the lakeside districts of
Krasae Sin, Sathing Phra,
and Singha Nakhon inundated.
In Surat Thani, eight
districts were flood-affected while rains continued,
although many areas saw
floodwater recede and some
low-lying areas were under
50cm to one metre of water.
Tha Chana and Chaiya
districts were being monitored for possible landslides
and flash floods as heavy rain
was expected until today.
Residents in Ban Na
Tham and Ban Pak Hai in
Tambon Tha Uthen in Kanchanadit district lamented
that Thursday’s flash floods
destroyed their bridge and
toppled power poles. This
forced the authorities to cut
power as a precautionary
measure. About 300 fami-
lies have been living without electricity ever since. In
Prachuap Khiri Khan, 150
fishing boats, cargo ships
and other vessels docked
at bays to evade up to fourmetre-high waves that sank
six fishing boats on Friday.
Meanwhile, Government
Housing Bank president
Chatchai Sirilai said the
bank had arranged Bt500
million to assist southern
flood victims from tomorrow. In the second measure,
customers can borrow up to
Bt1 million each under the
special loan scheme to fix
homes.
The Nation
ANN
DZONGKHAG
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
PAGE 9
Industry
Establishment of Dhamdum
industrial park progressing
Rajesh Rai | Samtse
Work on the Dhamdum Industrial Park in Samtse is in full
swing.
Roads, drainage, and river
training are expected to be
completed by July this year.
Work on the 349-acre park
began in August last year with
the tendering of two packages.
Ms Tsamgar Construction
is building roads and a storm
water drain. The company’s
proprietor Tshewang Norbu
said formation cutting for the
road to the industrial park is
complete and blacktopping
along with other related work
will now commence.
The contractor said that
both the road and drainage
will be completed by July.
Ms SKD Construction is
working on training about
640m of the Dhamdumchhu.
The company’s owner Singey
Dorji said 50 percent of the
training work is complete and
expects it to be completed by
June. The deadline is July 20.
The economic affairs ministry’s industries department
chief engineer Kezang Deki
said work progress on the park
is satisfactory.
Two more packages have
been tendered out and works
begun. This includes a water
supply system and a building
for the park.
Another tender for river
training has been floated. The
length of training works is approximately 1.2km. Since the
funds required for river training is high, Kezang Deki said
that they will award the work
depending upon availability
of funding.
Under Project Tied Assistance, the Government of India
(GoI) is funding Nu 300 million (M) for all these works in
the present Plan.
There are various other
amenities that need to be
provided like electricity and
boundary walls before companies can start shifting to the
park. A fund of more than Nu
2 billion is needed.
A proposal for funding in
the next Plan has also been
submitted to the Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC). Although not
yet confirmed, there are indications that GoI will continue
funding the project in the next
Plan.
There are 77 plots available for companies in the park.
The plots vary in size from 0.5
to 2.2 acres, which would be
allotted depending on the size
and type of companies.
Only small and medium
agro, service, and mineral
based projects, and cottage
industries will be allowed to
operate in the park. These
companies will also be required to have pollution con-
VIEWS & FEEDBACK
Call 324684
or mail to
news@kuensel.bt
The road leading to the industrial park will be ready by July
trol measures in place.
Lease rates are yet to be
established. The Department
of Industries has submitted
its lease rates to the economic
affairs ministry, and Cabinet
approval is required.
Kezang Deki also said that
they are half way through the
drafting of Industrial Development Rules and Regulations
(IDRR). “It will basically have
rules on how to develop in-
dividual plots and infrastructure,” she said, adding that it
would bring uniformity.
At present, industrial estates do not have such common rules and regulations.
About 600 acres of land
was identified for the industrial park in 2006. However,
because of the Samtse municipality plans much of the
land required could not be
acquired. The park was then
reduced to 349 acres.
The close proximity to the
Indian market, availability
of mineral reserves, and the
Samtse-Phuentsholing highway are the key elements that
is expected to give an added
advantage to the industrial
park in Dhamdum.
Among the four industrial
parks, Dhamdum is the most
feasible in terms of economic
development and security.
FLIGHTS
DrukAir
Date
Route
Flight No.
Departure
Arrival
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
January 10
Paro to Bangkok via Kolkata
Bangkok to Paro
Paro to Delhi
Delhi to Paro
Paro to Kathmandu
Kathmandu to Paro
Paro to Dhaka
Dhaka to Paro
Singapore to Paro via Kolkatta
KB 120
KB 131
KB 204
KB 205
KB 400
KB 401
KB 300
KB 301
KB 501
02:00 pm
09:25 am
09:10 am
12:05 pm
11:55 am
01:50 pm
12:20 pm
02:20 pm
06:30 am
07:45 pm
12:35 pm
11:00 am
02:55 pm
01:00 pm
03:25 pm
01:20 pm
03:20 pm
10:50 am
KB 1002
KB 1003
09:15 am
10:10 am
09:50 am
10:45 am
Domestic
January 10
January 10
Paro to Bumthang
Bumthang to Paro
Note : All timings in local. Timings are subject to change. Call Drukair toll free No. 1300 for latest flight information.
Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air)
January 10
January 10
Bangkok to Paro
Paro to Bangkok via Kolkata
B3701
B3700
06:30 am
10:35 am
09:55 am
04:05 pm
Note : All timings in local. Timings are subject to change. Call Bhutan Airlines toll free No. 1234 for latest flight information.
ADVERTISEMENT
PAGE 10
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
Pelkhil Lam, Post Box No. 02
Date:
PT/ADB/2016-2017/PIU-09/2883
9th January 2017
2.
three years.
4.
-,Telephone No:
.
.
to
.
:
at:
ADVERTISEMENT
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
PAGE 11
Pelkhil Lam, Post Box No. 02
PT/ADB/2016-2017/PIU-09/2886
Date:
9th January 2017
2.
three years.
4.
.
.
to
.
:
Call 327463;
at:
SPORTS
PAGE 12
Monday, January 09, 2017 | KUENSEL
Futsal
Using sports to keep
ill habits at bay
ZAKAR
Tomorrow’s
Good day
•
to consecrate
•
to appoint to new post
•
to hand and take over office
•
to learn astrology
•
to shift house
•
to enter in a new house
•
to roof house
•
to hoist lungdar
•
to start new business
•
to marry
•
to sow seeds
•
to plant trees and flowers
Bad day
•
to perform lhasung
•
to take new born baby out
A good day for rituals (laza) for those born in the rat and pig
years.
Generally a good day (sogza) for those born in the ox, dragon
and dog years.
A bad day (shedza) for those born in the snake and horse years.
January 09
2017
Phuentsholing
Vink FC (sky blue) Vs Titan Wonders
Younten Tshedup
Futsal, the modified version
of football, in Bhutan is still
in its infancy. However, the
game is gaining popularity with regular tournaments
being conducted every year.
Bhutan still lacks a proper indoor futsal court but the
absence of a court has not
deterred futsal enthusiasts
from playing the game even
if it’s in a dusty alley or on
a parking lot with numerous
vehicles plying nearby.
The Nazhoen Cup, a futsal
tournament that is currently
underway at the Changlimithang parking lot received
an overwhelming turnout
from 24 teams. However, with
the limited financial support,
the organisers could take in
just 10 teams.
Day four of the weeklong
tournament saw Vink FC defeat Titan Wonders 3-0 yesterday. Titan Wonders who
were clearly looking for an
early goal with a fast break
were stunned after a counter
attack from Vink FC.
Tenzin Thinley of Vink
FC scored a brace during the
match. After breaking the
“Having them
engaged in such
activates will keep
them occupied and
generate a feeling of
responsibility towards
their team”
deadlock in the 10th minute
of the first half with a powerful right-footed-shot, Tenzin
went on to score in the opening minute of the second half.
Chimi Gyeltshen sealed
the victory for Vink FC in the
dying minutes of the match.
Organised to engage
youth during the vacation,
the weeklong futsal tournament is a part of the monthlong winter programme
organised by a youth group,
Creative Team.
The coordinator of the
team, Jigme Wangchuk said
that the programme is specifically designed to engage
youth meaningfully during
their vacation. “We want to
disseminate information on
the ill effects of drugs and alcohol abuse and encourage
healthy activities,” he said.
Jigme Wangchuk who is
also a peer counsellor with
the Nazhoen Pelrig, DropIn-Centre in Thimphu, said
that it is during such times
when youth are idle that
they tend to get involved in
social crimes. “Having them
engaged in such activates
will keep them occupied and
generate a feeling of responsibility towards their team,”
he said.
As a part of the programme, the organisers conducted a blood screening and
testing campaign last week.
More than 200 people were
given awareness on the ill
effects of drugs and alcohol
abuse, social crimes and
sexual health, among others.
With the theme, “Reaching the youth before drugs
do” the programme also intends to enhance communication skills among the participants and build networks
with the related agencies.
So far, Jigme Wangchuk
said that the programme has
imparted awareness on social crimes and drug and alcohol problems to more than
400 people including the 100
participants engaged in the
futsal competition.
30
20
SUNRISE
: 6:53 am
SUNSET
: 5:24 pm
Max
Min
Gasa
7
-5
Trongsa
14
1
Bumthang
11
-3
Sarpang
24
13
Source: Meteorology Division, DHMS, MOEA
For any weather information: Call hotline 339673
FOR NEWS, VIEWS AND
FEEDBACK
Call 324684 or mail to
news@kuensel.bt
Printed and published by Kuensel Corporation Limited, PO Box 204, Tel: 975-2-322483/324688, Fax: 975-2-322975, www.kuenselonline.com BICMA Lic no. 303000005, ISSN 0259 1499