Jigme Thinley

Lyonchen Jigme Yoser Thinley (Dzongkha: འཇིགས་མེད་འོད་ཟེར་འཕྲིན་ལས་; Wylie: 'Jigs-med 'Od-zer 'Phrin-las) (born 1952) has been the Prime Minister of Bhutan since April 2008. "Lyonchen" is a title, meaning "prime minister".

Biography

Thinley was born in Bumthang and joined the civil service in 1974 upon receiving a graduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University. In February 1987, Thinley was awarded the title of Dasho and the Red Scarf, and in 1990, under the zonal system, he became administrator of the Eastern Zone. He then became secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs in 1992 before being appointed as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs in January 1994, at which time he was also awarded the Orange Scarf. Later in 1994, he was appointed as Bhutan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations office and other international organizations in Geneva.

Prior to the beginning of democracy, he was Prime Minister twice, from July 20, 1998, to July 9, 1999, and from August 30, 2003, to August 20, 2004. During this period, chairmanship of the council was based on rotation once per year, with the order of rotation decided by the number of votes secured during the time of election to the council. Jigme was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan from 1998 until 2003 and subsequently served as Minister of Home and Cultural Affairs.

On June 2, 1999, Thinley was awarded the Druk Thuksey and Coronation medals. On December 17, 2008, Thinley was awarded the Druk Wangyal medal - one of the highest medals of honor - for excellence in carrying out his duties.

In March 2008, he stood as leader of the political party Druk Phuensum Tshogpa in Bhutan's first democratic election. His party won 45 of the 47 seats in the National Assembly of Bhutan, which enabled Jigme Thinley to become Bhutan's first ever elected Prime Minister. He took office on April 9.

Thinley blamed the global economic crisis of 2008–2009 on "insatiable human greed" and stressed the need to instead focus on the Bhutanese notion of gross national happiness. His government works to base its policies on gross national happiness rather than purely economic considerations.

In July 2009, Thinley became a member of the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation's International Advisory Board to contribute his experience to the organisation's poverty reduction and sustainable development work.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Bhutan

Bhutan is a tiny, remote and impoverished kingdom nestling in the Himalayas between its powerful neighbours, India and China.

Almost completely cut off for centuries, it has tried to let in some aspects of the outside world while fiercely guarding its ancient traditions.

The Bhutanese name for Bhutan, Druk Yul, means "Land of the Thunder Dragon" and it only began to open up to outsiders in the 1970s.

The Wangchuck hereditary monarchy has wielded power since 1907. But Bhutan became a two-party parliamentary democracy after elections in March 2008. This gave a landslide victory to the pro-monarchy Bhutan Harmony Party of former prime minister Jigme Thinley. The opposition People's Democratic Party also supports the monarchy.

Bhutan's ancient Buddhist culture and breathtaking scenery make it a natural tourist attraction.

Tourism is restricted; visitors must travel as part of a pre-arranged package or guided tour. Backpackers and independent travellers are discouraged.

Buddhist culture

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck - the father of the present monarch - went to great lengths to preserve the indigenous Buddhist culture of the majority Drukpa people. This ethnic group has a common culture with the Tibetans and other Himalayan peoples.

National dress is compulsory - the knee-length wrap-around "gho" for men and the ankle-length dress known as the "kira" for women.

The Bhutanese monarchy has also promoted the philosophy of "Gross National Happiness" (GNH), which strives to achieve a balance between the spiritual and the material.

But by the 1990s, attempts to stress the majority Buddhist culture and the lack of any political representation had led to deep resentment among the ethnic Nepali community in the south.

Refugees

Violence erupted and tens of thousands of Nepali speakers fled to refugee camps in Nepal.

Some 100,000 refugees live in UN-supervised camps in Nepal. Out of this refugee population have sprung a number of insurgent groups - the Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist), the Bhutan Tiger Force and the United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan.

The Bhutanese security forces believe they are behind the wave of bombings that rocked the kingdom in the run-up to the 2008 parliamentary elections.

The leaders of Nepal and Bhutan had promised to try and repatriate the refugees before the elections. However, there has been little progress on this front.

