BHUTAN NEWS SERVICE

Table of Contents

From Manager & Chief Editor2012: The Year In Review

We Changed Our FaceWe Materialized Our Long Awaited DreamThe Community ParticipationNew Editorial BoardPanel of Contributing EditorsBNS in The Bhutanese BiweeklySocial Responsibility

Financial Report 2012Financial Projection for 2013Thank You Letter to DonorsThank You For Sharing Our Vision

Annual FundersMonthly FundersOthersFrom Our Donor

We are pleased to present BNS’s 2012 Annual Report for the first time in our history. The massive community participation for sustaining the only exiled media hub through a joint effort has alerted all of us in the team to remain fully accountable towards financial and managerial transparency. And, this annual report summarizes both our financial and operational aspects for the entire year.

When we started BNS in 2004, we were just a few. We continued facing ups and downs, but still we sustained our mission to inform you and the world community. And, from this year the community has stood as a backbone in transforming BNS into a leading news agency in near future.

We are blessed with many friends and organizations who have supported BNS along its journeys toward fair dissemination of information. Indeed, your regular donations will be critical to the young but burgeoning exiled media hub for giving it a fair and independent voice that will move us forward always.

Last but not the least, BNS solicits article contributions in all aspects related to Bhutan and the Bhutanese refugee issue. Editorial procedures in place will assure careful, fair, and prompt handling of all submitted articles before sending them online for our valued readers.

Thank you for honoring us with your continued supports!

From Manager & Chief Editor

Vidhyapati Mishra

Manager

Buddha Mani Dhakal

Chief Editor

2012: The Year In ReviewThe year 2012 commenced with a kind of shadow, compelling us to inform the community and readers of BNS that we were no longer in a position to sustain the media hub. Though it wasn’t a choiced decision, we declared the complete closure of BNS and its associates from March onwards. The news deeply saddened our regular consumers. Those generous friends extended their helping hands by submitting donations at will, and even have promised to continue supporting us. Thus, everyone at BNS was re-energized. And, we moved forward with new dreams and desires to serve the community!

BNS in The Bhutanese biweekly

The Bhutanese biweekly reported an explosion in Sarpang quoting BNS report as a major source – giving us a kind of recognition by media outlets from Bhutan. We were the only media to report that one of underground-armed outfits operating from exile had planted an IED in Sarpang.

We Changed Our Face

Having a comprehensive news site was our long-awaited dream. Finally, we achieved that this year. A comprehensive news portal incorporating contents of our previous sites was designed enabling our readers to browse just a single site instead of two or more. The current site is fully dynamic with compatibility for all multimedia. Our daily visitors are mounting each day!

We Materialized Our Long Awaited Dream

From the very start of the news service, BNS was surviving with a dream of its own office – thanks to our generous donors in funding a well-furnished room in Kathmandu that serves as the main office. In near future, we aim to rent similar apartment in Damak to that our camp reporters make the best use of it.

The Community Participation

Various generous individuals and organizations extended their supports for operation and management of BNS, thanks for joining our mission. We were able to raise US$ 3,000 plus. Many friends and well-wishers have committed similar supports in years to come, and we will always solicit such donations.

New Editorial Board

Following resignation of our former editor TP Mishra, BNS got Kentucky-based Buddha Mani Dhakal as Editor-In-Chief. The Editor-In-Chief has long experience in exile media. Previously, he edited The Bhutan Reporter monthly and apfanews.com, and has written dozens of articles on Bhutanese refugee issue, environment and travel & tourism. And, accordingly we have new editorial board.

Panel of Contributing Editors

For regular feeding of high-quality articles on Bhutan and Bhutanese refugee issue, BNS formed a panel of contributing editors. The panel comprises educationalists, medical specialist, political commentators, historian and scholars as contributing editors. They have been regularly contributing articles on areas of their expertise.

Social Responsibility

The Bhutan News Service has not only served as an exiled media hub for feeding news and views on Bhutan and Bhutanese refugee issue, but also remained accounted in shouldering some social responsibities. We conducted donation drives for supporting medical treatments of women asylum seekers who fasted-unto-death for several days in last November and this April. Likewise, we also played similar role in garnering supports for a social activist Arun Rai. Very recently, we conducted another donation campaign to sympathize fire victims of Beldangi-II refugee camp. In all cases, BNS acted as a transparent medium to reach the targeted people, and has always satisfied every donor.

BNS IN THE FIELD

Bhutan News ServicesIncome and Expenses Report Jan-Dec 2012

Incomes Amount Expenses AmountIndividual dona�ons 3050.86 Office rent 418.6Organiza�on dona�ons 283.25 U�li�es 69.76

3334.11 Travel & fuel 174Miscilleneuous 75Sta�oneris 40.69

778.05Google Renenue 536.16 Communica�onsRevenue from book sale 88.34 a. Internet 238Dona�ons to purchase camera 86.34 b. Mobile 210

710.84 c. Landline telephone 139.5d. Skype credit 60

Outstanding expenses of 2011 -214 647.5Web ManagementTemplate purchase 50Domain deposit 200Template modifica�on 200Web hos�ng (US$20/m) 240Renewal of old web hos�ng 220

910Purchase of materialsPower back-up 214Pendrives 23.25Internet data card 34.07External Hard drive (2TB) 186Digital Camera/assessaries 162.79Digital voice recorder 133.7

