Radio Free Nepal

The King is catching on to the Internet. How long until Radio Free Nepal is blocked by the King?

So far these two sites are confirmed as blocked:

www.newslookmag.com
www.nepalipost.com Continue reading…

Democracy is the government of the people, by the people and for the people.

– Abraham Lincoln, 1864

Lincoln’s definition to democracy, in his Gettysburg Speech given at the height of American Civil War, is the most widely used and simplest to understand. But Nepal’s King Gyanendra either couldn’t understand it or is trying to make mockery of it.

Falgun 7, which fell on February 18 this year, is celebrated in Nepal as the Democracy Day because in 1950 AD, for the first time democracy was introduced here ending the 104-year-long autocratic Rana Regime.

King Gyanendra’s grandfather King Tribhuvan, a democratic king, led the fight for democracy. Gyanendra’s father Mahendra however didn’t like democracy and in 1960, suspended democratically elected government to introduce partyless Panchayat System that ended through People’s Movement in 1990.

History is gone. But what King Gyanendra is trying hard these days is to show him the most ardent supporter of democracy. The function of democracy day that was live on state-run television and radio, Gyanendra listened while his follower reiterated his support for democracy.

The democracy day was celebrated in manner that would have made a lot of sense in democracy. But at the time, when democracy is dead, it was not more than a mockery of democracy. Continue reading…

This report was written several days ago and recounts the moment immediately preceding the coup when the military took control of Nepali broadcast facilities prior to the announcement of the coup by King Gyanendra.

The army began cordoning our office premises at around 9:30 (0445GMT) in the morning, some half an hour ahead of the Royal Proclamation… the state-owned radio and television had already announced that King Gyanendra was going to address the nation. Nothing more than that had been said, except that the King had summoned the then Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and chiefs of security agencies for a Royal audience.

As the group of armymen covered the periphery of the premises, an army major, in his military outfit and a gun, asked for an entry into the television station’s newsroom. He politely said that he was here to provide security to the office in case an incident like September 1 occurs (On Sept 1, following the killing of 12 Nepalis in Iraq, there were riots in the city…the rioters had vandalized the office, burning several vehicles and pelting stones on the office building).

All of us, almost the entire news team, watched the Royal Proclamation live on the state owned television. Following the proclamation, the army major asked whether he could visit the control room. By then, the telephone lines were already cut and the cellular phones were cut during the address to the nation itself.

He was promptly shown the studio and news control room of the television station. A lot of confusion had already been created with the announcement of emergency, following the sacking of the then government. A lot of fundamental rights were suspended with the announcement. Continue reading…

Corruption, which has been continuously spreading its tentacles, has not only cast a shadow over politics and administration, but has also obstructed the nation’s march towards progress. Corruption has struck at the very core of our society, the result of which the common man’s confidence in the laws of the land has been shaken. Therefore, in keeping with the popular will and to fulfill the main criterion of good governance, effective measures will be adopted to curb corruption, while ensuring that the principles of justice are not infringed upon.

King Gyanendra told the nation in his Royal Proclamation on Feb 1. His commitment towards curbing the corruption which is deep-rooted in the country ‘ensuring that principles of justice are not infringed upon’ was sweet to the ears. On Feb 16, he constituted five-member Royal Commission for it.

But sadly enough, the reality is, what he had told and what he had done do not match. Indeed he has been asking cats to guard milk.

Let’s begin with Day 2 when he constituted his cabinet. His sweet-worded commitment towards curbing corrupting became bitter within 24 hours. His cabinet included two such ministers who can not be called clean in the regard.

Minister of Home Affairs Dan Bahadur Shahi is still under investigation for the suspected embezzlement of NRs. 6,7100,000 along with 14 others. The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is investigating that ‘corruption’ in importing chemical fertilizers which happened when he was agriculture secretary. And wasn’t he the one who was sacked during Girija Prasad Koirala’s premiership for dubious charters tics (later to be reinstated by court). Continue reading…

After a fortnight of the Royal Coup, I would like to comment on the media and their ‘bravery’ in publishing or not publishing about the coup.

Himal, a fortnightly newsmagazine that never failed to criticize the King’s role in the past, came up in the bravest way. The first issue after the coup was published two days ago and ran a full page advertisement and a note by editor to tell the readers that the magazine has been censored and claimed that it would soon change. The ad with two photographs, the first with the mountain (mountain is Himal in Nepali) covered by clouds with caption Mountain is blocked … and the second without clouds saying … but will again be unblocked, is so vivid in meaning that everybody understood the hidden meaning.

The editor’s note on the content page ‘we regret the difficulties caused by the imbalance in some of our article due to special censor’ and grey fill for the content relating to the coup along with the main editorial (‘Long Live Democracy’) talking about the King’s commitment towards democracy were all but the protest of the King’s move. The newsmagazine was heavy censored (how do I know it? Because they left all the censored areas blank.)

Weeklies like Deshantar and Bimarsha although were censored protested the move by leaving the editorial page blank and publishing the front page in grey. What we today popularly talk as the Mission Journalism (the role of journalists in returning democracy to Nepal in 1990 was greatly appreciated and called that Mission Journalism while trying to separate it from professional journalism) is set to make a return. The journalists at era of 1960-1990 bravely published newspapers despite being imprisoned and punished several times. Continue reading…

The media are slowly opening up and today’s newspapers confirmed it.