India does not allow the refugees onto its territory which lies between Bhutan and Nepal, and although the US and some other countries have agreed to accept tens of thousands of the refugees, some refugee leaders say that the only acceptable path is complete repatriation to Bhutan.

Facts

    * Full name: Kingdom of Bhutan

    * Population: 708,500 (UN, 2010)

    * Capital and largest city: Thimphu

    * Area: 38,364 sq km (14,812 sq miles)

    * Major language: Dzongkha (official)

    * Major religions: Buddhism (official), Hinduism

    * Life expectancy: 66 years (men), 70 years (women) (UN)

    * Monetary unit: 1 ngultrum = 100 chetrum

    * Main exports: Electricity, timber, cement, agricultural products, handicrafts

    * GNI per capita: US $1,880 (World Bank, 2010)

    * Internet domain: .bt

    * International dialing code: +975

Leaders

Head of state: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck succeeded his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in December 2006 after the former monarch announced his abdication. His formal coronation was postponed until after the country's transformation into a parliamentary democracy had been completed and did not take place until November 2008.

The new king, who was 26 when he became head of state, promised to build on his father's efforts to democratise Bhutan. His predecessor had already given up some of his absolute powers in 1998 and ruled in conjunction with the government, an assembly and a royal advisory council.

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck studied in the US and at Oxford University, where he completed an MA in politics.

After graduating, the future monarch was encouraged by his father to travel abroad as an ambassador for the Bhutanese people.

He insisted that it was critically important for Bhutan to complete the process of becoming a constitutional monarchy, despite the reluctance of many Bhutanese to see a diminution of the monarch's powers.

In the run-up to the March 2008 elections, he travelled extensively around the country, encouraging people to take part in the vote.

The high regard in which the Bhutanese monarchy is held, and the former king's foresight in scaling back its powers, makes it unlikely that it will suffer the same fate as the royal family in Nepal.

Prime Minister: Jigme Thinley

Jigme Thinley became Bhutan's first elected prime minister following the country's first polls in March 2008.

He is the leader of the Bhutan Harmony Party, which won most votes in the parliamentary election.

The election was intended to mark the completion of the country's peaceful transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The move to democratic rule was ordered by the state's popular royal house, the Wangchucks.

Mr Thinley has served as prime minister on two previous occasions, although the post has hitherto rotated among members of the council of ministers.

He can be expected to wield more power and serve as long as he retains the confidence of parliament and the king.

Born in 1952, he was foreign minister between 1998 and 2003 and later served as home affairs minister.

From : BBC News

Jigme Singye Wangchuck

Jigme Singye Wangchuck (born 11 November 1955) is the former King of Bhutan. He was the fourth Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of Bhutan from 1972 until his abdication in favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2006. He is credited with many modern reforms in the country.

Early life

He acceded to the throne at the age of seventeen, in 1972, after the sudden death of his father, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. When he was formally crowned on 2 June 1974, he was the youngest monarch in the world at eighteen years of age, and the coronation was notable for the presence of foreign dignitaries, thus signalling the end of the long isolation of the country. He was educated in Bhutan, India and the United Kingdom. He is not to be confused with his cousin who has a similar name; his cousin attended Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Modernization

It has been noted that the fourth king ruled his people with orthodox views based on the traditions of Buddhism. Even to this day, traffic lights do not exist in the country, and by law everyone must wear traditional 14th century clothing. Since the beginning of his rule, television and internet access have become available. Tourism in Bhutan, however, remains low.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the creator of GNH (Gross National Happiness).

Abdication

On 17 December 2005, (at the age of 50), he announced  his intention to abdicate in 2008, leaving the throne to his son. In a royal edict issued on 14 December 2006, the king announced that he would begin handing over power to his eldest son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck immediately. He ordered a parliamentary election be held in 2008.

Family life

Jigme Singye Wangchuck is married to four queens (all of whom are sisters) and has five sons and five daughters. Several of his children have been educated abroad.

