http://samudaya.org/articles/index.html
http://insn.org/

Letter from HURON VP I got in my email...

I am Bhupal Lamichhaney, Vice President of Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON), an organization based in Kathmandu that has worked for nearly two decades to assist the Nepalese people in their long struggle to establish and sustain freedom, democracy, and human rights at all levels of society.



As a Nepali citizen and a human rights defender, I am very much ashamed and shaken by the actions of our king. On 4 October 2002, he sacked the democratically elected government and appointed his own. On 1 February 2005, he sacked his appointed government and moved to totalitarian rule. Always the king gives lip service to the people as being in support of democracy and human rights, but he has finally exposed himself as one who does not support his own words. This has been the case since he succeeded to the throne after his brother?s brutal murder in the Place massacre of June 2001.



Nepal has been one of the top Human Rights abusing countries in the world since the Maoist insurgency began 10 years ago. The mass of innocent people, especially in rural areas, have suffered unspeakable rights abuse and atrocities in the wake of Maoist insurgency to take over the country. When the government, in the name of quelling the insurgency, finally mobilized the army, the affliction upon the mass of innocent people increased. Now these same innocent people, who do not have either military or political connection, are now suffering abuses from both sides of the warring factions. Atrocities like rape, kidnapping, murder, and ?disappearances? have become regular experiences for them. These people live in so much fear and intimidation they do not rep! ort their sufferings to Human Rights Associations working on their behalf. Many people are displaced, forced to flee to neighboring cities. The vast area of agricultural land once lush has become barren because of non-attendance by farmers.



After his speech on 1 February, the King chose the path of capturing the state power by sacking the Prime Minister, imposing marshal law, and declaring the state of emergency. He has placed multi-party leaders in jail, cut off communication of Nepal to and from the outside world, and cut off basic human rights. People are forced to live in darkness regarding the situation, only hearing and watching state controlled Radio Nepal and Nepal TV. Nepal has be! en converted into a gulag. How people are living is unknown.



I am trying to communicate with various people in America and abroad about Nepal's present political situation. The situation is so grave that Human Rights Organizations in Nepal, formerly threatened and persecuted by both sides of the armed conflict to document and report the vast number of disappearances and displacements, now find it impossible. There is such fear that the present situation will provide impunity as all kinds of freedoms are now banned.



Because of the political development, the number of displaced Nepalese people have increased so much that the bordering towns of India are now crowded with these innocent people as well as multi party activists and Human Rights defenders. Human Rights defenders and political activists are not secure because of the threat of life coming from both sides of the conflict, the Maoist Guerrillas as well as the Royal Nepalese Army led by the King. Both forces are against democracy. Although this situation is very much criticized by many Nations, I feel that something substantial has to be done from the International Community so that the King must hear the loud and clear voices of the majority of democ! racy loving Nepalese people, who have yet to be represented by the international community. If the political environment further deteriorates, the geopolitical situation of Nepal can easily become a safe heaven to International Terrorists. This will definitely be threatening to freedom loving democracies of the world, especially India, Britain, and America.



As a Human Rights defender, I have been very much involved in the on going peace process between the Government and the Maoist. I believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in Nepal as neither side wants to sustain democracy. Therefore, the democracy and peace loving innocent people of Nepal need to be rescued from this difficult situation. If rescue fails, freedom lost in Nepal will have negative impa! ct on the free world. Let us join hands in defending Liberty in this tiny Himalayan Kingdom.



I feel grateful for people like you, who have empathy for the Nepalese people. You lend solidarity to our faint voices. May you bring the needed attention of the present Nepalese situation to the political leadership of your countries in this most dire time of our nation's history.



At present, I am visiting the US and in close conntact with Breath of Peace International, a Washington state human rights service and training organization based in Vancouver. Your thoughts and concerns are welcome.



With Best Regards,



Bhupal Lamichhaney

http://www.hrw.org/

Mr Bhupal,
I am ready to give up my freedom of speech and assembly at this hour in the hope of getting peach in near future. I am delighted the work our armed forces are doing in keeping law and order. Don't you think Nepalese people deserve better than what they have given in the past 15 + years ?

Report on Nepal from International Crisis Group

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3260

http://www.freepressnepal.net/

February 11: Media update

Friday papers Nepali Times, Bimarsha and Nepali Parta
published as usual but the Nepali Times came with
three 'while holes' one in the letters section, one in
the op-ed page where C.K.Lal used to appear and one in
the Under My Hat column. Military officials have been
reading the paper before publication, and the 'holes'
represent text and pictures that the editors were
forced to purge.

