2010 killers still at large

Thimphu: The Royal Bhutan Police are still looking for those behind four high-profile killings of 2010. They have even sought the help of Interpol to help track them down.

While two of the suspects are believed to have absconded from the country, the third, allegedly a non-Bhutanese, is also still at large.

A senior police officer said that the hunt is very much on, with information being shared with law enforcement counterparts outside the country to help nab the killers.

The photos of the suspects displayed on Interpol website.  

“The Interpol office for RBP in Thimphu has shared information with other Interpol member countries of the region about those on the wanted list,” the officer said.

Among the killings, the first occurred on September 5 at Kulagangri hotel in Thimphu. Gyem Tshering, a 25-year old from Pangserbo village, Drujeygang gewog in Dagana, was found stabbed at five different places on the body.

The killer was later identified as Ugyen Lhendrup, a 32-year old man from Dragom village in Lhuentse. Preliminary investigations revealed that the killing may have been spurred by disputes arising from a transaction over a six-eyed Dzi.

The second incident took place in Samtse on August 26. Pelkimo, a 46-year old housewife and her mother, 69-year old Sonam Zangmo, were found killed in broad daylight at their house in Dungkar under Yoseltse Gewog.

The killer was identified as Jetlal Tamang, a well-known criminal from across the border, but there is still no development in the case.

In the third case, Jigme Tenzin, a 35-year old man from Trashiyangtse was found killed on December 28 in a forest near Hashimara, about eight kilometers away from Alipur Duar, West Bengal.

The police have identified the suspect as Sonam Dorji, a 35-year old from Songteykhar village in Bjena gewog, Wangduephodrang, but he is still absconding, believed to be living somewhere in Kakarbhitta, Nepal.

Meanwhile, the police in Alipur, West Bengal, detained one Tshewang from Mongar on February 11 for an alleged complicity in the killing.

Just shy of the border

Thimphu: A 33-year old man from Trashigang was spared the full brunt of the tobacco law for bringing in the contraband just outside the border point between India and Bhutan on February 25.

When the district court in Samdrup Jongkhar passed its verdict on March 22, Cheku Dorji received just half the sentence – one year and eight months – because when arrested, he was a few yards short of the Bhutanese territory.

This happened because the Gelephu-Samdrup Jongkhar bus in which he was a conductor usually stops for inspection just outside the gate. As a result, not only is the punishment lighter but Cheku Dorji can pay Nu 60,000 in lieu of the sentence.

He was caught with 200 pieces of cigarettes and 600 packets of Baba (chewing tobacco) which he had hidden in a box concealed near the driver’s seat.  

When the police asked him to open the box, he confessed having the tobacco products. He even went to the extent of confessing that he intended to sell them in Kanglung in Trashigang.

“He was very fortunate for having been caught just outside the border,” said a police officer. “He was convicted only for the attempt to smuggle in tobacco products.”

 Cheku Dorji, who is presently out on bail, also told the police that he had bought the contraband from Daranga, an Assam district adjoining Samdrup Jongkhar.

Meanwhile, the police in Paro have released Kado, a 17-year old unemployed youth, who was found carrying a packet of Baba.  

On March 19, Kado had gone to the Paro police station to reach breakfast for a friend who had been involved in an assault the previous day and was detained.

Kado was caught while trying to share the chewing tobacco he had in his pocket with his detained friend.

The police have released Kado on surety as he is a juvenile.

Bus driver convicted

Thimphu: Yet another person - a bus driver - was convicted for tobacco smuggling.

Twenty nine-year old Ambar Biswa from Dagana, working for Sernya Transport, was sentenced to three years in prison on April 4 by Chhukha dzongkhag court.

The judgment stated that Ambar Biswa’s act had violated section 52 of the Tobacco Control Act and was thus liable for fourth degree felony.

He was arrested at Tanalum checkpoint for carrying 10 packets of chewing tobacco (Baba) and two packets of cigarettes which were hidden in the bus’ dashboard.

In his statement to the police, the convict said the tobacco products, supposedly bought in the border of Jaigaon, West Bengal, were meant for his personal consumption.

Bhutan TODAY learnt that the convict is unhappy with the judgment and will appeal to the High Court.

Ambar Biswa was released on bail after paying Nu 3,000 on March 28 but was later detained on the order of the court.

Accident kills Autsho principal

Thimphu: Will mishaps ever stop happening lately?

The principal of Autsho primary school was killed on the spot while another succumbed to injuries later when the car they were travelling in veered off the road near Phaling near Lhuentse Dzong.

Needup Dorji, the school principal who was in his early 50s, was driving his Santro car along with two passen­gers - Jambay, 54, and Tshagayla, both cooks of Tshangkhar School in Jarey gewog – when the accident took place around 3:00 pm.

According to the officer in-charge of Lhuentse Police station, the princi­pal had died on the spot while Tshagayla died in the hospital later. Jambay who is in his mid-thirties, however, is in a stable condition.

The principal had gone to the dzong for some official work and was on his way back to Autsho when the car fell about 60 meters below the road.

“The principal could not negotiate a bend and the car went straight off the road,” said Jambay, the survivor. “When I opened my eyes I found myself lying in the hospital.”

The cooks had taken a lift with the principal from Lhuentse town to return to their home.

According to Dr Karma Tenzin of Lhuentse hos­pital, the principal had sustained major head injuries while Tshagayla died from head injury and “massive” internal bleed­ing.

