"When we had no TV, I used to play with my dog a lot. But now I prefer to watch television."
             --Tintin, son of Bhutan's "cable guy"

Bhutan is a country with no traffic lights and no fast-food chains. It has more monks than soldiers. It may be the only country in the world to measure Gross National Happiness.

Tucked between India and China, the Buddhist kingdom is the size of Switzerland and has less than a million people. For centuries it has remained isolated in the Himalayan mountains. But now it has opened itself to what critics call "an electronic invasion" -- cable TV.

Rinzy Dorji sees himself as part of modern Bhutan's promising future. Others fear he's part of its problem. As the co-owner of Sigma Cable Service, Rinzy has hooked up this secluded society to 45 cable television channels, featuring everything from the BBC to Baywatch, all for about $5 a month: the price of a bag of red chillies. Across the country, people eagerly await a visit from "the man in the TV van."

But in the capital city of Thimphu, Rinzy's children sit home alone, glued to the set, neglecting their homework. And previously gentle boys from good Buddhist families are now practicing body slams, imitating their new TV heroes from the World Wrestling Federation. Entranced by TV, even some Buddhist monks neglect their religious duties.

"We are especially concerned about the younger children because they have had less exposure than our generation to Buddhist teaching," says Kinley Dorji the editor of Kuensel, Bhutan's only newspaper. "Television is so much more exciting."

His Majesty King Singye Wagchuck announced the legalization of television in June 1999 on the 25th anniversary of his coronation. "The introduction of television and the Internet is a reflection of the progress we have achieved," he declared. But the king also urged restraint, reflecting the concerns of those who don't want to see Bhutan's traditional culture spoiled by the influence of Western technology and materialism.

Reporters Alexis Bloom and Tshewang Dendup follow Rinzy the "cable guy" as he brings this new technology to an old society. His workers scale the walls of Bhutanese houses, climbing over woodpiles and onto roofs to install cable. Children stand around the television set transfixed, watching as the first pictures fizz to life. "I am very satisfied with what I am doing," says Rinzy. "We always have to move forward."

Bhutan's foreign minister is concerned that TV has pushed the Bhutanese people toward consumerism, as they develop the desire for the Western products they see advertised. "That is to some extent, yes, unfortunate," he concedes, "but inevitable." Yet he sees a bright side. Ironically, TV news has shown people in Bhutan how troubled much of the world is, and it has made them appreciate their country all the more. "I have myself heard comments from people saying that, 'My God, we didn't know that we were living in such a peaceful country, there seems to be violence and crime everywhere in the world.' "

"The Last Place" Credits

Producer/Videographer: Alexis Bloom
Alexis Bloom is an independent documentary filmmaker residing in the Bay Area.

Co-Producer/Videographer: Tshewang Dendup
Tshewang Dendup is a producer at the Bhutan Broadcasting Service in the capital city Thimphu.

Additional Camera
Clarence Ting

Editors
Robin Chin
Gary Weimberg

Special Thanks
UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism