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On September 25, 2006 the remote village of Tangmachu in Bhutan opened its Community Information Centre, thanks to funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The centre boasts four computers, a VSAT Internet connection,  photocopier,  fax machine, and  scanner.

As part of the ceremonies, Bhutan’s Minister for Information and Communications, Lyonpo Leki Dorji, sent an email to IDRC President Maureen O’Neil, thanking the organization for its support.  Here are excerpts from one of the first emails sent from Tangmachu’s Community Information Centre:

Dear Ms. Maureen O’Neil, President of IDRC,

Greetings from [the] village of Tangmachu, Lhuentse, Bhutan, where we are implementing [the] IDRC-supported project “Improving Rural Livelihoods in Bhutan through Addressing Identified Information Needs.”

If people think Lhuentse is a remote district, they must think again! Thanks to [an] IDRC-supported project, I am saying hello from one of the remotest districts of Bhutan — Lhuentse.

I came from Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital, to [the] village of Tangmachu in Lhuentse to see the smiles on the faces of the people as I inaugurate the Community Information Centre, where we have set it up with fast VSAT Internet Connection —  faster than what's available throughout most of Thimphu!

This facility not only benefits the people of Tangmachu, it also benefits people outside Bhutan. For example, a Bhutanese student from Tangmachu village studying abroad has this to say:

“I am outside the country and now I am able to get connected with my parents through Internet. I chat with my sister at Tangmachu and get all the news of my village. Without this facility I am totally cut off from my parents and my village.”

In addition, we have also installed WiFi technology phones for homes and businesses in Tangmachu. For example, 78 households (400 people) are connected with WiFi phone where it’s free to call within the village (Wireless Local Loop). On average they make 2 000 calls per day. They are really communicating and sharing information  among themselves!

On behalf of the happy villagers, students, civil servants, and businesspeople of Tangmachu village, I am sending this “thank you email” to IDRC..

If this pilot project works well and [is] sustainabl[e], it could very well serve as an alternative to “last mile rural access connectivity” in our mountainous terrain, where it would be very expensive to stretch land telephone lines.

This project helps to put in practice Bhutan’s effort to achieve balanced development and alleviation of poverty, contributing to His Majesty’s noble vision of “Gross National Happiness.”

Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Warmest Regards,

Leki Dorji

      Minister for Information and Communications

      Royal Government of Bhutan

      Camp: Tangmachu Village, Lhuentse, Eastern Bhutan

2006-11

News 68 of 153