Organized by Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University and
Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan

The 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar“Health and Rural Development based on the concept ofGross National Happiness”

6-12 December 2018, Bhutan

Kyoto University
andRoyal University of Bhutan

About Southeast Asia Seminar
The Southeast Asia seminar has been held annually by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University since 1977. Aiming to deepen the understanding of Southeast Asia fromvarious perspectives, the seminar offered seven days of study tour, together with presentations
by the participants. The seminar was held between 6th to 12th December in 2018 in Bhutan, coorganized by Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan.

Table of Contents
Concept of the Seminar

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Program of the Seminar on December 7th in Thimphu

1

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List of Organizers

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List of Participants

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Research Interests of the Participants

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・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

10Andriyati Rahayu

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11

Aung Thu Moe

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Gan Su Wan

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Jagriti Gangopadhyay

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Katrina Navallo

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Kiengkay Ounmany

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Le Hoang Ngoc Yen

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Nirmala Ranasinghe

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Samak Kosem

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Sokly Siev

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Afterword・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ 66
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66

Reports and Presentations

Concept of the Seminar
By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older in the world is projected to outnumber
people younger than 5 years. How to care the elderly is one of the issues to be addressed by theinternational community. According to the Annual Health Bulletin, the life expectancy at birthin Bhutan has increased from 45.6 years in 1980-1985 to 68.9 years by 2010, and the percentageof the aged 60 years or over reached 7.3% in their populations.
In 2010, Ministry of Health, Royal Government of Bhutan started the program “communitybased medical care for the elderly” which try to empower communities to take care the elderly.
However, according to the 2017 Population & Housing Census of Bhutan, rural-urban
migration is becoming common within the country. Most districts in the west have experienced
population gains from positive net migration, while the districts in the east are losing population.
As migration is mostly a young cohort phenomenon, a significant number of the elderly may
be left behind in the rural districts.
This academic seminar looks at the challenges of health and rural development in thecommunities of Bhutan, and explores the future possibility in the region. The speakers in thisseminar share significant issues and concerns relating to the health and rural development basedon the concept of Gross National Happiness. The participants learn from the strategy andexperiences of Bhutan. The seminar includes field trip in Bhutan.
Schedule:
December 6 (Thu.), 2018
Bangkok to Paro, Paro to Thimphu
Welcome meeting in Thimphu
December 7 (Fri.), 2018
Seminar in Thimphu
Speakers from Royal University of Bhutan, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, GNH
Commission, JICA and Kyoto University
December 8 (Sat.), 2018
Thimphu to Lobesa
Visit My Gakidh Village by Youth Development Fund
December 9 (Sun.), 2018Lobesa to Samtengang
Visit Samtengang Basic Health Unit and Outreach Clinic
December 10 (Mon.), 2018
Visit Phobjikha Valley in Wangdue Phodrang/Chimi Lhakhang in Punakha

1December 11 (Tue.), 2018
Workshop at College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan in Lobesa
Lobesa to Thimphu
December 12 (Wed.), 2018
Summary Meeting
Thimphu to Paro, Paro to Bangkok

2

Program of the Seminar on December 7th in Thimphu
Date: 7th December, 2018
Venue: Royal University of Bhutan (RUB), Thimphu
 Registration (9:30-9:45)
 Opening Ritual (9:45-9:50)
 Inaugural Session:
Role and Approach of Institutions for Gross National Happiness, Health and Rural
Development
Opening Remarks (9:50-10:20)
Welcome address 1:
Dr. Phanchung (Director General, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan)
Welcome address 2:
Dr. Kazuo Ando (Professor, CSEAS, Kyoto University, Japan)
Keynote and Guest Speeches (10:20-11:00)
Guest speech 1:
Dasho Karma Yeshey (Secretary, Ministry of Education, Bhutan)
Guest speech 2:
Dasho Ugen Dophu (Secretary, Ministry of Health, Bhutan)
Guest speech 3:
Ms. Dechen Pelmo (Sr. Planning Officer, Gross National Happiness Commission, Bhutan)
Guest speech 4:
Mr. Koji Yamada (Chief Representative, JICA Bhutan Office, Japan)
Keynote speech (11:00-11:15)
Dasho Nidup Dorji (Vice Chancellor, Royal University of Bhutan)
Closing address (11:15-11:30)
Mr. Dendup Tshering (Dean, Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan)
Lunch break (11:30-12:30)
 Business Session:
Session-1: Environment and Development in Southeast Asia (12:30-13:40)
Dr. Masayuki Yanagisawa (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Dr. Osamu Kozan (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Dr. Decha Tangseefa (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Dr. Masashi Okada (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Dr. Michihiro Wada (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Tea Break (13:40-14:00)

3Session-2: Health and Development in Bhutan and Japan (14:00-16:00)
Dr. Tashi Dorji & Ms. Rinzin Dema (Sherubtse College, Royal University of Bhutan)
Dr. Yoshio Akamatsu (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
Dr. Ryota Sakamoto (CSEAS, Kyoto University)
 General Discussion (16:00-16:30)
Moderator: Dr. Kazuo Ando, Dr. Tashi Dorji Closing Remark (16:30-16:45)
Dasho Pema Thinley (Former Vice Chancellor, Royal University of Bhutan)

4

5

6

Dorji Gyeltshen Nesor

4

Ryota Sakamoto

Yoko Hayami

Kazuo Ando

Masayuki Yanagisawa

Osamu Kozan

10

11

12

13

14

Masashi Okada

Michihiro Wada

Yoshio Akamatsu

Masako Akedo

Motoko Kondo

Karchung Wangchuk

16

17

18

19

20

21

AGENCY

Lobzang Penjor

9

Decha Tangseefa

Katel Om

8

K
U

Sonam Wangdi

7

15

Tashi Dorji

Dendup Tshering

Tshering Choden

3

6

5

Phanchung

2

R
U
B

Dasho Nidup Dorji

1

Name

Bhutan Lhomen Adventure

Director General

Department of Research and External Relations,Royal University of Bhutan
Department of Research and External Relations,Royal University of Bhutan
Sherubtse College,
Royal University of Bhutan
Sherubtse College,
Royal University of Bhutan
Sherubtse College,
Royal University of Bhutan
Sherubtse College,
Royal University of BhutanCollege of Natural Resources,
Royal University of BhutanCollege of Natural Resources,
Royal University of Bhutan
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University
History
Environmental Science

Associate Lecturer
Lecturer

Area Studies on Southeast Asia

Researcher

Managing Director/Tour Operator

Staff

Staff

Agricultre

History of Southeast Asian Massif

Researcher

Affiliated Assistant Professor

Political Science

Associate Professor

Hhydrology

Associate Professor

Tropical Agriculture

Professor

Agro-ecology

Cultural Anthropology

Dean/Professor

Associate Professor

Medical Science

Seminar Chair/Associate Professor

Agricultre

Demography

Lecturer

Research Officer

Environmental Science

Animal Science

Mathematics

Major

Dean, Research and Industrial
Linkages

Assistant Research Officer

Chief

Vice Chancellor

Position

Royal University of Bhutan

Affiliation

L ist of O rg aniz ers

7Assistant Professor

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Doctoral student

Lecturer
JSPS Postdoctoral
Research Fellow
Lecturer

Researcher
Post-Doctoral
Researcher

Faculty of Arts and Social Science, Universiti
Tunku Abdul Rahman, Perak, Malaysia

Manipal Centre for Humanities,
Manipal Academy for Higher Education

Graduate School of Asian and African Area
Studies, Kyoto University

Faculty of Social Sciences,
National University of Laos

Center for Southeast Asian Studies,
Kyoto University

Faculty of Regional Promotion,
Nara Prefectural University

Center of Excellence on Women and Social
Security, Walailak University

School of Environment and Society,
Tokyo Institute of Technology

3 Gan Su Wan

4 Jagriti Gangopadhyay

6 Kiengkay Ounmany

7 Le Hoang Ngoc Yen

8 Nirmala Ranasinghe

9 Samak Kosem

10 Sokly Siev

Katrina Navallo

Young Professional
OfficerInternational Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD)

2 Aung Thu Moe

5

Lecturer/Researcher

Position

Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia

Affiliation

1 Andriyati Rahayu

Name

L ist of ParticipantsSociology

Developmental Psychology

Sustainability science and biodiversity
conservation

Archeology

Major

Cambodia

ThailandSri Lanka

Vietnam

Laos

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Anthropology

Tourism Studies (Gender, Migration,
Sustainable Tourism), Sustainable
Development (Rural Development)

Medical anthropology

Social and economic science

the Philippines Southeast Asian Studies

India

Malaysia

MyanmarIndonesia

CitizenshipResearch Interests of the Participants1Andriyati Rahayu

The interests of my research are Java ’ s inscriptions and old manuscripts. Information from inscriptions and old manuscripts areabundant, including environment management. I did a research about the environment management during the Old Javanese period (7th –15th centuries CE) in the Indonesian Archipelago, which reveals the most common form of environment management during the period:building dams to anticipate flood, besides planting certain trees and prohibiting the catch of certain kinds of fish and the destruction ofwater and forests. Environment management started with the smallest community units.
Old manuscript also provides information on food diversification, for example about tirakat (meditation) deed by not eating rice-based
food to manage anger and to control emotion. It was also a food diversification effort. Javanese staple food is rice. In fact, in modern
time Indonesia has to import rice, threatening its food resilience. The local wisdom of the Javanese can solve Indonesian food resilienceproblem.
Information from inscriptions are in line with the first and second of the Four Pillars of GNH (sustainable and equitable socio-economic
development, environmental conservation, cultural preservation and promotion, good governance). The local wisdom of people in thepast can be used to solve current problems.
Key words:Old Javanese inscriptions, Old Javanese manuscripts, environmental management, food diversification, local wisdo

2

Aung Thu Moe

I am interested in the research topic in the differences between the diverse level of education, gender, age range and urban-ruraldifferences regarding in relationships of economic income and its happiness.
The “Easterlin paradox” suggests that there is no link between a society’s economic development and its average level of happiness.
Some researches found that economic growth associated with rising happiness in general. Since I am from a rural area and I found out
most of the people in rural are happier than those in urban even though not having much income in rural and the well-being is solely
subjective, so I believe that this absolutely depends on the how much satisfy on what you have, where you are and even affect by culture
and which could be different among gender, age range and ultimately education.
My hypothesis is that 'does where people live really have an impact on their happiness and well-being rather than income or economic'
keywords; well-being, income, life satisfaction, happiness and economic growth.

3

Gan Su Wan

My research interests are parenting, grandparenting, child development outcomes and cross-cultural studies. My PhD dissertation
investigated the relations between parental beliefs, parenting practices and psychosocial development of children from multicultural
families in the urban and rural area of Malaysia. In addition, I also examined the effect of parenting on psychological development among
Malay, Chinese and Indian parents and children. Recently, I expanded my research interest to grandparenting. As the principal
investigator for the research entitled “Developing intergenerational solidarity: Well-being concerns of grandparents and grandchildren in
the skipped-generation family”, I aim to examine the contemporary grandparenting, grandparents’ subjective well-being and its effect onchild development outcomes among young children. The advancement of elderlies ’ health status, the rise of dual-earner parents, themigration of young adults from rural to urban area, and the high cost of childcare centre increase the role of the grandparent in thefamily system on present date. Grandparenthood is the transition of old age that individual experiences while assuming rewarding anddemanding roles in the later life course. Thus, it is believed that grandparents who are involved in childcare responsibilities havereported having greater life satisfaction, happiness and better health.
Keywords: parenting, grandparenting, child development outcomes, subjective well-being, family development

4

Jagriti Gangopadhyay

My broad areas of research are family sociology and social gerontology. Within these two areas, I specifically, examine the wellbeing ofolder adults in India. As part of my dissertation, I focused on subjective experiences of growing old, intergenerational relationships,
network ties and gender roles among older adults in Ahmedabad, India and Saskatoon, Canada. Adopting a comparative approach, in mythesis I found that traditions, values, customs, religion and reciprocal expectations play a significant role in determining the course of
aging among older adults in India as well as in a transnational context. For my current research project I am analyzing the processes ofgrowing old among older adults choosing to live alone in India. In this project, I am interrogating questions of perceptions of aging,loneliness, transforming filial ties, satisfaction over the life course and changing gender ideologies in later lives. Additionally, I am also
analyzing the role of the State and the market in influencing the everyday practices of older adults opting for independent living in India.
Overall, I am examining the final outcome on the health and wellbeing of older adults preferring to live alone in India.
Keywords: aging, wellbeing, gender, intergenerational relationships, loneliness