Bimarsha carried an interview with Law, Justice and
Parliamentary Affairs minister Dan Bahadur Shahi,
speaking of the usual issues that government ministers
have been talking about. The paper tried to remain in
the middle and reported that the Wednesday cabinet
meeting has given R.K. Mainali education minister the
task of building bridges with the parliamentary
parties?the leaders of the main ones remained in house
arrest on Friday morning. The paper said the king also
asked the ministers to talk less and talk about the
same issues (or not differently). Its editorial argued
the need to open up the press, saying that the media
sector had not been able to be fully supportive of His
Majesty's wishes because of the gap between the State
and the media. The paper also had some very general
comments of some leaders that had been released from
house arrest on Thursday.

Nepali Patra had a headline saying 'let this not be an
opportunity for those who were unable to amass wealth
for the past 15 years' clearly warning that the
present state of affairs could give the ministers and
government officials a free-for-all opportunity. It
also had another news item asking why the new
ministers had not made their assets public. Its
editorial argued on the need for winning the
confidence of the press, which it said could be done
through a new policy on the media sector.

The dailies appearing on Friday reported about the
Indian, US concerns about the arrest/ detention of
political leaders and also reported the story about
the jailbreak by Maoists in Dhangadi. They also
reported the arrest of about a dozen human rights
activists, from the Human Rights and Peace Society,
who had attempted to protest the takeover by the king.
They also reported the closures of newspapers in Dang
and Dharan by the local administration. The government
has apparently decided to relax control on day-to-day
news flows and focus on controlling the more
analytical and pro-party vernacular newspapers, which
have continued to report visits by army censors.
Among the dailies, Rajdhani had a story about the
visit by NHRC to places where the detained political
activists were being held?it said those belonging to
the NC were being held at Kakani and those aligned
with the left parties in Bhaktapur. It also said that
the NHRC had not been allowed access to the residences
of the top leaders being detained at their homes.

Following lines in Under My Hat section of Nepali Times did not pass through military's censor.

Leaders Irked by Continued Freedom
Political leaders and activists who have not been taken into custody have complained that they are still free to roam around the streets.

?It?s been a week and they have still not put me under preventive detention,? complained a Nepali Congress leader on condition of anonymity, ?This is discrimination, what do I have to do, burn some more tyres??

A multi-partisan group calling itself the All-Nepal Federation of Unjustly Undetained Politicians threatened to launch a decisive nationwide stir if their demand to be arrested without further ado is not implemented with immediate effect by the concerned higher-up authority.

The statement said: ?If they don?t put us under house arrest, then we?ll go into cardiac arrest.?


Why is above section contrary to King G's proclamation of Feb 1????

Here is a link to a talk programme on N.P.R.(National Public Radio) regarding Nepal.

Guests are;

John Norris:
Special Advisor to the President, the International Crisis Group

Chitra Tiwari:
former professor, Nepal's Tribhuvan University, freelance writer with "Washington Times"

http://www.wamu.org/programs/kn/05/02/07.php

Comments are welcomed....

Urge Nepalese Officials to Reveal Whereabouts of Human Rights Defender Krishna Pahadi

- http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=11529

I smell rat, when indian newspaper reported that Sajata Koirala trekked to India from Nepal that took her four days.. I don't believe it. She was whisked to India... there must be a deal between King G and Girija on this one. King G asked for 100 days... that's all we can give him to show the results.... But I still doubt it. King G is idiot for sure. He cannot do whatever he wants to (if he has brain) coz he is totally responible for the Royal Massacre and with such involvement with the blessing of India, King G will always be blackmailed by India.

The pace of the King's govt. is damn slow. NOthing new is happening.. they say that they will form commission soon to punsih the corrupt leaders/people. But the commission is not yet formed. why so slow. It's bullshits. Which is also evident how they allowed Sujata to flee to India. Then People like Govinda Raj Joshi released in Pokhara free.

C'mon, every nepali knows what should be the prime job of King at this time. Girija under housearrest is not a arrest.. it's HOUSE REST. They are supposed to hold up Sujata who has reached to their amaased cash from we nepalese with all those corruption. But they allowed her to flee. Why was she never been detained immediately after the Feb 1 takeover.

Tell you the truth. Girija will never do any good to Nepal. They think India is their home, not Nepal. What to expect from King? He can always buy island somewhere in pacific ocean abd live luxuriousely. But he forgot the Tsunami factor. Go to those islands.. Tsunami will eat him up.