Bhutan.net

Better late than never. Bhutan has finally lifted its ban on television and the Internet. On 2 June, the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) begins its television network, while Druknet goes online. The date marks the 25th anniversary of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk's coronation

But the ban on satellite dishes—more flouted than followed—will remain, says the state-run Kuensel weekly. In an editorial, the paper said the arrival of a national television channel would mean that the satellite dishes dotting the Thimphu skyscape would be a thing of the past: "Once Bhutan is able to telecast national programmes and selected international programmes the cumbersome and expensive dish antennae become unnecessary. Hopefully, they will even disappear."

These antennae, many of them "old" ones being dumped on Thimphu from India's Gangtok and Darjeeling, "are a grating contrast to the important national policy of maintaining the traditional look of our houses and towns", wrote Kuensel.

The television service, initially only available for Thimphu, will be featuring programmes both in Dzongkha (the Bhutanese national language) and English. There is no reference in the announcement to Nepali, spoken by a significant portion of Bhutanese. "Ours will be a public service television channel that will complement the radio, the print media and the Internet by providing information, education and entertainment and by being a catalyst in the task of nation-building," said a BBS spokesman.

The Internet service, meanwhile, is being touted as the "most advanced and most reliable" of its kind in South Asia, although it is not clear how the claim is being made given that service has yet to start. Druknet, a unit of the Division of Telecommunications, will be the Internet service provider (ISP), and will be satellite-linked.

Already, concerns are being raised about obscenity on the Net. The government has adopted some Internet codes of conduct, while it will also be promoting 'netiquette'. Since total regulation of contents is impossible, Kuensel says the Ministry of Communication will go about it with a "light-touch approach".

Welcome to the web, Bhutan, and may free access to the world of information help in your task of "nation-building".