From : www.wikipedia.org

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (Dzongkha: འཇིགས་མེད་གེ་སར་རྣམ་རྒྱལ་དབང་ཕྱུག་, born 21 February 1980) is the son of Jigme Singye Wangchuk and the 5th and current reigning Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo) of the Kingdom of Bhutan. He became king on 14 December 2006 being crowned on 6 November 2008.

Family

Khesar (pronounced Gesar) is the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and his father's third wife, Queen (Ashi) Tshering Yangdon. He has a younger sister, Princess Dechen Yangzom, and brother, Prince Jigme Dorji, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers.

Engagement and marriage

As he opened the session of parliament on Friday, 20 May 2011, the King announced his engagement to Jetsun Pema, 21, born in Thimphu on 4 June 1990. They were married on 13 October 2011 in Punakha Dzong. The royal wedding was Bhutan's largest media event in history. The royal wedding ceremony was held first in Punakha followed by formal visits to different parts of the country. During the ceremony the King also received the Crown of the Druk Gyal-tsuen from the sacred Machhen and bestowed it on Jetsun Pema, thereby formally proclaiming her as the Queen of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The wedding was held in traditional style with the "blessings of the guardian deities". 

Education

After completing his higher secondary studies at Yangchenphu Higher Secondary School, Bhutan, Khesar studied abroad at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, Cushing Academy and Wheaton College in Massachusetts, United States, before graduating from Magdalen College, University of Oxford, where he completed the Foreign Service Programme and International Relations.

As Crown Prince, he travelled abroad, officially representing Bhutan on several occasions and has an active role in numerous cultural, educational and economic organisations. He is an active basketball player and has represented Bhutan in many international events.

Ascension to the throne

In December 2005, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announced his intention to abdicate in his son's favour in 2008, and that he would begin handing over responsibility to him immediately. On 14 December 2006, the King abdicated and transferred the throne to Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck who was officially crowned on 6 November 2008, in the month of the male earth rat, in Punakha. Religious ceremonies and public celebrations were also held at Tashichhoedzong and Changlingmithang in Thimphu. The coronation ceremony comprised an ancient and colourful ritual, attended by thousands of foreign dignitaries, including the President of India, Pratibha Patil, and the External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna.

CNN reported that, in order to welcome Khesar as King of Bhutan, people painted the street signs, hung festive banners and decorated traffic circles with fresh flowers to celebrate the occasion.

Accomplishments as king

The young king began his reign overseeing the democratization of his country by presiding over the last sessions of the parliament where electoral laws, land reform and other important issues were deliberated. He stated that the responsibility of this generation for Bhutanese was to ensure the success of democracy. He also travelled extensively around the country to encourage participation in the upcoming democratic exercises, speaking mainly to the youth of Bhutan on the need for Bhutanese to strive for greater standards in education, business, civil service and the need for people of a small country to work harder than those of others.

He signed a new treaty of friendship with India in February 2007, replacing the treaty of 1949. Many government initiatives were undertaken by the new King with a view to strengthening the system in preparation for the democratic changes in 2008. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan was adopted on 18 July 2008, by the first elected parliament. On 1 November 2008, he was formally crowned in Punakha as the Fifth King of the Wangchuck Dynasty.

Since the formal coronation, King Jigme Khesar's first landmark project was the launching of the National Cadastral Resurvey in March 2009. The programme is aimed at resolving long-standing land issues of excess land that affects every Bhutanese household.

The King has also been giving away land to landless farmers around the country. The on-going project takes the King to remote villages and communities. He personally supervised the rebuilding efforts following major earthquakes and floods in 2009.

On 24 November 2011 The King was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple and was also made an Honorary Master of the Bench.

Popularity abroad

As Crown Prince of Bhutan, Khesar attended Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60th Anniversary Celebrations on 12–13 June 2006 in Bangkok along with royals from 25 countries. Known in the Thai press as Prince Jigme, the prince, at 26 the youngest of the visiting royals, caused a sensation, giving rise to a legion of female fans in Thailand. The Thai press dubbed him "Prince Charming", publishing his photograph and running stories about him as well as tourism in Bhutan for several weeks after he had left Thailand. When he became king, he was the youngest reigning monarch in the world, and because of his handsome appearance, he has been called, "The world's most handsome king."

From : www.wikipedia.org