THAT THE PEOPLE SHALL BE INFORMED

M O N D A Y , D E C E M B E R 2 9

KUENSEL

Bhutan Professional Services would like to felicitate Bhutan Hotels Pvt. Ltd. for its successful opening of Le Meridian,

Thimphu on December 25, 2014. It has been a privilege to have been associated with this landmark project as the Project

Management Consultant. We take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to all the consultants, contractors, specialist

vendors, and all those agencies who have been involved with this project for their support and cooperation.

Tel: 975 2 340345/ 17172249 www.bps.btEmail: basantraj@hotmail.com

Tshering Palden

The six-member Bhutan

Council of School Exami-

nation and Assessment

(BCSEA) board is tenta-

tively scheduled to meet

next month to decide on

whether a re-examination

of the leaked English II

paper should be con-

ducted.

Whichever way it de-

cides, parents and teach-

ers say that it would not

do justice to students but

some teachers have al-

ready started informing

students to start preparing

for the paper.

Most principals Kue-

nsel talked to say they are

waiting for the Council’s

instructions, while several

school authorities claimed

they weren’t even aware

that the paper had leaked.

Others learnt through the

media.

Rangjung HSS prin-

cipal, Tashi Namgyal said

the school is concerned

for the students. “We have

cautioned some nearby

students to keep studying,

in case they have to reap-

pear the paper,” he said.

Trashitse HSS prin-

cipal, Ugyen, said if they

redo the exam, it might

not be fair to his students.

He said that 98 per-

cent of his students come

from far-flung places and

mostly from humble fami-

lies.

“They said they did

well in that paper, and

now if they’ve to re-sit,

then we need to give them

some time to prepare,” he

said, adding that even

then it may not be fair.

The students, he

said, had no idea about

the leak, as they’re not

allowed to use mobile

phones in schools.

“If they had phones,

they could have got the

questions, but the school

rules prohibited it,” Ugyen

said.

Pg.2

The re-exam conundrum

Three killed in fire» Three people, including a minor were killed when a fire gutted their hut in Jakar village, Bumthang on Saturday. The incident is suspected to have started from a makeshift heating facility- a tin, used by the family to warm their house.

HOME» Vegetables have more health benefits than meat| PG.5

DZONGKHAG» Martshala blacktopped road to improve accessibility| PG. 8

IN BRIEF WHAT’S INSIDE

Rethinking education begins with blueprint launch

Launch:

Dawa Gyelmo, Punakha

The Bhutan education blueprint

2014-2024, that is expected to

help the country rethink educa-

tion, was launched at the on-going

17th annual education conference

in Punakha.

His holiness the Je khenpo

launched the report, a result of

nationwide consultation and re-

search by Education Ministry, on

December 26 at Punakha dzong,

which Lyonchhoen Tshering To-

bgay released on December 27.

Project manager of the Bhu-

tan education blueprint, Phunt-

sho Wangdi, said some of the

main findings of the report were

to improve teacher competency,

school leadership competency

and to improve teachers’ language

proficiency in both English and

dzongkha as well as to develop

ICT in schools.

The other main findings were

to improve science, technology,

engineering and mathematics

subjects given the country need

for such professionals.

The blueprint report has iden-

tified eight shifts and 40 game

changing initiatives that are to

be rolled out in the next 10 years,

to improve student learning out-

comes and overall development.

The eight shifts include - en-

sure access and equity to edu-

cation, revamp curriculum and

assessment to enhance student

learning,

Pg.2

The report lists a host of recommendations to address issues in the educa-tion sector

BCSEA

VISION

While the Council is yet to decide, teachers and parents say they are concerned for students

“How can an examination be legitimate

if such wrongdoing is allowed,” a

teacher”

Kinley TenzinTeacher

HOME PAGE 2 KUENSEL | Monday, December 29, 2014

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during the period.

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From Pg.1 “We thought it was only

a rumour as usual and didn’t

know of the confirmation

because there was no official

communication,” another

principal said.

Schools officially close

from December 18 each year

for their annual vacation.

Teachers said gathering chil-

dren for a re-exam would be

difficult.

A Kelki HSS Arts student,

Omnath Pokhrel, has not gone

to his hometown in Sarpang

and is waiting for the decision

from the Council.

He is worried if a decision

to re-conduct the examina-

tion is taken.

“I have even given away

my books after the exams,”

Omnath said, adding that his

family is also worried about

his results now.

Oblivious to the recent

developments, a Sarpang HSS

student, Rupa Subba, is at her

village in Dovan, Sarpang.

“I thought English II

paper was easier than the

other papers, so should there

be another test, I think I can

do it,” she said.

Teachers and parents said

it would be fair to those stu-

dents who will have to leave

their temporary jobs and head

for the examination.

Meanwhile, some parents

insist that it was not worth re-

doing the examination.

“The ministry has to give

some time for preparation

and what if one falls ill and

is unable to attend,” a father

of class XII student, Karma

Tenzin, said.

Others argue that no reex-

amination means accepting

cheating, which defeats the

purpose of conducting it.

“How can an examination

be legitimate if such wrong-

doing is allowed,” a teacher,

Kinley Tenzin, said.

Following complaints

and rumours, BCSEA began

investigating right after the

English II, the examination’s

last paper, was over on De-

cember 13. The Council took

a little more than a week to

complete its investigation and

confirm that the paper had

been leaked.

While some students

got the questions the night

before, some learnt about it

a few hours before they ap-

peared the paper. The Council

tracked up to 50 students who

had received portions of the

question paper.

The questions were

leaked from a school in Paro

through short message service

From Pg.1raise learning outcomes of stu-

dents comparable to leading

international standards and

transform teaching into a pro-

fession of choice.

Ensuring high-performing

schools and school leaders, lev-

erage ICT for learning, enhance

values education and well being

and system transformations,

delivery capabilities and capac-

ity were other shifts.

The emerging challenges,

the report stated were achiev-

ing access to education, quality,

equity and system efficiency.

To achieving access to edu-

cation, it was recommended to

accelerate school reform pro-

gramme initiative to improve

access for children in remote

areas, introduce pre-vocational

orientation, provide technical/

vocation courses as elective

subjects at middle and higher

secondary levels and revamp

the quality of programmes.

The report states that al-

though the education system

has produced the current work

force in the country, the main

challenge facing the education

sector was on how to increase

the proportion of students

achieving the expected learning

outcomes specified for different

stages of school education.

The report also stated that

with the changing world order,

the school curriculum also

ought to be dynamic, relevant

and contemporary to foster

the development of “Holistic

education-education with char-

acter.”

It recommended to restruc-

ture the education pathways,

to allow for greater options in

choosing subjects, incorporat-

ing emerging learning areas and

review curriculum on heaviness

of content.

The minister has to moni-

tor and check the quality of

Rethinking education begins with blueprint launch

“When we see the menu,

everyone wants to eat it but the reality is

different”

Lyonchhoen Tshering Tobgay

textbooks and streamline the

supply of teaching and learning

resources and a recommenda-

tion was made to reform history

and geography curriculum.

It also recommended to re-

view selection process for prin-

cipals and to give autonomous

status to more schools, as well

as to revise teacher pay package

and retain qualified and high

performing teachers.

Since access to nutritious

food was essential for children’s

development, the report recom-

mended to enhance the knowl-

edge and skills of school mess

coordinator and cooks and to

strengthen school agriculture

programme.

Meanwhile, Lyonchhoen

Tshering Tobgay expressed

concerns on the school-feed-

ing program and nutrition

related issues reported across

the boarding schools. He urged

participants at the conference to

focus and prioritise the feeding

program.

“When we see the menu,

everyone wants to eat it but the

reality is different,” Lyonchhoen

said.

The re-exam conundrum(SMS) among students.

Some teachers assigned

for evaluation hesitated on

whether they should report

to Phuentsholing or not.

They also called each other

to check if the evaluation still

continues after the confirma-

tion.

BCSEA secretary Kinga

Dakpa said that all planned

activities like the evaluation

would continue until the

Council board makes a deci-

sion.

“There will be no change

at all in the activities,” he said

in an earlier interview.

All ears: More than a hundred education officials are attending the on-going AEC in Punaka

Monday, December 29, 2014 | KUENSELHOME

PAGE 3

Gelephu police arrested a

24-year old man from Mon-

gar for allegedly killing a taxi

driver on December 27.

The suspect, a trainee

at the Nyenjor institute of

Technical skills and human

value, allegedly in a drunken

state took a ride in the taxi to

Pemathang between 5.30 and

6.30pm. Pemathang is about

5km from Gelephu town.

While getting off the

taxi, he claimed to not have

money to pay the fare, fol-

lowing which a quarrel en-

sued with the driver. In the

heat of moment, he struck

the 54-year driver on the

head with a stone, which

sources said was crushed

on impact.

Another trainee of the

institute saw the body and

reported to Police. They also

saw him leave in the taxi.

The suspect was arrested

on the same night from Pel-

rithang, where he was stay-

ing with a relative.

Police said he would

be charged for involuntary

manslaughter.

Passenger allegedly kills taxi driver

CRIME

Rinzin Wangchuk

All due processes of admin-

istrative laws should be ex-

hausted if agencies were to

take any action against civil

servants, according to High

Court’s justices who on Fri-

day reinstated a civil servant

after he was compulsorily

retired.

The National Land Com-

mission (NLC) and labour

ministry compulsory retired

labour ministry’s adminis-

trative and finance division

head, Ugyen Dorji in Sep-

tember.

He was then reinstated

after the court ruled that

the compulsory retirement,

based on NLC’s human re-

source committee finding

was illegal. Ugyen Dorji

appealed to the Thimphu

HC orders labour ministry to implement lower court’s verdict

JUDICIARY

Court tells agencies to follow due administrative processes

“In this case, the appellant was neither processed

through proper administrative

channel nor proven guilty...

Thromde officials

Picture story: The Royal Body Guards celebrated their 54th Raising Day on December 27 in Dechencholing, Thimphu.

dzongkhag court, which

then revoked the compul-

sory retirement order.

Dissatisfied with the

district court’s ruling, NLC

appealed to the High Court

in October. The High Court

however upheld the lower

court’s verdict.

The HC’s judgment

stated that the due process

of administrative law must

be followed such as right to

appeal to the highest admin-

istrative authority and then

to the court of law to review

whether such administrative

action was in accordance to

provisions of the laws. “In

this case, the appellant was

neither processed through

proper administrative chan-

nel nor proven guilty as he

was not prosecuted through

the procedure established by

law,” the verdict stated.

Upholding the lower

court’s decision, the high

court reasoned that any

punishment or administra-

tive action must follow the

principle of natural justice

and under the doctrines of

the separation of powers en-

shrined by the Constitution

under article 1 section 13, no

administrative authorities or

committees are empowered

to sentence individuals ex-

cept by the ordinary court or

any other courts established

by law.

Ugyen Dorji was com-

pulsory retired, according to

statement submitted by NLC’s

representative to the court,

because he violated section

140 of the Land Act 2007,

and he was, therefore, liable

for misdemeanour and petty

misdemeanour. The commit-

tee also stated that his action

violated Bhutan Civil Service

Rules 2012.

The high court, however,

ruled that NLC and labour

ministry did not have the

authority to convict an indi-

vidual.

Ugyen Dorji appealed to

the district court on August

11 that NLC’s human resource

committee had written to

royal civil service commission

that the committee decided

to send him on compulsory

retirement, after finding him

guilty of violating the Land

Act 2007.

The committee accused

him of doing double transac-

tion for a 26-decimal land in

Chang gewog bought by an

individual from former Chang

gup, Kanjur in 2006. The land

was registered in two persons’

names, the real buyer and a

different person. Ugyen Dorji

was then working as Thimphu

dzongkhag’s land record of-

ficer when the ‘double trans-

action’ was done.

The labour ministry is-

sued his compulsory retire-

ment order on August 24,

and NLC issued the order on

August 28 when the case was

still under trial.

Ugyen Dorji appealed

to the court to investigate

whether he alone should be

held accountable for a lapse

that occurred about eight

years back. He also submit-

ted that the NLC human re-

source committee only took

some verbal statement from

him, but never questioned

him.

The court verdict also

stated that, if a civil servant

committed a crime, or was

involved in corrupt activ-

ity, the concerned agency

should report it to police

and Anti-Corruption Com-

mission, which would then

forward the case to court.

