Timeline of Bhutanese history
Year Date Event
2001 March First verification of Bhutanese refugees eligible for repatriation commences in Nepalese refugee camps . Actual repatriation is estimated to occur one year out . As of 2011 over 200 refugees in the Khudunabari refugee camp alone had been certified , however no Bhutanese refugees had been repatriated
2002 Bhutan 's population reaches an estimated 600,000
2003 Several guerrilla groups seeking to establish an independent Assamese state in northeast India had set up guerrilla bases in the forests of southern Bhutan from which they launch cross-border attacks on targets in Assam . The largest guerrilla group was the United Liberation Front of Assam ( ULFA ) . Negotiations aimed at removing them peacefully from these bases failed in the spring of 2003
2003 15 December 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 were controlled by ULFA , 12 camps by the National Democratic Front of Bodoland ( NDFB ) , and 5 camps controlled by the Kamatapur Liberation Organisation ( KLO ) . By January 2004 , government news reports indicated the guerrillas had been routed from their bases
2004 20 March Capital punishment in Bhutan is abolished
2005 26 March Proposed constitution is unveiled under which Bhutan would transition from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy
2005 December King Jigme Singye Wangchuck announces he will abdicate in 2008 , when democratic parliamentary elections are held , and names Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to succeed him
2006 January Authorities arrest two civil servants in the village of Nago in Paro District , accusing them of engaging in acts of proselytism under the false pretext of holding an official meeting , maligning the Spiritual Head of Bhutan ( Je Khenpo ) , posing as officials on official business , and giving false information . In accordance with provisions in the Penal Code and the National Security Act , both men are found guilty in a district court . Christian groups maintain the men were arrested due to their religious beliefs since , according to these groups , the men were arrested while showing a Christian film in a Buddhist home . They are sentenced in early June 2006 in an open trial with a public hearing to three and a half years and three years in prison . They did not appeal the court judgment , although the right to appeal was provided for by law . On 28 July 2006 , both men were released after payment of a fine
2006 June Bhutanese refugees in Nepalese refugee camps protest , pressing for third-country resettlement . ( to August )
2006 14 December Abdication of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck , ahead of the date previously announced ; his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck begins to reign
2007 5 January The Royal Government enacts the Immigration Act of 2007 , amending the Bhutanese Citizenship Act 1985 and establishing the Department of Immigration under the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs to implement and administer immigration laws through immigration offices . The Act endowed officers of the Department of Immigration with broad police and prosecution powers : they may enter any private or official premises in order to search , arrest , seize , detain , interrogate or to demand forfeiture of any vehicles , trains , vessels , aircraft , or goods
2007 February Bhutan signs an agreement with India giving the kingdom more say in its foreign and defense policies
2007 3 February Reports allege the current Zhabdrung Rinpoche , Pema Namgyel ( b . 20 November 2003 - then a small child ) had been held under house arrest in Bhutan along with his parents since October 2005 , when the family traveled to meet the Reincarnation Committee . The Committee later denied his reincarnation status
2007 April Mock elections are staged to familiarise voters with parliamentary democracy ahead of planned polls in 2008
2007 31 December First National Council election for the 20 elected non-partisan seats in National Council , Bhutan 's upper house . Only 15 out of 20 dzongkhags ( districts ) , however , were set to begin voting . In Thimphu , Trashiyangtse , Gasa , Haa and Lhuntse Districts , there were either no candidates or a single candidate , and elections were delayed until 29 January 2008
2008 January A series of bombs blast the kingdom ahead of elections slated for 24 March . The attacks are blamed on armed Lhotshampa groups . ( to February )
2008 24 March In Bhutan 's first parliamentary elections , the pro-monarchy Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party wins 45 out of 47 seats in the National Assembly , Bhutan 's lower house . Another pro-monarchy party , the People 's Democratic Party , wins the remaining two seats in Gasa and Haa Districts
2008 18 July The Constitution of Bhutan is enacted . The first ever Constitution of Bhutan , it sets forth a bicameral parliamentary democratic framework to safeguard human rights , while enshrining the institution of the monarchy , Drukpa Lineage Buddhism , and traditional Ngalop Bhutanese culture
2008 November The government of India alleges links between Assamese separatists and the illegal Bhutanese Druk National Congress
2008 1 November Coronation of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
21st century
This is a timeline of Bhutanese history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Bhutan and its predecessor states.