Obey or Face the Wrath.

Whenever the King plans to town the country, government officials are sent ahead to brief the villagers as to what to say during their meeting with the King. Ever since the problem started, the normal line of approach was for the King to mention how much money the Government is intending to allocate development activities and how the people in the country are posing a threat to their development. Whereupon the villagers, as previously briefed, would rise up and express their willingness to volunteer for the security services, donate for the cause and to swear allegiance to the King, Kingdom and the Government (Tsa Wa Sum) which would be widely published in the government bulletins.

However, during 1993 on the King’s visit to (east) Tashigang, when a similar plan was formulated, Chungkhar Phutsho Wangdi, ex-councillor Jigme Wangdi and Rongthong Sonam Gyamtso were sent to brief the villagers well in advance by the Zonal Administrator. As usual when the King promised to provide more funds for development, the villagers requested for initiating the construction of the road to Bidung, which was assured to them by him the year before. No amount of coaxing with the guarantee of additional funds appeared the villagers who mentioned that the Southern Bhutanese had not done anything to them and humbly insisted on the fulfilling of His promises of the previous year. This unexpected incident led to the shacking of seventeen National Assembly Members, twenty one Gups (Village Headman) and the suspension of the Dzongda (district commissioner), Dorji Namgay. Tashigang district was then split into two politically manageable districts Tashiyangtse and Tashigang.