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Bhutan News Service

Bhutan News Service

Quake leaves one dead, four injured

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 06:02 PM PDT

The powerful earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale that was centered in Sikkim, India has killed at least one and left four injured in Bhutan.

Latest reports coming in say that a 43-year-old woman was killed in Chhukha while she was fetching water from a river side. Falling boulders hit her and buried her.

Affected areas.

The four injured were reported in Haa, a northern part of Bhutan. They have been undergoing treatment at the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu. The three women who have been seriously injured were all students of the institute of language and culture studies in Semtokha.

In Paro, the Ta dzong (administrative unit) suffered some structural damage, while some buildings in Phuentsholing town have also cracked from the tremor.

A massive landslide in Phuentsholing buried a Spark car while it was heading towards hospital. The driver managed to escape.

In Dagana, the quake has damaged Phunsum community primary school in Lajab village.

In Samtshe, nearly a dozen houses in three villages were reported damaged. Similarly, in Bara village, some houses were collapsed.

Also in Chhukha, four schools, three Basic Health Units, and three RNR centers have been damaged.

Similarly, Dagana saw damage of two RNR centers, three schools, five village centers and a Basic Health Unit.

The quake's epicenter was 64km from Gangtok, Sikkim, India that left many people dead, hundreds injured and numerous infrastructures collapsed in eastern part of India, Bhutan and Nepal. The exact data could not be found as the cellular network was severely disrupted.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley on Facebook has urged the people of Bhutan to remain calm as the god would protect them from any further disaster.

पुनर्बासमा पेन्जोर पनि

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 11:10 AM PDT

डुक नेश्नल काँग्रेस डेमोक्रेटिकाका अध्यक्ष थिन्ले पेन्जोर श्रीमती डिकी योन्जनसहित केही दिन अघि झापाको भद्रपुर विमानस्थलबाट तेस्रो मुलुक पुनर्वासका लागि अमेरिकातर्फ लाग्नु भएको छ ।

पेन्जोर

झापाको बिर्तामोडबाट भुटानी आन्दोलन र मानब अधिकारका पक्षमा वाकलत गर्दै आएका पेन्जोरलाई अन्तराष्ट्रिय आप्रबासी संस्था आइ. ओ. एमले काडमाण्डौस्थित ट्रान्जिट क्याम्पमा राखेको छ भने उनको अमेरिका यात्राबारे जानकारी गोप्य राखिएको छ ।

करिव एक महिनाअघि मात्र सोही पार्टी डुक नेश्नल काँग्रेस डेमोक्रेटिकका प्रवक्ता नारद अधिकार अमेरिकाको न्यू हाँम्सायरमा सपरिवार पुर्नवाश भइसकेका छन् ।

ट्रान्जिट क्याम्पमा रहेका पेन्जोरसंग भुटान समाचार सेवाले सम्पर्क गर्न सकेन ।

पेन्जोर भुटानमा प्रजातन्त्र र मानब अधिकार वहालीको लागि संघर्ष गर्न भनी बनेको एक तीन दलिय गठबन्धनका नेता पनि हुन् । भुटान पिपुल्स पार्टी, भुटान गोर्खा राष्टिय मुक्ति मोर्चा र डुक नेशनल कँग्रेस डेमोक्रेटिकको संयुक्त मोर्चा नेशनल फन्ट फर डेमोक्रेसी एनएफडीले केही वर्षअघि शरणार्थी स्वदेश फिर्तीको लागि लङ मार्च अभियान समेत चलाएको थियो ।

PM Thinley congratulates UNSG; invites him to visit Bhutan

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 02:40 AM PDT

Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, who is in the United States of America since last week, has congratulated the United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Ban Ki-moon on his appointment in the executive post for the second term.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Lyonchoen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan. (Picture courtesy :UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras)

During the meeting with UNSG on September 16, the Prime Minister also invited him to plan a trip to Bhutan at a suitable time, wrote the online edition of the Kuensel.

The news portal also claimed that the PM’s meeting with the Secretary General was the first meeting with the head of state since the start of the 66th UN General Assembly session.

“The secretary general expressed his best wishes to His Majesty the King for his upcoming wedding in October, and assured that the UN stands ready to provide any support to Bhutan's socio-economic development process based on the concept of GNH,” wrote the Kuensel.

Yoga, Rekhi becoming popular among exiled Bhutanese in camps

Posted: 19 Sep 2011 02:13 AM PDT

A building aimed at providing various yoga classes based on mini matrix was inaugurated in Beldangi-II, Saturday.

Dr Rai reading the banner text after inaugurating the yoga building (Picture : Vidhyapati Mishra)

Speaking at the program on Saturday, chief guest and Chairman of the Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee Dr Bhampa Rai said the building would provide useful classes and train youths in the camps.

Constructed by collection donations from among the youths and volunteers in the camps, the hall is said to accommodate at least 200 people, informed Chairman of the Beldangi Yoga Group, Lapen Muktan.

“We have invested around Rs 200,000 for making the building ready,” said Muktan. “However, we still expect some supports from the community in future to operate the classes.”

According to Muktan, around a dozen of paralyzed people have received Rekhi healing and the result was amazing. “Yoga and Rekhi healing are becoming popular among the exiled Bhutanese in camps.”

Meanwhile, a British charity Home is Where the Heart is (HWH) also made a cash donation during the inaugural ceremony.

Audience at the event

Speaking at the event, Jash Justin of the charity said the centre would be a pioneer place for distracted youths in the camps. He also assured additional support in the days to come.

Around 300 people have been receiving classes on yoga and mini matrix prior to the construction of the building.

“We were operating the classes in one of the camp school buildings. We are hopeful that the number will go higher as we have our own building now,” added Muktan.

Quake hits Bhutan

Posted: 18 Sep 2011 06:14 PM PDT

We have not received any casualty reports so far, however cracks on walls and ceilings of houses have been reported in Wangthangkha village, Lango and the town area in Paro. We have also received reports of a land slide right after crossing the Isuna Bridge from Paro towards Thimphu and falling boulders after crossing Chundzom Bridge. You are asked avoid travelling on the Paro-Thimphu highway.

The cabinet office said the disaster equipment is ready and in place incase there is another earthquake. We are also receiving unconfirmed reports of houses damaged in various degrees in Samtse, Phuentsholing, Laya, Lingshi, Haa and Genekha.

Soon after the earthquake struck, people from across the country have been frantically trying to reach their families and friends causing a congestion in the B-mobile network. We have also received reports of people still staying outside their houses for fear of an aftershock. BBS spoke to the disaster management director who said nobody can predict the timing of an aftershock.

However people are asked to stay alert.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

SOURCE: http://www.bbs.com.bt