In the Memory of the late R.K. Budathoki
(The Founding President of Bhutan peoples' Party)
|
“I
have heard that anti-movement
elements are planning to kill me. If my death brings
democracy in Bhutan, I am ready to die even at this
movement. However, I will continue working for the
united, democratic movement until my last breath”. |
 |
(Late R. K. Budathoki's last words, 15 minutes before
his assassination on September 9, 2001)
Life History of late Budathoki.
Prominent leader of the whole movement for
Democracy and Human Rights in Bhutan, late R. K. Budathoki
was born on June 26, 1957 at Bara village, Bara Block in
Sibsoo Dungkhag under Samchi Dzongkhag. He was the eldest
son of Mr. Tek Bahadur Budathoki and mother late Harimaya
Budathoki.
Born in a middle class agrarian family, late Budathoki
started his education at Bara Primary School in Bara village
under Samchi Dzongkhag. His family then moved to Gaylegphug and
he completed his study up to class V
(five) from Gaylegphug Primary School. He passed class X (ten)
from Don-Bosco Technical School, Kharbandi, Phuntsholing
under Chukha Dzongkhag. After completing secondary
education, he joined the government service in the
Tele-Communication Office of Bhutan in 1975. He rose to hold the
responsibility of senior S.O. in the court of Vigilance in
1977. Because of his good performance aptitude to learn new
things he was choosen for a higher degree course on
government funds. In 1979, he received his graduation degree in
Village Development Planning from Poone University, at Puna
(Maharashtra), India. He then worked as an
assistant director in the Budget Bureau of the government of
Bhutan. He got married with Jasodha Budathoki, daughter of
late Lal Bahadur Katel in 1978. He has three sons Aakash,
Anand and Ashis.
From early 1980s, Bhutan government adopted
discriminatory ethnic policies and amended the 1958 citizenship Act. Since then
the government has exiled about one fifths of the total
600000 population of the country. Dismayed at the
discriminatory and repressive policies of the Government,
he started to play a leading role in the people’s movement
for human rights and democracy and he was forced to leave the
country by the dictatorial government in 1989.
Political Career of late Budathoki.
Late Budathoki, a man of sharp brain and
intellectual personality, was interested in various
activities and would always try to develop unique views
about how truth and honesty can be established in the
society. Why do people quarrel among themselves? Why do
people suppress peoples? Why do governments curb
fundamental rights of the people? Why do governments put ban
the political parties, newspapers, listen radio
or television? With all these questions in his
mind he went to India for higher studies. He was extremely
influenced by the Indian movement for independence against
British rule. Then he started to study the vast expanse of
dichotomy between the
autocratic system of governance in Bhutan and the world's
largest vibrant democracy in the immediate neighborhood, India.
After completion of graduation from Poone
University of Puna, he returned to Bhutan and again joined
government service as Deputy Director of Budget Bureau.
While he was in the government service, Bhutan government
amended the citizenship act of 1958 in 1985 so as to have a
legal tool to implement its discriminatory and racist
policy designs. Royal Government of Bhutan now
had a handy tool
conduct population census in the Southern belt of the
country so that it can declare as many ethnic Nepali
Bhutanese as it can wish as non-nationals and evict them. The government
then began to
deprive its Nepali speaking people (Lhotshampas) and Tsangla
speaking people (Sharchhops) of their citizenship rights.
The Royal Advisory Councillors Tek Nath
Rizal and Bidhya Pati Bhandari
were approached by many people on the grievances thus caused
by the results of the census exercises in the census belt of
the kingdom in 1988. Accordingly, the two councillors submitted
a petition before the King on April 08, 1988. In response to
the petition, the King made a show-cause royal visit to the Southern
districts to "ascertain the authenticity of the councillors
plea". Rizal was arrested and imprisoned
while B.P.Bhandari was freed after a short interrogation.
After three days he was coerced into signing a document
barring him to attend any public function with more than
three people at a time. He was also deposed from his office.
Fearing persecution from continued surveillance, Rizal
went into exile in Nepal to work for the attainment of human rights
to the Bhutanese people. Under his chairmanship, the
Peoples' Forum for Human Rights–Bhutan (PFHRB) was formed on
7th July 1989 at Kakarvitta, eastern Nepal. But
unfortunately the then autocratic Panchyat regime under king
Birendra extradited
him on 16th November 1989 along with two of his
associates, from Jhapa, eastern Nepal and incarcerated in
the Bhutanese prison for 10 long years.
After his extradition, the leadership vacuum
was filled by the democratic leader
Late R. K. Budathoki who came to the forefront and led the
movement. Late Budathoki led a large but peaceful demonstration and
protest rally in 1990. The Bhutanese king lost his patient
and ordered for the arrest of Budathoki. As a consequence,
Budathoki had to flee the country for for safety. From India, with the aim of
furthering movement for democracy and human rights, Budathoki
organized a meeting at Bairagipada of Siliguri a town in
West Bengal (India) in 2nd June, 1990 and
established Bhutan Peoples’ Party (BPP). He was
elected as the Founding president of the party. Thus, BPP became
the pioneer political party in the political history of Bhutan. The
party adopted the principle of “Democratic
Socialism” to move the movement forward and establish
democracy and human rights in Bhutan.
