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Bhutan enters the Information Age - 1995

Bhutan enters the Information Age - 1995

Jacek Pałkiewicz
2006-06-18 21:38:03

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Initially, the reach of the Bhutanese national televisionchannel will remain confined to the municipal limits of thecapital city, Thimphu. Later, a chain of relay stations will carrythe channel to the remotest parts of the kingdom.

Telecasts will be in English and Dzongkha, the language of theDrukpas, the ruling ethnic group of the kingdom. Telecasts will not be made inNepali, the language of the ethnic Nepalis of the south who haveleft in large numbers claiming discrimination by the government.
''The Bhutanese radio broadcasts in Nepali as well, but therewill be no telecasts in Nepali. This is significant,'' said GautamBasu, a Bhutan-watcher in Calcutta, eastern India.

Bhutanese Communications Ministry officials say the kingdom'ssouthern districts are outside the reach of the national channelin the initial stages. ''So there is no point in telecasting inNepali, or in other languages like the Sarchops, at this stage,''one official said.
Possession of satellite dishes will continue to remain illegalin the kingdom, until otherwise decided, according to thegovernment.

In spite of the legality issue, as soon as the decision to start the national TV channelwas announced, satellite dishes sprouted up all over Thimphu andother urban centers, particularly those sharing borders with India,where the equipment was bought from Indians across the border.

Most people interviewed said they were desperate to ''see theworld through television.'' A college student, Karma Phuntsho, agreed, saying, ''When we cross into India, we can see 60 to 70 channels. I won't say all that makes sense but most of it was very exciting."

Phubzam, a trader whose work takes her across the border,admitted, ''I am proud to be Bhutanese but I want to know what goeson in the world.'' Some people, however, like Thinley Namgay, feel TV willmake the Bhutanese ''neglect social and religious responsibilities, even affect their reading habits."

Fear of the ''possible loss of cultural moorings'' has causedthe Bhutanese government to wrestle with whether or not to controltelevision program production. Far less complicated than the entry of television into Bhutanhas been the development of DRUKNET, a project supported by theUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP).