‘The Bhutanese’ Is Spreading Fear

Dear Editor 

Your recent story titled “Bhutan to Face Security and Monitoring Issues with New Entry Points and SDF Exempt Dzongkhags” is totally bias, completely unfounded and highly unbecoming for a print house that takes pride in calling itself “The Bhutanese”. The exceedingly cynical tone of this article is not only offensive but extremely hurtful to all of us in the region, who have endured years of severe dry spell due to an unfair tourism policy. 

Further, we recognize that this article is purely intended to derail the progress we have made hitherto in convincing our legislators to liberalize the new entry points from Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu, which would not only transform the economic landscape of our regions but would also create limitless opportunities back home for everyone, which in turn would address the two most pressing national concerns, unemployment and rural-urban migration, besides reviving the defunct cottage industry. 

You have also blatantly portrayed hoteliers as lobbyist and have accused the lawmakers for succumbing to their pressure. While desperate hoteliers deprived of tourism benefits did pressurize the government to open the new entry points, we highly doubt that we are on the same page with the hoteliers in the West, who actually stands to benefit from the regional tourist entry restriction imposed on Gelephu and Samdrup Jongkhar. So who are the “powerful hotel lobby” your paper is referring to, when six Eastern dzongkhags combined have about two dozen standard hotels, and have little sway over the decision reached by the two houses on SDF. 

Further, according to the Bhutan Poverty Analysis Report 2017, the 11 districts initially identified for SDF exemption have the highest poverty rates in the country, which has driven out most of it young population to Thimphu and nearby centers in search for better lives, while Paro, Thimphu, Punakha and Haa have the least poverty, mostly attributed to the benefits of Tourism.

Your article talked extensively about the threat this revised tourism policy would pose to our national security, going as far back as the annexation of the Duar areas in the 1800s to the 90’s crisis in the South, just to make a point, besides desecrating the memories of our fallen soldiers, who laid down their lives for our freedom, and not for our isolation. 

Accusing the MPs for rushing the legislation without a thorough examination is also baseless as it was already endorsed in the winter session of 2018, yet at the behest of the home ministry it was deferred for further review. Today after one year when the assembly again reached a consensus to open the new tourist entry points, and exempted SDF for the underdeveloped Dzongkhags, we can be absolutely sure that they have consulted every relevant agency to avoid any backlash. In short, unlike the reporter, they have done their homework. 

Here is why I take offence to you and your experts who think all hell would break loose if we open the entry points from Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu.

1. National Security is usually about securing the Capital City, which in our case houses all the important government and corporate machineries. Yet over 270,000 tourists visited the city last year, of which nearly 200,000 were regional, in addition to thousands of locals who travel to Thimphu annually for official and personal reasons. The valley is heavily overcrowded and this new tourism policy will bring about the much needed decongestion, so that unchecked foreigners do not mount on our stupas or leave a graffiti trail on our sacred sites. 

Moreover, Thimphu is the most vulnerable city in the country in terms of security especially when you consider its proximity to the highly sensitive Doklam plateau, or the fact that the new bypass at Chukha has drastically reduced the travel time to the capital, or the 50,000 plus Indian construction laborers and expatriates already working there, but ironically it’s the underdeveloped regions of South, Central and Eastern regions that have been kept isolated in the name of security. So, when the political leadership, in tandem with majority of the representatives, decides it’s time to open these areas for tourism, why would a mainstream paper try to sabotage it with a highly bias article, which does not have a single interview from the affected hoteliers, residents and businessmen from our region. 

2. Did the reporter once consider that Gungtong in these parts of the country is a more serious security threat and this revised bill could effectively address this conundrum. Our borders are mostly porous and it’s the human settlements along these areas, which is keeping it secured but with our village folks abandoning their land and property in the wake of extreme economic conditions, we fear there won’t be many left to hold the outpost, and the 2003 crisis could very well repeat. 

3. Now what begs the question is, why would the anti nationals and Indian militants, risk entering our country from the main check post in the guise of a tourist, when they can simply infiltrate from any of our open borders?

In fact if the recent events are any indication, where hundreds of NDFB and other militants surrendered to the Indian Army, with many more expected to follow suit, we are headed for a long term peace and it would be foolish not to capitalize on it, especially taking advantage of the connecting flights from Guwahati, a major commercial hub for the whole of North East India. 

4. As for the pastors and evangelist from the heavily christened North East Indian states spreading conversion, history will testify that they often found their way in through the poor population of a country, and what’s happening in Bhutan is not very different from what’s happened and is happening elsewhere. Unless, we uplift our poverty stricken dzongkhags, proselytisation would continue and your article suggesting we keep our people destitute and cutoff for our own security, from both militants and missionaries is very offensive.

5. Further, you mentioned that we do not have interior tourism products or sites for tourists coming to Samdrup Jongkhar and Gelephu. But you forgot that the former is the gateway to the East, while latter connects the central region, and both have great potential for eco and cultural tourism. It seems you have not seen the breathtaking nomadic villages of Merak and Sakteng, or gone out on bird watching trip to the scenic Bomdeling valley to see the endangered blacked necked crane, or taken a safari to the Manas reserve, or spent a night marveling the magnificent Guru statue at Takila, not to mention some of the age-old customs and traditions completely unique to our region, which is also blessed with many spiritual masters, who calls it their home. Our region also boasts of many sacred places, monasteries, temples and stupas like the Singye Dzong in Lhuentse, Gomphu Kora and Chorten Kora in Trashiyangtse, to name a few. So, how did you conclude that our region is undesirable for the tourists? 

6. Moreover this legislation is not about connecting a road between Trashigang and Tawang/Arunachal Pradesh; it’s about ending the isolation of our region through the implementation of a fair tourism policy, which was long overdue. 

And as Bhutanese when have we ever given-in to the pressure from our powerful neighbors, be it while standing firmly during the Doklam standoff, or politely turning down the BBIN Road Project, we have always asserted ourselves as a sovereign nation. Remember, given the enormous business prospects BBIN was supposed to bring in, don’t you think we (in the East and Central region) would have supported the project considering our dire straits? So, you can’t imply that we are overlooking the security aspect for our own gain or indirectly call us unpatriotic. As a small nation we will always feel insecure and threatened by our giant neighbors but we cannot hide behind our mountains forever. 

Hence, for a mainstream paper to propagate fear in the name of journalism is not only unethical but irresponsible. The reporter in concern should be reprimanded for his highly subjective opinions. 

Eastern Bhutan Hotel Association

Please Note: We requested The Bhutanese Newspaper to print this article in their Sunday issue but they turned us down.