5

Katrina Navallo

I am currently doing my dissertation on embodied caregiving experiences of Filipino care workers in Japanese nursing homes under
Hayami Yoko. I am interested in comparing different concepts of care in various cultural and social contexts, and how local andinternational migration and labor resource (among others) configure the current globalization of care. My dissertation problematizes
how care, as it transcends the cultural and geographical borders, constructs new forms of intimacy and relations between migrant
providers of care and Japanese elderly and care staff. My interest to join this workshop is to widen my understanding on different formsof care provision, and how other societies such as Bhutan address the growing demand for elderly care, apart from the traditional
neoliberal ideas of externalising care to the market and public sphere. What kinds of social relations are able to form out of a collective
interest to care for vulnerable groups of the society, such as the elderly? Bhutan serves as an interesting case study to understand if andwhether the economics of happiness can be used as basis for the creation of welfare policies for a more equitable distribution of careacross all sectors of the society.
Keywords: migrant care work, intimacy, aging society, globalization of care8

6

Kiengkay Ounmany

I earned a doctorate in Social and Economic Science (BOKU Vienna). My doctoral dissertation examined community-based ecotourism
development in two national protected areas in the North and the Central Laos. I am interested in development issues in Laos. Since
2014, I have been involved in a research project entitled “Feminization, Agricultural Transition and Rural Employment ” addressing
gender roles, employment and migration in coffee production in Southern Laos. Recently, I did research on the livelihoods of subsistent
farmers, who are living in unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination areas in Xieng Khouang Province, Northern Laos. In themeantime, I am developing a research project on female migration and maternal health in collaboration with Lao University of Health
Science and Portsmouth-Brawijaya Center for Global Health, Population, and Policy, University of Portsmouth.
Keywords: rural development, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable development, poverty reduction

7

Le Hoang Ngoc Yen

I am a medical anthropologist working on public health issues in Vietnam. My PhD research (The Australian National University, 2015)
focuses on leprosy and people living with this disease in Vietnam (who are now mostly elder people). Drawing from extensive
ethnographic fieldwork conducted in an exclusive community for leprosy sufferers in South Central Vietnam, the thesis investigatesperceptions of and lived realities with leprosy, its lingering stigma in the modern day and modalities of care for leprosy sufferers.
More recently my ongoing research examines cancer as a serious public health problem in Vietnam and patients ’ strategies to manage
and live with it. For this project, I am conducting field research among cancer patients, their families, care-takers and medical
professionals in hospitals, cancer treatment centers, patients ’ clubs, support groups and therapeutic groups in Southern region ofVietnam.
Keywords: medical anthropology, public health, leprosy, cancer, care.

89Nirmala Ranasinghe

Samak Kosem

Sustainable Development, Sustainable Tourism, Migration, Bhutan, Philosophy of Mind
I Nirmala Ranasinghe obtained my Ph.D. in tourism from Rikkyo University, Japan in 2016. With a research interest in sustainable
forms of tourism development, my enquiries also relate to migration and gender studies. I ’ m currently a member of Sustainable
Development Goals and Tourism research group, which has been formed to explore good practices in tourism industry.
Bhutan is one of the few countries in the world, adopted a tourism development policy of “ high value-low volume ” , ensuringconservation of environment, culture and rural development. Bhutan branded the country as “Happiness is a Place” following the conceptof Gross National Happiness (GNH).) I therefore selected Bhutan as one of my research fields in order to investigate success factors
for sustainable rural development and good practices in tourism.
As a Buddhist by birth, and who consider Buddhism as a philosophy rather than a religion, I profess a strong interest in Bhutanese way oflife nurtured by Buddhist principles (GNH), and rural development strategies based on the concept of GNH in general.
I hope this seminar will offer important knowledge to my current research in Japan and all the societies where similar challenges exist.

My research interests in gender and religious practices in different contexts in Asia who have challenged the perceptions of humansecurity by their states, societies, and cultures. The project aims to re-examine perspectives of gender and security in Asia, as it ’smarked from the liberal institutional to human security approaches, particularly within the context of peace and security processes. My
current research at the deep south of Thailand by focusing on gender relation of LGBT people who struggling to live in religious
fundamentalist context and facing the challenges differently by their ages and conditions including young to elderly people who live with
their tolerance. The aging of LGBT Muslims was relegated to the shadow. This project also aims to open for a new platform to activists,
academics, and artist to concern all LGBT elders in Thailand as it's specific and emerge issue in our society.
Keywords: human security, gender perspective, LGBT Muslim, religiosity, aging

10 Sokly Siev

My research interest mainly seeks to understand sediment dynamics and how sediment interact with hydrological process in the river
basin and lake through field observation and modelling techniques. As my PhD research, I investigated the sediment dynamics in a large
shallow lake and its floodplain characterized by flood pulse. The targeted shallow lake was Tonle Sap Lake (TSL), the largest freshwaterlake in Southeast Asia, located in Cambodia. An extensive and seasonal sampling survey was conducted to measure total suspended solid(TSS) concentrations, sedimentation and resuspension rates in TSL and its four floodplain areas. The study revealed that sedimentation
process was dominant in the high water period (September–December) while resuspension process was dominant only in the low water
period (March–June). In addition, a landscape evolution model, Caesar-Lisflood model, was successfully applied in TSL, having a good
and acceptable simulation performance for the water level and TSS concentration, respectively. The study not only improved ourunderstanding of sediment dynamics in shallow lake, but also contributed to the ecological and environmental management of
ecosystems in such lakes driven by the flood pulse.
Currently, my research aims to investigate the distribution and health risks of harmful pathogen at a floating village in TSL through theapplication of 3D hydraulic model, named Tokyo Institute Technology - WAter Reservoir Model (TITech-WARM). This research is apart of a SATREPS project in Cambodia entitled of "Establishment of Environmental Conservation Platform of Tonle Sap Lake".
Keywords: Sediment dynamics, Field observation, Modelling techniques, Hydrodynamics, Health risk, Tonle Sap Lake9

Reports and Presentations

10

The Report of 42nd South East Asia Seminar“ Health and Rural Development based on the concept of Gross National Happiness”
Bhutan Dec 6-12, 2018
Andriyati Rahayu (Indonesia) | Universitas Indonesia
What I get from this seminar is, first, networking among Southeast Asian countries and CSEAS
members. I feel very lucky to know such great persons from Southeast Asia and sharing not only
culture but also knowledge with other delegates. I really wish that we are can continue thisnetworking in the future. Second, I am able to know about GNH application in Bhutan. I haveheard a lot about GNH but it makes me wonder how do they apply it. At first, I thought that GNH
is a very abstract concept, but through this seminar I can see that GNH are applicable. Bhutanese
government has described GNH very detailed about the implementation and it is easy to practice.
GNH has 4 pillars; one of them is environmental preservation, which is in line with my research
about environmental management in Old Javanese Society. Indonesia nowadays is facing a lot ofenvironmental problem. Indonesia has a Ministry of Environment which is established in 1973.
The Indonesian State Ministry of Environment (MOE) is responsible for national environmental
policy and planning in the country. But it seems that environmental preservation is not in line with
development goals in Indonesia and the Indonesian government is too focusing in economic
development. Meanwhile, Bhutanese government realizes that environmental preservation is very
important thing, and become one of four pillars of GNH. Bhutanese government know that bypreserving environment will bring sustainable development in the future. This is what Indonesian
government should learn from Bhutan, that the national goals should not merely about economic.
Another thing which I get from this seminar is that I learn that the Bhutanese government has
clear goals in developing their country. During our field trip, we can see that the Bhutanese
government works hard in making their people happy. One of the examples is Bhutanese people
have access to free medical care. The government built basic health center in every village.
Of course, the Bhutanese government still faces many problems, such as urban migration.
However, the government has built some projects to solve this problem. One of the projects is at
Gakidh village that I visited. I see that this program running well, and it is another great idea of
the Bhutanese government. By running this program, at least there are three problems that are
expected to be solved. Firstly, this program is push the youth to develop their homeland, secondly,
it will minimize the urbanization, and thirdly, it makes the youths to be proud of themselves,
which is good for their psychological conditions.
Regarding my research what I can suggest both to the Bhutanese and the Indonesian governments
are that they should maintain the local tradition. They should always look upon their roots,
because in tradition there are many important values. Our ancestors had wisdom regarding theirlife and their environment, which is applicable in facing today’s problems. Maybe the biggest
problem humans face these days is their inability to live harmoniously together. This can be solved
by using local wisdom. People living in modern cities should learn the old local wisdom and adapt
it to their circumstances. We have to understand our root and respect our tradition. One of thelocal traditions in Bhutan is about labour exchange among the farmers. Moreover, the Bhutanese(and Indoneianese) should be proud of themselves and their tradition.
11 Information from inscriptions and old

Environmental managemen
management
ntt innnancient Javanese society as well as
in Indonesia and Bhutan these days

manuscripts are abundant, including
environment management.
 Aim: to see how the ancient Javanesepeople managed their environment

Andriyatiti Rahayu

Methodology

Data Datataa-collectingg Anci
AncientAient Javanes
Javanese inscriptions fromm 8thh 15
5th centuries

 Datatata
a-processingpg TThere are
e 17
7

Old
d Javanesee ininscriptions
nscription
which mention
naabout environmental
managementg T
Those inscriptions inform us about lan
land
use policies of the king which implies
mitigation,n, gogovernment
overnmrnm
ment officia
officials in chargeof disasterr relief,f and more.
f, Datatata
a-interpretating

01.

Tugu

--------------

Dam construction by King
Purnawarman .

02.

Siwagrha

856 CE

diversion of the river that touches the
temple courtyard

03.

Pananggaran

869 CE

06.

Rukam

907 CEthe Rukam village, which was destroyedby the eruption of a mountain, wasgranted tax free, and the making of a
NDPXOŅQ DNLQGRIJXDUGSRVW LQWKH
village of Rukam.

07.

Harinjing

921 CE

Dam construction by Bhagawanta Bari inharinjing river

08

Wulig

935 CE

Dam construction and prohibtion offishing in certain river

09

Baru

1030 CE

Prohibition to take certain plants likebamboo, palm , betel nut, etc.

10Sanghyang Tapak 1030 CE

Dam construction by Rakryan Wiku
Padang Lpar Pu in Pananggaran

04.

Sumundul

869 CE

Dam construction by Rakryan Wiku
Padang Lpar Pu in Pananggaran.

05.

Kubu Kubu

905 CE

Making waterways to overcome
flooding in Samudung and Kubu village

11.

Kamalagyan

1037 CE

Construction a dam named Waringin Sapta to
overcome flood

12.

Katiden I

1392 CE

Prohibtion to take certain plants

13

Katiden II1395 CE

Bestowing of tax free status for Katiden
people because they had guarded certain plant

14.

Jiyu I

1408 CEDam construction in Trailokyapuri for
irrigation

15

Jiyu II

1408 CEDam construction in Trailokyapuri for
irrigation

16

Jiyu III1408 CEDam construction in Trailokyapuri for
irrigation

17.

Jiyu IV

1408 CEDam construction in Trailokyapuri for
irrigation

The making of prohibition area

forms of environmental
vironmental management
manin
ancient java
 Waterways/dam construction
 Restoration of villages affected bynatural disasters
 Environmental preservation

12

Restoration the village
affected by natural disaster

Waterways/dam construction
Dams construction were mostly for flood prevention
Dams construction related to the irrigation system at thetime.
 Dams are also used for fish, because Wulig inscription
mentions the prohibition for anyone to take the fishes in
the river during the day.

Rukam village is one example of an area damaged byvolcano eruption. Rukam, probably, is currently locatedin Parakan-Temanggung, close to mt. Sindoro
 After experiencing the volcano eruption, king Balitung
ordered to construct a guardhouse in Rukam.







Environmental
mental manage
management inancient java

Environment preservation

 T
The king issue
issued a policy on the preventionof disasters
 I
Implementation of mitigation is an
integrated mamanneranner inv
involving
volving the lo
localcommunityy and theeggovernment ccommunities
es a
arere actactively
tively involved indealing withh bothh natural and social
disasters.

making conserved area, and prohibits anyone tofishing and cut down certain trees in there andthere was penalty for those who violate the rules
 cultivation of banyan tress along the main street
 limiting the list of animals that are allowed to be
hunted

GNH program
ogram in environ
environmental
management “maintain at least sixty percent of theInformation from inscriptions are in line with the)RXU3LOODUVRI*1+ VXVWDLQDEOHDQGHTXLWDEOHVRFLReconomic development, environmental conservation,
cultural preservation and promotion, good governance 

country under forest cover at all times.”
Presently, 72% of Bhutan is forested andmore than a third of the country falls
within the protected area network.
 conserve biodiversity effectively,

Environmental
ironmental managemen
management inIndonesia nowadays

Learning from Bhutan
Environmental preservation is not in linewith development goals in Indonesia;
Indonesian government is too focusing ineconomic development.
Bhutanese government is aware thatenvironmental preservation is a very
important thing, and becomes one of thefour pillars of GNH.