PAGE 4

PERSPECTIVESKUENSEL | Monday, December 29, 2014

MANAGING DIRECTOR - Bachu Phub Dorji, MANAGING EDITOR - Ugyen Penjor, DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR - Thinley Dorji, CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER - Karma Dupchu, PRINTING GM - Karma Nima, CIRCULATION MANAGER - Ugyen Norbu, KANGLUNG REGIONAL MANAGER - Ugyen Wangdi

MY COUNTRY, MY TOWN On thromdes again

Public opinion on electing 20 thrompons and their team as early as 2016, it seems, is divided. But that is good. We need different opinions, if not debate on important issues,

including the thromde issue.By 2016, there will be 20 thrompons, 140

thromde thuemis (representatives) and 20 yenlag throm thuemis. The law says it and we will have them under the recently amended Local Govern-ment Act. The Election Commission is of the view that it is now or never.

This is good. If having local governments in place, especially the thromde tshogde can ensure balanced regional development and improve the lives and opportunities of people outside Thimphu and Phuentsholing, it is high time, if not late. The Local Government Act empowers, rather mandates, the dzongkhag tshogde to promote balanced socio-economic development, planned growth of a town by preparing urban development plan among a host of other responsibilities.

Towns outside the capital and a few dzongkhags are suffering from lack of planning although each dzongkhag has a municipal body today. Residents want them to develop like other towns because then opportunities would follow. A good example is the value of the land in the town and in its vicinity.

But at the moment, there seems to be a lot of questions than answers. The main issue here is that will having 20 thrompons and 160 elected repre-sentatives in the next two years serve public inter-est? The joke going around is that the job market would improve by 2016 as it ensures at least 20 well paid jobs, as thrompons, and more than 100 other posts for school dropouts.

The serious question is are we biting more than we can chew? Electing about 180 people is not only expensive, but it is going to cost the government by millions every month. We have strong election ma-chinery in place led by the Election Commission of Bhutan and we will somehow manage the election. The question is why the rush. And this arises from that fact that some of the dzongkhag thromdes will be idle after having a tshogde in place. Places like Gasa, Lhuentse and Dagana do not have a proper town in place. Towns are not developing because there are no economic activity or money with the government to develop them.

But, whatever the misgivings, it is decided by the Parliament and we will have elections in 2016. What we are most interested in, at this stage, is the future of our towns. The Local government Act empowers the thromde tshogde to bring changes. If having 20 thrompons can improve life outside the capital through better amenities, foster balanced socio-economic development and stop people heading to the capital, there is nothing like it.

MY SAY

Ingenuity: If there is a shortage of water, securing what is yours is not a bad idea Photo by Thinley Dorji, Kuensel, Thimphu.

You litter but who cleans?Sir,

I wish officials from

National Environment

Commission and the De-

partment of Roads come

across this letter. I pray they

do. It is an important issue

from the environment per-

spective.

Recently I was returning

from Wangdue and parked

in queue some distance

from Dochula towards

Wangdue.

As soon as I reached

there, I was greeted by a

long line of momo, thukpa,

milk and butter tea, ara

fried with eggs, and many

more. Well it was a chilly

afternoon and the thukpa

warmed me up. They were

more than fifty vehicles in

the queue and one or the

other in the cars bought

something.

The vendors left as

soon as I paid the money.

After finishing the thukpa,

I hunted for a place to

dispose the plastic cup but

there was no garbage bins

along the road.

As I looked around to

throw the cup, I discovered

lots of plastic cups, papers,

wrappers, and aluminum

foil containers below the

road and on the road.

I am not judging those

who threw them but if the

vendors are using them

to earn money then they

should also be responsible

to take care of the waste.

There is no two way

about it. You litter, you

clear.

The concerned agen-

cies should inspect these

places and ensure rules are

adhered. I have pictures to

show NEC if they need for

them to take action.

Tshering Palden

Babesa

Contact Circulation Department, at 327463 for additional copies of Lomo, 2015, during office hours.

HOMEPAGE 5Monday, December 29, 2014 | KUENSEL

Dawa Gyelmo, Punakha

 

Education is highly prone to

corruption and with the cen-

tralisation of schools; corrup-

tion is likely to increase, anti

corruption commission chair-

person, Dasho Neten Zangmo

said.

Dasho Neten Zangmo

spoke on corruption and

education yesterday at the on-

going 17th annual education

conference in Punakha.

Being a big sector with

huge resources and budget

makes the education sector

prone to corruption, and the

central school policy would

mean additional resources for

the system.

Dasho said that since every

parent demands for the best

education, corruption could

occur in various forms such

as tuitions and admissions.

Now with better facility central

schools, parents could bribe

teachers for admission.

Citing an example of Viet-

nam, Dasho said that admis-

sion files must be covered with

an envelope, which contains

money. 

“I was told that the anti cor-

ruption commission has been

actively involved in school

examination in Vietnam,” she

said. “The teachers while con-

ducting examination looks the

other side when students cheat

because they receive money to

allow students to copy.”

She said in the global cor-

ruption report 2013 on educa-

tion, there were examples of

African and Asian countries

and how they were trying to

intervene.

“Responsibility doesn’t just

end by completing an audit

clearance, rules or admission

forms,” she said. “There were

many examples, where rules

Education sector is prone to corruption

17th AEC

were followed but government

lost huge amount of money.”

Responding to Pemagat-

shel district education officer’s

question on if there were any

rules in place to punish those

filing irrelevant or wrong com-

plaint to ACC, Dasho Neten

Zangmo said there is a rule to

punish such people, if found.

However, she said doubts

were placed when things were

not done transparently. “Trans-

parency is must to prevent

people from filing such com-

plaints,” she said.

“Responsibility doesn’t just end

by completing an audit clearance,

rules or admission forms,”

Dasho Neten ZangmoChairperson ACC

Tenzin Namgyel, Kathmandu

 

That meat is an integral part of

the Bhutanese diet is indicated

from the amount the country

imports annually.

According to the Royal

Monetary Authority’s annual

report, published early this

year, import of meat increased

from Nu 642M in 2011 to Nu 1B

in 2012.  

This means, Bhutanese on

an average consume around 70

kilograms of meat a year. To re-

duce dependence on imports,

the agriculture ministry plans

to establish farms and abattoirs

in the country.

While Bhutanese feel that

consuming imported meat is a

less sin than slaughtering ani-

mals, eating meat is like slaugh-

tering the animal according to

His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa

Rinpoche.

“If there are no consumers

there would not be butchers,”

said His Holiness Gyalwang

Drukpa Rinpoche during an

oral transmission of Awalok-

iteshvara, the compassionate

Buddha to more than 1,000,

Buddhist devotees who are at-

tending the 6th Annual Drukpa

Council in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Recollecting the Bhutanese

culture of not killing, His Holi-

ness said people should con-

tinue with the culture for both

spiritual and health benefits.

