The 1990 Southern Bhutan Protests

The 1990 southern Bhutan protests were a series of mass demonstrations that took place across the southern districts of Bhutan in September and October 1990. Tens of thousands of Lhotshampa (ethnic Nepali-speaking Bhutanese) participated in rallies and marches demanding the restoration of civil rights, recognition of cultural identity, democratic reforms, and the reversal of the denationalization policies implemented through the 1988 census and the 1985 Citizenship Act.^[1]

The protests represented the largest popular uprising in Bhutanese history. The Royal Government of Bhutan responded by designating all participants — and, by extension, much of the southern Bhutanese population — as "anti-nationals" (ngolops), a label that carried severe legal and extralegal consequences. This designation became the foundation for the systematic crackdown, forced displacement, and ethnic cleansing that followed over the next three years.^[2]

Causes

The protests were the culmination of several years of increasingly repressive government policies directed at the Lhotshampa population:

Driglam Namzha

In 1989, the government issued a royal decree making Driglam Namzha — the traditional code of etiquette and dress of the Ngalop (northern Bhutanese) — mandatory for all citizens throughout the country. All Bhutanese became liable to fines or imprisonment if they appeared in public wearing anything other than the gho (male robe) or kira (female dress). For the Lhotshampa, this meant abandoning their own traditional clothing — the daura suruwal and sari — under threat of punishment.^[3]

Removal of Nepali Language

In February 1989, the Nepali language was removed from the school curriculum in southern Bhutan and replaced with Dzongkha. Nepali-medium schools that had operated for decades were closed or converted. This struck at the core of Lhotshampa cultural identity, as language was the primary marker distinguishing the southern Bhutanese community.^[4]

The 1988 Census and Denationalization

The 1988 census had classified large numbers of Lhotshampa as non-nationals or illegal immigrants using the seven-category system. Thousands of families who had lived in Bhutan for generations found themselves stripped of citizenship, denied government services, and threatened with expulsion. Petitions submitted by community leaders were ignored or punished.^[2]

The "One Nation, One People" Policy

The government's sixth Five-Year Plan (1987-1992) introduced the "One Nation, One People" (rig-gzhung gcig) policy, which sought to impose Ngalop cultural norms — language, dress, religion, and customs — on the entire country. The Lhotshampa, who were predominantly Hindu and Nepali-speaking, saw this as a program of cultural erasure.^[3]

The Protests

Beginning in September 1990, large-scale demonstrations erupted across all six southern districts, including Chirang (Tsirang), Sarbhang (Sarpang), Samdrup Jongkhar, Samtse (Samchi), Dagana, and Pemagatshel. Protesters marched carrying petitions and demanding the repeal of discriminatory policies, the restoration of citizenship rights, the reinstatement of Nepali-language education, and democratic governance.^[1]

The demonstrations were largely peaceful, though some incidents of property destruction were reported. Protesters called for dialogue with the government and respect for fundamental human rights. The scale of participation was unprecedented — tens of thousands of people took part over the course of September and October 1990, representing a broad cross-section of the southern Bhutanese population.^[5]

The "Anti-National" (Ngolop) Designation

The government's response was swift and uncompromising. Rather than engaging with the protesters' demands, the authorities branded all participants as "anti-nationals" (ngolops). The call for democracy and human rights was characterized as an "act of treason" and an "anti-national movement." This designation was deliberately broad: it was applied not only to protest organizers but to anyone who had attended a rally, signed a petition, or was suspected of sympathizing with the movement.^[2]

The ngolop label carried devastating consequences. Those designated as anti-nationals were subject to arrest without warrant, indefinite detention, confiscation of property, dismissal from government employment, and expulsion from the country. The label was also applied retroactively and collectively — entire families and communities were declared anti-national based on the actions of individual members, or simply based on geographic proximity to protest sites.^[6]

Government Crackdown

The government deployed the Royal Bhutan Army and Royal Bhutan Police to the southern districts. Mass arrests began immediately. Amnesty International documented that several thousand southern Bhutanese were imprisoned, many held for months in primitive conditions without formal charges or trial. More than two thousand detainees were tortured during their imprisonment, according to Amnesty International's reports.^[6]

All schools in the southern districts were closed following the unrest. Some school buildings were converted into army barracks or detention centers. Government services in the south were suspended. A climate of fear was imposed across the entire region.^[3]

Aftermath

The protests and the government's response marked the beginning of the mass expulsion of Lhotshampa from Bhutan. Faced with ongoing arrests, torture, and systematic intimidation, thousands of families felt they had no option but to flee. By 1993, over 80,000 Lhotshampa had crossed into Nepal. By 1996, the number exceeded 100,000, representing approximately 40 percent of Bhutan's Lhotshampa population. They were housed in seven UNHCR-administered refugee camps in southeastern Nepal, where many would remain for nearly two decades.^[7]

The 1990 protests are remembered by the Bhutanese refugee community as a moment of collective courage and a defining event in their history. For the Bhutanese government, the protests remain officially characterized as an externally instigated anti-national conspiracy — a narrative that has been challenged by every major international human rights organization that has investigated the events.^[6]

References

1. Wikipedia. "Ethnic cleansing of Lhotshampa in Bhutan." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_cleansing_of_Lhotshampa_in_Bhutan
2. WRITENET / Refworld. "The Exodus of Ethnic Nepalis from Southern Bhutan." 1995. https://www.refworld.org/reference/countryrep/writenet/1995/en/33123
3. The Diplomat. "Bhutan's Dark Secret: The Lhotshampa Expulsion." September 2016. https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/bhutans-dark-secret-the-lhotshampa-expulsion/
4. Wikipedia. "Lhotshampa." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhotshampa
5. Bhutanese Refugees. "History." http://bhutaneserefugees.com/history
6. Amnesty International. "Bhutan: Human rights violations against the Nepali-speaking population in the south." 1992. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa14/004/1992/en/
7. Wikipedia. "Bhutanese refugees." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhutanese_refugees