National Assembly Resolutions

From the second day of its 70th Session, the National Assembly deliberated on the problems created by the anti-national uprising in southern Bhutan. The representatives of the public of the 18 Dzongkhags put forth several proposals towards overcoming these problems and restoring peace and tranquility, in the country once again. During the deliberations, the representatives of the Government. the Monk Body and the Public were all unanimous and single minded in expressing the need to take every measure necessary to safeguard the security, and well-being of the Kingdom of the Palden Drukpa

The members recalled that past Bhutanese generations had made great sacrifices in safeguarding the security and well-being of the Bhutanese nation. Showing true patriotism and dedication, they had even risked their lives in several wars fought with the Tibetans and the British to protect the sovereignty of the country,, and had passed down to their future generations the proud legacy of a sovereign independent nation with a unique national identity. For many generations, said the members, the Kingdom of Bhutan had enjoyed peace, tranquility and happiness through the blessings and protection of our Guardian Deities, the merits and wisdom of our Kings and the good fortune, loyalty, dedication and unity of the people.

The People's Representatives pointed out that the Nepalese were recent immigrants who ha d come to work on the land in the foothills of Bhutan.-. From the very beginning they had taken advantage of the Royal Government by violating the laws of the land and bringing in relatives and fellow Nepalese to settle illegally in Bhutan. They also illegally occupied large tracts of government land and resorted to various means such as illegal registration in census records to increase then Nepalese population in southern Bhutan.

Despite these illegal actions on their part, the Royal Government had always shown tolerance and generosity towards the Nepalese in southern Bhutan. They were given more land than the original Bhutanese and provided with employment and good economic opportunities. Southern Bhutan was given preferential treatment in all development programmes and the Southern Bhutanese enjoyed greater benefits in education and employment in government service, including appointment to very senior and important posts.

At a time when the whole country was fully involved in further promoting its development process for the greater prosperity of the people, and when the nation was already beginning to reap fruits of thirty years of development, government and people of Bhutan were shocked and dismayed by the anti-national uprising in southern Bhutan. Starting with the distribution of subversive literature in 1988, the anti-national activities culminated with outright rebellion against the TSAWA-SUM in the 5 Dzongkhags and 1 Dungkhag of southern Bhutan in September-October, 1990.

The Assembly members' observed the following pattern in the anti-national uprising:

a) Thee ngolops began by viciously maligning the rich religious and cultural heritage of Bhutan. They deliberately attacked the policy of national integration through the promotion of Driglam Namzha and the national dress and language to create misunderstanding between the people and the government, and communal discord among the people of northern and southern Bhutan.

b)They tried to undermine the excellent state of Indo-Bhutan relations through malicious allegations of Indians being mistreated in Bhutan although the very baselessness of their charges failed to win them any sympathy or support except from the local Nepali population across the border. They also tried to win international sympathy and support for their activities by making wild allegations of human rights violation by the Royal Government.

c)At the same time, the ngolops started terrorist activities that began with threats, extortion and robbery but soon graduated to kidnappings, rape and murder. They destroyed many basic service facilities in southern Bhutan such as schools, hospitals and bridges built at great cost by the government for the benefit of the Southern Bhutanese themselves. They totally disregarded the fact that the government had developed more service facilities in southern Bhutan than in any other part of the country.

d) After the violent uprising in the 5 Dzongkhags, and I Dungkhag of southern Bhutan last year, the anti-nationals continued to carry out large scale acts of terrorism and had not relented in their efforts to destabilise the country and achieve their subversive goals.

As the anti-nationals in southern Bhutan had shown their total lack of appreciation for everything the Royal Government had done for them and were instead bent on subverting the future security and well-being of the TSA-WA-SUM, the National Assembly deliberated on the, following proposals to remove the ngolop problem once and for all.

1. Eviction of ngolops

Twenty proposals on the eviction of anti-nationals were put forth by the representatives of 79 gewogs from the Dzongkhags of Samdrupjongkhar, Haa, Tongsa, Tashigang, Samchi, Chirang, Sarbhang, Dagana and Mongar, and the representatives of the Monk Body and the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The People's Representatives of Haa, Tongsa and Tashigang proposed that all individuals involved anti-national activities should be evicted from the country. Other members proposed that so some distinction should be made as all Southern Bhutanese would not anti-nationals. In this regard one of the Royal Advisory Councillors from southern Bhutan requested that only those who were involved in anti-national activities be evicted and their relatives dealt with as per the Law of' the Land.

However, most members held the view that no distinction should be made whatsoever and that all Southern Bhutanese should be evicted. They also recommended that this should be applicable to all Southern Bhutanese working in the government and even to those Southern Bhutanese married to original Bhutanese. The Chimis of Samdrupjongkhar and Haa proposed d that even if one individual from a house hold was involved in anti-national activities, the whole family should be evicted including those in government service.

The People's Representative from Chirang proposed that if a head of a family absconded from the Country and was found to have joined the anti-nationals, the names of all his family members should struck off the Census Records, , and the family evicted and their property confiscated by the government. He stated that such an action was required as otherwise there was every possibility of the ngolop's family members supporting the anti-nationals. In the event that members of the household, other than the head of the family, absconded from the country, he proposed that only the names of the persons concerned should be removed from the census and their property confiscated as the other family members could still be loyal citizens.

The Chimi from Sarbhang Dzongkha stated that if the head of the family was \involved in anti-national activities, the whole family should be evicted. IF such severe actions were not taken, anti-national activities would continue. This would not only endanger the life and property of the local people but also pose a great threat to the security and stability of the country.

In this regard, the People's Representative from Sibsoo Dungkhag expressed his deep disappointment and disgust at the fact that many people who had been educated by the government at great cost, and even sent for higher studies abroad and given important positions in the government, had joined the anti-nationals instead of showing appreciation and gratitude to the government These people had not only attempted to create misunderstanding between the government and the public but had also tried to destroy the excellent relations between Bhutan and its neighboring countries. As such, it had become impossible for the loyal citizens of southern Bhutan to tolerate the activities of such people. The public were, therefore, ready to fight these anti-nationals and requested the government to grant permission to the loyal citizens to fight them. He also reported that the family members of many anti-nationals were still in the country and mingled freely with the loyal citizens. He said that such inter-actions were not desirable as it would have many adverse effects. The presence of such people were also making it difficult for the government and local officials to have free and frank discussions during public meetings as the relatives of the anti-nationals attending these meetings were supplying information to the ngolops. The People's Respresentadve of Sibsoo, therefore, proposed that all family members of anti-nationals should be evicted from the country.

The People's Representatives from Tsangkhar Gewog of Dagana Dzongkhag submitted that the anti-national uprising in southern Bhutan had hampered all development in the country. He stated that he could not understand how people like R.B. Basnet, ex-Managing Director of the State Trading Corporation of Bhutan and Bhim Subba, ex-Director General of the Power Department, in whom His Majesty the King had reposed full trust and confidence, could misappropriate government funds on such a large scale and seek political asylum in Nepal. He also failed to understand how the Nepalese Government could provide support to such corrupt officials and suggested that in line with this action, the Government of Nepal should be requested to takeover all the other anti-nationals in the country.

Likewise, the member from Dagapela Dungkhag stated that the uprising in southern Bhutan in September - October last year had posed a grave threat to the security of the country. He too expressed his inability to understand how the Southern Bhutanese who had been provided with good land and all the all the benefits of development could turn against the TSA-WA-SUM. He proposed that all Southern Bhutanese who had taken part in the demonstrations at Damphu and Sunkosh along with those who had been collecting donations for the anti-nationals should be evicted from the country. He assured the Assembly that the public would extend full cooperation to the government in identifying all such people. In the event, that these people were not evicted, they should be punished strictly as per the Law of the Land, he said.

The People's Representative from Chengmari submitted that until now people had not been in a position to oppose the anti-nationals. As such, the government had to face great difficulties in deploying security forces at considerable cost for ensuring the security of the public. He said that the public had now taken a firm decision to protect themselves from the and-nationals as they had suffered considerably and had realized that the anti-nationals were the enemies of the people. Therefore, the public were firm in their desire to get rid of all the anti-nationals from their Dungkhag. The loyal citizens of Chengmari Dungkhag, he said, had no feelings of love and compassion for the anti-nationals and their families. The people, therefore, requested the government to allow the public to evict the anti-nationals and their families from the Dungkhag. The representative said that for security reasons, the people also requested for permission to regroup their villages together after evicting the anti-nationals and their families.

The Home Minister expressed his appreciation for the proposal of the People's Representatives from Sibsoo, Chengmari and Dagapela that henceforth the public would on their own identify the anti-nationals and evict them from the country. Regarding the regrouping of villages he stated that was no need to obtain separate permission to do so as people were free to construct houses on their own land. However, he reminded them that in order to facilitate the protection of fives and properties of the Southern Bhutanese people, a circular seeking cooperation of the people to provide timely information on anti-national activities to the security forces had been issued but that so far no useful information or cooperation had been given by the public.

At this juncture, many representatives expressed grave doubts over the statements made by the Southern Bhutanese representatives condemning the anti-nationals. They cited examples of similar statements being made by the then representatives of southern Bhutan during the 68th and 69th Sessions of the National Assembly. They said that most of the previous representatives had absconded and joined the anti-nationals. They, therefore, demanded that the representatives from southern Bhutan should make their positions very clear with regard to the punishment and eviction of anti-nationals and the methodologies thereof.

In this regard, several Government Representatives brought the attention of the Assembly to the nondiscriminatory policy of His Majesty the King towards all his subjects despite the anti-national uprising that had taken place in southern Bhutan. Although they recognized that it would not be in keeping with His Majesty's magnanimous policy, these representatives felt that the time had now come to identify the anti-nationals and evict them from the country. Under the circumstances prevailing in southern Bhutan, the government should now act on the recommendations made by the representatives of the people, they said.

His Majesty the King was pleased to recognise that the representatives of the government, Dratshang and the public had brought up the proposal of evicting the anti-nationals with the objective of safeguarding the security and well-being of the country. His Majesty, however, pointed out that it would not be fair or useful at this stage to press the representatives of the southern Dzongkhags to come up with a firm proposal on the question of identifying anti-nationals and recommending suitable punishments for them. It would be more appropriate if the representatives of southern Bhutan were directed by the Assembly to submit their proposal on this issue during the next Session of the National Assembly after holding extensive consultations and discussions with all the people in the 56 gewogs of southern Bhutan and obtaining their views and recommendations.

