The Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist) (

abbr. An abbreviation () is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method including shortening, contraction, initialism (which includes acronym), or crasis. An abbreviation may be a shortened form of a word, usually ended with a trailing perio ...

CPB (MLM)) is an underground communist party in

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

. It aims to start a New Democratic Revolution and overthrow the

Bhutanese monarchy Bhutanese may refer to: * Something of, or related to Bhutan * Dzongkha, the official national language of Bhutan (sometimes called "Bhutanese") * A person from Bhutan, or of Bhutanese descent, see Demographics of Bhutan * Bhutanese culture * Bhuta ...

and the

House of Wangchuck The Wangchuck dynasty () have held the hereditary position of Druk Gyalpo ("Dragon King") of Bhutan since 1907. Prior to reunification, the Wangchuck family had governed the district of Trongsa as descendants of Dungkar Choji. They eventually ...

. Its armed wing is the

Bhutan Tiger Force The Bhutan Tiger Force (BTF) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist) (CPB (MLM)). The South Asia Terrorism Portal currently lists the Bhutan Tiger Force as inactive. History On 13 December 2007, th ...

, which had an estimated 600 to 1,000 cadres in 2009. The party's leader uses the ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' Comrade Umesh.

History

In the 1990s, Nepali-speaking Bhutanese peoples protested against the Bhutan government for democratization and language reforms. The government forcibly evicted the protesters, where they were put into

refugee camps A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees and people in refugee-like situations. Refugee camps usually accommodate displaced people who have fled their home country, but camps are also made for internally displac ...

in eastern Nepal. Those who stayed have faced widespread discrimination. Inside the refugee camps, insurgent groups sprung up, including the Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist–Leninist–Maoist). The CPB (MLM) was announced publicly on 22 April 2003, as stated on the website of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist)—now called

Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) (), abbreviated CPN (Maoist Centre) or CPN (MC), is the third largest List of political parties in Nepal, political party in Nepal and a member party of Socialist Front (Nepal), Samajbadi Morcha. I ...

, or CPN(M). The

Royal Bhutan Army The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; ) is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty against security threats. The King of Bhutan is the Supreme Commander in Chie ...

defused a bomb planted by the CPB (MLM) in Phuentsholing village, near the Bhutan–India border, on 25 April 2007. During Bhutan's transition to a constitutional monarchy in 2008, the CPB (MLM) insurgents carried out five explosions across Bhutan, including one in the capital

Thimphu Thimphu (; ) is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan, and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's '' dzongkhags'', the Thimphu District. The ancient capital city of Punakha was replac ...

. They also declared the beginning of a "

people's war People's war or protracted people's war is a Maoist military strategy. First developed by the Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong (1893–1976), the basic concept behind people's war is to maintain the support of the population ...

". In March 2008, Bhutanese police killed five suspected CPB (MLM) insurgents and arrested seventeen more in various operations in the south. The CPB (MLM) ambushed six forest rangers, killing four and wounding two in Singye village,

Sarpang District Sarpang District (Dzongkha: གསར་སྤང་རྫོང་ཁག་; Wylie: ''Gsar-spang rdzong-khag''; also known as "Geylegphug") is one of the 20 dzongkhags (districts) comprising Bhutan. Sarpang covers a total area of and stretche ...

near

Sarpang Sarpang, also transliterated as Sarbhang or Sarbang, is a thromde or town in Sarpang District in southern Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to ...

on 30 December 2008. A Bhutanese reporter was arrested in January 2009 after authorities suspected him of being a CPB (MLM) member. During the 16th South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation, security was tightened after threats by the CPB (MLM).

Ideology

Shortly after its founding, the CPB (MLM) released a ten-point program which outlined its demands from the government. The party's ideology is oriented around

Marxism–Leninism–Maoism Marxism–Leninism–Maoism (MLM) is a term used by some communist groups to emphasize the significance of Maoism as a new stage in Marxism, Marxist theory and practice. Adherents of Marxism–Leninism–Maoism claim it to be a unified, coh ...

; its cadres hope to start a "

" and a " New Democratic Revolution". The group seeks to

repatriate Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of mi ...

the Lhotshampa refugees and declare Bhutan a "sovereign democracy". The CPB (MLM) also wants to turn Bhutan into a

republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

International connections

The CPB (MLM) has close ties to Maoists in neighbouring Nepal, whom the party considers to be its inspiration. The CPB (MLM) also has links to

Naxalite Naxalism is the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It is influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology. Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight ...

rebels in India's northeast, with CPB (MLM) insurgents reportedly being trained by these groups.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhutan Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) 2003 establishments in Bhutan Banned communist parties Banned political parties in Bhutan Communism in Bhutan Communist militant groups Communist parties in Asia

Maoism in Asia Maoist parties Paramilitary organisations based in Bhutan Republicanism in Bhutan

History

Ideology

International connections

See also

References