Dick Chhetri
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read
  1. In the context of Bhutan history, please know that since the expulsion of many Southern Bhutanese in 1952 belonging to the erstwhile State Congress of Bhutan who demanded Democracy, and after the assassination of the first PM of Bhutan, Jigme Palden Dorji in 1964, I can say with confidence that there were practically no illegal immigrants in Bhutan. It sounds great to say “porous border and influx of illegal immigrants” as a political tool to justify the ethnic cleansing” but think about it; how can an illegal immigrant go to Bhutan buy a land, register in his name in the govt office, live there for generations, and the govt does doesn’t know? The most stringent government policies of the Royal Government after 1952 prevented any illegal immigrants and that was a good thing. Remember that after the 1964, the 3rd King of Bhutan even started cohesive social policies such as incentives to intermarriage between Lhotsampas and Drukpas until it was scrapped in late 80s. And census was enumerated every year, even the new-born and a marriage had to be reported to the government in the yearly census; and manned check posts kept 24 hours working. There is no place to hide in for any illegal immigrants.
  2. As there were no illegal immigrants, the Royal Government decided “a la carte” system that divided the Southern population in 7 classes (F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6 and F7) and persecute them by numbers until they leave the country. And they did so with such an aggressive subjugation such as public beating, threat and incarceration that people feared for their life and fled the country. For example how can my family with over 100 years of history in Bhutan were classified as: F1 tag for me, F7 for my wife and F4 for my children? How can the government just decide to make your wife and children “stateless” overnight? Further, after 6 months they terminate my wife from the Royal Civil Service and order her to leave the country? How can a land of Gross National Happiness divide and destroy a family like that with concocted justification self defense? And then come over here and sell the GNH? I call it a “Gross National Hypocrisy” that must stop; and it it pales President Trump’s MAGA as the writer compares.
  3. The great plains of Bhutan was ceded to India by the Treaty of Sinchula in 1865. Hence many Southern Bhutanese did not want to become Indian and moved along with their country inside the shrunken Bhutan and lived there forever.
  4. Raja ST Dorji (the father of the first PM of Bhutan and her sister the Queen of the third King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck) were given the charge to bring in as many people from across the border of India, Nepal or Sikkim and settle them in the malaria-infested Southern Bhutan (other Bhutanese would not venture for fear of dying from malaria during late 1800s and early 1900s) by offering free lands and levy taxes on the farms. So the Dorji family brought in so many ethnic Nepalese and cleared the southern foothills and converted into the “Food Bowl” of Bhutan (His majesty the 4th king). he also became almost more popular than the king, so he was assassinated and the killer was publicly executed. Meanwhile, Southern Bhutan became an economic power with cardamom, oranges, potatoes, spices, hard working people, timber and they became more democratic. “Envy and greed” played much more important roles than “self defence” to formulate this “One Nation, One People” policy and reduce Bhutan’s one ethnic population by almost half which is about 16% of the country’s population; and their properties are now redistributed as royal gifts, yet the world does not know the other face of the Royal Government, other side of Bhutan and the untold stories of Bhutanese refugees because, the truth is covered like the dust covering the mirror using the slogans such as Gross national Happiness, Behold the beauty of Bhutan, the Carbon Neutrality, SDG and so on…..
  5. Time has come to bring out the truth and move on…, start a healing process with forgiveness on both sides, compassion and kindness based on the foundation of truth.

Thanks for reading……

Om Pokwal

    Dick Chhetri

    Written by

    First Pilot from Southern Bhutan, trained under ICAO fellowship abroad. A small biz owner in CA. Believes in become the change, you want to see ...Gandhi