One of the Royal Advisory Councillors from southern Bhutan expressed his deep appreciation to His Majesty the King for once again considering the issue compassionately. He thanked His Majesty for giving the representatives an opportunity to consult the public on the identification of anti-nationals and punishment recommended for them, including eviction, and then submitting their proposals to the 71st Session of the National Assembly.

The People's Representatives from Pemagatshel, Punakha, Tashi Yangtse and Bumthang while respecting the suggestion made by His Majesty the King, stated that by and large they had lost faith in the people of southern Bhutan and that delaying decisions on the punishment and eviction of anti-nationals might not be in the best interest of the country.

In conclusion, the National Assembly resolved, as recommended by His Majesty the King, that the public of the five Dzongkhags and one Dungkhag covering the 56 gewogs of southern Bhutan would submit a comprehensive Genja (written and signed undertaking) to the 71st Session of the National Assembly on the punishment, including eviction, that should be awarded to the anti-nationals involved in ngolop activities.

2. Application of the Law against the ngolops

The People's Representatives of 59 gewogs in the Dzongkhags of Paro, Punakha, Samdrupjongkhar, Chirang, Lhuntshi, Chukha, Tashigang, Pemagatshel, Thimphu and Dagana presented 16 points as listed in the Agenda on the subject of imposing strict punishment on the ngolops without any relaxation of the Law. They argued that the ngolops had committed many criminal acts aimed at destroying the peace, security and well-being of the peace loving Bhutanese people. They had caused irreparable damage and loss to both the government and people by destroying many basic service facilities 1ike, schools, hospitals, bridges and roads that had been established by the Royal Government for the benefit of the people. They had deprived the people of their sense of security over life and property through their relentless acts of robbery, rape, abduction, murder and barbaric terrorism. .

They pointed out that had the ngolops been brought before jus6ce they would have been found guilty of crimes deserving capital punishment in many cases and life imprisonment in most others. Yet, on purely compassionate and humanitarian grounds, His Majesty the King and the Royal Government had granted amnesty to many of the ngolops who were still unrepentant. Instead of being grateful and living peacefully as loyal citizens, they had abused the amnesty and rejoined the ngolops in their terrorist activities. The representatives, therefore, demanded that, in order to fully eliminate the anti-national activities, the Thrimshung Chhenpo (Law of Bhutan) should be applied strictly and that no farther amnesties should be granted.

The Royal Advisory Councillors and many other representatives of the people and government officials stated that Bhutan was a country where every subject was equal before the Law and the King and the Law and that the Bhutanese had always been law abiding citizens with each citizen contributing his/her share to the peace and stability of the country. Leaving aside the inconceivable crime of treason against the TSA-WA-SUM, every Bhutanese guilty of the smallest infractions of the law had always been certain of just punishment, be it a case of petty theft, slander or falsification. They maintained that the crimes of the ngolops were clearly aimed at destroying the country's socioeconomic infrastructure, sowing seeds of sedition and causing communal violence in our harmonious society. It was with such intentions that the ngolops had unleashed a spate of terrorism mixed with common robbery and shameless, inflammatory propaganda against the people of Bhutan aid the spiritual and political -purity of the country.

The Chimis of Sephu, Kashi, Darkar, Talo and Nawang under Wangdiphodrang Dzongkhag voiced their inner sentiments and declared that until now, not only had a single ngolop criminal not been subjected to capital punishment or even life imprisonment, but that it had greatly disheartened and saddened the people to see that while the law was applied fully to loyal and law abiding citizens it was not being applied to the ngolops. They appealed that in the larger interest of the nation, the laws of the land should be strictly applied in all cases, and that the ngolops should be punished severely in accordance with their individual crimes without conceding any form of relaxation.

The People's Representative of Chirang took the floor at this point and expressed the deep gratitude of the people of Chirang Dzongkhag for the clemencies granted to the Lhotshampas, and submitted that, henceforth anyone guilty of inciting the people with the intent of bringing harm upon the TSA-WA-SUM should suffer capital punishment without benefit of clemency while all those who participated in any anti-national activity should be sentenced to life imprisonment.

Other Chimis joined in the deliberations by proposing that the few core ngolops who were under detention should not enjoy the pleasure of free food and lodging at government cost, but that they should be put to socially productive use through employment in activities such as road construction. Several representatives recommended that while all the ngolops must be brought before justice without exception. any Southern Bhutanese found guilty of impersonation or falsification of census records should be punished per the national Citizenship Act just like any other Bhutanese in other regions.

Many members drew attention to the growing public opinion that, inspite of there being a penalty/punishment for every category of crime in accordance 'with the Law of Bhutan, the Royal Government had not taken any action against the ngolops for their treacherous crimes. They felt that the laws against treason only existed in writing as the punishments were not being implemented by the government. They observed that there were many people who believed that the continued anti-national activities were a direct out come of the government's weakness in applying the Law. They, therefore, stated that it was imperative to apply the law firmly against any person guilty of unlawful actions against the TSA-WA-SUM.

Having taken the floor at this juncture, the Home Minister recalled that, with regard to the views and opinions of the members on the subject of punishing the ngolops as per the law, the Home Ministry had clearly briefed the Assembly during its 69th Session on the reasons why His Majesty the King had granted clemency to the ngolops. He announced that, although it had been resolved then that the ngolops should be dealt with in Accordance with the Law of Bhutan, His Majesty the King had been pleased to grant clemency five times, covering a total of 813 ngolops since then.

The Minister explained that His Majesty the King had ,granted amnesty keeping in mind the long term interest of the country's peace and security and that it was-not done merely on compassionate and humanitarian grounds. He clarified that it was in keeping with the articles under OM-A-HUNG in the preamble of the Law of Bhutan that His Majesty exercised the sovereign prerogative of granting clemency. He, therefore, declared that there was no reason why His Majesty the King should not continue to grant clemencies/pardons as and when His Majesty deemed it appropriate.

The Foreign Minister and the Minister of Social Services and Communications stated that, among other reasons, His Majesty the King had acted in the interest of Bhutan's image and that His Majesty had also consulted with the many officials and Royal Advisory Councillors, who were members of the National assembly as well as the Cabinet on the subject of granting amnesty. They added that the provisions in the Law of Bhutan as clarified by the Home Minister were well known to every member and that they fully respected the exercise of this sovereign prerogative on the basis of merit and justifications.

In response, the representatives were unanimous in submitting that they had never harboured the slightest doubt in the actions of His Majesty the King from the very beginning and that they would continue to support wholeheartedly all the actions and decisions taken by His Majesty for the well-being of the country. They further submitted that the evil and treacherous actions of the ngolops had greatly disturbed their minds and caused such anguish that they had to take the opportunity to clear their deep concerns, especially their conviction that subjection of a few ngolops to the severest form of lawful punishment would have a sobering and pacifying effect on all other anti-nationals in southern Bhutan.

At this point, one of the Royal Advisory Councillors from southern Bhutan conveyed the deepest gratitude of the Lhotshampas for the unconditional clemencies that were being granted even though the law, as enacted in 1959, and covering the imposition of severe punishment for activities against the TSAWA-SUM, was clearly enshrined in article 17 and section 1 to 11 of the Law of Bhutan. He went on to submit his personal view on the subject of punishment for ngolops by recommending that those found guilty should be given a prison term between one year to 10 years or 14 years depending on the degree of their crime.

Several members entered the debate to warn that then ngolops, upon availing clemency, were returning to their villages and inciting the people and fanning regional and communal feelings by insinuating that the Royal Government indulged in discrimination. They maintained that such attempts had been made by the anti-nationals from the very beginning and feared that their capacity to do so may have been unwittingly strengthened by the government They pressed for firm and severe measures on the Lhotshampa community before the problem assumed larger and more dangerous proportions.

The Chimis from Pemagatshel, Mongar and Dagana reiterated the fact that even under normal circumstances, even the most minor offence brought a just punishment upon perpetrator, irrespective of whether the case was decided at the lowest court of law, the High Court or on appeal even by His Majesty the King. They stated that it was incumbent upon them as representatives of the people to obtain clarifications in the National Assembly on why the ngolops who had committed the vilest crime of high treason against the TSA-WA-SUM enjoyed clemency. Convinced of the wisdom of the ancient adage which advised that "a fire should be snuffed out before it becomes an inferno" and to "rid the infant enemy before he became a menacing giant", they urged that, for the security, the country should not hesitate to let the sword of justice fall on the neck that carried the' devil's head.

His Majesty the King expressed his understanding and respect for the position of the people and the convergence of perceptions and opinions, of all the members on the issue under discussion. There was good reason behind their request to the Royal Government to punish the ngolops in strict accordance with the Law of Bhutan upon their being found guilty. However, if the people all truly believed that it was imperative to not only overcome the current problem from the ngolops but to prevent from ever surfacing again to haunt posterity, His Majesty asserted that it was essential that the people reposed in him their full trust and confidence and the total responsibility to achieve this end. The willingness of the people to understand and accept the reasons for granting amnesty to ngolops in future, should the cause arise, would help substantially in the pursuit of the ultimate solution. His Majesty confirmed that the granting of clemency to the 813 ngolops had not been an act of compassion or humanitarian persuasion alone, but a decision that was inspired by his deep-seated commitment to uproot the very cause of the current problem so that the peace, security and sovereignty of the Palden Drukpa would never again be threatened.

The representatives of the people responded that the ultimate burden, of responsibility for ensuring Bhutan's security and sovereignty had always rested fully on the strong and capable shoulders of His Majesty the King. They offered their deepest gratitude to His Majesty for his heart warming assurances and for assuming the full responsibility of bringing about a lasting solution to the ngolop problem. Towards this end, the people offered their unwavering and unconditional support to His Majesty the King.