The Lhuentse police are investigating the cause of the accident.

House gutted in Bjemina

Thimphu: A two-storied house in Bjemina, Thim­phu, was razed to the ground by fire yesterday evening.

Despite having four fire engines at the scene, the house could not be saved and a refrigerator was the only item that was sal­vaged in the end.

The fire had started at around 5:00 pm. It was first noticed by one of the tenants living on the second floor.

 She had gone out to fetch water when she spotted the fire burning at one corner of the house.

At the time of the in­cident, there was no one in the house except for a 10-month old child who was fortunately saved by the mother.

The ground floor was used as a restaurant while the upper floor had three units in which the labor­ers working at a nearby quarry lived.

The fire could have started due to a short circuit or from a bukari, according to the police.

The house belonged to the Singye group of companies. The property destroyed is estimated at around Nu 250,000.

An eye witness said that if there was no timely intervention by the fire fighters, the entire quarry site would have gone up in flames.

The four families living in the house watched helplessly as the fire de­stroyed everything they owned.

Investigation on for Lam Peri accident

Thimphu: Over-loading, negligent driving and mechanical failure have emerged as the probable causes of the Lam Peri bus accident which killed nine and injured 28 people on December 22.
While the director of the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA), Tashi Norbu, said the driver will be held responsible for carrying 37 passengers, 15 more than the capacity, RSTA’s regional transport officer (RTO) in Thimphu, Dophu Dukpa, did not rule out mechanical failure as the cause.
According to Dophu Dukpa, the 24-year old driver claimed that the bus’ engine stopped all of a sudden at the accident spot. The steering got jammed, the brakes ceased to respond and the bus plunged 519 feet below the road.
Some of the passengers corroborated the driver’s claims. A 36-year old passenger who was sitting next to the driver said that the egine ceased to function when the bus reached the accident site.
“It is very difficult to come to any conclusion as to what caused the accident as the bus is totally damaged,” said the RSTA director. “We now have to discuss with the traffic police.”
He said the the driver would be charged with negligent driving and will not be allowed to drive throughout his life. The RSTA has formed a committee to decide on the course of action againt the driver while also stepping up vigilance along checkpoints and increasing highway patrolling to check on overloading.
The owner of Pelyab transport, Sangay Dorji, 44, from Paro, will also be held liable for carrying extra passengers. According to the RSTA act, for each extra passenger the bus was carrying, the owner has to pay Nu 1,000 as fine.
As required under law, Sangay Dorji paid a total of Nu 180,000 as compensation to the relatives of the deceased yesterday. In addition, he gave a semso of Nu 2,000 each to the passengers who were injured and admitted in the hospital.
“I am sad as because of my bus so many lives were lost,” he said. “He (the driver) was a good person who does not drink and I trusted him. But just to earn a little more money, he broke the rule and nine people were killed.”
On the command His Majesty the King, the Zhung Dratshang, presided over by the Yangbi Lopen, conducted the cremation rites for the deceased yesterday.
Meanwhile, His Holiness the Je Khenpo gave Semso to the bereaved families and instructed all the dratshangs in the 20 Dzongkhags to perform Moenlam and offer Karmi Tongchoed. His Holiness will also perform Mithrup Tongchoed in Punakha Dzong.
This is the third time that Pelyab transport has met with an accident, this year alone.

                                   The Pelyab transport bus which plunged 519 feet below the road

The saga of accidents

Thimphu: Cases of motor accidents in Bhutan has increased more than five-fold in the last one decade.

With only 266 road accidents reported in 2000, the number shot up to 1,436 last year. Till date this year, 1,090 incidents have been reported.

The increase in accidents has also seen a corresponding rise in the number of deaths and other casualties.

 According to the traffic division of the Royal Bhutan Police, the trend is a serious concern.

Over the past five years, 365 people have lost their lives to motor accidents. On top of that, 2,445 people have been injured.

Accidents in Chhukha dzongkhag this year itself saw 14 deaths followed by Thimphu with 10. Similar incidents in Paro, Trashiyangtse and Mongar claimed five lives each.

This year itself saw 57 deaths and 456 injuries due to motor accidents.

According to the traffic division, most accidents occurred due to people driving under the influence of alcohol and other human errors.

Over the last three years, human errors like speeding, careless driving and drivers getting distracted while driving caused 2,254 accidents.

Driving under the influence of alcohol caused 311 accidents in three years.

Among the total accidents from 2008 till date, 138 were caused by unlicensed drivers.

Mechanical defect of the vehicles have also been one of the major causes, with 169 cases over the last three years.

A total of 389 hit-and-run cases have been recorded with the traffic division in Thimphu between 2008 and 2010.

The superintendent of the traffic division, Major Passang Dorji, told Bhutan TODAY that although the causes of motor accidents are very visible, people still refuse to follow traffic rules.

Approved by the police headquarters, the traffic division will be increasing the highway patrolling to check on drunk-driving and speeding.

The division has divided Thimphu into 11 zones with 16 bikers to monitor every corner of the town area.

“Generally as compared with last year, this year there is decrease in the death cases caused by accidents,” said Major Passang Dorji.

Meanwhile, the World Remembrance Day for Road Accident Victims is being observed today.

About 1.3 million people lose their lives to motor accidents every year.

There are over 49,000 vehicles registered with the Road Safety and Transportation Authority in the country till date.

Accident at Taba- where one was killed and another was badly injured (25-5-2010)