Indonesia Ministry of Environment
 Established in 1973, the Indonesia State Ministry of(QYLURQPHQW 02( LVUHVSRQVLEOHIRUQDWLRQDO
environmental policy and planning in the country.
 The MOE is guided by its vision for reliable and proactive
institutional action for sustainable development andprosperity through the application of good environmental
governance principles.


13

Regarding myy reresearch,esearch, my suggestions
ssugg
s both to
Bhutanese and Indonesiann are Peoplee livlivingving in modern cities should lea
learn theold local wisdom and adapt it to theircircumstances,, because.
 this ability to adapt to envir
environmentt can comefrom using
g local wisdom.
 We
e ha
have
ave to understandunourr rootss and respect
our tradition
Indonesian government should learn from
Bhutan that the national goals is not merely
about economic.
 IndonesianIn gogovernment
overnmentt shshouldhould integ
integrate
tegratethe enviro
environmental
vironmental manageme
management inn its
national
al development goals

7+$1.<287$6+,+, '(/(.

14

Experience and reflection on the 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar on"Health and Rural Development based on the concept of Gross National Happiness"
Aung Thu Moe (Myanmar) | The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development(ICIMOD)

The seminar was jointly organized by Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSES) of Kyoto
University and Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) from 6-12th of December 2018, in Thimphu,
Bhutan. The seminar was held with the total one and half day of presentations regarding withenvironment and development in Southeast Asia and health and development in Bhutan andJapan, and presentations from ten participants of different countries, with site visits to historiccultural and religious places, university, college, outreach health centers, administrative units,
household interviews in the communities.
What we learned about Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Bhutan
GNH in Bhutanese is a government concern and it has a long history of implementation. The
concept, "GNH is more important than GDP" policy, has been practiced since in the history of
about four centuries back and explicitly states in the constitution and Bhutan’s ancient legal
code of 1629 stated that, “if the government cannot create happiness for its people, then there
is no purpose for government to exist”. There are four pillars in GNH accomplishment;sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental conservation, good
governance and preservation and promotion of culture. A good governance is one of the fourpillars and a critical key in fulfilling GNH of the country, which makes people happier bymanaging resource effectively, sustainably and providing basic needs to the people such as freehealth care and education, etc.
When integrating GNH Values into Policies, there are 9 domains and 22 variables. According
to the GNH survey in Bhutan (2010-2015), people are becoming happier in general, but womenare less happy than men, urban pare happier than rural and farmers are the least happy
community in the country. Many scholars stated that wellbeing is well related toeconomy/income. A number of studies also find out that religious people are happier than nonreligious ones. Since Bhutan is a religious country, most people in the rural are aware of
Buddhist teaching and peaceful minded.
My Gakidh village
The initiative was developed by Bhutan Youth Development Fund (BYDF) and Aide et Action
International, baseline surveyed in 2013-14 and started in 2015, with the goal to mitigate ruralurban youth migration and reduce youth unemployment, in 21 villages with 25 members andwith six activities (community-based ecotourism, tea making, media lab training, consumer
shop, tailoring and organic farming).

15

Rural urban migration
Modern education system seems to make more people leave native rural and find the job inurban, which makes a huge loss in men power of agricultural business of the country, 27 % of
sectoral share GDP in 2000 to 16 % in 2013.

16

What do I
perceive about
GNH after arriving
BhutanGNH

Aung Thu Moe
Myanmar

GNH survey
results• Infrastructure facilities• Living standard ( material attachment)
R eligion

EconomyWellbeing• R eligious driven happiness• Community vitality

This Photo by U nknown Author is licensed under CC BY -NC-ND

D agana, Pema Gatshel and Z hemganag dzongkhags 83 %Gasa D zongkhag 3 6%
bbs.bt ( 7.2.17)

7 2 .2

Forestmanagement

4 4 .5
wordbank.org

17

Landuse

D emand18

The 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar
Health and Rural Development based on the Concept of Gross National Happiness
6-12 December 2018, Thimphu, Bhutan
Gan Su Wan (Malaysia) | Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar

This seminar was organized by Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University
and Royal University of Bhutan. Along the seven-day seminar, participants attended theworkshop, field trips and sharing sessions.
During the first day of seminar, I was impressed by concepts and ideas shared by the Secretaryof Ministry of Education - Dasho Karma Yeshey and the Secretary of Ministry of Health –Dasho Ugen Dophu. Bhutanese government emphasizes the importance of education indeveloping human being of young generation. In order to introduce the most appropriate
program to the local people, local government localizes approaches from other developed
countries to increase the sustainability of their education system. In addition, Bhutanese
government also provides financial support to students which includes free education fee, freeschool uniform and books. Another inspiration that I obtained is the application of Gross
National Happiness to their health care system. As other countries are focusing on the issue ofmental health problem, Bhutanese government is promoting the importance of GNH in healthcare and the role of interactive and communicative medical staff in supporting their citizens.
By considering the medical expenses affordability of Bhutanese, the government decided to
pay the responsibility for health care. In Bhutan, the policies and systems were derived fromone clear direction that is to create a happy country. Besides the Bhutanese government, I also
found wisdom from a young girl from the Gakidh Village. The young generation in the Gakidh
Village is running some activities include homestays, hiking and camping, tea making, medialab, convenient shops, tailoring and organic farming to show their ability in transforming thepoverty of rural region and conserving the local culture. The young girl from Gakidh Village
we met is was confident to the success of her entrepreneurship and feeling proud to be involvedin farming activities in the rural region. She was passionate about her job and found it
meaningful. She discovered her life purpose by involving in activities she likes and paying
responsibilities to family and herself. This is a good chance for us to reflect. We may take wellequipped facilities, infrastructure and convenience in city for granted as well as forget to feel
grateful on little things such as the food we eat or the warm interaction with people we meet.
We have gained so much from the technology while we may have lost the life purpose andgenuine happiness when chasing worldly things.
During the two-day field trip, I visited three houses in rural regions with other researchers andfound some family studies related information. First, I was surprised by the presence ofpolygamy issues in the rural region where I met two women (46 years old elderly and 18 years
old girl who were staying in the house behind) with the same father but the father has anotherwife. This case might be a rare case that happened in previous decades as polygamy issue isdying out in Bhutan now. However, most of the Bhutanese can still accept the concept of19

polygamy even though they do not implement it anymore. Second, I found that Bhutaneseadolescents take the initiatives to help their parents and grandparents in doing house chores
and farming. The data that I obtained from one male adolescent is giving me anotherunexpected finding. He showed his preference for staying and working in the village as hethinks the city has more problems and dangers. However, his mother expected him to work in
the city. According to the responses, Bhutanese parents from rural regions generally expect
their children to work in cities after the children graduate as they think children could havebrighter future in the city as compared to working in the village or rural region. Third, there
are some similarities in grandparental experiences between Malaysian and Bhutanese elderlies.
Responses that I obtained from Malaysian and Bhutanese elderlies showed elderlies from bothcountries are happy to take care of their grandchildren and maintain a close relationship with
grandchildren. However, there is no specific expectation toward grandchildren from Bhutanese
grandparents whereas Malaysian grandparents highly emphasize the academic achievement
and conformity of grandchildren.
Through the interaction with Bhutanese, I also gained the knowledge about the key to create
authentic happiness. “Stay with whom you love; do what you really want to do”. Once we holdthe position, we should complete the tasks with our best and enjoy the task-completing process.
In conclusion, I understood the concepts and directions of Bhutanese government in forming a
happy country by applying community-oriented programs. However, the urban migration andchanges in demographic trends are happening in both Malaysia and Bhutan. It alerts us
regarding the rise of elderly population and the decrease of the number of young people ormanpower in the rural region. The promotion of village activities and entrepreneurship ofyoung generation from rural region might not be sufficient to mitigate the negative impacts ofurban migration. It is necessary to implement some programs for villagers from rural regions
to overcome the effect of urban migration. The rise of urban migration caused the empty nest
syndrome among elderlies that may lead to problems such as loneliness and lack of elderlycare. In Bhutan, the villagers help each other in farming. In addition, there are some community
centers where villagers can gather at least five times per month to perform some rituals andgain the sense of belonging. However, it is quite challenging in providing elderly care due tothe limited development in rural region (e.g., road condition) as what we found in the Basic
Health Unit in Samtengang. Therefore, some programs should be introduced to increase mental
and physical health of the Bhutanese elderlies in rural regions. For instance, providing
retirement or rest homes with basic care facilities may be useful for companionless or disabledelderlies. In addition, the provision of rural educational services and facilities should be
increased and improved to bring down the urban migration rate. It could help to reduce thephenomenon of urban migration of young generation as well as support the positive aging life
for elderlies who could get grandchildren or young generation’s companionship.

20

The Inspiration
The Inspiration& Wisdom

The 4 2 nd Southeast Asia Seminar

6 - 1 2 Decemb er 2 0 1 8 , Thimphu, Bhutan“Not the approach doesn't sound enough, but
because The system cannot support theapproach. So, we have to localize the approachfor our system.”

Health and Rural Development
based on the Concept ofGross National Happiness“Education is important.
The system will be successful because they areheavily investing in education.
Some of the system invest minimum amountinto education, so their success on education is
also minimal."Prepared by:
Gan Su-Wan

D epartment of Psychology and Counselling,
Faculty of Arts and Social Science,
U niversiti Tunku Abdul R ahman, Malaysia( email: swgan@ utar.edu.my; gansuwan@ gmail.com)- Dasho Karma Yeshey

1

The Inspiration
The Inspiration& Wisdom

2

The Inspiration
The Inspiration& Wisdom“Applying GNH principles in health care”“GNH is more important than GNP.”“Health care must be under the responsibilitiesof the government. If being controlled under
private setting, many people cannot afford.”“If I make somebody unhappy, I will be unhappy
as well .”- Dasho Pema Thinley- Dasho Ugen Dophu

3

4

The Gakidh Village

Activities of The Gakidh Village• H o m e s ta y
• H ik in g & C a m p in g
• T e a m a k in g
• M e d ia la b
• C o n v e n ie n t s h o p• T a ilo r in g
• O r g a n ic fa r m in g

5

6

Field Work: Day 1 (8 December 2018)

The Story of a Strong Village GirlH o u s e 1• 5 p e r s o n s in th e h o u s e :P o s itiv e c h a r a c te r is tic s :• S tr o n g b e lie f• C o n fid e n c e• P e a c e fu l
• G ra te fu l
• In d e p e n d e n t• F ilia l p ie ty– 7 3 y e a r s o ld g r a n d fa th e r, 6 7 y e a r s o ld g r a n d m o th e r,
1 7 y e a r s o ld g r a n d s o n , 1 2 y e a r s o ld g r a n d d a u g h te r,o n e e ld e r ly h e lp e r.

The grandson is leading us to the house.

7

21

The grandfather is making cheese.

8Field Work: Day 2 (9 December 2018)

Samtegang Basic Health Unit

L o c a tio n : S a m te n g a n g ( G e w o g : N y is h o )H o u s e 1• 3 p e r s o n s in th e h o u s e :– 5 6 y e a r s o ld g r a n d fa th e r, 4 6 y e a r s o ld g r a n d m o th e r,
3 y e a r s o ld g r a n d s o n• V illagers can get free
medicine from Basic Health
U nit.
• The staff in Basic Health U nit
is just like the guardian angelfor villagers. He provides 24hour on call system to help
the needy.

Familymembers infront of thehouse.

The staff in Basic Health Unit isexplaining the functions of this unit
and how it operates.

The kitchen.
9

10

Field Work: Day 2 (9 December 2018)
L o c a tio n : P a n g k h a ( G e w o g : N y is h o )H o u s e 2• 4 p e r s o n s in th e h o u s e :– 5 2 y e a r s o ld fa th e r, 5 1 y e a r s o ld m o th e r,
1 8 y e a r s o ld s o n , 1 7 y e a r s o ld d a u g h te r.

Image of the house.
-Drying chili on the roof.-

Happiness among the elderlies from rural
region: Being a grandparent?