Upon the conclusion of the lengthy deliberations on the subject of applying the law of the Land strictly to the ngolops and the granting of amnesty, the National Assembly noted that the ngolops had rot only abused the trust, compassion and magnanimity of the King and the People, but had, without any cause and provocation, committed many treacherous crimes of treason against the TSA-WA-SUM. The Assembly resolved that the Royal Government should bring these criminals and terrorists to justice and award them the severest form of punishment including life imprisonment and capital punishment. In doing so, due weightage and consideration must be given to the long term security and well-being of the country as well as to the Law of the Land and the resolutions of the National Assembly.

On thee subject of granting amnesty, it was unanimously resolved by all the representatives of the Clergy, the Government and the People, that His Majesty the King should continue to exercise the sovereign prerogative of granting clemency as enshrined in the Law of Bhutan in its preamble under the articles,OM-A-HUNG.

3. Extradition of ngolops and discussion with neighbouring countries on this point.

The people's representatives of 43 gewogs from the Dzongkhags of Thimphu, Tashigang, Wangdiphodrang, Bumthang, Lhuntshi, Pemagatshel, Punakha, Dagana, Haa and Chukha, and the representatives of the Monk Body and the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry categorically stated that the anti-nationals who had run away to India and Nepal should be extradited and that the matter should be taken up with the neighbouring countries concerned to minimise the problems brought about by these ngolops.

Eighteen proposals in this regard were put forth. The members pointed out that the anti-nationals and their supporters had turned against the TSA-WA-SUM and were working on destabilizing the Government. They said that most of these anti-nationals were people who had been educated by the government and given preferential treatment in employment and promotions and that some of them had been trusted senior officials. Instead of being grateful to their King, Government and Country, the had risen against the TSA-WA-SUM, and the country on the pretext of the government having adopted discriminatory policies on religion, language, customs and tradition. From their bases outside the country the anti-nationals had been continuously carrying out robbery, arson, kidnapping, murder and other terrorist activities.

The People's Representatives felt that since the anti-nationals were operating from outside the country, such acts could even affect the good relations with the neighbouring countries.

In view of these considerations, the representatives strongly felt that the Royal Government should hold discussions with the governments of the countries where these and-nationals were taking shelter and make efforts to atleast extradite the leaders of the anti-nationals. Many Chimis were unanimous in expressing the need to particularly extradite R.B.Basnet ad Bhim Subba, of STCB and the department of Power respectively, for trial as per the Laws of the Land.

Some members, while fully recognising the excellent state of Indo-Bhutan relations, expressed doubts on the effectiveness of the extradition agreement between the two countries. The Chimis from Wangdiphodrang, Punakha and Tashigang said they were disturbed by the support extended to the anti-nationals by the local Nepali population across the border as these people might even attempt to damage the excellent relations between the two neighbouring countries. Other members proposed that the Government of India should be requested to ensure that the anti-nationals did not carry out terrorist activities against Bhutan from their soil.

Similarly, members from Lhuntshi, Pemagatshel and Bumthang felt that, if necessary, Bhutan as a member of SAARC should take ,up the extradition of the anti-nationals during SAARC meetings with the governments concerned.

In response, the Foreign Minister expressed appreciation for die concern shown by the public for the security of the country. He said that Indo-Bhutan friendship had been growing from strength to strength over the years and this close relationship had reached new heights during His Majesty's reign. He also said that regard to the problems posed by the anti-nationals, the Royal Government had been receiving total support and sympathy from Central Government in India. The Chief Minister of West Bengal had also assured the Royal Government that he would not allow the anti-nationals to carry out terrorist operations against Bhutan from their soil and had made this position publicly known through the Indian newspapers.

Despite India's big population and innumerable internal problems and the problem of distinguishing the Southern Bhutanese and-nationals from the Nepalese people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong and the Duars. the Indian Police had apprehended some of the anti-nationals and recovered a number of vehicles hijacked by them. The Indian Police in Assam and West Bengal had extended their full cooperation and support. Frequent consultations at the district level were also being held between the representatives of the West Bengal Government and the Royal Government to discuss issues related to the anti-national problem.

The Foreign Minister further clarified the doubts expressed by some of the People's Representatives on the anti-nationals operating from Indian soil. He stated that in view of the close relationship between the two countries there had always been close understanding and mutual support for each other. He stated that he had no doubt whatsoever Of receiving India's full and continued support in tackling the anti-national problem. He said that though there was an Extradition Treaty between Bhutan and India, while implementing it there were some problems due to procedural formalities which had to be carried out. The two governments were working towards overcoming these problems.

The Minister also said that Bhutan being a signatory to the SAARC Regional Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism had to enact a legislation on the Suppression of terrorism and also to enact a Bhutan Extradition Act. These two Acts, if passed by the National Assembly when put forth by the Ministry of Home Affairs, would greatly facilitate the extradition of criminals and terrorists.

The Foreign Minister stated that in the past there had never been any problems in relations between Bhutan and Nepal However, as the members might be aware, the anti-nationals who had absconded from the country and sought asylum in Nepal had received the full support of the political parties and people of Nepal. As suck he felt that it would be difficult to extradite these anti-nationals and also to recover the money and property stolen by them.

The Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army, Goongleon Gongma Lam Dorji stated that the representatives of the public need not be concerned about Indo-Bhutan relations. From the Army's point of view, the Government of India despite their own problems, had extended full cooperation and generous assistance to Bhutan. Security was being provided to Bhutanese officials and the public traveling through Indian territory. Incidents of robbery and hijacking of vehicles had taken place now and then because the drivers or owners of these vehicles had failed to inform the Royal Bhutan Police about their movement and, therefore, security by the Indian Police could not be arranged. He said that the cooperation and friendship between the Indian Army and the Royal Bhutan Army was excellent, and that the Indian Army was providing generous and valuable financial and logistic assistance to the Royal Bhutan Army. He also expressed his deep appreciation for the valuable assistance rendered to the RBA by IMTRAT.

Many representatives expressed their happiness with the excellent state of Indo-Bhutan relations and their appreciation for the assistance and support provided by the Government of India with regard to the ngolop problem. They also expressed their hope that this support would be continued in the future. They felt that though India was a big and powerful country and Bhutan a small neighbour, the excellent relations between the two countries was a model of good neighbourliness and friendship in inter-state relations.

Many members expressed their deep appreciation for the unwavering support provided by the Government of India at this critical time in Bhutan's history.

His Majesty the King proposed that the National Assembly should adopt a resolution recognizing the unfailing support which India had extended to Bhutan at a crucial time and express the Assembly's deep appreciation to the government and people of India for their staunch friendship, goodwill and cooperation.

Thereafter, the representative of Wangdiphodrang stated that throughout history there had never been any problems between Nepal and Bhutan and since Bhutan had helped Nepal in its times of trouble in the past, he felt that the government should request, for the extradition of R.B. Basnet and Bhim Subba. Others felt that rather than extraditing the to officials, it might be better to recover the money and property stolen by them through a court of law.

The Finance Minister stated that R.B. Basnet and Bhim Subba had planned to abscond from the country for some time and therefore flagrantly stolen considerable amounts of money from the government. He stated that it was immediately after the Royal Audit issued notifications for the auditing of the STCB and the Department of Power, that R.B. Basnet and Bhim Subba had absconded from the country. Subsequently, when the auditing started, and fearing detection, a large number of other Southern Bhutanese officials from these departments also absconded. In order to make detection difficult they had deliberately not maintained the accounts properly. Writing pads, cash receipts and cash memos of 19 outside firms had been found in their offices and residence. The auditing was yet to be completed but the preliminary report showed that R.B.Basnet had stolen money, misused authority and, committed other serious irregularities that brought about a loss of-over Nu.50 million to the Government. Similarly, Bhim Subba also stolen money and committed irregularities bringing about a loss of over Nu.30 million to the government. Between the two of them, they had brought about a loss of over Nu.80million to the government The Finance Minister stated that in his opinion the Royal Government should take all possible steps to recover the stolen funds.

Thereafter, some members stated that the anti-nationals had been consistently accusing the Royal Government of violating human rights. They questioned whether act- of robbery, arson, kidnapping, murder, torture, rape and stealing money in terms of millions was in keeping with human rights. They stated that these crimes should be widely publicized by the government.

In this regard, the Minister of Trade and Industries stated that His Majesty the King had reposed full trust in R.B.Basnet and Bhim Subba and had not only promoted them but had also given them charges of important Departments. As stated in the Finance Minister's report they had brought about huge losses to the government and as such the Foreign Ministry should work on extraditing them even if there was no extradition treaty between Nepal and Bhutan. While he was not aware of the reasons for the Nepalese Government supporting these two officials, it was clear that they had absconded as criminal and not on political grounds. As such, every step should be taken to extradite them. If this was not possible they should be charged in a court of law.

Many members repeated that the anti-nationals led by R.B.Basnet and Bhim Subba had, instead of being grateful to the country, turned against the TSA-WA-SUM and brought about huge losses amounting to over Nu.30 million to the government and people of Bhutan. As such, the Royal Government, in consultation with the Nepalese Government, should work on extraditing these officials and punishing them as per the Laws of the Land.

Many members felt that if no action was taken against these officials despite their serious crimes, there would be a great risk of many more such cases taking place and huge losses inflicted to the government and people of Bhutan. Therefore, it was important to take all necessary measures to extradite the two criminals and try them in a court of law. If the Nepalese Government knew that these officials had absconded as criminals and not on political grounds, there would be no reason for them not to hand these criminals over to the Royal Government. As such, it was suggested that the Royal Government should take immediate action to pursue the matter with the Nepalese Government.

The People's Representatives from Dagana, Shemgang and Chukha questioned how it could have been possible for the government too allow such large scale corruption by Bhim Subba and R.B. Basnet to go undetected.

At this juncture, the Foreign Minister said that it was very important for all the members to be aware of the true intentions and objectives of the anti-nationals. The anti-national activities, he said, were not launched because of the national policy on dress, language, custom and religion. These issues were used only as propaganda to malign the Royal Government and to gain international sympathy and support. The anti-nationals had a much more deep-seated, long term objective. Not satisfied that they were already a large minority, they were continuously repeating that the Nepalese in Bhutan comprised 52 to6O percent of the population and, therefore, the Nepalese constituted the majority of the population. Simultaneously, they were calling for the introduction of multi-party democracy. Their strategy was that once democracy was introduced they would be in a position to form the government in Thimphu and take over the county. They, therefore, wanted to rapidly increase their demographic size through illegal immigration. As such, he said it was not difficult to understand why the Southern Bhutanese were always finding different ways and means of bringing illegal of Nepali immigrants into the country and why their population had been increasing by leaps and bounds.

