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AD
747:
Guru
Padma Sambhava, visits Bhutan
and later
founds Nyingmapa
1616: Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, a monk arrives from Tibet, and
establishes his rule in Bhutan. He establishes duel system of rule.
1625:
Shabdrung signed agreement with
Nepal seeking
migration of people
from Nepal. Thus starts the first official
migration of Nepal-speaking
people to Bhutan.
1629 : First European (Portuguese) Jesuits-visit Bhutan.
1651: Shabdrung Nawang Namgyal dies. During his rule he unifies
Bhutan.
Drukpa Krgyupa sub-sect emerges as a dominant religious force.
1728: Civil war for succession struggle to power
1772:
British forces invade
Bhutan.
1774: Bhutan signs peace treaty with British India
1841 : British take control of Bhutanese portion of Assam Duars and
begin payment of annual compensation to Bhutan.
1864: Civil war waged in Bhutan. British seek peace relationship with
1864: Duar War waged between Bhutan and British India.
1865: Treaty of Sinchula signed between Bhutan and British India. Bhutan
Duars territories ceded to British India in return for annual subsidy.
1898: Southern
Bhutan, the habitat of Nepali-speaking citizens, was accorded
a special administrative status under the authority of Kazi from Dorji
family. Southern Bhutan administered from Kalimpong, India.
1904: Ugyen Wangchuck helps secure Anglo-Tibetan Convention on
1907: Theocracy ends and hereditary monarchy established. Ugyen Wangchuck
becomes the first king of Bhutan
1910 : China invades Tibet laying claims on Bhutan; Treaty of Punakha signed
with British Raj giving them control over Bhutan's foreign relations.
1926: King Ugen wangchuck dies on Aug 21 and his son Jigme Wangchuck
1947 : India becomes independent from Britain
1949:
Treaty of Friendship
signed with
newly-independent
India on
Aug 08, with
guarantee of
non-interference in Bhutan's internal affairs, but allowing
Indian influence
over foreign relations.
1949: National Assembly of Bhutan ( Tsogdu) established
1952: Reformist King
Jigme Dorji Wangchuck
enthroned;
Bhutan State
Congress (BSC),
a political party formed
under Nehru's patronage,
was
formed and subsequently banned
1953: National Assembly established
1954 : BSC gives a call for (satyagraha) movement on
March 22,1954.
Government forces open fire. Some 25 people were killed and several
others injured.
1958: National Law of Bhutan- Citizenship law enacted. The Laws
granted
citizenship to Bhutanese of Nepali origin. Other social reforms
follow in
subsequent years.
1959
Several thousand
Tibetan
refugees given asylum after Chinese annex
Tibet.
Immigration banned.
1960:
The king bans
Bhutan State
Congress (BSC).
1961: First Five-Year Economic Development Plan introduced.
1962: Sino-India war. Indian
troops retreat through Bhutan
1964: Prime Minister Jigme Palden Dorji assassinated. . A failed coup staged
against King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk
1965: Unsuccessful Assassination attempt on King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck.
1968: First cabinet established. King decrees that sovereign power resides in
himself and National Assembly.
1971 Bhutan
joins the United Nations.
1972:
Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck succeeds his father
1974: Aborted assassination attempt on King Jigme Singe Wangchuk,
the present ruler, at his coronation. Chukha Hydro-electric Project Agree
signed with India. New monetary system established separate from
India's and first Bhutanese currency notes released. Tourism introduced.
New Pemagatshel district established. King visits India. King crowned
1975:
Work
on Chukha Hydro-electric Project begins. King visits
India.
1976:
First
Junior College opened in Sherubtse.
Motor Vehicle Act passed.
4th
Five Year Plan launched.
King
attends 5th Non-Aligned Summit in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
1977:
Bhutan declared Smallpox Free Zone. King visits
India. New citizenship Act
enacted
1978:
Bhutan joins IFAD.
Royal Bhutan Embassy established in New Delhi.
Partial Test Ban Treaty and Geneva Protocol of 1925 signed.
Land Act and Stamp Act passed.
King visits
India
1979:
UNDP Resident Representative Office in
Bhutan opened.. The
Alma
Atta Declaration
signed. King attends 6th Non-Aligned Summit in
Havana, Cuba.
BBS established and SW transmission introduced.
Consumer Price Index
(CPI) constructed. Customs Act passed.
Bhutan
joins Asian Reinsurance Corporation
1980: Royal Bhutan Embassy established in Dhaka. Marriage Act, Inheritance
Act, Livestock Act, Loan Act and Police Act passed. Bhutan Chamber of
Commerce and Industry established. Trade Agreement signed with
Bangladesh. Penden Cement Authority Ltd. Commissioned. Postal
Parcel
Agreement & Universal Postal Convention signed.
National
Council for Social and Cultural Promotion set up to strengthen
national
integration, later closed down. Bhutan Standard Time introduced ( +
6.00
GMT)
1981:
5th
Five Year Plan launched. District Development Committees
established.
Joined IMF, World Bank, IDA & FAO. Ratified Convention on
the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
International Convention against raking of Hostages signed.
King visits
India
1982: Bhutan Board of Examination established. Joined WHO, UNESCO, Asian
Development Bank, SEARO and SACEP. Royal Civil Service Commission
(RCSC) established. Prisoner's Act and Royal Monetary Act of Bhutan
passed. Signed the Final Act and the Law of the Sea Conventions.
King
visits India
1983:
Diplomatic relations established with Nepal and Kuwait. Tax policy
introduced. Druk Air Dornier flights started. King attends the 7th
Non-
Alignment Summit in New Delhi. Joined UNIDO, Asia-Pacific Postal
Union
(APPU), South Asian Sports Federation and Olympic Council of
Asia.