The leader of Nepal’s biggest political party GP Koirala has appealed for the protest, non-violent and peaceful, from Feb 18. And he has also admitted the mistake of political parties including his for the situation. That thing could be good for the future of the country.

I asked a leader of Nepali Congress’ sister-organization about reaction to the appeal and he told me that they had met today in secret place and decided to start peaceful protest from Feb 18 as appealed. They also agreed not to easily let security personnel capture them as used to be in recent past and continue staging protests at various levels. The student union is also talking to other seven student organizations for unity in the protest.

So for now, it looks like Feb 18, the democracy day, is going to be a big day but what form it will take is hard to tell. Continue reading…

Question of Survival
In between last few days, I was unable to write anything. A few important things happened during the time:

Since, February 3 night, the army stationed at the newspapers offices and FM stations have been removed. FMs have been banned to run news based program whereas newspapers are warned not to publish anything against. However, the scenario is a little changing – there are news about problems created by lack of telecommunication and news about Pokhara shooting with quotes from Deepak Gurung, the spokesperson of the Royal Nepalese Army.

• Samay weekly gets published on Sunday – two days late because of heavy Army censoring, according to my friends in the newsmagazine. Despite that, the magazine is critical and is most-sought after for its balanced coverage on the issue.
• Telephones are now available for longer times, for me whole day both incoming and outgoing for some others only incoming. But not ISD and no Internet.
• Most sadly, the newspapers have thinned and are now talking about lay-off requirement to survive the period unknown. We are already talking about looking for new job. The question of surviving the direct rule of the press has been most pressing question and didn’t look good for the journalists. However, we all are as our newspapers are following ‘wait and see’ strategy for two months more. The news staff at FM Stations are already feeling the heat.

Foreign media went Pokhara to report hostel shooting incident and found out that at least two have been hit on thigh and undergoing treatment while 66 arrested were beaten badly and thrown to trenches for around 14 hours without water and food. However, they reported no casualty.

Special note on this entry:Radio Free Nepal was a blog that ran during ex-King Gyanendra’s direct rule of Nepal defying the tight censorship and was instrumental in getting out information out of Nepal. The blog was at freenepal.blogspot.com which has now been closed.

The banner reads: King Gyandendra of Nepal has issued a ban on independent news broadcasts and has threatened to punish newspapers for reports that run counter to the official monarchist line. Given that any person in Nepal publishing reports critical of “the spirit of the royal proclamation” is subject to punishment and/or imprisonment, contributors to this blog will publish their reports from Nepal anonymously.

Many people I met on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning were slightly in support of the King’s move saying that there was no alternative in such a deteriorating situation. But the three-day information isolation has changed many of their thoughts and now they have started doubting the King’s said intention. They are probably questioning themselves why the King needs to cut all the communication lines and close down the information channels if his motives are of good omen.

The Kathmandu Post began a new way to protest silently –writing editorial on a ‘very very light issue’ – ‘Appreciating Good Weather’ on sunny day. Kantipur is also following somehow same – has wrote editorials on protecting archaeological sites and development of archery game.

All the Indian news channels have been banned since yesterday and the BBC Nepali Service is cut off thus our only news sources are gossips and BBC/CNN which gives quite less priority of our news as many things of the their interest are happening (like Sudan genocide debate, Oil-for-Food program corruption report, Israel and Palestine and Dennis Rumsfeld saying he twice submitted his resignation). Continue reading…

The worst news of the day is yet to be fully confirmed. The BBC Radio reported that the security personnel entered the hostel of the Prithivi Narayan Multiple Campus in Pokhara on Tuesday night after the students initiated a protest rally and sounds of shooting were heard. Although the BBC said it was not clear what types of bullets were used, it said that more than 250 were injured and arrested.

Later, I heard a report that at least 15 have been shot dead. And, all the newspapers and FM stations outside the Valley have been forced to close down. It appears that the King wants no media at all.

More information isolation followed today as all the Indian news channels plus Nepal 1 TV was taken out of all the cables. And I heard that foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey today called all the foreign reporters and threatened them not to report negatively on Nepal’s issues which he called illegal. (the dieing bulb glows more). Continue reading…

I am writing this after watching news bulletin on the BBC World TV channel (there is no CNN). The BBC reporter at Kathmandu, Charles Haviland talked with the news anchor on a satellite phone and said that the ‘10 member government has been formed and most of them are the King’s allies.’ He also added that there has been reports of Maoists release by Prachanda who termed the move as ‘mediaeval feudalism’ and said the Maoists are ready to work with the ‘pro-people forces’.

The BBC news added that the King has been widely criticized for the move in home and abroad and ran a scroller saying that ‘US says deeply troubled by move’. Well, in fact yesterday, Indian foreign minister Natwar Singh talked on the matter with PM Manmohan Singh for an hour and later issued a release saying that India is deeply concerned with the move and demanded the well being of leaders under house arrest.

Yesterday night, after writing a portion of this, I watched a special program ‘Again Monarchy (Phir Rajtantra)’ in Aaj Tak channel which talked about everything – from how Gyanendra became the King to the aristocratic behaviours of Paras; from the Maoists problem with people’s suspect that the King was involved in the Royal Massacre.

This morning a through look at all the newspaper I got hold of confirmed that there is censorship in all but the largest publishing house, Kantipur Publications, was the one most feared. Continue reading…