To give the historical background, Sikkim which was immediately east of Nepal strongly opposed induction of Nepalese settlers. The British, however, forcibly brought Nepalese settlers into Sikkim for their own political reasons. In no time the Nepali population increased through high birth rate and through regular immigration from Nepal and soon they formed 80% of the population. Today, as everyone is aware, Sikkim is governed by the Nepalese majority and the original Sikkimese people are a small minority in their own country.

In Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong, which are further east of Sikkim, Nepalese labourer were brought in by the British to work in the tea plantations. The Nepalese population in these areas increased rapidly and to-day the Nepalese population was totally dominates the tiny indigenous population of Lepchas and Sikkimese. The eastward migration of the Nepalese, actively encouraged by the British spread to the foothills of Bhutan and the Bengal Duars and further eastwards to India's northeast region of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

It was net merely out of ethnic affinity that the political parties and people of Nepal were supporting the anti-nationals of southern Bhutan, but more out of their deep-seated desire to promote the concept of a Greater Nepal. This concept envisaged Nepalese domination over the entire Himalayas by bringing Bhutan. parts of the Duars in West Bengal and Assam and the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland under Nepalese control just as in the case of Sikkim and Darjeeling.

In view of this, the Foreign Minister said, it was far more important to understand the deeper implications of the anti-national problem and the threat to the nation rather than to concentrate on peripherial issues like the extradition of a few ngolops or the recovery of stolen money. That was why, the Minister said, it was necessary to ensure that the ngolop problem was removed once and. for all if Bhutan is to remain a sovereign, independent country. It was, therefore, of paramount importance that the government and the people joined hands under to His Majesty the King's leadership to remove ngolop problem once and for all. If His Majesty's farsighted policies on the ngolop problem was given unstinted support by the people, a permanent solution was possible.

The representatives thanked the Foreign Minister for highlighting the long-term aims and objectives of the anti-nationals. Many members, however, insisted that since there were no problems with the Government of Nepal, the Royal Government should at least work on extraditing R.B.Basnet and Bhim Subba, as they had committed serious crimes, even if the other anti - nationals could not be extradited. Other members insisted that even if the Royal Government was not able to extradite them. legal action should be initiated against these criminals in a court of law.

The National Assembly decided that though the extradition of the two officials and other anti-nationals leaders from Nepal was not important for the national security, it was essential to make every effort to bring them back since they had committed serious crimes in the country, and that they be tried and punished as per the Law. In the event this was not possible, legal proceedings should be initiated against them. Towards this the Foreign Ministry should take up the matter with its counterparts in the the Nepalese Government.

4. Holding of Important Posts and Sensitive Responsibilities by Lhotshampas

Thee representatives of 30 gewogs from the Dzongkhags of Tongsa, Thimphu, Haa, Bumthang, Paro, Lhuntshi and Tashigang, and the representatives of the Monk Body and the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry submitted nine proposals recommending that Southern Bhutanese officials should no longer be appointed to important posts or entrusted with sensitive responsibilities.

In March 1990, during the 69th Session of the National Assembly. the representatives of the people of southern Bhutan in the Royal Advisory Council and in the National Assembly had submitted that the anti-national uprising in southern Bhutan was instigated by non-nationals and a few misguided anti-national elements, and that the general public were not even aware of such activities. They had said that the people of southern Bhutan had been greatly distressed and shamed by the anti-national activities and had sought forgiveness from the Royal Government. They had given their complete and full assurance that such subversive activities would riot take place again. However from September 1990 onwards, large members of Southern Bhutanese people had revolted violently against the TSA-WA-SUM.

In view of this. the members submitted that the people could no longer trust the Southern Bhutanese. They stated that the Royal Government had not only educated the Southern Bhutanese officials but had also employed them in the Civil Service in important positions. In return, these ungrateful officials had betrayed the trust reposed in them and taken up anti-national activities against TSA-WA-SUM. It would, therefore, not be in the national interest to retain the services of such people. The representatives proposed that all Southern Bhutanese officials should, therefore, be relieved from government service.

In this regard Chimis from Tashigang and Bumthang suggested that the immediate family members and relatives of anti-nationals in government service should all be relieved from service. Others proposed that only those government servants from southern Bhutan who were loyal and had no connections with the ngolops should be allowed to continue in service.

In this regard, the Secretary of the Royal Civil Service Commission reported that the Commission shared the concerns of the members on having Southern Bhutanese officials in the Civil Service under the present circumstances. Today, he stated, out of 12,023 civil servants, 5,383 (39.23%) were Southern Bhutanese. In the past six years, out of 213 students sponsored for further studies in India alone, 127 (60%) were from southern Bhutan. He went on to say that the government had educated these people with the hope that they would serve the government and the people with loyalty and devotion. The disappointment and the public were therefore understandable as the main leaders and participants in the anti-national activities were ex-civil servants. Till date, 349 Civil Servants had absconded and 26 Forest Guards and 99 Police and Army personnel had deserted and joined the ngolops. During May, 1991, 10 senior Southern Bhutanese officials had absconded, and as all the members were aware, most of them had sought asylum in Nepal, said the Secretary.

The Secretary of the RCSC submitted to National Assembly that the Commission had always had one uniform policy for all Bhutanese citizens aid as such had provided equal opportunities to all citizens in their training, appointments and promotions in the civil service. Despite the uprising in southern Bhutan, the Royal Government had not resorted to any discriminatory measures against the Southern Bhutanese civil servants. All that the Commission had done was to introduce the requirement of a Police clearance for processing training, appointments and promotions. This was applicable equally to all Bhutanese and was felt necessary in order to prevent people having direct connection with terrorists and ngolops from being appointed to sensitive posts.

However, while following this non-discriminatory policy, the government had to face considerable risks and embarrassment both at home and abroad. Students sent for studies abroad had turned against the government and in some cases had sought political asylum in the host countries. Despite these risks and embarrassments, the Royal Civil Service commission had still not changed its policy nor had it received any directives from the government to do so. This, he said, reflected the very patient and tolerant stand taken by the Royal Government towards the Lhotshampas under the benevolent leadership of His Majesty the King.

However, as of now, this non-discriminatory policy had not been beneficial as could be seen from the involvement of a large number of civil servants in anti-national activities, the Secretary said.

The Secretary also submitted that it was now becoming increasingly difficult for the Royal Civil Service Commission to give employment to Lhotshampas as the employing agencies were reluctant to accept Lhotshampas. This situation had been further aggravated after senior officials like Bhim Subba and R.B.Basnet, with their subordinates and colleagues had absconded from the country. The government agencies were also becoming reluctant to process the training of Lhotshampas as they were beginning to doubt the wisdom of such investments, it was becoming in increasingly more difficult to obtain their support in appointing and training Lhotshampa civil servants as they had become wary of further cases of betrayal of trust by the Lhotshampas. Moreover, the Royal Civil Service Commission could not compel these government agencies to employ, train or promote Lhotshampas, for if that was done the agencies would hold the Commission responsible in case such officials committed anti-national activities or financial irregularities and absconded from the country.

The Home Minister stated that the government officials fully shared the concern of the public in this regard. While it was hoped that all Southern Bhutanese in government service would serve with total loyalty, dedication and commitment it was no longer possible to gauge or state with certainty how they would actually conduct themselves in the future.

The members stated that in keeping with the national policy of one country, one people, the Lhotshampas had been given equal access to education, employment and appointments to important posts. However, as the Lhotshampas had proved themselves untrustworthy, all Lhotshampas in government service should be retired. While some members were of the view that, no Southern Bhutanese should be given important responsibilities nor appointed to sensitive posts including posts involving financial transactions, others expressed the need to undertake thorough screening before Southern Bhutanese officials were promoted as otherwise there was every possibility of further abuses of trust and confidence bring repeated. Though the government had incurred great cost in educating and training the Southern Bhutanese officials and had conferred special treatment on them, they had shown no appreciation and gratitude whatsoever.

The Chimis from Thimphu, Paro and the Representative of the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed the need to stop further employment of Southern Bhutanese and that those already employed should not receive any promotions until the anti-national problem was removed.

At this point, His Majesty the King was pleased to inform the members that the Royal Civil Service Commission had full powers and authority for appointments into the civil service, training, promotions and imposition of penalties on civil servants as per the Civil Service Rules and Regulations. As such, His Majesty the King proposed that the Royal Civil Service Commission should be given the responsibility to closely study the issues raised by the representatives of the public and to make necessary amendments in the Civil-, Service Rules and Regulations with the objective of having an efficient and dedicated civil service to serve the nation.

The Planning Minister informed the National Assembly that although His Majesty the King was not a member, the Royal Civil Service Commission consisted of Ministers, Representatives of the Royal Advisory Council and Secretaries of the Ministries. While reconsidering appointments of civil servants to various posts and promotions, the criteria taken into consideration were qualification, experience, capability, dedication and loyalty to the TSA-WA-SUM. There was no discrimination whatsoever on grounds of race or creed. They informed the Assembly that the Commission was prepared to make whatever amendments were necessary in the Civil Service Rules and Regulations.

In response, the representatives stated that the Southern Bhutanese had greatly harmed the national policy of one nation, one people and that the Lhotshampas were responsible for dividing the country into two peoples viz. the Nepalese immigrants and the original inhabitants. The representatives deeply regretted the harm caused by the Lhotshampas. They submitted that while the original and true Bhutanese would always be loyal anti patriotic citizens, they now had serious reservations about the Lhotshampas who were recent immigrants and had a totally different outlook and concept of loyalty and dedication to the country. They requested the Royal Civil Service commission to give serious consideration to, their proposals regarding the employment of Southern Bhutanese in government service. The Commission should not take their proposals as individual views but as the views of the large numbers of the Bhutanese people who they represented in the Assembly.

At this juncture, one of the Royal Advisory Councillors of southern Bhutan stated that the tragic and unexpected anti-national activities in southern Bhutan which had started from 1989, had brought about considerable worries and sufferings that had made all Bhutanese citizens very concerned. The Agenda of the 70th Session of the National Assembly rightly focused mainly on the anti-national uprising in southern Bhutan. He went on to state that since the Royal Advisory Councillors and People's Representatives from southern Bhutan had been silent during the debate on the anti-national uprising, the members from different parts of the country who were Concerned about the uprising might have begun to doubt the position of the people of southern Bhutan.