The kitchen.
11

12

Background of Research• T h e p o p u la tio n o f s e n io r c itiz e n s ( 6 5 y e a r s o ld a n d a b o v e )i s increased–

Y e a r 1 9 7 0 : 3 .3 % o f th e p o p u la tio n
Y e a r 2 0 1 7 : 9 .0 % ( 2 .8 m illio n o v e r 3 1 .7 m illio n o f to ta l p o p u la tio n )–( D e p a r tm e n t o f S ta tis tic M a la y s ia , 2 0 1 6 ; T h e W o r ld F a c tb o o k , C e n tr a l In te llig e n c e A g e n c y ( C IA ) , 2 0 1 7 .

• T h e rise o f l i f e e x p e c t a n c y–

m a le s a g e d 6 5 c o u ld e x p e c t to liv e to a g e 7 9 .9 a n d fe m a le s to liv et o 8 1 . 9 y e a r s ( D e p a r tm e n t o f S ta tis tic M a la y s ia , 2 0 1 6 )• T h e p a r tic ip a tio n r a te o f M a la y s ia n fe m a le la b o u r fo r c e– increased f r o m 4 6 . 4 % i n 2 0 0 7 t o 6 8 . 0 % i n 2 0 1 7( D e p a r tm e n t o f S ta tis tic M a la y s ia , 2 0 1 7 ; M in is tr y o f W o m e n , F a m ily a n d C o m m u n ity D e v e lo p m e n t, 2 0 1 4 ) .

• M a la y s ia is p r o je c te d to b e c o m e a n a g e in g n a tio n b y y e a r
2 0 3 0 (F o n g , 2 0 1 7 ; J a c o b , 2 0 1 6 ).
13

14

Background of Research

Grandparents

Demographic trends a n d g r a n d p a r e n t h o o d i n rural r e g i o n :• P r o v id e e n tr u s tin g c h ild c a r e r e s p o n s ib ilitie s• J o b o p p o r tu n itie s a r e c o n c e n tr a te d in c itie s : A d u lt c h ild h a s
to le a v e h o m e fo r w o r k .

• T r a n s m it s o c ia l v a lu e s a n d c u ltu r a l b e lie fs to th e n e x t
g e n e r a t i o n (M a re , 2 0 1 4 ).

• C o lle c tiv is tis m & c u ltu r a l e x p e c ta tio n : g r a n d p a r e n ts w h o
u p h o ld c h ild r e a r in g e x p e r ie n c e s a r e h e lp in g a n d
s u p p o r tin g th e ir a d u lt c h ild r e n to n u r tu r e th e y o u n g o n e s .
• A d v a n ta g e s :• lo w e r liv in g c o s t & p a c e• s p a c io u s e n v ir o n m e n t• m o r e tim e fo r th e c h ild r e n• e n h a n c e fa m ily b o n d in g
• tr a n s m it a n d s u s ta in th e c u ltu r e( W e lla r d , 2 0 1 1 ) .

• P r o v id e d a y c a r e b a s is

( R a h im a h , 2 0 0 7 ) .

16

15

22

Literature review

Research Objectives(based on the interview in Malaysia and field work in Bhutan)• C lo s e g r a n d p a r e n t- g r a n d c h ild r e n r e la tio n s h ip :––p o s it iv e s u b je c t iv e w e ll- b e in g in g r a n d p a r e n t s (M a h n e & H u x h o d , 2 0 1 5 ) .
g r e a t e r l i f e s a t i s f a c t i o n a n d h e a l t h - r e l a t e d b e h a v i o r ( H u g h e s e t a l. 2 0 0 7 ;• T o e x p lo r e g r a n d p a r e n ts ’ e x p e c ta tio n s o n
g r a n d c h ild r e n .
• T o e x p lo r e g r a n d p a r e n t- g r a n d c h ild r e n r e la tio n s h ip
c lo s e n e s s .
• T o e x p lo r e th e p s y c h o lo g ic a l w e ll- b e in g o f
g ra n d p a re n ts .

P o w d th a v e e , 2 0 1 1 ).

• G r a n d p a r e n t c a r e g iv e r :–L o w le v e ls o f p s y c h o lo g ic a l w e ll- b e in g in c r e a s e d r is k o f s u ffe r in g
d e p r e s s i o n , l i f e s t r e s s , a n x i e t y , a n d d i s a b i l i t y (S te p to e , 2 0 0 6 ).

• In c o n s is te n t fin d in g s :–c o r e s id e n tia l g r a n d p a r e n t n e g a tiv e p s y c h o lo g ic a l w e ll- b e in g ( i.e .,d e p r e s s i o n , s t r e s s a n d n e g a t i v e a f f e c t ) ( D e a to n & S to n e 2 0 1 3 ; M u s il & A h m a d , 2 0 0 2 ) .

• G r a n d p a r e n t a l h o o d : pleasures or pressures?

17

18

Methodology

Significance of Study
Id e n tify p r e d ic to r s
o f p s y c h o lo g ic a l
w e ll- b e in g /h a p p in e s s

D e te r m in e r o le o f
c a r e g iv e r s ta tu s

D e v e lo p lite r a tu r e &in s ig h tfu l k n o w le d g e

F ill in r e s e a r c h g a p

R e s e a rc h
d e s ig n

• Q u a lita tiv e r e s e a r c h : In te r v ie w

L o c a tio n• R u r a l r e g io n s in M a la y s ia a n d
B h u ta n

S a m p le

• M a la y s ia n : 8 g r a n d m o th e r s ( 2M a la y s , 2 In d ia n s a n d 4
C h in e s e ) – p r im a r y c a r e g iv e r• B h u ta n e s e : 1 g ra n d m o th e rs tr a te g ie s to m itig a teg r a n d p a r e n t i n g st r e ss tr a te g ie s to e n h a n c e
p s y c h o lo g ic a l w e ll- b e in g
o f e ld e r ly
in te r v e n tio n p r o g r a m s fo r
g r a n d p a r e n ts ’ w e lfa r e

S e r v e a s a g u id e lin e
19

20

Preliminary Findings
Variables

Malaysian

BhutaneseG r a n d p a r e n t ’s
e x p e c ta tio n s
o ng r a n d c h ild r e n

1 . T o b e o b e d ie n t
2 . B e h a p p y
3 . P e r fo r m w e ll ina c a d e m ic ta s k s

1 . N o a n y s p e c ific
e x p e c ta tio n( lim ita tio n s )G ra n d p a re n tg r a n d c h ild r e n
r e la tio n s h ip
cl o s e n e s s

1 . C lo s e r e la tio n s h ip

1 . C lo s e r e la tio n s h ip

P s y c h o lo g ic a l
w e ll- b e in g o f
g ra n d p a re n t

1 . T ir e d b u t e n jo y
2 . N o t lo n e ly
3 . H a p p y

1 . H a p p y

Limitations• L im ite d n u m b e r o f B h u ta n e s e r e s p o n d e n ts
• D iffe r e n t fa m ily b a c k g r o u n d a m o n g th e r e s p o n d e n ts
– B h u ta n e s e g r a n d m o th e r is n o t th e p r im a r yc a r e g iv e r

21

22

Conclusion• Among M alaysian and Bhutanese elderlies, they are happy totake care of their grandchildren and maintain a close
relationship with grandchildren.
• There is no specific ex pectation toward grandchildren from
Bhutanese grandparents whereas Malaysian grandparents
highly emphasiz e the academic achievement and conformityof grandchildren.

K in
Kadrini Chhe
he L
he
La
Thank
T
Th
han
ank Youank
YoTerimamaa KKasih谢谢Love from lovely Bhutanese.

23

23

24

Impression on 42nd South East Asia Seminar
Jagriti Gangopadhyay (India) | Manipal Academy for Higher Education

As a researcher, the South East Asia Seminar has been a huge learning experience. Being an
immediate neighbor to Bhutan, it is difficult not to draw comparisons. However, at the very
outset, I would like to indicate that India has a lot to learn from Bhutan. Given, Bhutan’s highrank in the world happiness index, I was always curious to understand the factors which led to
Bhutan’s esteemed position. During my course of stay, I realized that the domination of
Buddhism is very high in Bhutan and the people of Bhutan believe very seriously in theprinciples of Buddhism to maintain social harmony in the Bhutanese society.
I would like to further demonstrate my impression with an example. During the course of theinterview, one of my team members asked the villagers, that if Buddha granted them one wish,
what would they ask for? The couple answered that they would to attain Enlightenment. Thiswas heartening because despite their poverty and money related worries, the rural couple asked
for inner peace and not material objects. On being further prodded, they responded that every
individual can buy material products but it is difficult to find Enlightenment. Hence, they would
like to ask for something which will help in their spiritual enhancement.
This instance signifies that the people of Bhutan are self-contend and happy because they
believe in the Buddhist doctrines and also they have realized that it is important to shift
individual needs to bigger goals such as self-enrichment instead of relying on physical things.
This is a huge takeaway from Bhutan and I hope I will be able to use this finding for my future
research and make a substantial contribution to expand the wellbeing policies of India.

24

Significance of Agriculture

Traditions, beliefs and lives of
elderly in India and Bhutan
Jagriti Gangopadhyay
11/12/2018• 61.5% of the population
dependent on agriculture• 80% of the population
dependent on agriculture• Government is hardly paying
attention to the plight of therural population dependent on
farming• Government and the king areencouraging different methodsof reviving agriculture• Example: 5000 farmers
committed suicide in 2014

Attachment to the Land
• Majority of the Indians are
selling their land and migrating
to the city

• Elderly are attached to the landand do not want to sell it• Increase in population in urban
slums• They believe it is their duty tocontinue looking after the landas that is their karma• Mostly become contractual
workers or domestic servants• Grow their own vegetables anddepend on the land for theirlivelihood

Healthcare• Elderly women living alone• Crime rates against elderly living
alone have gone up 17% in 2017

• Safety was not a major concern• No policies to cater to the needsof the older people living alone• Health care is free

• No policy for abandonment• Abandoned can apply for grantin aid to the king• No policy for abuse• At least one health worker
present• Health workers do not stay inthe villages• Basic health units have healthassistants providing medicines
for regular health challenges
such as cough and cold, stomach
problems• With urbanization thecommunity has merged as amajor support system as
opposed to adult children• Agriculture is dying out as more
adult children are going to thecitiesState Support• Lack of health care provisions• Most villages do not have any
health facilities• Elderly depend on neighbors and • Inter-community and mutual
relatives for emotional support
labor exchange among villagers• Crime rates lower against elderly• Lack of state support• Free healthcare

Community Dwelling• Money was her major challenge• No pension system• No free healthcare• Privatization taking over healthsectorLiving alone• Safety a major challenge• Example: organic farming
gradually coming up• Meetings during rituals andfestivals• Everyday interactions less withother village members

Traditions and Beliefs• Adult children will look after
their parents• Transactional relationship withadult children• Changing filial ties haveincreased elderly suicides inIndia• Elderly care centers are comingup

25• Important to remain selfsufficient and hence depend on
land• Attain inner peace• Want adult children to be overall
happyCare, Happiness, and Apples: Perspectives from SEAS 2018 Bhutan
Katrina Navallo (Philippines) | Kyoto University

When I applied for this program, I had an interest in comparing different concepts of care invarious cultural and social contexts. In particular, I am interested on (1) what kinds of social
relations are able to form out of a collective interest to care for vulnerable groups of the society,such as the elderly in Bhutan; and (2) how can the economics of happiness be used as a basis
for the creation of welfare policies for a more equitable distribution of care across all sectorsof the society? Based on our short interviews of two rural families in Lobesa and Samtegang,
I have found so far that Bhutan is also in the midst of demographical change that has beenleaving the elderly population isolated in the rural parts of the country.
1. The educational system has forced very young children to be out of the family in order toreceive education in selected areas. While this fosters independence and value of knowledge,
this also tends to limit and shorten the intimate and affective interactions between young andold in the family, which serve as the basis of attachment and care relations. In her study ofageing and gender in North India, Sarah Lamb (2000) emphasizes the mutual reciprocity that
occurs in the care of children by adult parents through the daily sharing of food, housing, love,
touch, and words; and that of deferred reciprocity, which elderly parents and grandparents draw
from in their care in old age. This early separation risks loosening the family ties that havetraditionally bonded young and old members of the family.
2. On the other hand, we have also seen new forms of family-making and caring relations,where the now adult children come home on weekends to be with their parents. They also
contribute to the household income through remittances, which according to one of theinterviewed son in Samtegang, is placed in savings or used during annual rituals. Negotiating
family responsibilities is one of the often seen arrangements in families where members havemigrated to another location. The contribution to the family through income and financial
giving also changes their role from dependents to one of having the ability for decision-making.
Migrant children who provide the finances for the annual ritual may now have a say in the
conduct of the event.
In a study by Tomita, Lopez, and Kono (2018) of farming communities and care amongfamilies in Northeastern Thailand, elderly members who are left with seasonal farming are able
to balance their farming activities and caregiving of their grandchildren, while their adultchildren work in the cities. However, we have interviewed one family where the adult children
continue to be the main care providers of their own children, leaving the elderly grandparents
alone in the house and only coming to visit them during weekends.
In another case, when one female interviewee’s mother fell sick, she had to decide between
resigning from her work or staying in the city while her mother needs to be cared for. She

