Bhutan Redefines ‘Subversive Activities’

Bhutan on Saturday, June 23 revealed that it convicted 30 of its citizens alleging them to be involved in government branded and proclaimed ‘subversive activities’ which is not a public offence under any universal standard, because they haven’t committed it, they were only alleged to do so, as the government itself claimed.

The allegation is just hypothetical tactics of the despotic regime which is basically worried about the escalating freedom movement inside the country. Bhutan’s self branded ‘peoples democracy’ has been rejected by the people.

The ‘people’s democracy’, as defined by the palace is now proved to be a ploy to wash off international eyes, when its own loyal people are facing heavy torture for the crime of being connected to any freedom movement or any political group.

This is the main theme of the palace-centered democracy imposed by the king and the anti-people ruling elite. The international community has been betrayed with the so-called changes in the democratic process managed by the king.

They are claiming somebody is supposedly involved in a so-called subversive act and punishing him or her inhumanly!

Is this one of the values of their democracy?

The people recently arrested and alleged to be guilty of these different offences unilaterally proclaimed by the King’s group must be released immediately, unconditionally. They must also receive an apology from the Bhutanese Authorities or the Authority should prove their crime according to international standards.

If Thimpu palace keeps undertaking such anti-people, anti-national, subversive activities then it face a huge storm of negativity in the near future.

A few weeks ago, Indian Foreign minister Pranav Mukharji termed the Bhutanese crisis as an ‘international issue’ and said ‘if the refugee mass enters Bhutan then there will be a demographic imbalance in the region’.

He should answer how and why?

May we ask him a question? If he had been driven out of India for some reason and sheltered in Bangladesh temporarily and he attempted to return, somebody says ‘his return will cause demographic imbalance in his own country’ – what would be his answer at that time?

If these shouts of provocation from Thimpu and Delhi continue, then the repressed people inside Bhutan including the refugees in Jhapa-Nepal should not be blamed if they react at some time.

Delhi and the international community, if worried about Bhutan’s future may check the ‘subversive’ activities of the Thimpu rulers and observe how the repressed people of that nation are spending this critical time living in cages. Delhi especially is responsible for all these issues and it must create a new environment for solving such havoc in a peaceful manner.

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