“Some 30 to 40 years ago,

Bhutanese would only eat the

meat of animals that died from

falling off the cliffs,” His Holi-

ness Gyalwang Drukpa said.

The prevalence of more

meat shops in towns, His Holi-

ness, said is an indication of the

society consuming more meat.

“Keeping in mind the essence

of compassion in Buddhism

one should not eat meat,” he

said. “The more we consume

meat, the more diseases we

get.”

When people consume

meat, it’s believed that the

five elements are gradually

disturbed and could result in

disharmony.

A veteran vegetarian Dr

Julia Jus who spoke on the ben-

efits of being vegetarian at the

ADC said 26 percent of meat

eaters manifest high blood

pressure, compared to two

percent of vegetarians.

According to The Journal

of the American Medical As-

sociation, 1961, heart disease

would be reduced by 97 per-

cent if people switched to a

vegetarian diet.

She said adopting a vege-

tarian diet also helps the plan-

et. A vegetarian diet according

to her consumes 1/10 -1/20 the

energy and natural resources of

a flesh food diet creating more

food to feed the hungry.

Evidence gathered and

shared in a 20 year research

by T. Colin Campbell in The

China Study concluded that

whole foods, plant based diet

is best for the heart, cancer and

cancer prevention, diabetes,

kidney disease, mental health

and more.

“Diseases can only thrive

in a body that is in an acidic

state and lacks both oxygen

and enzymes,” Dr Julia said.

“A vegetarian diet that consists

of mostly fruits and vegetables

ensures that the body remains

alkaline.”

 

Vegetables have more health benefits than meat

DIET

Participants at the Annual Drukpa Council are served vegetarian meals

PAGE 6

REGIONKUENSEL Monday, December 29, 2014

Required: 4WD Hilux

(hire). Contact 17113110.

Sale: Maruti car.

Contact 17634147.

Sale: Sonata 2011 model

GLS. Interested buyers

may call 17170595.

Sale: GRED Pvt. Ltd

offers homes for two,

three, four bedroom

apartments, twin

duplex, shops, godowns,

hotel and building for

sale within Thimphu.

Contact 17564277/

17872620/ 17740854.

Rent: Flats near RIM.

Contact 17621914.

Sale: Garment shop.

Contact 77747350.

Sale: Shop at main

town. Contact 17843606.

Rent: Single room

for rent at Pipaldara,

Phuentsholing. Contact

17760800.

Rent: Office and shop

space in Thimphu town.

Contact 17337777.

Sale: Land at Phobjikha

near Gangtey Goenpa

(perfect location for

resorts). Contact

17608146.

Sale: Land near

Amankora, Paro.

Contact 17660050.

Vacancy: Urgently

required a chef with

experience. Call 17170595

for any queries.

Vacancy: Machine

operator, class 12 passed

candidates for Adruka

Pvt Limited. Contact

17799339.

Vacancy: Sale girls,

class X with computer

knowledge. Contact

17170641 (Paro town).

Announcement:

Contact Zenith Cargo to

carry your goods from

Kathamandu-Bhutan.

Call 9851022305/

zexim@wlink.com.np.

Sale: Hi-design bags

& Titan watches at

20% discount from 23rd

December at Kushu

Enterprise, main town

Thimphu.

Announcement: Buy

delicious pizza from

Green Pizzeria and get

a coupon for buy 5 get 1

free offer. We surprise

our regular buyers with

free side dishes. Contact

17572569/77346332 for

home delivery service.

CLASSIFIEDS

TO ADVERTISE IN KUENSEL: Call 326191 or fax 326638; or email us at

advertisement@kuensel.com.bt; TO SUBSCRIBE: Call 327463; FOR NEWS:

Call 324684/322483

Security agencies have found

that close to four dozen Chi-

nese study centres and other

monasteries are present along

India’s frontiers with Nepal

and Bhutan and are allegedly

indulging in propaganda pro-

grammes.

The development comes

at a time when both the coun-

tries are often witnessing in-

cidents of incursions by Chi-

nese PLA troops along the icy

frontier in Jammu and Kash-

mir leading to long-standing

border disputes between the

two neighbours.

A report prepared by the

lead intelligence gathering

agency at these two frontiers-

-Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)-

- said that 22 China Study

Centres (CSC) have come up

in the Nepalese territory, with

11 of them operating bang on

the 1,751 km long Indo-Nepal

border.

The SSB, raised in 1963

in the wake of the Chinese

aggression, is also the desig-

nated border guarding force

at these open borders under

the command of the Union

Home Ministry.

“These centres are propa-

gating subjects of Chinese

culture, traditions, teachings

and economy to the popula-

tion in Nepal which is a cause

of concern along the border

areas as India’s frontiers with

Nepal and Bhutan are open

and unfenced without any

restrictions on the move-

ment of the citizens of either

of these countries,” a source

said, quoting the report.

The report, accessed by

PTI, said these centres are

giving special impetus on

propagation of their work

in the fertile ‘Terai’ areas of

the Himalayan nation, espe-

cially Jhapa and Ilam districts,

which have strong trade, eco-

nomic and ethnic ties with

India.

The force has time and

again prepared special re-

ports on these centres which

security agencies feel are in-

dulging in “anti-India propa-

ganda” even as the CSCs

maintain that they aim to

teach Chinese language to lo-

cals and disseminate cultural

information about China and

its various art forms.

Apart from the CSCs, the

snoop wing of the border

guarding force has reported

that 22 monasteries have

also come up along the bor-

der areas with Bhutan in the

Indian territory between

the districts of East Sikkim

to Jaigaon, a small town in

West Bengal near the Bhutan

border, also known as the

gateway to the neighbouring

country at Phuentsholing.

“These monasteries have

come up in the last four-five

years but their growth ratio

is doubtful as there is no pro-

portionate Buddhist popula-

tion where they are situated

and operating. These centres

are supposed to carry out re-

ligious activities,” the source

said.

These Buddhist institu-

tions have also been reported

to have come up at Kalim-

pong which is a sub-division

of Jalpaiguri district of West

Bengal. An Army Mountain

division is located on the pe-

ripheries of this hill station.

Similar monasteries have

also been reported to be

working in Malbazar, another

sub-division of Jalpaiguri dis-

trict and the neighbouring Al-

ipurduar district of the state.

India shares a 699-km

border with Bhutan. The

SSB has recently moved a

proposal to the government

to strengthen and revamp

its existing intelligence wing

along these borders.