He went on to say that the statements made by the Royal Advisory Councillors and the representatives of the public from southern Bhutan, as recorded in Resolution No.3 of the 69th Session of the National Assembly, that all the anti-nationals were not Southern Bhutanese had been proven incorrect by the mass anti-national demonstrations carried Out by the Southern Bhutanese towards the end of 1990.

Moreover, as highlighted by the resolutions of the 67th and 68th Sessions of the National Assembly, the public of southern Bhutan had gone against their own declaration of support and loyalty made to His Majesty the King during his tour of all the Dzongkhags in southern Bhutan and his public meetings with representatives of every household in the south. Contrary to their declaration, the people of southern Bhutan had carried out unforgiveable acts against the country. He went on to say that in order to find out what had prompted the people to carry out such acts, His Majesty had conducted extensive tours of southern Bhutan during which he met villagers, Village Elders, Village Headmen and National Assembly Members. In these meetings His Majesty had explained at great length that for the sake of the security and well-being of the country and the people, the Southern Bhutanese should not allow themselves to be influenced by anti-national elements. It was a source of deep sadness that despite His Majesty's advice, the anti-national activities in southern Bhutan had continued to take place. It was indeed a well known fact that the people of southern Bhutan chose not to pay heed to the benevolent advise given by His Majesty and had carried out anti-national activities, the Councillor said.

There was no denying that the government had more than amply met the needs of the people on all fronts like education. training, economic development building of schools, roads, bridges etc. Nor could it be denied that the shocking act of betrayal and uprising against the government had taken place in southern Bhutan. The people of southern Bhutan, were trying to identify those responsible for the anti-national uprising, which he said had greatly harmed the people themselves.

The Councillor also stated that there was absolutely no reason for the people of southern Bhutan to resort to such acts as there were established procedures and means to seek redressal for any genuine grievances they had. The people were all aware of the redressal system in the country and the Royal Advisory Councillors were in a position to vouch for the existence of such systems. No grievance had been brought to the notice of any authority and he expressed regret at the fact that no Southern Bhutanese had even mentioned any grievances to him although he represented them in the Royal Advisory Council. It was, therefore understandable why all the members in the Assembly had been ambitious in repeatedly voicing then need to identify the anti-nationals of southern Bhutan, he added.

He went on to say that His Majesty the King had always shown compassion towards all his people and had been deeply committed towards improving their well-being. He hoped that the government and the people would continue to work together as before to safeguard the country's security and to ensure that peace and unity was once again restored. He said that he was deeply ashamed and regretted that the anti-national uprising had taken place in southern Bhutan.

Although it was very difficult for ordinary people to find a solution to the anti-national problem no matter how hard they might try, he was confident that if all the people put their trust and faith in His Majesty the King and extended their full support and loyalty, a solution would be found by His Majesty and the security- and well-being of the country would be fully, safeguarded.

Thereafter, since the members had completed their submission of the views and concerns of the public to the National Assembly, it was resolved that, as recommended by His Majesty the King, and bearing in mind the present crisis in the country, and the concerns of the people enumerated above, the Royal Civil Service Commission should closely study the, policies pertaining to the civil service and revise and make amendments, if found necessary, in the existing rules. The Assembly fully empowered the Royal Civil Service Commission to introduce and implement rules in the Civil Service Rules and Regulations that were considered necessary to ensure a reliable and dependable civil service to serve the nation.

5. Allotment of Illegal Excess Land in southern Bhutan

The People's Representatives of 45 gewogs in the Dzongkhags of Tongsa, Haa, Paro, Chukha, Lhuntshi, Tashigang, Pemagatshel, Wangdiphodrang, Dagana and. Samdrupjongkhar submitted eleven proposals on allotment of land in southern Bhutan to the poor and the landless people from northern Bhutan.

The members proposed that the land belonging to Southern Bhutanese who had absconded and joined the anti-nationals and all categories of illegal land should be allotted to the poor and landless people from northern Bhutan. Some members recommended that such lands should be allotted to the retired personnel from the armed forces as many of them were finding it extremely difficult to find employment after retirement and were unable to stake claims to land-owned by their parents as most of the land holdings were very small and not sufficient for distribution among the children. Such resettlement programmes would also foster preservation of the country's tradition, culture and customs thereby promoting national identity and strengthening the security and sovereignty of the country.

The Chimis from thee Dzongkhags of eastern Bhutan stated that there were many people who did not have sufficient agricultural land and that many did not even own a plot of land to construct a house. They requested that the illegal land in southern Bhutan and land belonging to the ngolops should be allotted to the poor and landless people from the northern Dzongkhags. Such a step would also ensure equitable distribution of land and reduce the occurrence of anti-national activities.

The Secretary, Department of Survey and Land Records reported to the Assembly that the cadastral survey of the land holdings in Samchi and parts of Samdrupjongkhar had been recently completed. He stated that in Samchi Dzongkhag alone, when the resurvey was carried out in accordance with the 1979 Land Act, illegal land holdings of 47,235.67 acres had been detected. During January to June 1991, 208 surveyors were engaged for the cadastral survey in Samchi, out of which 160 were Southern Bhutanese. As per the Land Act, variations of 0.12 acres and 0.25 acres were allowed for every acre of wet land and dry land respectively. If this Law had been applied strictly, large tracts of, land would have had to be confiscated and the people concerned penalized. However, His Majesty the King had been pleased to command the regularization of genuine excess land holdings in accordance' with Resolution No. 13 of the 5 8th Session of the National Assembly which permitted registration of excess land without paying the cost, provided the land in question was within the boundary recorded in the earlier land record. In case the owner was unable to prove that the excess land was within the boundary of his land holdings, the excess land would be registered in his/her name provided the land holding of the particular household did not exceed the national ceiling of 25 acres. However, as decided during the 60th -Session of the National Assembly, all forest land illegally leased and used for growing cash crops had been confiscated.

Though the Land Act permitted land holdings of only 25 acres per household, in southern Bhutan many people registered in the census under one household had been permitted to register land in their names on the ground, that although listed as such in the census, they were not members of the same household. This relaxation of the Land Act had enabled many households to own land far in excess of the land ceiling of 25 acres.

The Secretary went on to report that despite all these special considerations given by His Majesty to the people of southern -Bhutan, Samchi Dzongkhag alone had over 47,000 acres of illegal land holdings even after large areas of excess land were regularised under - the above special allowances and considerations.

At this point the Home Minister stated that even after the Royal Government had regularised all genuine excess land detected during the resurvey as per the Land Act and the resolutions of the National Assembly, the amount of illegal land found by the survey ran into tens-of thousands of acres. Besides these illegal land holdings. the government would be acquiring some land as some of the Southern Bhutanese were selling their land and leaving the country. Some of these land would be handed over to the Department of Forests for plantation and protection of the environment The balance could be distributed to the security forces, militia volunteers and landless and poor people. He reported that the Ministry of Home Affairs was working on the procedures to be adopted for such allotments.

The Chimis from Haa, Punakh and Tashi Yangtse submitted that the illegal land in southern Bhutan should be allotted to ex-service personnel as this would contribute to the security of the nation and the promotion of the national policy of one country. one people.

His Majesty the King, at this point told the Assembly that despite the anti-national uprising and the large scale terrorism and subversive activities unleashed by the ngolops, the 5 Dzongkhags and 1 Dungkhag of southern Bhutan had remained intact and secure because of the loyalty and dedicated services of the security forces. He proposed that the allotment of the illegal land to the security forces and retired servicemen who were also apart of the rural population, would be a fitting recognition of the important role played by the services forces and the militia volunteers in safeguarding the security of the country.

One of the Royal Advisory Councillors of southern Bhutan submitted that as in the case of Samchi Dzongkhag, excess land holdings would also be detected in the other southern Dzongkhags and requested the government to consider allotting these land to the "Sukumbasis" of southern Bhutan. He also submitted that when resurvey o the land holdings in the northern Dzongkhags were carried out excess land holdings would probably be detected there also. He requested that resettlement programmes be undertaken as per the resolution adopted in this regard during the 69th Session of the National Assembly-and allotment of excess land be made to landless people of both northern and southern Bhutan.

The Home Minister submitted that if any individual felt that his/her land had been forcibly or wrongly declared as illegal by the surveyors, His Majesty the King had issued a Royal Command that such aggrieved individuals could take the matter to the Dzongkhag Courts or directly to the High Court. His Majesty had also commanded that if any individual wanted to sell his/her land to the government and leave the country, such transactions should be undertaken only upon submission of a statement from the head of the household declaring Ms intention to sell the land and leave the country. This statement must be made and attested in the presence of the Dzongda, Thrimpon, Head of the local Police, Registration Officer, Dungpa, Gup (Village Headman) and the National Assembly member concerned. The payment of the cost of land must also be made to the individual in the presence of the above officials and people's representatives. With regard to settlement of Southern Bhutanese in northern Bhutan the implementation of such a programme would be considered only after the present problem in southern Bhutan was resolved, bearing in mind the overall national security, the Home Minister said. With regard to the term "Sukumbasis", as per the previous session of the National Assembly and as landless people or people with very small land holdings were found in all parts of the country, the acceptable term was "Landless People" and not "Sukumbasis".

Many People's Representatives stated that the reason why such large illegal land holdings were being found only in southern Bhutan was due to the large influx of illegal Nepalese migrants and also due to convenient and easy leasing of illegal land holdings to non-national share croppers. They recommended that the illegal land holdings in southern Bhutan should be allotted to the security forces as proposed by His Majesty the King.

The Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army expressed his deep appreciation for the proposal to allot the illegal land in southern Bhutan to the security forces. He said that such generous considerations by the government and the people would go a long way in boosting their morale.

The National Assembly resolved that taking into account the well-being of the people and to strengthen national security, the illegal land holdings in the southern Dzongkhags should be allotted first to security force personnel and the Militia Volunteers. The additional land after such allotments should be given to landless people and to people with very small land holdings, to facilitate the national objective of ensuring equitable land distribution.

