Special Representative to EU Mr. Giri said that Bhutan is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and it is therefore not surprising to have the Prime Minister of Bhutan address a high level meeting on Happiness and Well-Being in the United Nations in New York on 22nd April 2012.
True happiness, particularly in a democratic set up can exist only when each and every citizen believes that those who are responsible for the affairs of State are determined to ensure equality and progress for all. True well being and happiness for individual citizens and groups cannot exist in situations where there is perceived discrimination against one or the other community.
It is precisely for this reason that we are urging international community to urge the Prime Minister of Bhutan H.E. Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley to ensure that the Government of Bhutan respects and guarantees the rights of the Southern Bhutanese people. There has been a trend in the past of treating our community as distinct from the other Bhutanese. Such segregation cannot in any manner ensure happiness and well-being for all the citizens of Bhutan.
Our organization on behalf of the Bhutanese people of Nepalese origin appeals to international community to impress upon the Government of Bhutan to take necessary steps to ensure that the democratic, political economic, social and cultural rights of the Southern Bhutanese are fully secured and the discrimination that they have been subjected to in the past is ended. In the absence of such action, Bhutanese society can never be truly happy or enjoy a sense of well-being.
