Bhutan's King Vows to Modernize Nation

Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, center, greets Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, right, as Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck looks on before a meeting at the Presidential Palace in New Delhi, India, in this July 26, 2006 file photo. The king of Bhutan has handed over the reins of power to his son, the crown prince, more than a year ahead of schedule, officials said Saturday, Dec. 16, 2006. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck signed a royal decree giving charge of the kingdom to his 26-year old son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, at a special session of the Bhutanese Cabinet Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, attended by ministers and members of the royal advisory council in Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan, file) (Gurinder Osan - AP)

GAUHATI, India -- Bhutan's new king pledged in a speech to tens of thousands of supporters Sunday to carry on his father's legacy of transforming the secluded Himalayan kingdom into a parliamentary democracy.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck asked his countrymen for help in completing the task begun by his father, former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who abdicated power to his 26-year-old son earlier this month.

"My father has handed over his responsibilities to the people. And now it is our turn to take the country forward by following his legacy," the new king said in his first public address since taking power.

Excerpts of the speech were provided to The Associated Press by the state-owned Bhutan Broadcasting Service.

The former king, who assumed the throne in 1972 when he was 17, had promised to hand over the kingdom to his Western-educated son by 2008. But in a sudden move this month, he announced the prince would assume the throne a year earlier than scheduled.

Before he abdicated, the former king had circulated a draft constitution that would end almost 100 years of monarchical rule in Bhutan after national elections in 2008. Under the draft, the king would become head of state, but parliament would have the power to impeach him by a two-thirds vote.

The new king, who attended boarding school and college in Massachusetts and received a degree from Oxford University, has been traveling the country over the past year, seeking popular views on the radical political changes his father set in motion.

About 40,000 people dressed in traditional Bhutanese robes listened raptly in a stadium in the capital, Thimphu, on Sunday as their new king reminded them of the challenges of transforming the country from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional democracy. As is customary in Bhutan, there were no cheers or applause during the king's 20-minute address.

People across the country also watched the speech live on television, Phuntso Wangdi, an editor at the government-owned Kuensel newspaper, said by telephone from Thimphu.

"This has been a big move, although we knew that a change of guard was round the corner. People are still coming to terms with the turn of events in Bhutan's history," said Kinley Dorji, chief editor at Kuensel.

For decades, Bhutan's monarchs tried to keep the country, sandwiched between India and China, deeply isolated. International media were allowed into the country only in 1974 and television came in 1999.

Foreign tourists have only recently been allowed in, and they have been restricted to about 6,000 a year _ on carefully supervised tours to protect Bhutan's unique environment and ancient Buddhist culture.