Dragon Fire

Briefing

The tiny Buddhist Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan has deliberately made itself one of the world’s most isolated countries. A hereditary monarchy was established in 1907 and, with a population of only six hundred thousand, the first king signed a treaty with Britain to safeguard the kingdom against attacks from China. In 1949, after its independence, India drew up a similar replacement treaty. But it was not until 1963, in the aftermath of the Sino-Indian war, that the Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) was established in Bhutan, with India supplying military hardware, advisers and trainers for the Royal Bhutan Army. India regards Bhutan as a strategic buffer state. Any attack on it would have to be repelled to preserve the delicate balance of power in South Asia.