26

decided to come home despite the initial hesitation about what kind of life awaits for a young
person like her in the village. This eventually resulted to her leading My Gakkid Village, andher continuing efforts to lead a sustainable livelihood in the village along with other young
women and men who have remained in the village.
Moreover, the concentration of available jobs in selected cities such as Thimpu, Paro, andChukkha draw people out of their villages, while agriculture suffers and is left to the old people
to tender. While government initiatives to revitalise the rural villages through organic farming,
eco-tourism, and livelihood programs are available, the lure of the city among the young
population remains strong.
3. The increased mobility of adult children away from their families especially in the rural areas
may have been a result of the development paradigm where parents and the older generation
view waged employment as a way for a better life. The persistent view of education as a tool
to move away from farming is seen as a better opportunity towards improved life choices.
Education has given them the knowledge, skills, and English language currency, which enable
them to imagine and create a life according to their means. While this is not altogether anegative thing, individual aspirations are also important in considering happiness as acollective goal. The freedom to choose their own life paths, whatever they may be, is a markof progressiveness. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs tells us that the satisfaction of basic needs
such as food, clothing, shelter leads to another layer of need for security of the body and thefamily through health, employment, property, which in turn leads to the satisfaction of loveand belongingness, esteem, and finally self-actualisation. In the context of happiness, this tells
us that humans will inevitably seek the fulfilment of such desires to be fed, loved, accepted,
and become what s/he aspires to become.
At this point, I am left with more questions than answers. Despite the collective efforts towards
happiness aspired by the kingdom, government and the people, the increase of information,
mobility, and ability to consume begs to rethink what really is happiness for the majority of thesociety. For some, happiness means the ability to satisfy their basic necessities for survival,
while for others it means having the freedom to pursue their individual dreams and aspirations.
To conclude, this leads me to the story of Akinori Kimura, a Japanese apple farmer in Aomori.
After 8 years of cultivating his apple farm, one suicide attempt, and lots of errors and mistakes
along the way, he has finally succeeded in raising the best tasting apples in all of Japan. When
asked what his secret for growing these apples is, he says that he does not grow apples, they
can grow by themselves but he listens to their needs and provides for the most enabling
environment to aid their growth.
Perhaps this tells us that as a society and a nation, we can only do so much in providing thepeople with a means to live. Humans will survive and thrive by themselves, but ensuring thateveryone has basic access to their needs, has equal opportunities to develop themselves, andlistening to what they aspire for, can we truly aid in their own growth. We should recognise
Bhutan’s resistance to the dominant neoliberal capitalism by fostering the value of contentment

27

and dematerialising consumerism; but it may also need to rethink how to address individual
desires and aspirations which may lead individuals farther away from their villages, or eventhe country itself.
References:“Apple farmer raises ‘miracle fruit’. The Japan Times, 4 October 2007. URL:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/10/04/national/apple-farmer-raises-miraclefruit/#.XBNNkRMzbMJ
Retrieved 11 December 2018.
Lamb, Sarah. 2000. White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, and Body in North India.
California: University of California Press.
Shinsuke Tomita, Mario Ivan Lopez, and Yasuyuki Kono. 2018. “The Role of Small-Scale
Farming in Familial Care. Reducing Work Risks Stemming from the Market Economy inNortheast Thailand,” in International Journal of Social Quality 8(1): 88-109. doi:
10.3167/IJSQ.2018.080106

28

OUTLINE
1. Research questions
2. Educational system and caring relations
3. Family making across gewogs
4. Development paradigm vis-a-vis rural-urban, localglobal mobilities
5. Of apples, care, and happinessPhoto from the author

Care, Happiness, andApples: Perspectives from
SEAS 2018 Bhutan

42nd SEAS 2018 | 11 December 2018

Katrina Navallo

INITIAL QUESTIONSWhat I have seen so far…

1. What kinds of social relations are able to form out of acollective interest to care for vulnerable groups of thesociety, such as the elderly in Bhutan?

1. Educational system, concentration of jobs in the city,
among others change the caring relations within thefamily.

2. How can we use the economics of happiness as basis
for the creation of welfare policies for a more equitable
distribution of care across all sectors of the society?

Photo from the author

Photo from the author

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS
2. New forms of family making are being formed acrossgewogs.

Photo from the author

29

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

3. The development paradigm motivates the increased
mobility of people from rural to urban, and from local to
global not only in search of employment, but for thefulfilment of their individual and familial desires andaspirations for a better life.

Source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Of Apples and Care•

Akinori Kimura, a 57 y/o apple
farmer from Japan.

•

When asked what his secret for
growing these apples is, hesays that he does not growapples, they can grow bythemselves but he listens totheir needs and provides forthe most enabling environment
to aid their growth.

References:“Apple farmer raises ‘miracle fruit’. The Japan Times Online, 4 October
2007. URL: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/10/04/national/applefarmer-raises-miracle-fruit/#.XBNNkRMzbMJ Retrieved 11 December 2018.
Lamb, Sarah. 2000. White Saris and Sweet Mangoes: Aging, Gender, andBody in North India. California: University of California Press.
Shinsuke Tomita, Mario Ivan Lopez, and Yasuyuki Kono. 2018. “The Role of
Small-Scale Farming in Familial Care. Reducing Work Risks Stemming from
the Market Economy in Northeast Thailand,” in International Journal of Social
Quality 8(1): 88-109. doi: 10.3167/IJSQ.2018.080106•“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology Online, 2018. URL:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Retrieved 11 December
2018.

Source: http://afamily.vn/vuon-tao-dep-nhu-co-tich-cua-cu-ong-nguoinhat-danh-tam-huyet-suot-11-nam-cham-soc-20180528111505486.chn

30

Livelihood Strategies of Peasant in Rural Bhutan
Kiengkay Ounmany 1(Laos) | National University of Laos

It was a privilege for me and other fellows from the South and Southeast Asian countries to be
invited to the 42nd Southeast Asian Seminar on “Health and Rural Development Based on theConcept of Gross National Happiness”, which was held between 6 and 12 December 2018, in
the Kingdom of Bhutan. Although we had a short stay, it was obvious that the Kingdom hasgone through rapid socioeconomic transformation. The farmers in rural Bhutan, however, stillpractice subsistence farming with very little surplus for exchange and barter trade. This article
aims to reflect what the author has learned from the one-week seminar through the lens ofsustainable livelihood framework (SLF).
SLF was developed between the late 1980s and the early 1990s by a group of researchers fromuniversities and development related organizations in the United Kingdom. The framework
consists of four major components: vulnerability context, livelihood assets, livelihood
strategies, and livelihood outcomes. Later on, the framework has been wildly applied toevaluate a large number of development projects funded by Oxfam, United Nation
Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO), to name just a few, in rural developing countries (Scoons, 2009). The themes, whichhave received increasing attention from scholars, include how the poor combine different typesof assets to earn a living (Bebbington, 1999) and livelihood diversification (Ellis, 1998; Liaoet al., 2015).
Two-day field visit was conducted in three communities in rural Bhutan to collect empirical
data. One-hour unstructured interviews were conducted with three key informants from threehouseholds through local interpreters, who are staff members and students from the Royal
University of Bhutan (RUB). In general, the respondents were asked about their daily live
activities. All informants are females due to the fact that during the interviews, male family
members have worked or pursue their training courses outside the villages. The interviewees
aged between 21 and 35 years old. Two informants are farmers and one is a housewife. The
data was interpreted using themes derived from the SLF including livelihood assets, livelihood
strategies, livelihood outcomes and future prospects.
Based on the findings from the interviews, the households have relatively small plots of landwith the areas less than one hectare. In many cases, the farmers access to sources of water for
agricultural purpose. Sometimes conflict on water access is reported and resolved with disputesolving mechanism set up in the communities. Forest resources are abundant in comparison to
the population size. In most cases, villagers have the rights to access to forest resources, which
are regulated by internal rules formulated and agreed by community members.
1 CONTACT: kiengkay_ou@yahoo.com

31

As far as human capital is concerned, the informants have relatively large household size.
However, only few family members are active population. The rest includes young and ageing
family members. Some important skills the family members possess include farming,
carpentering and cheese production. From general observation, these skills are still
underutilized perhaps due to limited market access.
Regarding financial capital, most farmers are eligible for credits from Bhutan Development
Bank (BDB). According to personal communication with a Bhutanese colleague, many farmers
did not borrow the money from the bank due to the fact that their debt repayment capability islimited. Some families receive remittance from family members working in Thimphu.
The communities still maintain strong ties among community members, friends, and relatives.
They help each other in time of needed. Labour rotation in agriculture sector is commonly
practiced among community members. Some farmers depend on friends and relatives when it
comes to trade their commodities in Thimphu to economize their transaction costs.
As far as physical capital is concerned, most farmers access to electricity, running water,
telephone network, roads (paved and unpaved). Nevertheless, travelling from community tocommunity and from community to the market is still challenging and risky due to mountainous
terrain. Some households own hand tractors and cows. The number of cows is still small incomparison to that of the peasants in Southeast Asian countries.
Similar to peasants in many Southeast Asian countries, Bhutanese farmers practice subsistence
farming mainly for household consumption with only a little surplus for sales and barter trade.
Typically, they cultivate the following crops: rice, maize, potatoes, cabbage, radish, chili, garlicetc. In addition, the farmers raise some animals, in particular cattle for milking and generating
cash income. Nevertheless, few poultry have been seen in the villages, perhaps because ofreligious purpose or limited space. Some family members do non-farm activities e.g.
construction work, but in some cases the income from the construction work is lower than theones from farming. Some farmers take advantage from social capital when they trade theircommodities in Thimphu. Unlike the farmers in Southeast Asian countries, the farmers in
Bhutan pursue relatively few livelihood activities.
In general, the farmers earn very little cash income due to subsistence-based farming. They areprone to shocks such as irregular rainfall and increasing competition from imported
commodities. The farmers have very little time for social and religious activities due to heavy
burden (e.g. caring for many children and elderly in addition to farming). In general, thematerial well-being of the local farmers is not so good in comparison to the ones of the workers
in other sectors. Nevertheless, some farmers say they are satisfied and happy with theirlivelihoods.
Having asked how they view their life in the next five or ten years, the interviewees wish tostay in their communities. They view city life in Thimphu as difficult and confusing due to the32

fact that there are many people and a lot of traffic. Nevertheless, they want their children to be
educated in Thimphu and got a job there at least to have a better life than they do.
In conclusion, as Bhutanese farmers pursue relatively few livelihood activities, livelihood
diversification should be promoted to improve their well-being (Ellis 1998), but the local
context should be taken into account (Liao et al., 2015). Market access contributes to improve
the livelihoods of rural farmers. By combining different types of assets, the farmers could makemore benefits from their livelihood activities (Bebbington 1999). As long as the infrastructure
has not been improved, achieving the objectives of Gross National Happiness in rural areas isvery challenging. The time for this fieldwork is very short and the number of the informants issmall; therefore, it is challenging to get deeper insights and generalize the findings.

