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Doctors Force Glucose on Hunger Striker, UN Mute

By Alan Gray, NewsBlaze

Bhutanese doctors today forcefully administered glucose to N. L. Kawtal, fasting to death in Chamgang Central jail, Thimphu since last week.

Katwal is a central committee member of the Bhutan Gorkha National Liberation Front. Yesterday, after his condition deteriorated, prison doctors administered glucose to keep him alive.

Bhutan National media and UN agencies in Thimphu remained quiet over this most recent of many humanitarian issues.

The UN office in Thimphu has always been a mute spectator to the abuses going on in Bhutan. The forceful evictions, discrimination against ethnic groups, school closures, census categorization and discriminatory laws never promted the UN to stand up for the people against the government.

The government is said to categorize people like N. L. Kawtal as terrorists and so the local media has a fabricated reason not to write about them.

There was massive outcry against the US for its abuses in Guantanamo Bay, but the abuses in Bhutan, which seen much worse go unreported.

AFPA News says "Interestingly, the country does not have any laws that authorize government to impose a terrorist tag to certain group or person. There are no human right groups in the country and international human rights groups are restricted from sending delegation or assessing situation in the country."

Katwal began his indefinite hunger strike eight days ago. His goal was the unconditional release of political prisoners and the dignified repatriation of Bhutanese refugees among others.

AFPA News reports:
"Katwal, a central committee member of the Bhutan Gorkha National Liberation Front, was among more than 50 people arrested during a demonstration in Phuntsholing in April 1999."

"Ugyen Tenzing, a member of the Druk-Yul Peoples Democratic Party, was reportedly arrested in Samtse district in June and taken to Thimphu police headquarters." [ AFPA News ]

Rongthong Kunley Dorji, President, Druk National Congress told NewsBlaze:
"Bhutanese physicians forcefully administered the glucose into Mr. N.L Katwal yesterday, who is in serious condition after refusing to take food since 26th February. He went on indefinite hunger strike on 26th February demanding the unconditional release of political prisoners and the dignified repatriation of Bhutanese refugees.

The Druk National Congress condemns the DPT government's callousness attitude. The Bhutanese media's complete silence on hunger strike news proves that the Bhutanese media inside Bhutan are far from being independent."