THIMPHU, Bhutan — By the final round Saturday, the baby-face prince and his team of ringers had an almost insurmountable lead in this reclusive kingdom's national archery tournament, but a fierce fight broke out for second place.
THIMPHU, Bhutan — "I think I can take President Obama one on one in basketball," Bhutan's newly elected prime minister said recently in an interview.
THIMPHU, Bhutan — With just seconds left in the game, the queen of Bhutan went to the hole like a hungry snow leopard pouncing on a mountain goat, taking two dribbles and three long strides before putting up a royal layup.
Near Thimphu, there are a series of picturesque, high-altitude lakes, including Yutsho, known for its golden trout, as well as the famous Tiger's Nest monastery.
At an international conference on GNH in Thimphu last February, 60 papers were tabled (available in all their voluminous glory here).
Some foreigners in Thimphu, while not defending the government's means, have some sympathy for the ends.
"It's such a con," a well-connected Thimphu resident snorts.
Like many in Thimphu, he says the ruling Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (Peace and Prosperity Party) kept its promises to build roads and airports and to provide hydro power.
Some in the Thimphu elite fear electoral democracy, worrying that it may one day threaten their interests in favour of the poor rural majority.
It is, after all, closer to the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu, or to the Tibetan plateau proper for that matter, than it is to big-city Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's firm conviction in democracy is also well demonstrated in her statement made at the 16th SAARC Summit in Thimphu in April 2010 where she mooted first the idea of "SAARC Charter of Democracy".