References:
Ian Scoons (2009) Livelihoods perspectives and rural development, Journal of Peasant Studies,Vol. 36, No. 1
Anthony Bebbington (1999) Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework for Analyzing PeasantViability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty, World Development, Vol. 27, No.12, pp. 2021-2044
Frank Ellis (1998) Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification, The Journal of
Development Studies, 35:1, 1-38
Chuan Liao, Christopher Barrett and Karim-Aly Kassam (2015) Does Diversiﬁcation Improve
Livelihoods? Pastoral Households in Xinjiang, China, Development and Change 46(6): 1302–
1330

33

The 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar

Presentation Outline“Health and Rural Development Based on the Concept of Gross
National Happiness”• Theoretical Framework• Informant Profile• Livelihood assets• What are they doing?
• Are they satisfy with their current livelihoods?
• What they think about the future?
• Concluding discussion

Livelihood Strategies of Peasants in Rural Bhutan

Kiengkay Ounmany
Faculty of Social Sciences National University of Laos

26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

2

Related Literature
1. Ian Scoons (2009) Livelihoods perspectives and rural development, Journalof Peasant Studies, Vol. 36, No. 1
2. Anthony Bebbington (1999) Capitals and Capabilities: A Framework forAnalyzing Peasant Viability, Rural Livelihoods and Poverty, World
Development, Vol. 27, No.12, pp. 2021-2044
3. Frank Ellis (1998) Household strategies and rural livelihood
diversification, The Journal of Development Studies, 35:1, 1-38
4. Chuan Liao, Christopher Barrett and Karim-Aly Kassam (2015) DoesDiversiﬁcation Improve Livelihoods? Pastoral Households in Xinjiang,
China, Development and Change 46(6): 1302–1330

Source: www.livelihoods.org
26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

3

26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

4

Livelihood Assets

Informant Profile

Natural Capital

Human Capital• All are females age between 21 and 35• Two informants are farmers and one is a housewife

Financial Capital

Case 1• Two plots of land less than
1 ha•
Access to other’s land andno need to pay for the rent
• Six persons in thehousehold•
Skills: farming andconstruction works

Case 2• Having land but don’tknow the area•••
Social Capital••

Physical Capital

•
•
•
•
•
•

Eligible for credit from
BDB but difficult toborrow
Access to credit, e.g. house
construction
Strong community ties
Support from othercommunity members
Access to water supply andelectricity
Located near the main road
Access to mobile network
Access to the market in
ThimpuNo tractor
No cows

•
•

•
•

•
•

•
•
•

Four family members
Skills: farming andcarpentering

Case 3• Having one plot of
land: 1 acre•
Access to other’s land••Nine family
members, but only
four are active
Skills: farming,
carpentering andcheese-making
Eligible for credit
from BDB but
difficult to borrow

Eligible for credit
from BDB but difficult
to borrow
Remittance fromfatherClose relatives in
Thimpu••Relatives and friends
in Thimpu

Access to electricity
and water supply
Located about 32 km
from the market in
Thimpu with paved
road
Access to mobile
network
Having hand tractor
Having two cows formilking•

Access to electricity
and water supply
Located quite faraway from the market
in Thimpu withunpaved road
Access to mobile
network
Having hand tractor
Having nine cows,
only two for milking

•

•
•
•

Source: Author’s field work 8-9 December 201826 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

5

26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

6

What are they doing?

Are they satisfy with their current livelihoods?

• Similar to peasants in many Southeast Asian countries, Bhutanese farmers practicesubsistence farming mainly for household consumption with only a little surplus forsales and barter trade• In general, the farmers earn very little cash income due to subsistence-based
farming• They are prone to shocks such as irregular rainfall and increasing competition
from imported commodities• The farmers have very little time for social and religious activities due to heavy
burden (e.g. caring for many children and elderly in addition to farming)• In general the material well-being of the local farmers is not so good incomparison to the ones of the workers in other sectors• But some farmers say they are satisfy and happy with their livelihoods• Major crops: rice, maize, potatoes, cabbage, radish, chili, garlic etc.

• They raise some animals such as cattle for milking and generating cash income• Few poultry has been seen the village maybe because of limited space• Some family members do non-farm activities e.g. construction work, but in somecases the income is lower than the ones from farming• Some farmers take advantage from social capital when they trade their commoditiesin Thimpu• Unlike the farmers in Southeast Asian countries, the farmers in Bhutan pursue
relatively few livelihood activities
26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

7

26 D ecember 201834

Peasant Livelihoods

8What do they think about the future?

Concluding Discussion• The farmers wish to stay in their communities in
the future• They view city life in Thimpu as difficult andconfusing• Nevertheless they want their children to be
educated in Thimpu and got a job there to have abetter life than they do• As Bhutanese farmers pursue relatively few livelihood activities, livelihood
diversification should be promoted to improve their well-being (Ellis 1998), but
local context should be taken into account (Liao et al., 2015)• Market access contributes to improve the livelihood of rural farmers• By combining different types of asset, the farmers could make more benefits fromtheir livelihood activities (Bebbington 1999)• As long as the infrastructure has not been improved, achieving the objectives ofGross National Happiness in rural areas is very challenging• The time for this fieldwork is very short and the number of the informants is small;therefore, it is challenging to get deeper insights and generalize the findings

26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

926 D ecember 2018

Thank you for you attention
Q&A

26 D ecember 2018

Peasant Livelihoods

1135

Peasant Livelihoods

10FIELD NOTES FROM BHUTAN– Reflections on healing and care at the late stage of life –Le Hoang Ngoc Yen (Vietnam) | Kyoto University

It was 11 pm in the evening when we came to Mr. Rinzin’s house, after a long night dancing
and singing together around the camp fire. Despite the freezing cold, it was warm inside Mr.
Rinzin’s house. The house was more comfortable than the other local houses we had been to.
Despite a long day guiding us around in the village, Mr. Rinzin was still very energetic andexcited to tell us more about his job at the local Basic Health Unit (BHU) and about his family.
He shared with us about his heavy workload at the BHU; among his many duties, he has put a
lot of effort into elder care.
My mind flashed back to the brief but interesting interview about care we had conducted earlier
that day at one of the local households. The grandma of this family has been under Mr. Rinzin’s
long-term care. Being able to talk with Mr. Rinzin, who was there with us for the interview,
and a young family member, who is taking care of the grandma, gave us a closer look at thework of care for the elder both at household level and as part of the public health system.
As soon as we entered the house, we saw Grandma sitting in the front room. Grandma looked
up at us, smiling peacefully. She was sitting on a mattress, leaning her back against a pile ofblankets and pillows. I immediately paid attention to her pack of tablets, and the Buddhist beads
she was holding in her hands.
She is an 80 years-old lady living with her grandson, his wife and their children. According to
Mr. Rinzin, her blood sugar and blood pressure are within normal range, but she has somehealth problems. She cannot walk anymore due to knee and back pain problems, but she cancrawl to the toilet. In addition, she suffers from a serious problem: she vomits every time she
eats. For this illness, the volunteer health worker regularly brings her the medication which lie
next to her.
When she first had this problem, her family did not bring her to the BHU. Instead they thought
it might be an attack caused by evil spirits. A Buddhist astrologer was invited to perform ahealing ritual for her. First, they prepared a tray of food to offer to the spirit, which was placednext to her body for a few minutes and then quickly taken outside the house after the astrologer
had performed the ritual. Instead of coming into the patient’s body, they explained, evil spirits
would follow the food offerings and leave the house.
Mr. Rinzin was present for our interview with Grandma’s family that day. Talking about
religious healing, Mr. Rinzin seemed very comfortable. We asked “Does it work?” He
cheerfully responded “Yes, it does!” When asked which kinds of disease to be treated bybiomedicine and which one can be healed by astrologers, he responded that typically when a36patient suffers from an outbreak, a sudden illness, an astrologer should be invited. Meanwhile,
biomedicine would be more suitable for chronic problems. He also added that if biomedicine
does not work for the patient, the family would arrange for rituals to be performed, and viceversa, if the patient does not get better after a ritual, then they would opt for biomedicine.
Mr. Rinzin seems to be at ease with both - biomedicine, in which he was trained and has beena practitioner, and religious healing, deep-rooted in the local culture in which he has grown up
and lived for all his life. In his family, when his daughters are sick, for instance, his wife usuallywould stop him from prescribing medication for the girls. She would first invite a Buddhist
astrologer instead. He told us about this matter-of-factly, as if he also inherently accepts theefficacy of ritual healer and does not feel hurt as a biomedical professional when his family
themselves prefer and prioritize religious performance over his own practice. This reveals clear
delineation, at least in Mr. Rinzin’s mind, between the role of religious healers and his role asa biomedical professional. The fact that when being prompted, Mr. Rinzin could define
eloquently when spiritual healing is needed and when to treat patients using biomedicine
suggests that for him (and for many local people as well), the two healing systems co-exist
harmoniously and are deeply embedded in today’s Bhutanese culture, each with its clearly
defined role and meanings i.
It was until midnight that we chatted with Mr. Rinzin and his daughters, over cups of warm
fragrant chai and fried sticky rice. Mr. Rinzin is palpably proud of his work and his basic healthunit. He kept insisting that we should visit his unit once again the next morning so he would
have more time to guide us around. When I asked about in-patients in his unit, he kindly
promised to show me the in-patient rooms, which we could not see earlier that day.
I was very impressed by Mr. Rinzin and his work at the local basic health unit. His success isrooted in his passion and hard work as well as his insights and local knowledge as a local
himself. Despite the vast area that he has to cover and the challenge of long-distance anddifficult travels in order to reach out to patients, he is accessible (they have his phone number
so they can call him when needed) and trusted by his community. In addition, he also attributed
their success to the support by Japanese partners like Kyoto University.
Even though primary care system in Bhutan is still facing its challenges, throughout our short
but very meaningful field visit and interaction with medical staff, local health volunteers andpatients, I am confident that Bhutan’s health care system will keep on improving, not least
because of excellent works by medical professionals like Mr. Rinzin and strong grass-roots
rapport from the local community.
Over the course of a two-day field trip, I did not expect to collect adequate ethnographic data
for any “thick description” or in-depth analysis and theoretical implications as normallyrequired for anthropological research papers. Yet we could experience first-hand a slice ofauthentic Bhutan, a wonderfully beautiful country with fascinating culture and people. All
people we came across left beautiful impressions in me. Back in Kyoto, time and again I havereflected on those amazing few days and looked back at the photos, particularly the one of37

Grandma smiling at us when we entered the house. The two items on her body that day, thetablets and Buddhist beads, seem to encapsulate elder care as it is in today’s Bhutan. Before
we left the house, seeing her quietly turning the beads around in her hand, I tried to ask what
she was praying for. As Yangka Pem and Mr. Rinzin kindly interpreted for me, she said she
was praying for a good afterlife, a blessed journey as she departs from this world. Such
imagined trajectory would be realized, she believed, by her prayers with the Buddhist beads.
The image of Grandma, sitting there peacefully with her medication and Buddhist beads
remains in my mind. Those two items bring two essential dimensions of care – physical andspiritual care, care for the body and for one’s soul, together in one, to offer a holistic picture ofelder care in today’s Bhutan. While medication from Mr. Rinzin helps her feel better physically,
it is her “technologies of the self”, to use Foucault’s term, to care for herself spiritually andcultivate good karma for an auspicious departure.
The Grandma’s image that lingers in my mind seems to crystallize the aesthetics of end-of-lifecare in Bhutan. Reflecting on the brief encounter with her and a few other elderly people in thecommunity, I am intrigued to find out more about the aesthetics of late stage of life and ofdeath in Bhutan’s culture. For me, the aesthetics of death is inextricably intertwined with theaesthetics of life itself. Therefore, getting to know the elderly’s wishes and prayers, their visionof a good death, their aspirations and worries towards the final departure will help us bettercare for the elderly in our society ii.
Keeping that in mind, I am already looking forward to the next opportunity to return to Bhutan
and visit our Bhutanese friends, who truly touched my heart with their sincerity and warmth.
In retrospective, it was 7 days lived to its fullest. No moments of those beautiful days was
devoid of joy and meanings. Back in Kyoto, a pang of winter blues struck when I suddenly
found myself missing each and every member of the field trip; each of us was like jigsaw puzzle
pieces that made a colorful, united and complete picture when coming together. I am gratefulto the organizers, CSEAS team, our Bhutanese friends and all fellow participants who havealtogether made this experience such a perfect one. Kadrinchhe la.
Kyoto, December 2018.

i

Biomedicine vs. Religion is not a new topic in ethno-medicine and medical anthropology.
For new relevant researches that might illuminate Bhutanese conceptualization and practice of
biomedical and religious healing as discussed above, please see, for instance, Chapter 2“Medicine and religion in the politics and public health of the Tibetan state” in Theresia Hofer’s
book “Medicine and memory in Tibet: Amchi physicians in an age of reform” (2018); Sienna
Craig’s “Healing elements: Efficacy and social ecologies of Tibetan medicine” (2012), and“Medicine between science and religion: explorations on Tibetan grounds”, edited by Vincanne
Adams et. al. (2011).

38

ii

Previous researches in anthropology have shed light on the notions of “good death”, the workof self-care at later stage of life and gendered aspects of old age. Please see, for example, Lamb(1997) and Le (2017).
References:
Adams, Vincanne and Mona Schrempf and Sienna Craig ed. 2011. Medicine between scienceand religion: explorations on Tibetan grounds. Berghahn Books.
Craig, Sienna. 2012. Healing elements: Efficacy and social ecologies of Tibetan medicine.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
Hofer, Theresia. 2018. Medicine and memory in Tibet: Amchi physicians in an age of reform.
Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Lamb, Sarah. 1997. “The making and unmaking of persons: Notes on aging and gender inNorth India”. Ethos 25:3, 279-302.

Le Hoang Anh Thu. 2017. “Techniques of death: Buddhist practice, femininity and selfcultivation at the last stage of life in Vietnam”. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 18:2,
149-164.

39

42nd Southeast Asia Seminar
BhutanLe Hoang Ngoc Yen

2018年12月11日

AESTHETICS OF LATE STAGE OF LIFE

Concerns

India: Lamb (1997)& Vietnam: Le (2017)

Modern biomedicine vs. traditional belief
Ritual healing“I pray for a fast deathNo pain, no disturbance to others
I long for the moment of my rebirth
So now I am cultivating good merit.
I pray for light and peaceful sleep
No sorrow, no anger, no complaint
No envy, no hatred, no resentment.
Until I bid farewell to this life
I pray for a timely and peaceful sleep.”(Le 2017)

Male vs. Female
Administration of drugs (TB etc.)
Teenage pregnancy
Divorce40References
Lamb, Sarah. 1997. The making and unmaking of persons: Notes on
aging and gender in North India. Ethos, 25:3, 279-302.
Le Hoang Anh Thu. 2017. Techniques of death: Buddhist practice,
femininity and self-cultivation at the last stage of life in Vietnam.
The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology 18:2, 149-164.

41

Fieldwork Results Focusing on Tourism and GNH
Nirmala Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka) | Nara Prefectural University
In this Seminar and field trip my main focuses were investigating success factors forsustainable tourism development, and exploring the Bhutanese way of life nurtured by
Buddhist principles (Gross National Happiness (GNH) and rural development strategies
based on the concept of GNH in general. Due to time limitation for a thorough fieldwork, I
consider this as a pilot research, and hope to go back to Bhutan for further research.
First, the tourism industry in Bhutan began in 1974 and at present it is the highest foreignexchange earner in the country. From the start Bhutanese government adopted the policy of‘high value low volume’ strategy, controlling the type of tourism and the tourist flaw. By
taking various measures such as imposing a minimum daily tariff of US$250 (US$200 duringlean season), adopting low carbon tourism packages etc., Bhutan strives to set an example asa sustainable tourism destination.
In this field trip we could visit ‘My Gakidh Village’, a joint initiative of Bhutan Youth
Development Fund & Aide et Action International, which has been established especially asa solution for rural-urban migration. The main activities project focuses on are Communitybased Ecotourism (homestay, heritage trails), traditional arts and crafts, IT literacy andlivelihood skills development (media lab) and organic farming (tea making etc.). The young
girl who gave an introduction about the project revealed that how enthusiastically young
people in villages are involved in different activities by making their own income. I could
relate her story to one of my suggestions for youth unemployment and lack of interest in
traditional livelihoods such as agriculture in Sri Lanka. During the workshop Dasho Pema
Thinley, Former Vice Chancellor of RUB highlighted about a new brand of farmers called‘Farmer+’ based on farming + ecotourism. I also had the concept of ‘a modern farmer’ whoengages in and promotes traditional ways of livelihoods+enjoys the international exposure. I
thought this could be materialized combining traditional livelihoods with tourism. Further
research need to be done to conclude My Gakidh Village can be taken as a successful casestudy for ST/CBT, as I could collect only a few information due to time limitation and alsonone of the families we visited were actively involved in the project.
Finally, with regard to GNH, I had a question ‘why Bhutan ranks no.97 in the world
ranking of happiness 2015-2017 (World Happiness Report, 2018). Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi in‘The Role of Buddhism in Achieving Gross National Happiness’ states that GNH in
Bhutan focuses on ‘ultimate happiness’ by transforming the mind, which is different from‘relative happiness’ that depends on material wellbeing and certain conditions. Thus, I
assumed Bhutan ranked low in the World Happiness Report, since GDP per capita was also
considered as one of the criteria, and even though Bhutan does not meet global criteria as a
happy nation, Bhutanese may maintain/try to maintain inner happiness, which does notdepend on outer conditions.

42But, during the presentation session it was mentioned that rural people are less happycompared to urban people, women are less happy compared to men. If the concept of GNH
really works what I thought was both urban and rural people should be equally happy. That is
the stable contentment we expect based on the Buddhist philosophy (transforming the mind).
Then I got more curious and participated in fieldwork having that question as one of the main
enquiries. But, if we ask somebody whom we met for the first time, ‘are you happy/satisfied
with your life?’ then almost all would say ‘yes’ or give somewhat positive answer. We needto spend more time with them to understand their real life situations and status of mind. Thus,in that sense I did not get enough time to conclude whether they are really happy or not.
However, I saw beautiful souls and well preserved humanity in all the Bhutanese people that
I could talk with. To mention a few, grandmother and the family who prepared us a
traditional Bhutanese meal, enthusiastic health assistant and his daughter, grandmothers who
were chanting for afterlife, four students who shared a lot of information about their way oflife and future plans; their eyes were sparkling when talking with us. When we visited theirhomes, most of us were served with a cup of milk/ara or with whatever they have got. Those
who did not did so, not because they don't want to, but because they didn’t have much to give.
I appreciate the endeavors made by government officials and whoever actively striving to
make Bhutanese people happy. I was amazed by their enthusiasm and how the GNH concept
is implanted in their hearts. Observing their endeavors, I assume the officials are aware of thedifference in GNH between rural and urban areas, and they try to minimize the imbalance by
providing health facilities, transportation and work for the youth through tourism andagriculture.
During the field trip, migration and issues related to sexual relationships such as spread of
STDs/HIV, high rates of early pregnancy and divorce were emphasized as current social
problems in Bhutan. The humanity I could observe in Bhutanese people that I met issomewhat in line with the inner causes for happiness, which Khenpo Phuntsok Tashi had
stated. But, as the class gap, rural-urban gap, gender gap and other social issues negatively
affect the happiness of an individual and the society, Bhutan need to look more into those
imbalances and implement proper plans. We cannot stop change. But, we can make it becomea good change for the present and future generation of Bhutan and also of the world.
References:

1) Bhutan Tourism Monitor 2017, Tourism Council of Bhutan.
2) Dorji, T. (2001). Sustainability of Tourism in Bhutan.
3) Givel, M. (2015). Mahayana Buddhism and Gross National Happiness in Bhutan. International
Journal of Wellbeing, 5(2), 14-27.
4) John, F. H., Richard, L. & Jeffrey, D. S. (2018). World Happiness Report 2018.
5) Pennock, M. & Ura, K. (2011). Gross National Happiness as a Framework for Health Impact
Assessment. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 31(1), 61-65.
6) Tashi, K. P. (2004). The Role of Buddhism in Achieving Gross National Happiness. In: Gross
National Happiness and Development - Proceedings of the First International Conference on
Operationalization of Gross National Happiness, Centre for Bhutan Studies, Thimphu 2004, pp. 483495.

43

T he 4 2nd Southeast Asia Seminar

M ain F ocus:
T o I nvestig ate success factors for sustainab le ruraldevelopment and g ood practices in tourism

F ieldw ork Results: F ocusing on
T ourism, Buddhist Culture and G N H

As a Buddhist b y b irth, and w ho consider
Buddhism as a philosophy rather than a relig ion, I
profess a strong interest in Bhutanese w ay of life
nurtured b y Buddhist principles ( G N H) , and ruraldevelopment strateg ies b ased on the concept of
G N H in g eneral

2018/ 12/ 11
N irmala Ranasing he
N ara Prefectural U niversity , J apan

Sustainab le T ourism

N umb er of I nternational T ourist Arrivals
2012
2016
2017
203 0

“Tourism that takes full account of its current andfuture economic, social and environmental impacts,
addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, theenvironment and host communities”

1. 03 5 b illion
1. 23 5 b illion
1. 3 22 b illion
1. 8 b illion• SD G s Sustainab le D evelopment G oals ( 2015 ~ 203 0)
203 0 Ag enda for Sustainab le D evelopment, 201517 G oals, T ourism in G oal 8, 12, 14

N umb er of I nternational T ourist Arrivals, 2017
Bhutan: 25 4 , 7 04
Sri L ank a: 2. 1 million
J apan: 28. 7 million

Sustainab le D evelopment G oals ( 2015 ~ 203 0)

2017 : I nternational y ear of Sustainab le T ourism for
D evelopment
1) I nclusive and Sustainab le economic g row th2) Social inclusiveness, employ ment and poverty
reduction3 ) Resource efficiency , environmental protection andclimate chang e4 ) Cultural values, diversity and heritag e5 ) M utual understanding , peace and security

T ourism I ndustry , Bhutan

Community - b ased T ourism• T ourism that tak es environmental, social and cultural
sustainab ility into account. I t is manag ed and ow ned
b y the community , for the community , w ith the
purpose of enab ling visitors to increase theiraw areness and learn ab out the community and local
w ay s of life

• T ourism I ndustry b eg an in 19 7 4• At present, the hig hest foreig n ex chang e earner in the
country• Bhutanese g overnment adopted the policy of ‘ hig hvalue low volume’ strateg y , controlling the ty pe of
tourism and the tourist flaw
• By tak ing various measures such as imposing aminimum daily tariff of U S$ 25 0, adopting low carb on
tourism pack ag es etc. , Bhutan strives to set an
ex ample as a sustainab le tourism destination• CBT is a form of ‘ local’ tourism, favoring local
service providers and suppliers and focused oninterpreting and communicating the local culture andenvironment. I t has b een pursued and supported b ycommunities, local g overnment ag encies and nong overnment org aniz ations

44

M y G ak idh V illag e
7 7 y oung people, only 25 of them are actively eng ag ed I
the proj ect ( 18 females, 7 males)

M y G ak idh V illag e
A j oint initiative of Bhutan Y outh D evelopment F und& Aide et Action I nternational

I n the speech of D asho Pema T hinley
M odel a new b rand of farmers ( F armer + )( b ased on farming + ecotourism, eco- friendly mud andtimb er construction, Bhutanese art and culture, andG N H living

Activities:• Community - b ased Ecotourism ( homestay , heritag e
trails)• T raditional arts and crafts• I T literacy and livelihood sk ills development ( medialab )• O rg anic farming ( tea mak ing )Create few G N H inspired
villag es

Black - neck ed Cranes, Phob j ik ha V alley

Since 1987, R SPN ( Roy al Society for Protection of N ature)
implemented diverse strateg ies for Black - neck Crane
conservation

G ross N ational Happiness

Reg ressions to Ex plain Averag e Happiness
Across Countries

W orld Happiness Report ( 2018)
Rank ing of Happiness 2015 - 2017
1.
2.
3 .
4 .
5 .

F inlandN orw ay
D enmark
I celandSw itz erland
J apan:5 4
Bhutan:9 7
Sri L ank a: 116

G N H and Buddhist Philosophy

G N H and Buddhist Philosophy

O uter Conditions

I nner Causes• G ood g overnance ( source of j ustice)• Sustainab le and eq uitab le socioeconomic
development ( source of prosperity or source ofphy sical happiness)• Environmental Conservation ( source of harmony )• Cultural promotion and Preservation ( source of
spiritualism or identity )• Attitude of not harming ( source of self- lib eration
or source of individual happiness)• Attitude of helping others ( source of b odhi- mind or
source of happiness for all sentient b eing s)• Contentment ( source of satisfaction or rej oicing )( T he Role of Buddhism in Achieving G ross N ational Happiness,
K henpo Phuntsok T ashi)( T he Role of Buddhism in Achieving G ross N ational Happiness,
K henpo Phuntsok T ashi)

45

Are y ou happy ?

