Bhutan has offered to export hydroelectricity to Bangladesh at the cheapest price saying it country has the capacity to generate 30,000 MW of hydroelectricity.

Minister for Economic Affairs Norbu Wangchuk, who was in Bangladesh earlier in the week, presented the proposal when he met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.

The Minister Wangchuk said Bhutan is currently generating 5,000 MW of electricity and the price is the cheapest in the world.

In reply, Prime Minister Hasina reiterated her government’s intention to import hydroelectricity from Bhutan and said Bangladesh wants to participate in Bhutan’s future power projects.

The Prime Minister mentioned that India is also positive towards Bangladesh’s intention to import electricity from Nepal and Bhutan under the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) framework.

In a magnanimous gesture of supporting the earthquake victims in Nepal, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay handed over Ngultrum 62 million, at par with US $1M, to Nepal’s PM Sushil Koirala.

According to BBS, Prime Minister Tobgay and Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk flew to Kathmandu 27th April in special flight to show support from the people of Bhutan.

Furthering to supporting the victims in another Shangri-la, Bhutan dispatched a team of sixty-three consisting medical persons, volunteers (Desupps) and Royal Bhutan Army personnels carrying tents, medical equipments, clothes and blankets.

While in Nepal, PM Tobgay also visited some of the historical sites devastated by the earthquake.

Prime Minister and Health Minister Tandin Wangchuk returned in the afternoon by the special Druk Air flight.

“Back in Paro after a long, emotional day. Pictured is the last group of the 231 stranded Bhutanese who were evacuated out of Kathmandu today. I’m deeply grateful to all officials, in Nepal and Bhutan, and our two airlines for making today’s important missions a success,” the PM wrote in his Facebook upon his arrival in Paro.

Meanwhile, Bhutanese national flag is hoisted half-mast to show the empathy over loss of thousands of lives, BBS writes.

Tremors are felt in Bhutan througout Saturday and Sunday. According to facebook post of Dr. Damber Nirola, shocks are felt in around 6:30 pm Sunday in Paro.

In light of continuing after shocks, the government in Bhutan has issued alert notice to take safety measures, in case quakes continue to jolt the ground.

Vice-president of the Druk National Congress –Democratic (DNC-D), Karma Chhoejay, has resigned quitting his position and even not sustaining his general membership.

“After a lengthy verbal explanation in DNC-D exile office in Kakarvitta, I came to my own conclusion to tender resignation on June 5, 2015,” Chhoejay said in a press statement sent to the Bhutan News Service.

“Upon the trust and faith bestowed in me, I have served the party not only in the capacity of a common member, but also as the party’s vice president.”

According to him, during his tenure with the party, he has neither made any remarkable achievements nor defamed the party, but served sincerely and to the best of his ability.

He further said, “I am confident that I have not performed any of such acts that would have hurt the sentiments of all or any central committee members of the party.  However, if there had been such incidents that had caused to misunderstanding or hurting the sentiments of our honorable members, I would like to beg for due apology for the human error.”

Chhoejay hasn’t said anything as regards to what he will be doing after quitting DNC-D.

Bhutanese Refugees languishing in Beldangi camp started hunger strike in response to the World Food Program’s (WFP) decision to curtailing the food commodities. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and WFP decided to reduce subsistence ration allowance that has been provided to refugees in Nepal, citing large-scale emergency funding need for refugees in other parts of the world.

“Refugees who do not fulfill the vulnerability criteria will receive 70 percent of the current ration starting early 2016. The composition of the reduced basket is currently under discussion with refugees’ representatives, so as to accommodate their preferences as much as possible. WFP will increase its monitoring of the nutritional status of refugees in order to detect new vulnerabilities,” WFP Nepal Country Director Pippa Bradford said in a statement published October 12, 2015.

According to Harka Jung Subba, president of Bhutanese Refugees Elderly Repatriation Committee (BRERC), the hunger strike kicked off on November 22, 2015. “We want continuous humanitarian assistance and durable solution to those willing to repatriate to Bhutan”, Subba told BNS. Subba further added, “around 7,000 refugees are willing to be resettled in third countries, while the remaining want to go back home”.

The Chairperson of Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee (BRRRC), Dr. Bhumpa Rai, visited the hunger strikers and expressed worry over the deteriorating conditions of exiled Bhutanese. He urged Nepal Government and refugee aid agencies to stimulate assistance to those remaining in camps and open the door of repatriation to those willing to return Bhutan earliest as possible.

Meanwhile, Bhutanese refugees have appealed Nepal government to negotiate with Bhutan government for repatriation. Submitting a memorandum to Home Minister Shakti Basnet on Tuesday, November 8, Bhutan Independent Peoples’ Forum (BIPF) urged Nepal government to raise the issue of Bhutanese refugees at SAARC and other international forums. “We got positive response from home Minister Basnet” DB Subba, one of the delegates of BIPF informed Bhutan News Service.

After resettlement marked 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in third countries, there are around 18,000 refugees left in the camp, according to the data of UNHCR and IOM.