Government has also ac-

corded the 70,000 personnel-

strong force a Rs 658 crore

modernisation budget which

SSB is utilising in procuring

surveillance and other gadg-

ets and weapons.

The Economic Times

Four dozen Chinese centres, monasteries along Indian borders

BORDER

The development comes at a time when both the countries are often witnessing incidents of incursions by Chinese PLA troops along the frontier in J&K.

daffynition

ecotip

riddlemeree

todayinhistory

quotefortheday

happybirthday

featheredfriend

1Q4u

infobyte

beaupeep

FEBRUARY 27 ANSWERS

Monday’s Cryptic Xword

DIVERSIONMonday, December 29, 2014 | KUENSEL PAGE 7

Across 1 Marbles, 5 Cellars, 9 Swarmed, 10 Netball,

11 Notes, 12 Sheepfold, 13 Cervantes, 15 Lay-by, 16 Title,

18 Assailant, 21 Purchases, 24 Usage, 25 Cheerio,

26 Freedom, 27 Look out, 28 Sayings.

Down 1 Masonic, 2 Reactor, 3 Lampshade, 4 Sides,

5 Canoeists, 6 Lit up, 7 Anatomy, 8 Solidly, 14 Transport,

15 Leisurely, 16 Topical, 17 Torpedo, 19 Abandon,

20 Thermos, 22 Harpo, 23 Sifts.

CLUES Across

1 Fights waste (6)

4 Keep making jam (8)

9 Reverse some undertaking? (6)

10 Interferes and is turned out (8)

12 Refuse to agree to project (5,3)

13 A three-horsepower Russian vehicle (6)

15 Dandy heard to grind his teeth (4)

16 Soothing application can save father

suffering (10)

19 Reckoned it’s deliberate (10)

20 Bring in a number to help - sharpish (4)

23 Does he issue bank statements? (6)

25 They’re pressed into use to distribute by

air (8)

27 Crumbs! See Svengali’s strange spell (8)

28 Equip a girl for naval war service (6)

29 Edge to the left when travelling in Britain

(4,4)

30 Cut by a quarter? That’s serious (6)

Down

1 Apparently boards the wife’s offspring (7)

2 Training session for the players (9)

3 Lock oil? (6)

5 Fled before the start of the storm (4)

6 Drunken purser is disposed to stagger (8)

7 They meet in the centre of the ring (5)

8 Trap seen, ran out (7)

11 Collar the boy - he’s a hoodlum (7)

14 Sporting official may help us get a job (7)

17 Tying up in port (9)

18 Guarantees certain bonds (8)

19 Some are fantastic at a language used by

Spaniards (7)

21 Seaside resort complaint (7)

22 Run a series of lectures (6)

24 Andean carrier makes the French hold

strike (5)

26 Being old, agreed about being dropped (4)

Solution Next Week

dictator

A male potato

The Big EasyMEANING Nickname for New Orleans, USA, referring to the laid back attitude to life that jazz musicians and local residents indulge in there

ORIGIN The name wasn’t in common use until the publication of James Conaways’ novel of the same name in 1970. Prior to that New Orleans was known as the Crescent City.

the confectionery riddle

q: What is brown and sticky?

a: A stick!

1852

Emma Snodgrass arrested in

Boston for wearing pants.

JUDE

Law

1972- Actor/

Producer

“Name the greatest of all inventors. Accident.”

Mark Twain 1835-1910

Black-throated

Sunbird

(Aethopyga saturata)

Go Green

leftovers makeover - lettuce

Keep the greens fresh by

wrapping them in a damp paper

towel and storing in an open

plastic bag in the fridge.

Its natural habitats are subtropical

or tropical moist lowland and montane forests

If you went out into space, what would happen before you suffocated?

You'd explode because there's no air pressure.

KUENSELTO ADVERTISE

call 326191 orfax 326638;

email: advertisement@kuensel.com.bt

TO SUBSCRIBEcall 327463

FOR NEWS call324684/322483

NU. PER UNITS OF FOREIGN CURRENCY

as of yesterday

NOTES

Buy Sell

US $ 62.65 64.70

POUND 97.45 100.15

EURO 76.40 78.50

YEN (100) 52.05 53.50

HK $ 8.05 8.30

AUS $ 50.90 52.30

SING $ 47.40 48.75

Courtesy BNB

KUENSEL | Monday, December 29, 2014

DZONGKHAGPAGE 8

Yangchen C Rinzin,

Samdrupjongkhar

Although connected with a

gewog centre (GC) road, driv-

ing on the remote Martshala

road in Samdrupcholing

Dungkhag has always been

a tedious task given the road

condition throughout the year.

Not anymore. Villagers

will not have to worry about

the road getting blocked next

summer as the 13km Martsha-

la GC road will be blacktopped

soon with the works and

human settlement minister

Dorji Choden recently inau-

gurating it.

Martshala gewog would

have Samdrupjongkhar’s first

blacktopped GC road. Con-

structed in 2008, the road

would serve 23 villages and

about 664 households.

Awarded to M/S K.D

Builders Pvt Ltd, department

of roads’ chief engineer based

in Samdrupjongkhar, Dorji

Gyeltshen said, the contract

period is for 13 months and

they would soon mobilise ma-

chines and labourers.

“We’ve mobilised Nu

37.7M under the small devel-

opment project (SDP) but only

30 percent of budget has been

released,” he said. “Along with

the blacktopping, we would

also construct pavement, base

course, drainage and broaden

the narrow stretches.”

According to a press re-

lease, the GC road blacktop-

ping is a pledge made by

the government in the 11

Plan after it was found that

the road has been unable to

reap the benefits due to poor

condition.

Martshala gup Yenten

Dorji said blacktopping the

road would reduce travel

time by 20 minutes, which at

present takes more than one

hour.

The gup said it would also

help boost their income from

ginger and orange, the main

cash crops.

“Villagers have to carry

their goods to the dungkhag

when the roads get blocked,”

he said. “Given the road’s con-

dition, drivers refuse to travel

citing high costs of mainte-

nance and fuel.”

Another villager Jigme

Dorji said many farmers have

already planned to buy Bole-

ros on loan to transport goods

Martshala blacktopped road to improve accessibility

Lyonpo Dorji Choden inaugurates the blacktopping ceremony in Martshala

CONNECTIVITY

and people. “This will help us

sell vegetables since the place

where we market our vegeta-

bles will be blacktopped too.”

