Bhutan blames Nepal-based 'militant groups' for Sunday's blasts

Bhutanese authorities have blamed “Nepal-based organisations” for a series of bomb blasts that rocked the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Sunday, injuring one person.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the blasts till now, the Royal Bhutan Police told the country’s official mouthpiece Kuensel that the explosion might have been carried out by one of the three militant groups operating out of Nepal - the Bhutan Tiger Force, the Bhutan Maoists Party, or the Communist Party of Bhutan.

The attacks came days after the country announced that it would hold its first general election on March 24.

The blasts occurred within a three-hour period in different parts of the country, including the capital Thimphu, injuring one woman and causing minor damage to a restaurant, a guest house and buildings of a vegetable market, Kuensel reported.

More than 1,00,000 ethnic Nepalese were forcefully evicted from southern Bhutan in 1991 by stripping off their citizenship and property as part of the Druk regime’s plans to create a homegenous culture in Bhutan.

They have all been languishing in seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal since 1991. According to human rights groups, many of them have taken up arms and have launched a violent Maoist rebellion to topple the absolute monarchy in Bhutan and ensure the return of the refugees. nepalnews.com ag Jan 21 08