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1 TRANSLATION OF THE PROCEEDINGS AND ... - APFA News

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there was no longer any conscription. Therefore, there was no need for the<br />

issue of recruits for the regular army to be discussed in the house. On the other<br />

hand, the people of the 20 Dzongkhags had repeatedly submitted that it would<br />

be beneficial for the country if militia training could be started again like it was<br />

done during the ngolop problem in 1990-91. It would be more useful if the<br />

members focussed the debate on whether militia training should be started again<br />

in view of the difficult period the country was going at the present juncture.<br />

The Speaker reminded the members that, as pointed out by His Majesty the<br />

King, there was no need for holding a separate discussion on the conscription of<br />

recruits into the regular army. The Assembly should focus the discussion on<br />

deciding whether it was necessary to raise a militia force, as was done in 1990-<br />

91 on the request of the people, in view of the present security situation in the<br />

country.<br />

The people’s representatives of Gasa, Thimphu, Trashigang, Paro and Wangdi<br />

Phodrang Dzongkhags and the BCCI Chimi said that if the ULFA do not honour<br />

the agreed minutes signed by them, military action will have to be taken to<br />

remove them from Bhutanese territory and ensure the security and sovereignty<br />

of the country. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce military training for all<br />

students who leave high school and all able-bodied young men to create a<br />

reserve force to back up the three regular service forces. They also expressed<br />

the view that the present security situation called for a militia force to be<br />

mobilized once again. To support their view, they reminded the house that<br />

during the Indo-China war in 1961-62 it had been felt necessary to mobilize all<br />

able bodied men in Bhutan and impart training to them in the Mongar<br />

Lingmathang, Tencholing and Dradue Makhang army camps.<br />

The present security problem does not involve a conflict between two foreign<br />

countries. It is a problem that the country is facing because of the presence of<br />

armed militants who are fighting against India with which Bhutan has very<br />

103

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