Bhutanese refugee leaders have blamed the Bhutanese government of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck for masterminding the assassination of the president of Bhutan People’s Party R.K. Budhathoki.

In a press conference in Kathmandu Saturday, the general secretary of Bhutan People’s Party (BPP) Balaram Poudel said that the Bhutanese government masterminded Budhathoki’s assassination in order to divide and weaken the movement for democracy and human rights in Bhutan. He claimed that Ram Chandra Subedi, who killed Budhathoki in Jhapa a few weeks ago, was an agent of the Bhutanese government. He also accused some Bhutanese human rights organizations of acting as agents of the Bhutanese government but he did not name any such organizations.

Police had arrested a Bhutanese human rights leader S.K. Pradhan for investigation after the assassination of Budhathoki. Poudelfurther said that Budhathoki’s assassination has been a blow to

Bhutanese democratic movement. He, however, said that it would not weaken the movement.