6. Withdrawal of Citizenship Identity Cards:

The People's Representatives of Tshogongma, Athang, Tshowogma, Kazhi, Phangyuel, Rubey and Sephu under Wangdiphodrang Dzongkhag reported that the family members and relatives of the ngolops were assisting the ngolops in their terrorist activities by serving as messengers and as informants through their unrestricted movements. They proposed that in order to prevent this in the interest of national security, the Royal Government should withdraw their Citizenship identity cards.

The Home Minister replied that from the beginning, everyone had been issued with identity cards in accordance with the Citizenship Act and since many identity cards were being stolen and also forged by the ngolops, it would serve no useful purpose to withdraw them. He, however, agreed that, in keeping with the common concern of the people and the government on the subject, then ngolops and their immediate family members and relatives should be dealt with according to the relevant articles of the Citizenship Act as and when they were caught or proven to have engaged in anti-national- activities. Anyone violating security procedures would be dealt with according to the security es and regulations. He, therefore, felt that there was no need to withdraw the Identity Cards.

The concerned representatives of the people clarified that the matter was brought before the National Assembly in light of the people's concern over the anti-national problem which began in September. 1990. As they expressed their satisfaction with the explanation and assurances of the Home Minister, the National Assembly resolved that there was no need to take any action on the subject.

7. No Citizenship for Non-Nationals married to Bhutanese Citizens

The People's Representatives of Samkhar, Tashigang proposed that any foreigner marrying a Bhutanese should not be granted Bhutanese Citizenship.

In thus regard, the representative of the people of Bumthang noted that, even though the National Assembly had resolved during its 67th Session in 1988, that any foreigner marrying a Bhutanese, Citizen after 1985 would not be granted Bhutanese Citizenship, many Southern Bhutanese continued to marry foreigners. He pointed out that with the Royal Government continuing to grant citizenship to such people, the Citizenship Act was being undermined. He called for strict implementation of the Act for all those who had entered Bhutan through marriage after 1985.

Appreciating the observation made by the People's Representatives, the Home Minister said that as long as the grant of citizenship was based according to the Marriage Act and Citizenship Act of 1985, and the relevant resolution of the 67th Session of the National Assembly, there would be no problem regarding the point raised by the representatives.

The concerned representatives expressed their appreciation and as there were no more discussion on the subject, the National Assembly resolved that the Ministry of Home Affairs should act in accordance with the above existing laws and the resolutions of the National Assembly in the case of marriages involving foreigners.

8. Identification of ngolops and their collaborators

The People's Representative of Tongsa Dzongkhag reminded the House that, during the 69Lh Session of the National Assembly, the Royal Advisory Councillors and the Chimis of southern Bhutan had insisted that the anti-national dism6ances in the south had been instigated by outsiders. Short of making a sworn pledge, they had further assured the House that such problems would never arise again from the south.

They noted that a] though many of the Chimis from the south had now been replaced because they had been involved in anti-national activities and had absconded, the concerned Royal Advisory Councillors who were still present in the Assembly were aware of the extent to which this assurance had been grossly violated. Consequently, it was inevitable that the people of other Dzongkhags should lose their faith in the Lhotshampas. They stated that it was for this reason that the assurances now being given by the new Lhotsham representatives could no longer be accepted at face value. Therefore, as proposed earlier by the Lhotsham representatives that the Lhotshampas themselves would help the government to identify the ngolops, the full responsibility of identifying the ngolops and their collaborators must be taken by the Lhotshampas.

This proposal was supported by many members who stated that the Gups, Chimis and the people in the south would always be fully aware of any stranger or anti-national element who entered their villages. They insisted that they must, therefore, fully aware the responsibility of identifying the ngolops and their collaborators.

One of the Royal Advisory Councillors of southern Bhutan replied that, in view of the strict implementation of the Citizenship Act and the Land Act, everyone was aware of how much illegal land had been discovered after the recent cadastral survey in Samchi and Saindrup Jangkhar. He claimed that the success of this survey was due mainly to the support extended by the genuine citizens in southern Bhutan towards identifying the illegal immigrants. He, therefore felt that it would be adequate if the Land Act and the Citizenship Act were implemented faithfully.

The representatives of Samchi and Kalikhola submitted that even though the ngolops were from the south, all Lhotshampas were not ngolops. They claimed that the main leaders of the ngolops and those who had committed anti-national activities had all absconded, and that the remaining Lhotshampas were true and loyal to the TSA-WA-SUM as well as strict adherents to the traditions, culture and laws of Bhutan. They acknowledge that it was the responsibility of the concerned villagers to identify the ngolops in the respective areas. In this regard they reported that in the recent s which was conducted at Samchi and Samjongkhar and in the on-going census at Sarbhang, all verifications and necessary investigations were carried out through close co-operation between the census teams led by the Dungpas and the census committees of the people.

They submitted that such genuine and purposeful cooperation between the government and the people they had been successful in identifying the illegal immigrants who had entered Bhutan as well as those associated with the ngolops. As for the responsibility of the people of southern Bhutan to identify the ngolops, they reported that they had been extending their full cooperation to the security forces.

The Home Minister agreed that it would be very useful if the people themselves and their Gups and Chimis assisted the Royal Government in identifying the illegal immigrants and the collaborators of the ngolops. He added that all those who were identified wold be subjected to further verification by the of the local people concerned committees and sub-committees of the local people with whom the Royal Government would conduct joint invegestigation.

The Assembly appreciated the Support and cooperation extended by the concerned Gups, Chimis and the people of southern Bhutan to the best of their knowledge and ability. The Assembly further expressed its hope and confidence that the Southern Bhutanese people would continue to extend such support towards identifying the ngolops and their collaborators as well as illegal immigrants in the interest of national security and in ensuring the peace and stability of the country.

9. Checking of Identity Cards and Vehicles at the Checkposts

The People's Representatives Of Lingbu, Shelnga and Beme ofpunakha Dzongkhag pointed out that from the very beginning, only heavy vehicles and Passengers travelling in buses were subjected to identification checks at the various checkposts while those travelling in light vehicles were being exempted. He proposed that, henceforth the identity of passengers travelling all vehicles should be checked, irrespective of rank and status and that the checkposts should be manned with competent personnel.

To this, the Home Minister replied that in view of the disturbances in the country and the need for everyone to be concerned and to assume a greater sense of responsibility and commitment to one's duty, officers from the Department of Immigration and Census had been appointed at various checkposts. He reported that, in accordance with the Citizenship Act, they had been discharging their responsibility of controlling the movement of illegal immigrants and those who might pose a threat to the security of the country. He further reported that, apart from the diplomats and the military vehicles, who were exempted from checks, all other vehicles and passengers were being subjected to proper verification.

The Minister, however, submitted that the Ministry of Home Affairs would have no difficulty if the National Assembly were to pass a resolution calling for conducting of stricter checks on all vehicles passing through the checkposts irrespective of the type of vehicles and the rank and status of their passengers.

The representatives of the people urged that while they did not see any harm in continuing to exempt the diplomats and the military, every citizen including all government servants should not only be required to carry their Identity Cards but should be mandatory for government servants to carry orders from their respective offices whether the reason for their movements was private or official. They further urged that the should be included in the resolution of the National Assembly in the interest of the country's security.

At this point. the Chief Operations Officer explained that it was an international practice to allow free passage of military vehicles through various checkposts. He, however, assured the Assembly that the RBA vehicles which often carried arms and ammunitions in connection with the current security problems, would be properly checked and secured before they began their movement. He therefore felt that there was no need for the RBP or the immigration authorities to check the military vehicles at the checkposts.

Since there was no objection or any further intervention from the members, the National Assembly resolved that the diplomats and the military personnel would continue to enjoy unhindered passage at the checkposts, while all types of vehicles and their passengers, irrespective of rank and status, should be subjected to verification of Identity Cards.

10. Matters relating to dual citizenship

The people's Representative of Tongsa called the attention of the House to the practice of holding dual citizenship and Owning land and properties outside the country by many Lhotshampas. They requested that the Royal Government should conduct an investigation and take action against such persons.

The Home Minister replied that in accordance with the Citizenship Act, any Bhutanese citizen who was found to hold the citizenship of another country would immediately forfeit his proven. He submitted that Bhutanese citizenship upon being so the law being very clear, its implementation did not pose any problem.

As the concerned representative was satisfied with the reply of the Home Minister, the National Assembly resolved that, in accordance with the submission of the Home Minister and the relevant provision under the Citizenship Act, the Royal Government should take suitable actions against those found holding dual citizenship.

11. Matter concerning Form No. '5' of the Census Records

The people's Representative of Dagapela under Dagan Dzongkhag informed the House' that inspite of the Royal Government having given incentives to encourage inter-marriages between Lhotshampas and other citizens of the country, there had been very few inter-marriages. On the other hand, everyone was aware that the number of Lhotshampa marrying non-nationals and the issues from such marriages ran into tens of thousands. He further expressed his concern that the popular tendency of the Lhotshampa girls to marry non-national Nepalese and continue to live in the country, instead of going as brides to their husband's homes, as was customary, would lead to further influx of immigrants as their relatives of the husbands could be encouraged by them to migrate into Bhutan. It was, therefore, proposed that all women marrying foreigners should be deprived of their citizenships. In addition, the census Form No. 5 which enabled foreigners married to Bhutanese nationals to avail citizenship should be changed.

Many members of the Assembly recalled that during the 67th s Form No. '5' had been Citizenship Act to help the Southern Bhutanese whose daughters were married to foreigners. The members therefore appreciated the proposal of the Lhotshampa Chimi from Dagapela that Form No. '5' should be discontinued.

The Home Minister informed the House that in accordance with the resolution adopted in the.67th session of the National Assembly, all issues g to marriage with foreigners should be decided on the basis of the Marriage Act and the Citizenship Act of 1985. He clarified that Form No.5 was only a means to obtain and verify information pertaining to marriages with outsiders without which the Marriage Act could not be implemented effectively. The National Assembly, therefore, resolved that Form No.5 should not be invalidated or altered.

