Democracy For Nepal: Blogger Receives Death Threat, Bloggers Form Union

Friday, January 27, 2006

Blogger Receives Death Threat, Bloggers Form Union

Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 10:51:38 +0545
From: "Salokya"
To: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: THREAT TO MURDER
Any idea is this genuine ? what should i do ?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: salokya@gmail.com salokya@gmail.com

Author : Surya Gurung (IP: 209.23.172.62 ,
cp-apx-mpls1-209-23-172-62.cpinternet.com)
E-mail : hookncrook007@hotmail.com
URI :
Whois : http://ws.arin.net/cgi-bin/whois.pl?queryinput=209.23.172.62
Comment:
Aye Maobadi Bahun Yo Website Banda Gar Natra Vane Tero Yo Sanibar Vitra Hatya Hunechha. Yo Kura Satya Ho Ta Ko Ho, Ta Ke Garchhas, Kaha Janchas, Hamiley Heri Raha Ko Chhau. Ma Jaso Rastrabadi Lai Yo Website Thagi Khane Vada Ra Halla Phijaune Madhyam Ho Vanne Sojhai Lag Chha

Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:17:20 +0545
From: "blogger nepal"
To: salokya@gmail.com, info@hknepal.com, chij_stha@yahoo.com, ratnapark@gmail.com, ujjwal@ujjwal.com.np, sayapatri@gmail.com, dinesh.wagle@gmail.com, paudel1@hotmail.com, laliguras.blogsome@gmail.com, "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Proposal for Bloggers Association
Dear all,

Please have an attachment if you are unable to read following:

नेपाली भाषामा ब्लगिङ गरिरहेका साथीहरुलाई एकीकृत गर्न र ब्लगरहरुको हकहितको पक्षमा आवाज उठाउन एक संगठित संस्थाको आवश्यकता महसूस गरिएकोले तपाईँहरुमाझ ऐक्यवध्दताका लागि हामीले यो ईमेल पठाइरहेका छौं । आशा छ, तपाईँले यो प्रस्ताव सहर्ष स्वीकार गर्नुहुनेछ।

प्रस्तावित संस्थाको नाम (उचित नाम प्रस्ताव गर्नुहोला)
नेपाली ब्लगर्स एसोसिएसन (NBA)
एसोसिएसन अफ नेपाली ब्लगर्स (ABN)
ब्लगर्स एसोसिएसन अफ नेपाल (BLOGAN)

प्रस्तावित नेतृत्व संरचना
संयोजक-१
सदस्य- सबै
हरेक ६ महिनामा संयोजकको नेतृत्व परिवर्तन हुनेछ (तपाईँ राजी हुनुहुन्छ/हुनुहुन्न)

फेब्रुअरी १ तारिखमा यो संस्थाको अ‍ौपचारिक घोषणा गरिनेछ। त्यसैले सो मिति अगावै आफ्ना सल्लाह, सुझाव, सहमति-विमति निम्न ठेगानामा पठाउनु होला।

blogger.nepal@gmail.com
salokya@gmail.com

Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:15:04 +0000
From: "Mary Joyce"
To: paramendra@yahoo.com
Subject: blogger threatened in Nepal
CC: "Curt Hopkins"

Dear Paramendra.

Greetings. My name is Mary Joyce and I am a volunteer with the Committee to Protect Bloggers , an organization dedicated to protecting the freedom of _expression of bloggers around the world. I read on your blog that a Nepalese blogger has been threatened and also that a Nepalese bloggers association has been created. I would like to contact these people on behalf of the CPB. I believe the e-mail of the threatened blogger is salokya@gmail.com and the contact person for the Nepalese blogger association is blogger.nepal@gmail.com. Is this correct? Could I have their names as well (unless they blog anonymously, of course)?

