62-year-old Dorji, who was appointed as head of the regional grouping for the next three years by the 25th Session of the Council of Ministers in July 2004 in Islamabad, took charge at the Saarc Secretariat here yesterday, the Secretariat said in a press release.

Dorji, who is the eighth Secretary General of the grouping, succeeded Rahim, who left Kathmandu on Monday after completing his tenure.

Before joining the Saarc Secretariat, Dorji served as Bhutan's first resident Ambassador to Thailand.

His appointment to the top post of the regional body was made on rotational basis in alphabetical order by the Saarc Council of Ministers of the member states.

Dorji, who hails from a district in western Bhutan, is father of three children.