12. Implementation of the Citizenship Act

The People's Representative of Pemagatshel invoked the Citizenship Act of 1985 which granted citizenship to all those who had immigrated to Bhutan before 1958, when the nationality Act was passed and citizenship was granted to the Southern Bhutanese for the first time, while those entering thereafter would not be given this right. He stated that by taking advantage of the concessions made after the 1985 Citizenship Art was passed, to accommodate some of the genuine problems of the Lhotshampas, large numbers of illegal @grants had entered the country and settled among our people.

The representative drew the attention of the House to the alarming extent to which these illegal immigrants had become a considerable economic burden upon the state by enjoying free access to all kinds of benefits including free health and education facilities and employment. He advised very strongly that the Royal Government should implement the Citizenship Act and the related resolutions of the National Assembly without any concessions and exceptions.

The Home Minister noted that the objective of implementing the Citizenship Act effectively to enhance national security was a mutual concern of the people and the government. Since the responsibility of achieving this objective lay with the Home Ministry, he reported that the Ministry was doing its very best to this responsibility by strictly implementing the Citizenship Act.

Although in keeping with Citizenship Act, the concerned Dzongdas and officials had been visiting each house on a door to door basis while conducting the annual census in their respective jurisdictions, they had not been able to obtain accurate census records. Therefore ,senior officials and trained census enumerators had been sent to every Dzongkhags to conduct the census thoroughly. The Minister also reported that unless and until all information including identity of parents, place of birth, number of siblings, identity of spouse etc. were thoroughly verified, no Citizenship identity cards were being carelessly issued to anyone.

The National Assembly noted with satisfaction the dedication and commitment with which the concerned Ministries, Departments and Dzongkhags had strived to implement the Citizenship Act. The Assembly furtjer directed that, with fun dedication to the long term interests of the country, all government agencies should continue to strictly implement the Citizenship Act and the related resolutions of the National Assembly without fear Or favour, unmindful of social or economic status and irrespective of rank or power.

13. Revival of the tradition of the Pazaab System (Militia)

The People's Representatives of the 41 gewogs from the Dzongkhags of Tongsa. Punakha, Wangdi Phodrang, Haa, Chukh Mongar, Tashigang, PemagaLshei and Dagana submitted thirteen points recommending that the ancient tradition of Pazaab which was still practiced in a ritual form each year in Punakha Dzong should not only be revived but strengthened as a moder militia force.

The Chimis stated that the responsibility of defending the security and sovereignty of the country was the inalienable right and responsibility of all true citizens. They cited that since ancient times the tradition of raising Pazaab forces out of volunteers from each household had ensured the successful defence of the country against both internal and external threats. Even though Bhutan had not maintained a trained and regular Army, the people had defended their country successfully during numerous wars fought against the Tibetans and the British.

The representatives submitted that such volunteer forces should be raised today and maintained at minimal cost to deal with the ngolops who continued to carry out large scale acts of terrorism and subversion. Many of the Chimis shared the view that they conducted militia programme should be expanded and the training duration increased. In this connection the age limit for entry into the militia should be relaxed to allow all men between the age of 15 and 60 to avail training.

They be further proposed that those who had completed militia training should be given the opportunity to join the regular security forces and assist them in discharging internal security responsibilities. Furthermore, the militia training Programme should be conducted on a regular basis and should include women, many of whom had already volunteered to join. Furthermore, since the Gups, Chimis and Village Elders were participating in the militia training programme, government servants and students should also be given the opportunity to avail militia training.

To this, the Chief Operation Officer replied that the Royal Bhutan Army was filled with pride and deeply heartened by the patriotic spirit of the people and the willingness of both men and women to join the militia forces in such large numbers. He proposed that with regard to the age limit, the Army should be empowered to take appropriate decisions on the basis of the physical fitness of the. individual volunteers.

As for the duration of training, he was most happy to report that the militia volunteers had been able to successfully complete the equivalent of one year's regular military training within four months and that those who were now serving with the security forces were able to perform as well as the regular soldiers.

The Minister of Communications and Social Services informed the Assembly that there were many students who had volunteered to join the militia with great enthusiasm, and a large number had actually received training. However, since His Majesty the King had been pleased to command that the students should continue the ir education, they were not permitted to serve with the security forces. I

At this point, the representative of the Rabdey in the Royal Advisory Council reported that in order to enable the security forces to achieve the objective of restoring peace and security in the country under the wise and able leadership of His Majesty the King, all the monk bodies and the monasteries throughout the country had been performing continuous prayers for the peace and security of the country and the well-being of the people. He said that it was the constant and cherished wish of the Monastic bodies to ensure that no harm would ever fall upon His Majesty the King and through his inspiring leadership and wise guidance, the members of the security forces, as well as the people, would always be protected against all possible harm.

In the course of the deliberations, several representatives of the people made strong recommendations to expand and strengthen the Army. Others made suggestions that the Royal Government should issue weapons to those who had received militia training or that they should be authorised to make their own arrangements for the acquisition of arms. Many members also recommended that the Royal Government should immediately withdraw the standing order forbidding the security forces from resorting to direct firing even when attacked by armed ngolops.

The Chief Operations Officer responded that the Royal Bhutan Army should be empowered to strengthen its security forces on the basis of requirement and need and that in the case of militia personnel, they would be issued with suitable arms as and when their services were utilized. He further stated that the acquisition of arms and ammunition for personal use should be done in keeping with the National Arms and Ammunition Act. He informed the House that during the months of September and October in 1990, when the, anti-nationals had indulged in violent demonstrations in the five Dzongkhags and one Dungkhag of the south, from Sibsoo in the west upto Daifarn in the east, the terrorists had marched behind a human shield of women and children followed by villagers carrying Khukuries while they themselves carried guns, grenades and bombs and wore camouflage uniforms.

Intending to take advantage of the small number of security personnel, they had advanced violently in all the Dzongkhags and Dungkhags openly brandishing their weapons. 'Me security personnel faced extreme difficulties in view of the Royal Command that not a single round should be fired by any soldier under any circumstances. This command was issued to ensure that the security personnel did not inflict injury on any one of their fellow citizens even though they would be putting their own lives to risk. By courageously adhering to this Royal Order, several security personnel lost their lives at the hands of the violent mobs and many were seriously injured.

Since then, the ngolops had been carrying out large-scale terrorism against the people. Having become common terrorists and armed enemies of the state, the security forces were now taking appropriate and successful measures against the ngolops in keeping with military tactics and procedures. The Chief Operations Officer said that the success of the security forces in discharging their duties was due to the wise and inspiring leadership of His Majesty the King and the prayers and good wishes of the monastic bodies and the people who, like members of one family, had all rallied to inspire and give moral support to the security forces. The Chief Operations officer expressed his appreciation and said he was confident of continued support and commitment from all sections of the Bhutanese People.

On behalf of all there representatives, the Speaker conveyed the deep appreciation of the National Assembly to the officers and members of the security forces, through the Chief Operations Officers, for the valiant and courageous manner in which they had shouldered the responsibility of maintaining law and order and ensuring the safety and security if the country.

He further thanked the Chief Operations Officer for the clear views of the Army and the relevant steps that were being taken in connection with the age limit, duration, and nature of training for the militia. He also thanked him for giving clarifications on the procedures governing personal arms in response to the various views and opinions raised by the People's Representatives. Therefore, as proposed by the Speaker, the National Assembly resolved to, accept, and approve the explanations and recommendation of the Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army on the various issues that were raised on the subject of the Pazaab System.

21. Greater priority for the nation & security than for development works

The People's Representatives of 20 gewogs from the Dzongkhags of Pemagatshel, Lhuntshi, Thimphu, Wangdiphodrang and Tashigang submitted six points emphasizing that greater priority should be given to the security of the country than to the implementation of developmental works. The development programmes implemented by the government upto now had already brought great socio-economic benefits to the people in the areas of Education, Health, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Roads and Communication, and raised the per capita income and standard of living. It was of course, very important to maintain this excellent pace of development However, at a time when the security and wellbeing of the country was being threatened, it was far more important to give total priority to ensuring the security of the nation. For their part, the people were ready to even sacrifice their lives for the security of the nation. Development works were of lesser importance during such times as they could always be resumed once the ngolop problem was removed. Therefore, the ,representatives proposed that development works should be suspended till the ngolop problem was removed and the budgets diverted to meet the additional expenditure for ensuring the security of the country.

The People's Representatives further submitted that it was the ngolops in southern Bhutan who had disturbed the peace and tranquility of the country. It was because of the large scale terrorism unleashed by them that development works had been disrupted in southern Bhutan, and it was because of their continued terrorist and subversive activities that security forces had to be deployed in the disturbed areas. Therefore, all development works in southern Bhutan should be stopped and the funds diverted for meeting security expenditures.

The Home Minister addressed the Assembly and said that he deeply appreciated the patriotic feelings and views of the Chimis and the proposal which they had submitted on behalf of the people from all parts of Bhutan that greater priority should be given to the security of the nation than to development works. At a time when the security of the nation was threatened it was given to the security of the nation than to development works. At a time when the security of the nation was threatened it was indeed gratifying that the government and the people were totally united and singleminded in their determination to overcome the grave threat to the nation. He recalled that past Bhutanese generations too bad been totally dedicated and committed to the national interest and had even risked their lives to safeguard the security of the nation. They had bequeathed us with the legacy of a secure and sovereign, independent nation and it was now our sacred responsibility to safeguard and hand over this proud legacy to our future generations, the Home Minister said. The Home Minister, therefore, deeply appreciated the proposal of the representatives to suspend development works during the forthcoming 7th Plan and divert the funds to meet the additional expenditure for ensuring the nation's security.

His Majesty the King then addressed the Assembly and said that rather dm cut back on development works, he felt that extra efforts should be made to achieve greater economic progress in the 7th Plan period. He said that a budget of Nu.15,000 million had been proposed for the Plan and every effort would also be made to mobilise additional funds to promote further development in the country in order to raise the per capita income and living standard of the people. His Majesty recommended that the National Assembly should instead resolve that the 7th Plan, which would begin in June 1992, should be implemented even more vigorously than the 5th and 6Lh Plans in order to bring greater progress and prosperity to the people and the country. He pointed out that if the people and the government worked together single mindedly, there should be no reason why the important national objectives of the 7th Plan could- not be fulfilled in all the 18 Dzongkhags of the country. Regarding the expenditures or budget for security measures, the Finance Ministry had been diverting a little portion of country's internal revenues to meet some of the cost. If there were further requirements, the Finance Ministry could set aside 10% to15% of the internal revenue collections to meet security expenditures. This money would be kept intact unless required and could be taken back by the Finance Ministry if not spent.