Chief engineer Dorji

Gyeltshen said the depart-

ment would soon blacktop

Serthi gewog in Samdrup-

jongkhar and Nanong gewog

in Pemagatshel under the

project tied assistance (PTA).

Under SDP II, they plan to

blacktop GC roads in Gom-

dar, Orong and Wangphu in

Samdrupjongkhar and Khar

and Chokhorling in Pemagat-

shel.

Meanwhile, only 10km

of stretch is left to complete

the 36.25km GC road in Lauri

gewog.

*Prices as of yesterday

(In Nu)Dzongkhag Diesel Petrol Kerosene LPG

Thimphu (DPCL) 53.14 61.72 15.35 491

P/Ling (Damchen) 51.45 59.79 13.86 456

Fuel Prices

Note : All timings in local. Timings are subject to change. Call Drukair toll free No. 1300 for latest flight information.

DrukAirDate Route Flight No. Departure ArrivalDecember 30 Bangkok to Paro KB 121 07:20 am 09:20 amDecember 30 Bangkok to Paro KB 151 06:00 am 08:00 amDecember 30 Dhaka to Paro KB 301 09:20 am 10:40 amDecember 30 Paro to Dhaka KB 300 07:30 am 08:50 amDecember 30 Paro to Gaya KB 124 11:40 am 12:20 pmDecember 30 Gaya to Paro KB 125 01:00 pm 02:40 pmDecember 30 Paro to Bangkok via Bagdogra KB 130 11:30 am 04:30 pmDecember 30 Paro to Bangkok KB 150 03:40 pm 07:40 pmDecember 30 Paro to Kathmandu KB 400 11:30 am 12:35 pmDecember 30 Kathmandu to Paro KB 401 01:15 pm 02:50 pmDecember 30 Paro to Delhi KB 204 09:10 am 11:00 amDecember 30 Delhi to Paro KB 205 12:00 pm 02:50 pmDecember 30 Paro to Kolkata KB 210 08:00 am 08:40 amDecember 30 Kolkata to Paro KB 211 09:20 am 11:00 am

Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air)December 30 Bangkok to Paro via Kolkata B3701 06:30 am 09:55 amDecember 30 Paro to Bangkok via Kolkata B3700 10:45 am 04:15 pmDecember 30 Paro to Bangkok via Kolkata B3702 09:55 am 01:55 pm

Note : All timings in local. Timings are subject to change. Call Bhutan Airlines toll free No. 1234 for latest flight information.

FLIGHTS

Monday, December 29, 2014 | KUENSEL

HOMEPAGE 9

Dechen Tshomo

To address the mounting

waste disposal problem in the

capital, Thimphu thromde

will begin works to extend the

Memelakha landfill starting

next month.

The 3.41-acre dumpsite

will be extended by 0.98 acres

with a network of pipes and

a tank for leachate collection.

Works are expected to com-

plete by April next year.

Thimphu Thromde’s head

of solid waste management

Yeshi Wangdi said the exten-

sion is to provide a safety

measure for the current land-

fill.

“The issue of leachate

generation from waste during

rainy days will also be control-

led with the new network of

pipes underneath,” he said.

According to thromde offi-

cials, 55 percent of the collect-

ed waste is organic followed

by 17 percent paper waste,

and 12 percent plastics. With

privatisation of waste collec-

tion and disposal, the organic

waste will be decomposed at

the compositing plant and the

recyclable waste will be dis-

posed at the transfer station by

Greener Way. This way, waste

disposal at the landfill is ex-

pected to reduce by almost 90

percent.

Yeshi Wangdi said the new

landfill is expected to last more

than a decade with the new

disposal trend of three metric

tons a day.

“We don’t have to find an-

other landfill site at least for

next 30 to 40 years,” he said.

Japan Environmental and

Sanitation Center in collabora-

tion with Thimphu thromde

designed the blueprint for the

new landfill.

Until 2010, the disposal

site was used as an open

dumpsite without any major

infrastructure.

Japan International Coop-

eration Agency (JICA) funded

the project worth Nu 3.2M.

Thimphu city produces

25 metric tons of waste every

day. The Memelakha landfill

is located about 12 kilometres

from the city, and was built in

1993.

Memelakha landfill to be extendedA network of pipes and a tank underneath would address the issue of leachate

WASTE

ZAKAR

TOMORROW’SGood day

Bad day

laza

sogza

shedza

Max Min

Source: Meteorology Division, DHMS, MOEA, For any weather information : call hotline 339673

WEATHER

DECEMBER 29, 2014

WWWWW

New approached r

oad

Lecheate collection tank

New extended area for disposal

Current disposal area

Gabion wall

Source: Thimphu thromde

An overview of the landfill

KUENSEL | Monday, December 29, 2014

WORLDPAGE 10

AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501 to Singapore missingAn AirAsia Indonesia airliner

flying from Indonesia to Singa-

pore with 162 people on board

has lost contact with air traffic

control.

Flight QZ8501 went miss-

ing at around 06:20 local time

(23:20 GMT).

The plane, an Airbus A320-

200, disappeared midway into

the flight of more than two

hours and no distress call was

issued.

Indonesian military planes

and aircraft from Singapore are

searching an area of the Java Sea.

The flight left the Indone-

sian city of Surabaya in eastern

Java at 05:20 local time (22:20

GMT) and was due to arrive in

Singapore at 08:30 (00:30 GMT).

The missing jet had re-

quested a “deviation” from the

flight path due to bad weather,

AirAsia said.

Indonesia’s transport min-

istry said the pilot had asked

permission to climb to 38,000 ft

(11,000m) to avoid thick cloud.

AirAsia, a budget airline

which owns 49% of AirAsia In-

donesia, is based in Malaysia

and has never lost a plane.

However, 2014 has been

a difficult year for aviation in

Asia: Malaysia’s national carrier

Malaysia Airlines has suffered

two losses - flights MH370 and

MH17.

Flight MH370 disappeared

on a flight from Kuala Lumpur

to Beijing in March with 239

passengers and crew. The

wreckage, thought to be in

southern Indian Ocean, has still

not been located.

MH17 was shot down over

Ukraine in July, killing all 298

on board.

The flight was supposed to

arrive early this morning. Hours

later the families of the passen-

gers gathered here have very

little information.

Airport officials are keeping

them well away from the media

and trying to make them com-

fortable.

