Main Page                                                 Archives

Bhutan King arrives as R-Day chief guest

Bhutan king Jigme Singye Wangchuk with Congres chief  Sonia Gandhi

     New Delhi: Bhutan king Jigme Singye Wangchuk today arrived in New Delhi on the invitation of the the Indian overnment as the chief guest for this year's Republic Day celebrations. Soon after his arrival, Wangchuk called on External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

     Analysts as well as foreign observers say the government of India invited the King as an expression of appreciation for the military operations that Bhutan conducted in 2003 to flush out three groups of militants who camped in the Bhutanese forests. In December 2003, the Royal Bhutan Army resorted to military action after six years of negotiations with the militant leaders, having exhausted all peaceful options to solve the problem. The King was slated to reach India yesterday, but due to inclement weather and heavy snowfall in Thimpu, his arrival was deferred. The visiting King is expected to have have wide-ranging discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and Home Minister Shivraj Patil on an entire gamut of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual concern.