The Royal Advisory Councillors and some of the People's Representatives thanked His Majesty for his unwavering commitment to promote the prosperity, well-being and security of the people and the country. They deeply appreciated His Majesty's desire to implement the 7th Plan fully despite the present problems in the country.

One of the representatives from Bumthang said that the Lhotshampas had brought trouble with them from the time they had migrated to Bhutan. Although the Royal Government had implemented many development programmes and established many service facilities for them the Lhotshampas had themselves destroyed these facilities and disrupted development activities. Therefore, if these facilities were reestablished, there was every possibility of them being destroyed again. Therefore, until the ngolop problem was removed. no development activities should be carried out, they said.

Other representatives stated that if the government decides to implement the 7th Plan in. the southern Dzongkhags, and if the ngolops continued with their anti-national activities and the Southern Bhutanese people continued. to maintain their present ambivalent and uncommitted attitude, then ngolop problem would not only disrupt the development activities in the southern Dzongkhags but also affect development works in northern Dzongkhags. Therefore, all development works in the southern Dzongkhags should be stopped until the ngolop problem was removed.

The Chimis from Tashi Yangtse, Shemgang, Tongsa and Paro noted that because of the continued anti-national and terrorist activities of the ngolops in southern Bhutan it had become imperative to give greater priority to the security of the nation. As it was important to further strengthen security forces through training as well as procurement of equipment, and also because the government would have to incur much additional expenditure for security purposes, the entire 7th Plan budget for development activities in southern Bhutan -should be diverted to meet security expenditures.

One of the Royal Advisory Councillors from southern Bhutan, said that the Five Year Plans were not meant for just one Dzongkhag or one Dungkhag but for the entire country. There had been no problem regarding the implementation of any of the Plans upto the 6th Plan and development works had been progressing very well in the country. Anti-national and terrorist activities did not take place only in Bhutan but also happened in other countries. He noted that the people in the other 13 Dzongkhags wanted to stop development activities in the 5 Dzongkhags and 1 Dungkhag of southern Bhutan because they were upset anti-national activities were taking place in the southern Dzongkhags. He, however, pointed out that the southern Dzongkhags were an integral part of Bhutan and requested the members to of the overall national interest. He reminded the members that His Majesty the King had already explained the matter very clearly. He requested that a distinction be made between the ngolops and the loyal Southern Bhutanese and that the implementation of development works allowed to take place as planned.

The People's Representative of Kalikhola expressed his deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for the great love and impartially with which he had always promoted the interests and welfare of all the people of southern Bhutan and all Bhutanese citizens regardless of their race or creed. In particular, His Majesty had always been especially considerate to all Lhotsham people. He requested His Majesty for his further kind consideration and understanding. He also requested the members not to consider all Lbotshampas as ngolops.

Some representatives pointed out that although the Lhotshampas were recent immigrants, they had been given preferential treatment by the government even after they were granted Bhutanese citizenship, and had received more benefits from development programmes. So, if the Lhotshampas themselves gave clear proof through their actions that they were not all ngolops due consideration could be given for the implementation of developmental activities in southern Bhutan.

The majority of the representatives proposed that until the ngolop problem was removed, all development works in southern Bhutan should be stopped and the budget diverted for security expenditures.

The Chief Operations Officer of the RBA then addressed the Assembly and thanked the People's Representatives for their deep concern for the financial and logistic burdens faced by the government on account of the deployment of the security forces. This was reflected in their proposal to stop developmental works m the south and divert the funds for security expenditures. Although it was up to the National Assembly and the Royal Government to decide whether development works in the south should be implemented or not, he felt that it was necessary for him to submit some points for due consideration. He reminded the Assembly that one of the main reasons for security forces being deployed in the south was in connection with development activities. Security was being provided to all administrative centres and important service facilities and installations like schools, hospitals, bridges, projects and industries. Security also had to be provided to all government employees working in the disturbed southern Dzongkhags. In view of the existing heavy commitments, he asked the members to note that it would be extremely difficult for the security forces to provide security for any additional development activities under the present circumstances.

The Minister of Trade and Industries then addressed the assembly and said that most of the major industries and commercial centres and towns were located in southern Bhutan. In the wake of the large scale anti-national activities, all the major industrial establishments faced grave risks from the terrorists. Although the security forces were doing their best to protect all the important establishments, the terrorists had inflicted big losses to the government with acts of sabotage like the felling of electrical pylons supplying power to the Penden Cement Factory in Gomtu. Most of the industries proposed in the 7th Plan were to be located in the south, and promoting industrial development was one of the most important 7th Plan objectives. The Ministry of Trade and Industries was, therefore, deeply concerned by the serious difficulties , and grave security risks involved in implementing the industrial development programmes in the south due to the continued anti-national activities.

The Minister of Social Services and Communication the Director General of Health Services and the Director General of Education stated that large scale arson and destruction had been carried out in the south on health and education establishments and facilities. Many schools and health centres had been destroyed and looted by the anti-nationals. Teachers, doctors and health workers had been threatened, harassed and attacked by the terrorists, and many of the schools and health establishments had to be closed down. Despite these terrorist activities many schools, health centres and all the 9 hospitals in southern Bhutan had been kept open on the command of His Majesty the King, As people working in the disturbed areas faced constant risk to their lives, the concerned Departments were facing serious difficulties in staffing these establishments. Because of the grave risks from continued terrorist activities, the Departments of Health and Education submitted that it would be extremely difficult to resume development programmes in the south until the anti-national problem was resolved.

His Majesty the King told the Assembly that despite the serious security problems in the south, the government had,, managed to keep open 44 schools and 4 national educational institutions in the southern Dzongkhags and had also accommodated 6,738 Southern Bhutanese students, from the schools which had to be closed down, in the schools in other parts of Bhutan. Despite the continued

terrorist activities, every effort would be made to re-open at least 10 more schools in southern Bhutan in the following year. As many schools in the south had been either destroyed or damaged by the terrorists, they would have to be re-built by the Department of Education in areas that were more safe from terrorist attacks. Inspite of the high cost that would be involved, His Majesty ended that the National Assembly should pass a resolution to establish at least 10 additional schools in southern Bhutan.

His Majesty also informed the Assembly that all the 9 hospitals in southern Bhutan, 17 BHUS, 8 Dispensaries, 33 Outreach Clinics and 16 Malaria Centres had been kept open despite the continued terrorist activities. He said that every effort would be made to open at least 8 BHUs and Dispensaries by next year. This would bring the number of health facilities kept o to 91. These facilities could also provide all essential he coverage to the people including, pre-natal and post-natal care, child immunization and TB and leprosy control programmes. Majesty requested the National Assembly to pass, a resolution to this effect.

His Majesty said that he was fully aware that although the Royal Government had carried out extensive development works in the south at great cost, the anti-nationals in southern Bhutan, instead of showing their appreciation, had destroyed and damaged many of the facilities established for their benefit. He said that it was not out of compassion that he was recommending the implementation of development projects in southern Bhutan. He was actually keeping in mind the larger interest and the long term security and well-being of the nation and the national goal of achieving a uniform ad balanced development throughout the country. His Majesty told the Assembly that the construction of a 65 Km motor road would be undertaken between Bhangtar and Samdrupjongkhar next year at an estimated cost of Nu.160 million, His Majesty also informed the members that the Dungkhag offices in Dagapela and Bhangtar, which had to be closed down in the wake of the large scale anti-national activities, would be re-opened in 1992.

The Representatives of the Government and the People submitted that although the wishes and commands of His Majesty the King were sacred and inviolate, they begged to submit their sincere and heartfelt views on the matter of resuming development works in southern Bhutan. The Royal Government had always given preferential treatment to the Southern Bhutanese and had implemented more development works in the south than in northern parts of the country. The Southern Bhutanese had been given more land and also enjoyed far greater benefits in the areas of education. health and employment. Most of the industries and commercial centre were in their dzongkhags and they enjoyed a much higher income than the rest of the people in Bhutan. Despite all this, they had turned and bitten the very hand that had been feeding them.

One of the Chirnis from Haa said that in the process of openly rebelling against the TSA-WA-SUM, the Lhotshampas had burnt down mid destroyed the very schools where their children were being educated, the hospitals and health centres where they were being treated and the roads and bridges that were being used by them. Even their children had abused and attacked the teachers who had been educating them. The Lhotshampas people had threatened, attacked, kidnapped and murdered government officials and staff who were implementing development programmes for their benefit. In spite of the treacherous and subversive intentions of these people and the large scale terrorism unleashed by them. which had caused great destruction and loss to the country, many service facilities had still been kept open at great cost and risk by the government.

Most of the members expressed, strong reservation about resuming development works and opening schools and health facilities in the south in addition to the ones already kept open. Some members proposed that only roads and health facilities should be kept open in the southern Dzongkhags. Other members submitted that it would not only be pointless but a source of unnecessary loss and expenditure and risk to resume development activities and open additional service facilities in the south as it would only result in their being destroyed once again by the ngolops. If the Lhotshampas wanted to re-open or re-build the facilities destroyed by them, they should do so themselves at their own cost.

Other members submitted that at this stage, development works should either be suspended in the south or only taken up on a very small scale until the situation returned to normal. Some other members proposed that only those facilities and establishments that were already existing should be maintained and no additional facilities should be opened. One of the Chimi from Thimphu on the other hand, proposed that rather than open additional facilities in the south, even the existing ones should be closed down. Several representatives submitted that there was no need to rush into any decision now and that it should be left upto the behaviour and ,actions of the Lhotshampas to determine whether development works should be stopped or resumed.

The Minister of Trade and Industry said that it was true that the ngolops had destroyed many facilities like schools and hospitals. However, it should be noted that not all Lhotshampas were ngolops. He, therefore, requested that facilities such as schools and hospitals should be reopened for the benefit of these Lhotshampas. The Minister also thanked His Majesty the King for taking the full responsibility of finding a lasting solution to the ngolop problem in southern Bhutan. He said that the representatives of the government, the clergy and the people should all g