Many Thanks,
Mary

Mary Joyce
The Committee to Protect Bloggers
http://committeetoprotectbloggers.civiblog.org/blog

Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:47:32 +0000
From: "Mary Joyce"
To: salokya@gmail.com
Subject: Committee to Protect Bloggers Inquiry: Umesh Shrestha
CC: paramendra@yahoo.com, "Curt Hopkins"

Dear Umesh,

Greetings, my name is Mary Joyce and I am a volunteer with the Committee to Protect Bloggers , an organization dedicated to protecting the freedom of _expression of bloggers around the world. I am writing to inquiry into your security situation. Please inform me if you have in any way been threatened or censored for your blogging activities. Also, please respond to this e-mail even if you are in no danger, to confirm that we have successfully contacted you. We are also interested in information you have about other bloggers whose freedom of _expression is endangered,

Many Thanks,
Mary

Mary Joyce
The Committee to Protest Bloggers
http://committeetoprotectbloggers.civiblog.org/blog

Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:51:38 +0000
From: "Mary Joyce"
To: blogger.nepal@gmail.com
Subject: Committee to Protect Bloggers Inquiry: Nepalese blogger's association
CC: "Curt Hopkins" , paramendra@yahoo.com

Dear Krishna,

My name is Mary Joyce and I am a volunteer with the Committee to Protect Bloggers , an organization dedicated to protecting the freedom of _expression of bloggers around the world. I heard that you had created a network of Nepalese bloggers. This is great! I hope that one of the jobs of this network will be to collect information about threats or censorship aimed at Nepalese bloggers. If you do find any such cases, please e-mail me about them and I will inform the CPB.

Very Best,
Mary

Mary Joyce
The Committee to Protect Bloggers
http://committeetoprotectbloggers.civiblog.org/blog

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 15:00:04 +0000
From: "Mary Joyce"
To: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Re: blogger threatened in Nepal
CC: "Curt Hopkins"

Dear Paramendra,

I wrote e-mails to Umesh and Krishna. Umesh told me about another threatened Nepali blogger, KP Dhungana. Do you have this bloggers e-mail address and name? If this blogger doesn't speak English, would you be willing to write to the blogger and enquire about his/her personal safety situation?

I also, as I mentioned, e-mailed Krishna. However, his respose to my e-mail was very short. I am concerned that because I wrote in English, my message was not clear to him. Because you are a well-respected bilingual activist in the Nepalese blogger community, would you be willing to act as a liaison between the Nepalese bloggers and the CPB? This would involve informing us when Nepalese bloggers are threatened. How does this sound to you?

Very Best,
Mary

Mary Joyce
The Committee to Protect Bloggers
http://committeetoprotectbloggers.civiblog.org/blog

On 1/30/06, Paramendra Kumar Bhagat wrote:

Hi Mary.

Thanks for the email. The Committee extended solidarity when the same blogger was actually beat up not long back.

Umesh Shrestha. (Mero Sansar)
Krishna Prasad Dhungana (Blogger Nepal)

They will be delighted to get in touch with you.

The best we can do for them is visibility. So please help. This "death threat" is more like an email harassment, but I personally take it dead seriously, given the current conditions in Nepal (largest number of disappearances in the world), especially when Umesh has actually been beat out in an open street.

Let's give these bloggers all assistance we can.

Look at it this way. Nepal is one of the top hot spots on the planet right now, some will say number one. And Umesh' video blog has been the only window for the Nepali diaspora and the world into the street demonstrations in Kathmandu. The work he is doing is powerful. Another reason to take the threat seriously.

I have urged Umesh to take all possible caution. I have said safety comes first, it is okay for him to let the work suffer. Or to plain stop. He should use his best judgment. My first reaction to the death threat was to write to him and ask him to go "underground."

So thanks again, and the two pioneers will be delighted to hear from you. They are literally blogging a revolution.

Paramendra Bhagat
Brooklyn, NY

Date: Tue, 31 Jan 2006 08:41:32 -0800 (PST)
From: "Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: Re: blogger threatened in Nepal
To: "Mary Joyce"
CC: "Curt Hopkins" , "KP Dhungana" , "Umesh Shrestha"

Mary, this sounds great. I am at your and their service.

By the way, KP and Krishna are the same person. And Umesh and KP are close friends. So they are all in the loop.

It is true KP and his family have been threatened by the state army.

It has been my experience giving them maximum global exposure is often times the best we can do for them. It really helps. Gives them some kind of a protective cover from a regime that is undemocratic but tries to project an image of democracy.

Visitors

26 January