Editing History of Bhutan (section)

==International relations, 1972–present==
{{main|Foreign relations of Bhutan}}
When civil war broke out in [[Pakistan]] in 1971, Bhutan was the first nation to recognize the new government of [[Bangladesh]], and formal diplomatic relations were established in 1973. An event in 1975 may have served as a major impetus to Bhutan to speed up reform and modernization. In that year, neighboring [[Chogyal|Sikkim's monarchy]], which had endured for more than 300 years, was ousted following a plebiscite in which the Nepalese majority outvoted the Sikkimese minority. Sikkim, long a protectorate of India, became India's twenty-second state.<ref name=eow>{{harvnb|Worden|1991|loc="Entering the Outside World, 1972–present"}}</ref>

To further ensure its independence and international position, Bhutan gradually established diplomatic relations with other nations and joined greater numbers of regional and international organizations. Many of the countries with which Bhutan established relations provided development aid. Modernization of daily life brought new problems to Bhutan in the late 1980s.<ref name=eow/> Television broadcast was official introduced in Bhutan in 1999.<ref>[[Timeline of the introduction of television in countries]]</ref>

===Assamese separatists===
Several guerrilla groups seeking to establish an independent Assamese state in northeast India have set up guerrilla bases in the forests of southern Bhutan, from which they launched cross-border attacks on targets in Assam. The largest guerrilla group was the ULFA ([[United Liberation Front of Asom]]). Negotiations aimed at removing them peacefully from these bases failed in the spring of 2003. Bhutan was faced with the prospect of having to strengthen its token army force to evict the guerrillas.

===Military action against Assamese separatists December 2003===
On 15 December 2003 the [[Royal Bhutan Army]] began military operations against guerrilla camps in southern Bhutan, in coordination with Indian armed forces who lined the border to the south to prevent the guerrillas from dispersing back into Assam. News sources indicated that of the 30 camps that were targeted, 13 campers were controlled by ULFA, 12 camps by the [[National Democratic Front of Bodoland]] (NDFB), and 5 camps by the [[Kamatapur Liberation Organisation]] (KLO). By January, government news reports indicated the guerillas had been routed from their bases.

===Refugee community===
{{main|Bhutanese refugees|Lhotshampa}}
In 1988, Bhutan evicted some number of Nepali-speaking residents (Bhutanese reports say about 5,000 and Refugee reports says over 100,000) from districts in southern Bhutan, creating a large refugee community that was now being detained in seven temporary United Nations refugee camps in Nepal and Sikkim. The actual numbers were difficult to establish, as many of those in the camps were reported to be holding forged identity papers, and impoverished Nepalese citizens and started to migrate to the Nepalese community leaving their refugee camps. The reason for leaving refugee camps was to find a job, and services to those living in camps. Few of them returned to the refugee camps. As a result, the number of people living in the camps decreased exponentially. Although the Bhutanese government claimed that only about 5000 initially left the country, the number of actual migration was more than that.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrdc.net/sahrdc/hrfeatures/HRF38.htm|title=Home - South Asia Human Rights Documentation Centre (SAHRDC)|website=www.hrdc.net}}</ref>

After years of negotiations between Nepal and Bhutan, in 2000 Bhutan agreed in principle to allow certain classes of the refugees to return to Bhutan. However the situation was at a standstill, after violence was committed on Bhutanese officials by the angered people in the camps. Significant unrest was now reported to be fomenting in the camps, especially as the United Nations terminated a number of educational and welfare programmes in an effort to force Bhutan and Nepal to come to terms.
As the Bhutanese government was unwilling to take them into their country many developed nations offered the refugees to allow them to settle in their own countries which included USA and Australia. As many as 20,000 Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in these countries.