“Dago Tshering – a perpetrator of heinous crime shouldn’t get any honors.” Stating this, the Global Bhutanese Campaign Coordination Committee for Japan Campaign 2021 has drawn the attention of the Japanese government over controversial ‘the Order of the Rising Sun’ award.
On April 29, the Japan Embassy of New Delhi stated the former Ambassador of Bhutan to Japan is awarded “to recognize his contributions to strengthening the friendship between Japan and Bhutan.”
Most Bhutanese are feeling proud because of the prestige their country men is getting. Whereas, dozens of Bhutanese organizations operating from all over the world are opposing this decision.
Why is everybody after Dago Tshering?
To uncover this, we have to go back to the 90s. Dao Tshering was a man of prodigy thence. He proved his charisma working as the home minister of Bhutan. He helped develop mutual relationships with Japan after getting appointed as ambassador of Japan from 1999-2008.
But, during that time, he suppressed democracy and violated the human rights of the citizen. Moreover, he was directly involved in provoking the status of Southern Bhutanese in 1990.
On August 1990 – the notice – which had Tshering’s signature declared, “It has come to the government’s notice that a large number of southern Bhutanese people have left the country to join forces with the ngolops … any Bhutanese national leaving the country to assist and help the anti-nationals shall no longer be considered as a Bhutanese citizen. It must also be made very clear that such people’s family members living under the same household will also be held fully responsible and forfeit their citizenship.”
Global Bhutanese Campaign Coordination Committee for Japan’s letter was signed from Australia, Denmark, Canada, United States, United Kingdom, Nepal. It explains, “The decision of the Japanese government to award Dago Tshering, a primary perpetrator of human rights violations and voice of democracy in Bhutan during the 1990s has come to us with surprise, pain, and shock.”
Furthermore, it adds, “While we acknowledge the desire of your government to strengthen mutual relationship between Bhutan and Japan through the conferral of this award, we regret to state that this very gesture of goodness has unlocked deep-seated injury and trauma that many of us Bhutanese have personally undergone during the Home Minister’s tenure.”
Petition
A petition entitled “Japan: No Award to Dago Tshering, Perpetrator of Gross Human Rights Abuses in Bhutan” started four days ago. 750 people have signed it – and 250 more signatures are required.
Intellectuals of Nepal including, Kanak Mani Dixit has appealed to sign the petition.
Unheard Woes from Bhutan
By the mid-2000s, more than 100,000 refugees from Bhutan were living in seven camps throughout Nepal. Unfortunately, most of them haven’t got a chance to visit their motherland again.
T.P Mishra an author, who is residing in the United States, remembers how his family survived a brutal attack in his own country – Bhutan. His father had to go through torture until all of them fled to Nepal.
He writes, “We were sent to a United Nations refugee camp in eastern Nepal, where we stayed for a few months. The living conditions were horrible. It was extremely hot, and we were exposed to raw sewage, which resulted in an outbreak of cholera and other diseases at the camp. During our brief stay, my 2-year-old niece died of pneumonia.”
Despite Dago Tshering working to promote cultural exchanges between two countries, Japan must also understand and appreciate the impact of the other side of Tshering’s career – that of the ethnic cleansing of the Nepali-speaking population in Bhutan hounding of them when resettled, T.P Mishra says.
The refugees had to suffer for nearly two decades without sufficient food and running water. But their life got changed when the United States announced it would take in 60,000 Bhutanese refugees – and provide them opportunities to work and live a good life.
Read more: UN Food Systems Summit releases potential solutions for local, regional and global action
