Bhutan will soon have a national forensic facility established at the public health laboratory in Serbithang, Thimphu. Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering during the Meet the Press session yesterday said the health ministry, police and the judiciary are working together to establish the facility.
The urgency to have a full-fledged national forensic facility was partially triggered by the recent cases involving rape and murder case of a minor in Paro and the mysterious death of a minor in Thimphu. Both cases left many people demanding justice. The Prime Minister said justice has been delayed in many cases so far as evidence samples had to be sent abroad for the forensic test which took time.
In the Paro rape and murder of a minor case, each suspect’s DNA sample had to be sent to the United Kingdom which cost more than Nu 40,000.
Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said that he has been working with stakeholders on the details of establishing the facility for the past one month.
“It is not entirely true that the judiciary is having major problems without a proper forensic lab. It is true only if the judgement is delayed because currently, we have to send the data and evidence for forensic study to countries such as Sri Lanka and have to wait. We are investing in building one forensic lab consolidating experts from the hospital, police and Judiciary. We will make it in such a way that each of them will have their own authority with proper securities. Only responsible and relevant people will have access to the lab. We discussed all these,” Lyonchhen said.
Today, the Forensic Medicine Department at the National Referral Hospital run by six health personnel carries out forensic investigations. According to the hospital in 2017, the department provided services in the examination of 19 cases involving perpetrators of crime, investigated 53 cases of unnatural death and 65 cases of sexual violence.
Tshering Dendup
