Latest posts by Sonam Ongmo
Bhutan's Legendary Fourth King Turns 60
"Thank you Your Majesty,.... For being the role model with the hallmark of simplicity For being a far sighted and visionary leader"
Bhutan: Royal Wedding Gifts Country a Queen
The tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan has received a royal gift - a new Queen - after the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck wed and crowned 21 year old Ashi...
Bhutan: Monk Becomes The First Victim Of The Tobacco Act
Depending on which way you look at it, the first violator or victim of Bhutan's anti-tobacco act that came to effect in January 2011, was a Buddhist monk who was...
Bhutan: Tax Or No Tax For Development
The idea of citizens contributing towards this in the form of taxes is still a new/alien concept in Bhutan. The Bhutanese twitter-sphere broke the news of the verdict in favor...
Bhutan: Criminalizing The Use Of Tobacco Stirs Outrage
Starting this month the Bhutanese government has started implementing its draconian “Tobacco Control Act,” which was enacted last year. According to this act, any citizen in defiance can be charged...
Bhutan: Khuru And The Rise Of Feminist Movements
Bhutanese women may have, unintentionally, created the stirrings of their first feminist movements of sorts when they recently started to encroach upon a traditionally male dominated sport Khuru (game of...
Exiled Tibetans Protesting Seizing of Ballot Boxes In Nepal
Angry Tibetans around the world are condemning Nepal’s actions in confiscating their ballot boxes by protesting in front of the Nepalese consulates. In New York, despite the rain, they carried...
Bhutan: ‘Happiness’ As A Millennium Development Goal
It was nice to have a little laughter - even whimsical as it may have been - when the PM of Bhutan proposed “Happiness” be included as the 9th Millennium...
Bhutan: South Asian Leaders Meet For SAARC Summit
Bhutan is in a flurry of activity, gearing up for the upcoming SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit. Here the South Asian leaders will discuss about issues like...
Global: Furs And Fashion
Last month the fashion world went literally “wild” during the unveiling of fall collections. They had models strutting the catwalk in so much fur, it was scary enough to make...
Global: The Tiger's Year And Tiger Farming
Wildlife activists and organizations around the world are determined to make sure that this is really “The year of the Tiger”. They have seized this opportunity to step up their...
Bhutan, China: Of Cyber And Border Wars
With quiet diplomacy and tact the tiny Himalayan state Bhutan took on giant China over encroachment and border issues recently. The Bhutanese officials and netizens are usually cautious to protest...
Gross National Happiness: Bring It Home To Roost
Upon the conclusion of the 5th conference on Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Brazil, Bhutanese bloggers share their views on how the concept seems to be taken more seriously in...
Bhutan: Shangri-La or Ethnic Cleanser?
What is Bhutan? One camp glorifies Bhutan as the last Shangri-la and the other claims that it is practicing ethnic cleansing. Sonam Ongmo breaks some stereotypes.
