Peace First, Then Democracy, Democracy First, Then Social Justice

The king is saying, peace first, then democracy. The Bahuns are saying, democracy first, then social justice. Both are fundamentally wrong.

If you work towards social justice, democracy is automatic, for social justice is enlightened democracy. If you work towards democracy, peace is automatic, for democracy is enlightened peace.

The Maoists also curiously fall in the peace first camp. Or they would be willing to look into my proposed constitution. My proposal allows them to shift their fundamental ideology from "power flows through the barrel of a gun" to "power flows through the ballot box."

• Reorganized UN, Proposed Constitution, Methods

The king and the Bahuns are in the way! And the Maoists are not helping any.

I urge all three camps to look into my proposal and participate in a public dialogue around it. Will you accept it as it is? Do you dismiss it outright? Would you like to change parts of it? What parts and why? The document is not set in stone. It can be changed.

June 4

• Nepal’s army rapped for recruiting children The Tribune, India ..... while nearly 30 per cent of Maoist soldiers were said to be children, the government was also allegedly recruiting them "for various purposes"...... "A generation of Nepalese children was already affected by the conflict; they represented the future of Nepal." ...... forcible use of minors as porters, combatants and human shields, and indiscriminate planting of mines that killed children
• Former Nepal PM arrives in Delhi NDTV.com, India ..... he is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders...... also likely to meet UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh .....he has been suffering from some minor health problems
• Lawyer rally broken up in Nepal BBC News, UK stopped lawyers protesting against the king's seizure of power from marching on his palace..... three lawyers received minor injuries when police baton-charged ...... Up to 1,500 lawyers marched demanding the restoration of civil liberties ..... Lawyers say rule by decree has replaced the rule of law .... BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says the legal system in Nepal does retain independence - since February the Supreme Court has challenged many of the royal authority's actions...... many lawyers have been dismayed by the chief justice's open and firm support for the royal takeover.
• 'Police beat lawyers with batons after protest in Nepal' Hindu ..... lawyers marched through the center of Katmandu, violating a government ban on protests in the area.
  
• Lawyers beaten after protest Hindustan Times
• Nepal's lawyers snub chief justice:- Webindia123, India In an unprecedented move, Nepal's lawyers delivered a stunning snub to the country's top judge who had voiced support for the royal coup, leaving him out of a conference attended by over 600 judges...... Nepal's independent judges say the chief judge has jeopardised the independence of the judiciary..... Infuriated by the snub, the chief judge "took revenge" by asking all Supreme Court judges to stay away from the NBA meet
• ICRC Suspends Visit To Detention Centers INSN ...... after the Royal Nepali Army (RNA) allegedly failed to comply fully with the terms of an agreement with the ICRC regarding what are called ‘worldwide working modalities.’ These are carefully worded conditions, set down by the Swiss-based organisation, that virtually abstain from making any direct statement against state authorities or other parties to any conflict. The current difficulties centre on the detention of Nepal’s Maoist insurgents....... Under its standard working conditions, the ICRC is allowed to inspect all the premises of a building where a prisoner is kept, meet every detainee, register their names and speak with them in private. The ICRC will offer detainees the opportunity to exchange messages with their families. It is also allowed to make repeated visits to the same centre to check if detainees have been put under any pressure following visits by ICRC team members........ improving the situation of the detainees and ensuring that they are protected from disappearance, abuse, torture or psychological anxiety........ does not question the right of the authorities to detain someone but underlines that, whilst in custody, they must be treated humanely and according to the spirit and the letter of the Geneva Conventions ...... families of detainees who depend on the ICRC to receive updated information about their relatives in army custody....... the army has responded positively to the decision, reportedly setting up a working group with the ICRC to discuss violations of the Geneva Conventions inside military detention places and to build a sound basis for a better working relationship in the future........
  

June 3

• Join ANTA For The Empowerment Of Terains Everywhere Peace Journalism Association of Nepalese Teraian in America (ANTA) is one such associations established in March 2005 with the noble mission to promote the advancement of the Teraian's identity, awareness of language and cultural heritage, and facilitate close ties, cooperation and networking among Nepali Teraians in North America...... I was very disappointed and dumbfounded to see barely five or six Teraians in the whole crowd of 1,000-1,200 people! ...... even in some Nepali get-together/conventions we have to frequently answer to: "…are you really from Nepal?" Thus, the issue of Identity Crisis became the second biggest motivation for ANTA.
  
• Parties hold mock House in Nepal Times of India, India
• UN raps Nepal for child soldiers and spies Reuters AlertNet, UK
• In many ways, Nepal was not a country fit for children Samudaya.org
• Mock parliament meets in Nepal BBC News, UK
• Nepal Telecom employees announce protests Kantipur Online, Nepal
• Nepal Parliamentarians Hold Special Session of the House on the ... United We Blog, Nepal chaired by non other than the deputy speaker of the HR Chitralekha Yadav...... Democracy is not something that is provided by someone’s grace or gesture. It also can’t be more or little.....
  
• Nepal, a politically failed state, is heading toward economic ... United We Blog, Nepal