The AirAsia incident comes

at the end of a difficult year for

air travellers in the region, and

the scenes at Changi airport

today are reminiscent of those

in Kuala Lumpur immediately

after MH370 went missing in

March: anxious relatives wait-

ing for any news on their loves

ones, a media frenzy, but no

answers.

There were 155 passengers

on board, the company said in

a statement:

138 adults, 16 children and

one infant

Two pilots and five cabin

crew were also on board

Most on board were Indo-

nesian

Several were from other

countries, including a UK

national, one French person,

a Malaysian, a Singaporean

and three South Koreans

Dozens of passengers’ rela-

tives have been gathering at

Juanda airport in Surabaya and

Singapore’s Changi airport to

hear news.

AirAsia’s Chief Execu-

tive Tony Fernandes tweet-

ed: “Thank you for all your

thoughts and prayers. We must

stay strong.”

AirAsia Indonesia operates

domestic flights round the In-

donesian archipelago as well

as international services to Ma-

laysia, Singapore, Australia and

Thailand.

BBC

How the e-retailers keep us spendingIt’s your birthday! It’s our birth-

day! It’s the blue cross/man-

ager’s special/Christmas/Ra-

madan Rush/Valentine’s Day/

Grandparents’ Day sale....

The tactic of pinning dis-

counts to calendar events in

order to drive up sales is a long

established technique - and it

continues to send profits soar-

ing on the net despite the 24/7

hour nature of online retail.

Electronic retail industry

body Experian and IMRG have

predicted an online spend of

£748m ($1.1bn) by UK shop-

pers alone on 26 December, the

day after Christmas when shops

traditionally slash prices.

That follows an estimated

£636m ($994m) shopping spree

on the net on Christmas Day it-

self, said Experian.

So if you’re still wearing

your festive onesie, and you’re

in the mood for some serious

bargain hunting without leav-

ing the house, don’t despair if

you find your dream discounts

have already sold out - you’re

probably not far away from the

next opportunity to grab a good

digital deal.

Savvy online retailers are

seeing enormous profits from

both introducing events estab-

lished in one country to another

- or completely manufacturing

their own.

Chinese retail giant Ali-

baba has reaped the benefits of

putting its weight behind the

Singles Day sale - a celebra-

tion originally created by some

university students in the early

1990s for Chinese people not in

relationships - in 2009.

This year it shipped a record

278m orders - worth $9.3bn

(£5.9bn) on 11 November

(11/11) the day itself.

Two years ago Alibaba

trademarked the term “Dou-

ble-11”, which is a popular nick-

name for the event in China.

More than 27,000 global

brands took part in the sale,

which has now officially be-

come the world’s largest retail

day.

“Lots of clients from the

brands side have for the first

time approached the Singles’

Day as an event on its own,

and earmarked it as a signifi-

cant retail operation, as major

as Christmas and the Chinese

New Year,” Shaun Rein from

China Market Research in

Shanghai, said.

One diary date that might

prove a little more difficult

to globalise is nonetheless a

fascinating example of mon-

etising local cultural consumer

demand.

Senegalese Muslims, who

account for 90% of the popula-

tion of Senegal, celebrate a re-

ligious festival they call Tabaski

(more widely known as Eid-al-

Adha) by getting together for a

meal featuring a traditionally

slaughtered ram.

Relatives living abroad and

unable to attend have tradition-

ally sent home money at this

time (a generous total of $1.3

billion (£0.8bn) was dispatched

to Senegal for Tabaski in 2010)

- so last year a local start up

called Niokobok began accept-

ing orders from overseas for live

rams, with buyers receiving a

picture of their family receiving

their four-legged gift as part of

the deal.

Within Senegal itself “on-

line retail is only just begin-

ning”, Niokobok chief executive

Laurent Liautaud said, but this

year the firm received 1,000 or-

ders from ex-pats.

“We... see it’s people think-

ing about their relatives, and

wanting to make them happy,

so they want to send a gift,” he

said.

But will data eventually lead

to the death of the seasonal

sale?

Online retailers collate such

a wealth of information about

consumer habits and spending

patterns that there may well

be natural peaks and troughs

around which to build incen-

tives, argues Simon Collister,

senior lecturer at the London

College of Communications.

“Rather than public events

leading retailers, they could use

their own data to drive spend-

ing,” he said.

“[Brands like] Amazon are

already using algorithms to pre-

dict your behaviour.”

This might also minimalise

the logistical headache faced

by firms trying to co-ordinate

timely delivery during a season-

al rush - following Black Friday

online sales this year Marks

and Spencer admitted that its

expected delivery times had

doubled from five to 10 days.

“Some of the big retailers

have caught up, and are being

clever in integrating online and

physical stores,” said Mr Col-

lister.

“Have we reached the

peak of online-only retail? We

are seeing the rise of click and

collect. The larger brands can

compete with low prices online,

but you are able to reserve your

goods and pick them up.

“Shops still have the con-

venience factor - you don’t have

to wait in for a delivery.”

BBC

BUSINESS

Monday, December 29, 2014 | KUENSELADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 11

NOTICE INVITING CONSULTANCY SERVICE

BHUTAN INFOCOMM AND MEDIA AUTHORITY

BICMA/PRO/2014-15/1148

The Bhutan InfoComm and Media Authority invites

sealed bids from eligible consultancy firm for up

gradation of online licencing System and Design &

Development of the website of this office.

The RFP document can be purchased from the

Authority’s office from December 26, 2014 till

January 26, 2015 during the office hours and shall

be submitted on or before 12 noon of January 27,

2015.

For details please visit www.bicma.gov.bt or visit

the office during office hours.

Director

PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTOn account of annual closing of accounts for 2014, the Bank shall remain closed for

public transactions on the 1st January 2015.

Valued clients are requested to complete their banking transactions for 2014 on or

before 31st December 2014.

Our ATM service will be available as usual for the convenience of our

clients.

We wish all our clients a very Happy New Year, 2015.

TO ADVERTISE IN KUENSEL: Call 326191 or fax 326638; or email us at advertisement@kuensel.com.bt;

TO SUBSCRIBE: call 327463; FOR NEWS: call 324684/322483

ANNOUNCEMENT BHUTAN FOOTBALL

FEDERATIONBFF/ADM-7/2010/11320

Bhutan Football Federation is conducting the U-19

selection camp at Gelephu from January 18 to

24, 2015. Interested players who want to come

for selection have to report on January 17, 2015.

Eligibility date of birth- January 1, 1997 and after.

Food and lodge will be provided.

Note: The players must bring their ORIGINAL

CID, parents census details & consent letter.