Royal Monetary Authority 'established. Degree courses introduced
at
Sherubtse College
1984:
Diplomatic relations established with Maldives.
Joined World Fellowship of
Buddhists
Indo-Bhutan Analog Microwave link established.
King visits
India.
Bhutan, Child hold first border talk in Beijing.
1985: King
attends the 1st SAARC Summit in Dhaka.
State visit by the Indian
Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and
PLO
Chairman, Yasser Arafat.
Joined
SAARC.
ThePermanent
Mission to the UN in Geneva established.
Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty signed.
Diplomatic relations established with
Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden,
the Netherlands and Norway.
Statutes of
the Centre for Science and Technology of the NAM countries
and
International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
signed.
Joined UNCTAD Board and ICIMOD.
New law on citizenship enacted. It
superseded the earlier citizenship laws and declared invalid the
citizenship cards
issued since 1982.
1986:
King
attends 8th Non-Aligned Summit in Harare, Zimbabwe and the 2nd
SAARC
Summit in Bangalore, India. Royal Bhutan Embassy established
in
Kuwait Diplomatic relations established with Japan and Finland. Land
Acquisition Act passed.
Royal Institute of Management established.
Civil
Aviation
Department
established.
Special Commission for Cultural Affairs
established.
6th
Five Year Plan launched.
1987:
King
attends the 3rd SAARC Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Visit by Prince
Naruhito of Japan.
6th
Five Year Plan launched.
Diplomatic relations
established with South Korea and Sri Lanka.
Pasture Development Act
passed. Joined International Organization of
Supreme Audit Institutions
(INTOSAI). Druk Air BAe-146 jet services
introduced. Dzongkha
Development Commission opened. New
Chukha
District
established
1988:
Royal Wedding held in Punakha.
King
and the Indian President R.
Venkatararnan inaugurate Chukha Power
Project. King
attends the 4th
SAARC Summit in Islamabad, Pakistan.
State visit by Princess Galyani
Vadhana of Thailand,
King and the Queen of Nepal
and
President
Muhammad Ershad of Bangladesh.
Joined ITU and Association of
Development Financing Institutions in
Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP).
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Notification Act passed.
Census is carried out. The census team unilaterally
declares many
Nepali-speaking citizens
in southern Bhutan as non-citizens. The
government introduces racial policies against Nepali-speaking citizens.
Tek Nath
Rizal, Royal Councillor appeals to King against the high-
handedness of
census team. He was arrested and later released.
Underground Student
Union of Bhutan was formed in Sherubtse college.
For details please
visit
Bhutanese Refugees website
1989: Diplomatic
relations established with Austria.
Visit by UN Secretary
General, Perez de Cuellar. King visits India. The government lifts Nepali
language
from school curriculum. People Forum for Human Rights,
Bhutan formed.
Man Bahadur Chhetri, a student human rights activist
hanged by Police.
Many Nepali-speaking citizens arrested. Tek Nath Rizal
arrested.
Government introduced Driglam Namzha and One nation One
People Policy.
King
attends 9th Non-Aligned Summit in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia. Explosives
Act, Company Act and the Royal Advisory Council
Act passed. Joined
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
1990:
King visits
Bahrain, Kuwait and India.
Bhutan Peoples Party formed. It
organizes pro-democratic rallies in
southern Bhutan,
pressing for greater
democracy and respect for Nepali rights,
after which, the government
starts forced eviction of
Nepali-speaking citizens . Nepali-speaking
citizens start coming to
Nepal as refugees. The NOC introduced. All
schools closed in southern
Bhutan. The Home Minister Dago Tshering
issued a forced eviction order
against Nepali-speaking citizens. Mass
forced eviction of
Nepali-speaking citizens commences. For details
please visit
Bhutanese Refugees website. Prominent dissident leaders,
Ronthong
Kunley Dorji, Sonam Tshering and Chheku Drukpa arrested for
their
activities in Eastern Bhutan. King
5th
SAARC Summit in Male,
Maldives.
Diplomatic relations established with Pakistan. New Trade
Agreement
signed with India. Convention on the Rights of the Child
signed.
Universal Child Immunization achieved. Fire Arms and
Ammunition Act
passed. Joined Office International des Epizooties (OIE
).
International Direct Dialling services introduced. Earth Satellite
station
installed.
Bhutan Peoples party formed on June 02.
1991:
Six top-raking bureaucrats resign and defect to Nepal. The UNHCR
establishes camps for Bhutanese refugees in eastern Nepal.
Computerization of land record started.
King
attends the 6th SAARC
Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Diplomatic relations established with
Thailand.
Visit by SAARC Chairman, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
of
Maldives. Enabling Act for Suppression of Terrorism and Extradition
Act
passed. Joined Asian Institute of Transport Development
1992 Tek Nath Rizal, Chairman of People Forum for Human Rights, Bhutan
sentenced to life imprisonment.
Joined INTELSAT. Diplomatic relations
established with Bahrain. 7th
Five Year Plan launched. New districts of
Gasa and Trashi Yangtse
established.
Visit by SAARC Chairman
President Ranasinghe Premadasa
of Sri Lanka. Financial Institutions Act
and National Security Act passed.
BNDP formed. Amnesty International,
London published first documented report on violation of human
rights in Bhutan.
1993:
The
Nepalese Home Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his Bhutanese
counterpart, Dago Tshring held the first meeting
on refugees issue on
July
15, 1993.
On
13 September,
first
Bhutan-Nepal Joint Ministerial
Committee
(JMLC)
talk was held. Refugees categorized as,
Bonafide
Bhutanese;
Bhutanese,
who
emigrated;
non-Bhutanese and
Bhutanese
who have committed criminal acts.
Royal Securities Exchange of Bhutan
established. King visits India. King
attends the 7th SAARC Summit in
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