His Majesty The King awarded Druk Wangyal medal to Dorji Lopen Kinley during the 112th National Day celebration in Thimphu yesterday. Dorji Lopen Kinley received Druk Wangyal for his exceptional services to the nation.
Lopen Kinley entered the monastic order at the age of 7, and throughout his career in the religious order, received important Wang Lung from some of the most important religious figures in the country.
Dasho Sangay Dorji received Druk Thuksay for his extraordinary contributions in promoting Dzongkha. He led the Dzongkha Development Commission for 27 years, and also served as the first Secretary for the National Assembly from 1968-1986. During his service in DDC, he initiated the first Dzongkha grammar book compatible with Sumtag or Chokyed grammar. He was also involved in drafting legal terminology in Dzongkha. Dasho Sangay Dorji was awarded the red scarf by His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo in 1999.
Arun Kapur was awarded Druk Thuksay for his extraordinary services to Bhutan. He is an educator and has worked for over four decades with children of all ages and from all sections of society. He is the first Head and the Director of Vasant Valley School in Delhi- a school that has consistently been ranked amongst the best co-educational day schools in India. He is the Director of The Royal Academy in Pangbisa, Paro. The Academy, with 161 students from all walks of life, is a Royal Initiative and draws its vision from His Majesty’s recognition of the importance of education in enriching the lives of people and society. The Academy stands out as a centre of excellence, leading in thought and creating new standards in education worldwide.
His Majesty also awarded National Order of Merit Gold to two Bhutanese and three foreigners.
Nagtsho Dorji, the Chief of Division for Conservation of Heritage Sites under the Department of Culture received the National Order of Merit Gold for her services to the nation. Her capable leadership has contributed to the success of numerous restoration and conservation projects of National heritage sites including Wangdue Phodrang Dzong, Pema Gatshel Dzong, Phajoding Monastery, Chair Gonpa, among numerous others. Her contributions also include the drafting of the Cultural Heritage Bill, and initiating Bhutan’s first archaeology office.
Phuntsho Gyeltshen, the Chief Executive Officer of the Construction Development Corporation was awarded the gold medal. Phuntsho Gyeltshen started his civil service career as Section Officer in the Ministry of Agriculture in 1989. As the Chief Executive Officer of Construction Development Corporation Limited, he helped develop in-house expertise in bridge design and construction and helped create more than 500 jobs for Bhutanese youth. During his tenure, CDCL set new standards in quality of construction and efficiency, completing projects well ahead of time. It was also the first Bhutanese company to engage in hydropower tunnel construction in Tangsibji Hydro Project.
Similarly, three foreigners each from Australia, Germany and New Zealand received the National Order of Merit Gold for their services to Bhutan.
Catherine Mary Harris from Australia received the National Order of Merit Gold. Catherine Harris hosted the Bhutan Olympic team during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since 2004, she has been serving as the Honorary Consul of Bhutan in Sydney. In 2006, she was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for fostering international relations between Australia and Asia, particularly for her support for Bhutanese people living in Australia. She is currently the Chair of Australia’s largest independent produce retailer, Harris Farm Market. She is also Commissioner of the Australian Rugby League. In addition, she is a Director of The National Gallery of Australia, The Australian Ballet and the UNSW Business School.
Dr Wolfgang Pfeiffer was awarded National Order of Merit Gold in recognition of his services to Bhutan. Dr Pfeiffer has been the honorary consul of Bhutan in Southern Germany since 2002. Since first knowing about Bhutan through a Bhutanese patient in 1996, he has made regular visits to Bhutan. In 1999, he co-founded the Bhutan Help Society. The Society’s core areas of supportare health and education, sustainable tourism and organic farming. The focus is on project conception, knowledge transfer and the provision of technical equipment. Through this foundation, he has donated medical equipment worth millions of Ngultrums, brought German surgeons to Bhutan and trained medical staff. Since 2002, has been the Honorary Consul General for Bhutan in Southern Germany.
Dr Brian C. J. Shaw was awarded National Order of Merit Gold. Dr Brian C. J. Shaw first visited Bhutan in 1980 and has visited Bhutan more than 30 times since then. Having attended 12 sessions of the National Assembly, he holds the record of being the only non-Bhutanese to have attended that many sessions. In Bhutan, Dr Shaw is popularly known as Hongkong Chimi. Since 2006, Dr Shaw has published 14 articles on Bhutan in international journals and completed three research projects. He has spent many years digitizing Kuensel newspaper and made it available for researchers.
Kinley Dem & Pema Tshewang