G N H Survey Results
9 1. 2% of Bhutanese are narrow ly , ex tensively , or
deeply happy
But,
Rural
<
W omen <U rb an
M en

Consoling a daugh ter ofdivorced parents

Humanity in Bhutanese People

Y ou all are fat and soft, I ’ m sk inny

Humanity in Bhutanese People

M ost of us w ere served w ith
a cup of milk / ara or w ith
w hatever they h ave got

G randmothers
chanting forafterlife

O ur fieldw ork assistant( interpreter) cook ed for theinterview ee as she had to prepare
meal for her motherw ork ing in the field

Enthusiastic health assistantw ho shared his j oy of successin terms of providing healthfacilities to village rs and his
future plans

O ther Social I ssues:
M ig ration
I ssues related to sex ual relationships( hig h rate of early preg nancy and divorce)46

Ethnography of the Blue House
Observing the Gender Gap through Bhutanese Family History
Samak Kosem (Thailand) | Walailak University

Thinley Norbu, our Bhutanese guide tour who welcoming us at the Paro airport told us, “thewind will carry the bless and the bless come to us”. This is my first impression for the trip andI always enjoy to see the “Lungta” means “the wind horse”, the coloured flags with Buddha
blesses which Bhutanese people put it at the windy areas or the hills. Phub Tshering or ‘Maddy’,
the undergrad student from Sherubtse College told me about the story of the Lungta during thelast day of field trip in Thimphu. The story of Lungta and the life of Bhutanese are really related
between nature, culture, cosmology and individual life, then I can understand how elder people
in Bhutan always sits outside to get warmed sunlight and blessed windy.
For this short field trip in Bhutan for 42nd Kyoto Southeast Asia Seminar, I have experiencethat I cannot make a short research for this 3 days, so I decided to find the topic which can beinteresting for me to observing and to inspiring to our Bhutanese and Asian friends of this trip.
As I’m interested in visual anthropology to understand the culture from the images and visualmaterial I see at the places we had visit during the trip, then I realised that we always sitting at
the house of Bhutanese to meet all difference people and the interviewees we talked for several
cases are all women in difference ages.
The family photos I saw at the house walls of Bhutanese houses are reflexing a lot of stories
and also this can understand by the framework of family history which we can understanding
Bhutanese culture and society at the same time. I am learning anthropological methods that justmore than observation, interviewing and participation with people, but looking at the objects
or materials which are in the surrounding of human culture. The visual culture fromphotography of people and royal families, images of Buddha and Goddess, and even the marks
at the everyone houses can be one of the subject and alternated way to learning Bhutaneseculture.
We always meet Bhutanese women at the house and telling us her stories from our team asked
in difference questions, I almost quite during the interview because I want to see the life ofthem in their own house or private space which we just crossed. Of cause, without asking we
can see the women at the houses are work really hard - and maybe more than men. She works
at the farm and sometime go to the temple to sell vegetable and other products, and at the endof the day the women are work for house and take care their children and parent. As what
Yanke Pem, the Bhutanese student of our team told me at night saying she see how women
have to work really hard both inside and outside the house. She was presented her small
research of “Bhutanese women’s second shift” at her sociology class last semester to show how
difficulty of being women housewife nowadays.

47

Finally, we can heard a lot of sad stories at the happiness land of Bhutan. Many cases of divorce
from the interviewees and friends I met during the field trip, those stories I wish to learn morefrom the family history which can be spoken from the images and other visual forms by eachtime and space of Bhutan modern day while the government and all sectors are strongly
promote the idea of happiness to all people. A young lady who was weeping while ourconversation are still sit in my mind when she mentioned about the parent’s divorce, same aswhat I see from Phub Tshering’s eyes when we shared our family background in the similar
case.

48

Ethnographyof the Blue House
Observing
the Gender Gap
through Bhutanese
Family History

Samak Kosem

field researchLife Trajectories

49

field research

Family History

Most the women are still employed in family-based agriculture andcontinue to constitute a small portion of regular paid jobs

50Gender discussion with Yangke Pem
Her presentation in sociology class on “Women’s Second Shift in Bhutan”
Gender gap in Bhutanese women for working both at outside and household works

Bhutan ranks 121stamong 144 countries
Global Gender Gap Index 2016
by the World Economic Forum reporta significant disparity against womenin health, education, economy andpolitics in the country.

Bhutan has greatly reduce gaps in gender equality
98.8% of girls are attending school
97% of boys are attending school

Women’s workloads are heavier than those of men,because family and community responsibilities
are added to their economic activities.

(World Bank, 2016)

Multiple work burdens

Women carry an extra burdenin terms of community laborand voluntary workrequired for routine maintenanceof farm roads.

Among women aged 15–49,
68% believed that a man is justified
in beating his wife or partner
for any one of these reasons:neglect of children,
going out without telling him,arguing with him,
refusing sex,
and/or burning food.

Adult female illiteracy
remains high among women as the gender gap is large
limits their participation in a modernizing society
disqualifies from becoming candidates
in local and national elections

ADB Country Partnership Strategy: Bhutan, 2014─2018

Domestic violenceaﬀecting various aspects of
the lives of Bhutanese women

Gender Gap in Bhutan

dealing with emotional changes
among other members of family“Rather than being in a state of denial, we will need to accept that gender inequality
exists and recognise the importance of addressing it for our own sustainable growth,”

Divorce- Lily Wangchuck - President of Druk Chirwang Tshogpa (DCT)- should be followed by policies

that address the complex social,
cultural, economic and financial
obstacles faced by women,
and more significantly,
the cultural barriers.

Divorce has been rated as one of the most stressful life events,
strongly impacting the lives of all family members (Amato 2000)

51

The Gross National Happiness Commission (GNHC) continue
to take the role of initiating and coordinating action on gender
Gender Equity Policy equality issue in the country.

is being formulated

The National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC)
was established in 2004 - promoting and protecting the rights
of women and children in the country.

Bhutan 2020
The major documents of state policy in
Bhutan promote attention to equality of
citizenship rights and enjoyment of life by all
citizens, be they women or men.
Bhutan’s constitution makes a strong
statement on the equal rights of all citizens,
regardless of sex, and the Principles of State
Policy commit the state to taking measures toeliminate discrimination against andexploitation of women.

52Report on trip and seminar in Bhutan (December 6th-12th, 2018)
Sokly Siev (Cambodia) | Tokyo Institute of Technology

It is an honor to be selected as a participant representing Cambodia to attend the trip andseminar held in December 6th-12th, 2018 in Bhutan. I had a chance to learn basic Gross
National Happiness (GNH) concept and research activities being carried out at the Center
Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) and the Royal University of Bhutan (RUB). The seminar
was very interesting and meaningful to me because the guest speakers from various ministries
detailed how the education and health care system are being implementing based on the GNH
in Bhutan in the morning session. Following by the afternoon session, the faculty members of
CSEAS and RUB presented the research findings related to Southeast Asia countries andBhutan. In addition, to find out more how live and health care based on GNH are being carriedout, other participants and I were led to meet and interview the administrative officers and local
people in the rural areas (e.g. a Dzong in Paro, Gaki village, basic health unit and outreachclinic in Samtengang). We learned and experienced their life styles, cultures, religion,
governance and health care system. Through this journey, I also experienced the beautiful
nature and a tourist site. Interestingly, Bhutan is a mountainous and forested country, elevation
ranges between 97–7570 m and more than 70% is forested area. Although, I have not reviewed
to so much about the research on environment and nature done in Bhutan, I think this county
is a potential research area to study about the untouched environment and nature. This country
is suggested as a carbon negative country meaning the amount of carbon sequestration is larger
than that of carbon emission. In addition to the GNH concept, international presence will boost
the research activities to explore not only for the sustainable development in this country but
also for combating impacts of climate change. Overall, I learned a lot from the trip and seminar
and also made networks with other participants and member of CSEAS and RUB. I do hope
our connection will be strengthening strongly through future collaborative research in thefurther. Finally, I would like to thank to all the CSEAS and RUB members for their kinds
efforts and organizing this seminar.

53

Outline

The 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar• Experiences in Bhutan

Experiences and Perspectives• Water environment in Southeast Asia: Case of Tonle Sap Lake,
Cambodia

Sokly SIEV, Dr. Eng. (Cambodia)
Postdoctoral researcher
Tokyo Institute of Technology
December 11th, 2018
CNR (RUB), Punakha, Bhutan
12Performances (as 2018/12/10)

Brief information• Name: Sokly SIEV (េសៀវ សុខលី)Others38%• Nationality: Cambodian

Travelling
33%• Highest education: Doctor of Engineering in Civil & Environment• Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher at Tokyo Institute ofTechnology• Research interest: Hydrodynamic, Sediment dynamics, Field

Field survey
18%

observation, Modelling techniques, Health risk assessment

Seminar11%• Total spent: 74 hours (from Dec. 6th-10th)• Field survey include: interview and site visit• Others include: 3 meals, networking and other activities• Contact: sievsokly@yahoo.com / siev.s.aa@titech.ac.jp
3

Lessons learned

4Lessons learned (cont.)• Field survey• Travelling• Visit local villages and tourist sites• Experience the rural life styles• Understand culture and spiritual practices (e.g. Dzong,temples, meditation, dance)• Understand cultivation system• Water related problems• Spend long time
• Difficult (e.g. narrow, slope) and risky• Seminar• Meet many people• Understand GNH concepts• Get to know various researches in CSEAS• Understand health and education system in Bhutan• Others• Taste local foods• Build network• Exchange research experiences with participants and
CSEAS members• Experience high altitude

5

6

Conclusion• About 2/3 of the total time spent for travelling, meals andnetworking while 1/3 for studying.

Water Environment in Southeast Asia:
Case study of Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia• Networks and relationship with other participants and CSEAS
members were made.
• Bhutan’s culture and GNH concept were learned through thethis seminar• Potential and future researches with CSEAS and RUB are
expected
7

854

Uniqueness of Tonle Sap Lake (TSL)

Where are we?

• a Large shallow lake (depth: 1.44m)

14500-16000 km2• Annual flood pulse (depth: up to
9.09m)• Reversal flow
• High biodiversity richness

2500-3 500 km2

Cambodia

Bhutan2,188 km²

9

( Jesse Allen, 2009 10)

Current Problems
JICA & JST• Hydrology and Water Resources Management• Water Pollution• Ecosystem Management• Fishery and Floating Villages• Education, Health, and Economy

Establishment of Environmental Conservation Platformof Tonle Sap Lake
Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC)
Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP)
Tonle Sap Authority (TSA)
Ministry of Environment (MOE)
Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology (MOWRAM)
Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT)
Yamagata University (YU)
Major motivation
active collaboration
Institute of Global Environmental
Strategiesfor(IGES)

1. Promotion of Science
2. National & International Importance11
Tonle Sap Authority ( 2014)

Current ( 2015)
Assessment

Monitoring

After 5 Y ears ( 2020)
Monitoring

Past Data

Shifts in Society
and Climate

Awaiting for substantial implementationof relevant laws

SATR EPS
Assessment

Research Station

Ecological
Integrity

Countermeasures

Partially implemented

Functional
Value

Uncontrolled Fishing
Deforestation
Pollution
BhutanEutrophication
Climate ChangeCountermeasures

1. Based on raw data

Water Env. Analytical
Tool (WEAT)
Research Station

Bhutan2. Based on WEAT
(scenario analysis)

CC Adaptation,
International
Presence

Effective Implementation of
Water Law
• River Basin Management• Water Quality Management• Regulation in Total Load
• Strategic Management

GNH, Pollution Control,
Management of Ecosystem,
Floating Village & Mekong,Disclosure of Env. Info.

1980

Env. Educ. Center

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank to all the CSEAS and RUB
members for their kinds efforts and organizing
this seminar.

Kadrinche la
ありがとうございました
Thank you
15

55

2000

2020

2040

2060

14

Photos

56

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Afterword
From December 6th to 12th, 2018, Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) and Kyoto University
jointly organized the 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar “Health and Rural Development based on
the concept of Gross National Happiness”. The Southeast Asia Seminar has been held annuallyby the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS), Kyoto University since 1977. This year,
the academic seminar looked at the challenges of health and rural development in thecommunities of Bhutan, and explores the future possibility in the region.
The participants consists of scholars from 12 different countries including Bhutan, India, Sri
Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippine, Indonesia, Vietnam, andJapan. At a conference at Office of the Vice Chancellor, RUB, Thimphu, Dasho Pema Thinley,
Former Vice Chancellor of RUB, Dasho Nidup Dorji, Vice Chancellor of RUB, Dasho Karma
Yeshey, Secretary, Ministry of Education, Dasho Ugen Dophu, Secretary, Ministry of Health,
Mr. Koji Yamada, Representative, JICA Bhutan Office, Ms. Dechen Pelmo, Sr. Planning
Officer, Gross National Happiness Commission gave presentations according to the theme ofthe seminar. After the conference, the participants conducted field trips to Thinleygang andSamtengang to find out the nature of My Gakidh Village, Basic Health Unit, and Outreach
Clinic. At the end, the participants shared their perspectives in the workshop at College of
Natural Resources, Lobesa. We would like to thank everyone for being with us.
According to the reports of 2017 Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, the percentage ofthe aged 65 years or over, reached 5.9% in their populations. And rural-urban migration is
becoming common within the country. Some districts in the west, especially Thimphu, haveexperienced population gains from positive net migration, while the districts in the east arelosing population. During this seminar, we could listen to the voices both from the grassroots
and central governments. The aging and rural-urban migration is not only the issues in Bhutan
and Japan but also in Southeast Asian regions. This is the important global issues. We hopethat this seminar become a trigger for cooperation beyond the boundaries between the countries
to maintain the bond and harmony in the communities.

The 42nd Southeast Asia Seminar Organizing Team66