Bhutan targeting leaders in exile

The royal government of Bhutan is trying to best to illegally detain and take back leaders in exile, in recent years, despite not having extradition treaty with Nepal.

While two leaders of DNC and HUROB were abducted in the past and there whereabouts remain unknown, fresh attempts have been made to take other leaders in the similar fashion. In its efforts, RGOB is using the disguise of fugitives to track the details of residential address and movement of leaders in exile.

Historically, Bhutan had used Nado Rinchen, then called fugitive in late 1980s, to track down and abduct dissident leaders from Nepal. Rinchen now holds respectable position in the Bhutanese political circle.

Sources from Thimphu told Bhutan News Network that this time around, RGOB has used Rinchen Wangdi and other person named Leki to track down the details of leaders in exile. While Wangdi has come in disguise of allegations that he misused money of Royal Insurance Corporation while Leki does not have any formal charges, except rumors against him.

Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) is supporting the Bhutanese move, indirectly. DNC-D leader Karma Chogay was detained briefly on July 30 and interrogated when they could find to arrest other exiled leaders like Kesang Lhendup, Karma Duptho, Jigme Jamtsho and Karma Dorji. Sources in Kathmandu said Lhendup luckily escaped illegal extradition to Bhutan when CIB officials mistakenly another person instead of Lhendup.

SAARC secretariat in Kathmandu has been misused in favour of Bhutan government. Few Bhutanese who work in the secretariat act at RGOB spies to find details of the leaders in exile and provide support to those coming from Bhutan with the government instructions.

Reliable sources in Thimphu say while DNC and DNC-D leaders are the primary targets of the Bhutanese government hunt for now, other leaders are also on the list.