He was deeply involved to organizing the people
inside and outside Bhutan, sort out the solution of the
problem of livelihood of thousands of Bhutanese refugees
taking shelter in the camps and to internationalize the
Bhutanese refugee problem. After the initial exodus,
various other political parties were also formed. However,
none of them were as as significant as the BPP and were lost
in petty disputes thus distracting the original roadmap.
Sensing this distractive developments,
Late Budathoki staged 126 hours long hunger strike in 1994
urging everyone at stake for a unified movement to solve the refugee and
political problem. This step by R. K. Budathoki left
positive impression on Bhutanese refugees and they showed
their solidarity too which resulted in different coalitions
like BCDR, BCDM UFD and NFD.
Late Budathoki worked towards carrying on the
movement to the newer heights with the help of his
organization and the Bhutanese Coalition for Democratic
Movement (BCDM). Likewise, to unify the
movement United Front for Democracy (UFD) in 1996 and
“Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee” (BRRRC)
was constituted in February 1999. The BRRRC and refugee community
gave major responsibilities to R. K. Budathoki to plan
and launch a unified movement for repatriation
and democracy on 31st
January 2000. However, this could not be materialized due to
various distracting forces and financial constraints.
Budathoki had envisioned that the Bhutanese
movement for democracy and repatriation should be launched in a new and unified way.
Budathoki traveled to a number of countries
in Europe and America
to internationalize the Bhutanese movement.
He also traveled many times to India and met with many Indian leaders for
accumulating help for the movement. He also organized
voluntary repatriation marches to Bhutan from the Indian soil
because of which he was arrested several times.
A Report on assassination of Budathoki.
The Founding President of the Bhutan Peoples’
Party Mr. R.K. Budathoki was assassinated by the anti-social
elements in the refugee camps and was suspected to be the
handiwork
of the Bhutanese autocratic regime in Thimpu, Bhutan, in
eastern Nepal on 9th of September, 2001. He was
attacked while he was attending a meeting with the refugee
students of the camps in the office of the Youth
organization of Bhutan (YOB) in Damak, eastern Nepal. The
then General Secretary Mr. Balaram Poudyal, Mr. Gopal Gurung,
Central Committee Member and Mr. Narad Kumar Dahal, CC
member of Youth Organization of Bhutan (YOB) were also
present during the incident.
On that fateful day, late Budathoki was addressing about the verification process and
the 11th round of bilateral talks between Bhutan
and Nepal.
The exiled late BPP leader is credited with
highlighting the plight of the Bhutanese citizens of Nepali
origin in Bhutan. He was one of those few leaders who raised
voice against the autocratic regime of Bhutan.
Tributes and condolence messages
After the murder of R. K. Budathoki,
thousands of people went to Damak to pay tribute to him.
Thousands of mournful Bhutanese participated in the funeral
procession. On the cremation ground various prominent
personalities like Mr. Krishna Prasad Sitaula, MP and Central Committee member of Nepali Congress
Party, Mr. Hiranya Lal Shrestha, Central Committee member
of Communist Party of Nepal CPN (UML), Mr. Pramod Kafley,
Chairperson of GRINSO-Nepal, Mr. C. P. Mainali, coordinator
of Deshbhakta Prajatantrik Manch (Patriotic Democratic
Forum), Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti, Director of INHURED
International, Mr. Lala Raj Subedi, Chairperson of Human
Rights Joint Forum Eastern Region gave condolence speeches.
Similarly, Mr. J. P. Gupta, minister for
communication and information from the royal Government of
Nepal, Mr. Krishna Prasad Sitaula from Nepali Congress, Mr.
Jhala Nath Khanal, Chief of Foreign Department of CPN (UML),
Mr. Lila Mani Pokhrel, General Secretary of United People’s
Front-Nepal, Mr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, former minister and
General Secretary of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Mr. Bamdev
Gautam, General Secretary of CPN (ML), Mr. Thinley Penjore,
the president of Druk National Congress (DNC), Mr. T.N.
Rizal, Chairman of Peoples, Forum for Human Rights, Mr. R.B
Basnet, the president of Bhutan National Democratic Party
and many others too sent condolence messages through press
releases.
GRINSO-Nepal, PRAFOUND, FOPHUR
and HURON jointly organized a condolence program on
September 26, 2001 to pay tribute to Late Budathoki at the
Nepal Bar Association's hall in Kathmandu. The program was
presided over by the president of HURON Mr. Sudip Pathak. Mr. Chakra Prasad Bastola from Nepali Congress,
Mr. C. P. Mainali from Deshbhakta Prajatantrik Manch,Mr.
Kamal Chaulagain from CPN (ML), Mr. Harsha Narayan Dhauvadel
from CPN (UML), Mr. Balaram Paudyal, General Secretary BPP,
Mr. R.B. Basnet president BNDP, Mr. D.P. Kafley General
Secretary PFHRB, Mr. Bishwa Prakash Sharma, President of
Student Union of Nepal among others paid tribute to late
Budathoki and shed light of his dedication towards the nation
and his fellow countrymen.