753.81Training/refreshment 87

Total Income in 2012 3830.95 Total Expenes of 2012 3,176

Total fund Balance (toal income-total expenses 2012 ) for 2013 = 655

Amount in USD

S.No Particulars Amount Amount in USD

1 Rent and utilities 500.00 2 Communications

a. Internet 300.00 b. Mobile 250.00 c. Landline telephone 150.00 d. Skype credit 100.00 800.00

3 Stationeris 50.00 4 Travel & fuel 200.00

5 Reimbursement of reporters' expenses for internet 120.00 6 Newspaper subscription 200.00 7 Web Management 600.00 8 Procurement in plan

Laptop for the camp use 700.00 Press jackets/caps for reporters 350.00 External hard drive 130.00 1,180.00

9 Incentive for reporter inside Bhutan 800.00 10 Training/refreshment 150.00 11 Miscilleneuous 100.00

Total budget projected 4,700.00 Balance fund of 2012 655.00 Funds needed for meeting the projection - 4,045.00

Bhutan News ServicesPlan and budget for year 2013

Thank You Letter To Donors

Dear Valued Donors

I want to express my appreciation for your generosity in support of the

exiled media hub – BNS. Your commitment was incredibly helpful and

allowed us to reach our journalistic goal to inform you and the world

community.

Your assistance means so much to me, but even more to purchasing some

gadgets for aspiring journos in refugee camps in Nepal. Now onwards,

these people will be in field being equipped with at least a voice recorder

and pocket camera. Thank you from all of us.

Additionally, with the help of donations from supporters such as you we

will continue to see improvements in our reporting skills and mechanisms.

Indeed, your supports will help us train young journalists.

There is no way to fully express our gratitude for your loyalty. We at BNS

are continually inspired by the dedication and generosity of donors like

you who answer the call to give again and again.

Thank you again for your compassionate support. We hope that you will

continue to partner with us in our commitment to fair dissemination of

information related to Bhutan and the Bhutanese refugee cause.

Yours truly,

Buddha Mani Dhakal

Chief Editor

Annual Funders

Rajendra Timsina, CanadaSushil Niroula, AustraliaKhagendra Baral, United StatesDhan Rai, United StatesParangkush Subedi, United StatesDurga Giri, United KingdomDevi Sharma, United StatesRam Bahadur Karki Chhetri, The NetherlandsJiban Subba, United StatesPrem Giri, United KingdomRajen Giri, United StatesParsuram Sharma Luitel, AustraliaDr Purna Chhetri, United StatesThinely Penjore, United StatesGyem Adhikari, United StatesDoug Hall, United StatesHari Adhikari, United StatesBhutanese Welfare Association in UK, United KingdomBhutanese Community in the Netherlands, The NetherlandsPunya Foundation, Australia

Monthly Funders

Kuldeep Kathet, DenmarkThugten Dorjee Drukpa, DenmarkLok Nath Gurung, DenmarkPurna Kathet, Denmark

Dil Bahadur Rai, DenmarkAnjun Ghataney, DenmarkKamal Koirala, DenmarkSuman Rai, DenmarkGauri Shankhar Gautam, DenmarkLaxmi Dahal, DenmarkTika Tiwari, Denmark

Kamal Gautam, United StatesTara Dhungana, United States

Bhandu Adhikari, United States

Others

Khageshwar Mishra Sharma, United StatesDhruva Mishra, United StatesBhagirath Khatiwada, United StatesIndra Timsina, CanadaPadam Rizal, United StatesDipen Khadka, United StatesKrishna Subba, United StatesTika Acharya, United StatesSuk Rai, United StatesK.B.Chouhan, United StatesGopal Subedi, United StatesTulashi Upreti, United StatesAmber Subba, United StatesIndra Dahal, United StatesDom Acharya, AustraliaIndra Rizal, Australia

THANK YOU FOR SHARING OUR VISIONIndeed, we were a few persons to run BNS for several years. However, from April 2012, we are several in the same boat with an aim of transforming BNS into a leading news service in near future. In this juncture, we wish to thank all individual and organizational funders for your generous supports in sharing our vision.

The BNS has become only the consistent source of news to the diaspora since its inception, and I am one of the readers to follow this website closely. If I have to say, this is the only sustained

project run by the Bhutanese youths and has reliability, credibility and delivery at all times. Assuring continuity to BNS unequivocally by all in the diaspora should be our prime responsibility.

Parsuram Sharma-LuitelJPMelbourne, Australia

FROM OUR DONOR

IN BRIEF : Bhutan News ServiceBhutan News Service is an independent and the first news agency of Bhutan. The agency was founded in 2004 by a small group of Bhutanese refugee youths, who during the time believed that journalism was a noble means to keep community informed & continue advocating the refugee issue. Most of the exiled publications were shut down, in particular following crunch financial assistance and or due to lack of human resources to continue volunteering without anything in return. Thus, we emerged in as an alternative means to replace most of those publications, if not all. Initially, we could not do more than simply blogging. And by 2006, we were into the World Wide Web through our own URL.

The Bhutan Media Society, an independent platform of exiled Bhutanese journalists, owns the news agency. Except providing financial and technical resources, BMS doesn’t interfere in any decision taken by the editorial team – meaning the news agency functions as an autonomous body, but receives grants and resources from BMS. Plans are being exercised to form an independent body to oversee the financial aspects for smooth operation of BNS in immediate future.

Our Mailing Address:

Bhutan News ServiceEPC 2377, GPO 8975Kathmandu, NepalEmail: editor@bhutannewsservice.comURL: bhutannewsservice.com

Design: Tilak Sunar, sunartilak@gmail.com