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Article: Violence comes to Shangri-La; the monarchies of Bhutan and Nepal are changing: Bhutan's violently, Nepal's confusedly.
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- October 6, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Violence comes to Shangri-La
IN TRAVEL literature Bhutan is sometimes described as Shangri-La, a magic kingdom where a gentle people live as they did in medieval times. The spell has been broken. This tiny Himalayan country, rife with ethnic conflict and bloodshed, now looks like the setting for a Shakespearean tragedy rather than a fairy tale.
Bhutan is a monarchy that forbids political parties. The Bhutan People's party (BPP) and other outlawed organisations want democracy. Between September 19th and 23rd there were bloody clashes throughout southern Bhutan, which would have been inconceivable a few months ago. But, for all its political guise, the ...