Please contact Mr. Ngawang Dhendup- 17677799

and 322350 (O) for more information.

General Secretary

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

BHUTAN POWER CORPORATION LIMITED

(Registered Office Thimphu)

Human Resources &

Administration Department

Thimphu

The Bhutan Power Corporation Limited is pleased to

announce 11 vacant post for various position.

All interested applicants are requested to visit our

website: www.bpc.bt for detailed information and

other related criteria.

For further details, please contact the Manager,

HRMD, HRAD, Head Office, Thimphu at 02-

337637 or 17265487 during office hours.

Management

NOTIFICATION

MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRSDepartment of Industry, Company Registry Division

ThimphuThis is to inform all the unlisted public companies and private companies which fall

within small and medium companies (SMCs) category defined in section 3 (e) of

the Accounting Standards Rules for Companies in Bhutan, 2012, that the annual

audited accounts to be submitted as part of Annual Returns under section 57 of

the Companies Act, 2000 shall be prepared in accordance with the Bhutanese

Accounting Standards for SMCs, as mandated by section 4 of the Accounting

Standards Rules for Companies in Bhutan, 2012.

Please note that failure to implement BAS for SMCs with effect from January 1,

2015 will be amount to violation of Companies Act of Bhutan, 2000 and shall invite

severe penalties under section 140 of the Companies Act.

Registrar of Companies

INVITATION FOR QUOTATIONGEWOG ADMINISTRATION

DOPSHARIDopshari/act-2014/15

1. The Gewog Administration, Dop-Shari, paro Dzongkhag invites sealed

quotations from eligible and qualified suppliers registered having valid licence

for “The fabrication galvanization & supply of GI Irrigation Channels

under Dop-Shari Gweog”.

2. Bidding will be conducted through the National Competitive Bidding procedures

specified in the RGoB Procurement Rules and Regulations, and are open to all

bidders as defined in section V of the bidding documents.

3. Interested eligible bidders may obtain further information Gup, Gewog

Administration, Dop-Shari from 9:00am to 4:00pm during office hours

from December 11, 2014 to January 15, 2015.

4. A complete set of bidding documents in English may be downloaded from the

Dzongkhag website www.paro.gov.bt and must produce revenue receipts

for payment of non-refundable fees of Nu. 500 to the address below during

submission of bids.

5. Bids must be delivered to the address at: Gup, Gewog Administration, Dop-

Shari, Paro Dzongkhag on or before 10:00 am January 16, 2015. Electronic

bidding “Shall not” be permitted. Late bids will be rejected. Bids will be opened

physically in the presence of the bidder’s representatives who choose to attend

in person at the above address at 10.00 am on January 16, 2015.

6. All bids shall be accompanied by a bid security of Nu. 20,000.

Gup

Printed and published by Kuensel Corporation Limited, PO Box 204, Tel: 975-2-322483/324688, Fax: 975-2-322975, www.kuenselonline.com ISSN 0259 1499

KUENSEL | Monday, December 29, 2014

HOMEPAGE 12

Kinga Dema

There was a time when Bhu-

tanese tour operators could

relax and play archery during

the lean tourist season.

Not anymore. This is how

Yangphel tours and treks’ CEO

Karma Lotey emphasised the

need to make Bhutan a year-

round destination. He was

speaking to tour operators

mostly new entrants to the

industry at their induction

program last week.

The scenario today,

Karma Lotey, said is differ-

ent from the past with many

hotels, tour operators and

guides.

“There are so many rooms

to be filled in hotels and

guides to be employed dur-

ing the lean season,” he said,

adding many tour operators

also have their own fleet of

transport that remain idle as

well.

With the impact of lean

Bhutan, no more a seasonal destinationIt’s time tour operators start promoting Bhutan as a year-round destination

TOURISM

A group of tourists from India visit the Punaka dzong yesterday

season felt by the industry,

Karma Lotey said it was time

for all hoteliers, tour opera-

tors, guides and transporters

to come together with the

Tourism Council of Bhutan

(TCB) for new ideas.

The Thai initiative, Karma

Lotey said was a good one

that benefitted the tourism

industry during the lean sea-

son. “We should not be afraid

of taking initiatives or the

government doing so on our

behalf,” he said.

Karma Lotey, who is also

the former chair of Associa-

tion of Bhutanese Tour Op-

erators, said lean season ini-

tiatives such as the Dochula

festival are products that

already exist and only needs

to be packaged well and pro-

moted.

“Right now, we have the

same itineraries, sell the

same products that is more

like copy and paste,” he said,

empahsising on the need for

more innovation.

Peak season for Bhutan,

Karma Lotey said was only

about four months a year

where as Bhutan enjoys a fa-

vourable weather throughout

despite other months being

categorised as lean season.

Etho Metho tours and

treks director Sangay T Wang-

chuk also emphasised on the

need for a strong collabo-

ration, which the industry

lacked today. As one of the

oldest tour agencies in the

country, Sangay T Wangchuk

said they had their own share

of issues.

Another speaker, a tour-

ism expert from Singapore

Barkathun Nisha said Bhuta-

nese working in the tourism

industry were like raw dia-

monds waiting to be polished,

therefore, the need to invest

more in training and develop-

ment of human resource.

Despite tourism being in

its infancy, Barkathun Nisha

said Bhutan has done a bril-

liant job but there was lack

of clarity and collaboration

among stakeholders.

Citing Singapore’s success

in tourism, she said hotel oc-

cupancy in Singapore, on an

average, is 87 percent while

the average room rate a day

for a four-star property was

USD 261.

Today Singapore is well

known as a destination for

casino, medical and educa-

tion tourism through which

revenue earnings stand at

about USD 24B. “We must

look at tourism that doesn’t

get affected by demand where

people are willing to spend

despite the economic down-

turn,” she said.

Singapore, according to

Barkathun Nisha, also had its

own share of leaner months

like September during which

they didn’t get visitors be-

cause of weather.

“We now have the Formu-

la1 race in September where

we get enormous visitors

and also earn a premium of

40 percent,” she said, adding

tour operators must support

government when it experi-

ments something new. “Ulti-

mately, it’s the customers we

are targeting.”

Meanwhile, the three-day

induction program ended on

December 27 with a session

on quality accommoda-

tion and high-end tourism

policy. TCB officials said the

program was organised fol-

lowing feedback from vari-

ous stakeholders in the wake

of increasing tour operators,

tourist arrivals, and global

competition.