Media Coverage

English: Durga, Kathmandu, Nepal Español: Durga, Kathmandu, Nepal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are the Thakres in Mumbai, and the Owaisi brothers in Hyderabad, and (in media) the Dixit brothers in Kathmandu. Kanak Dixit cemented his reputation with the Himal magazine a long time ago, and they have branched out since. I have thought of Kanak as a distant comrade on the democracy issue back in 2006, in the more recent years I have thought of him as an opponent on the federalism issue.

Let me make it clear, I have never had issue with any trending topic on Twitter, and #GoHomeIndianMedia was no exception. Free expression is a beautiful thing. I can disagree and celebrate at the same time.

But I have been curious. I have had the disadvantage of not seeing the TV coverage that brought about that Twitter storm. For the most part. I have seen a few minutes here and there on Facebook. But I have yet to come across something I might find offensive.

TV coverage is what brings in the help and the aid. TV coverage gone, most of the incoming help also comes down to a trickle, as it predictably did.

Of course the media is going to report on the extremes and the dramatic. That is how they work everywhere. The Dixit brothers are in the print medium. Maybe they should jump into the online video segment as well. That will help them appreciate.

In fact the first foreign correspondents to parachute in the next morning were surprised on the drive into the city that they didn’t spot a single ruined building. Had they flown into the wrong hotspot by mistake? ....... there is a formula for news and it’s hard to file a story that doesn’t fit it........ Which is why from Haiti to Haiyan, from Nargis to Nepal, it is, quite literally, the same old story. ...... The international media arrives in herds and hunts in packs. Everything has to conform to a preordained script: you parachute in and immediately find good visuals of ‘utter devastation’; recruit an English-speaking local who doesn’t need subtitling; trail the rescue teams with sniffer dogs you flew in with as they pull someone out alive, after 12 hours (the rescuers need their logos on TV as much as you need them in the picture). ....... Then it’s back to the hotel bar to swap stories of derring-do, before calling the desk to plan tomorrow’s story of slow government response, and the day after tomorrow’s account of yet another survivor pulled out alive. After that, get a ride in a rescue helicopter for the out-of-town visual of utter devastation in a remote mountain village.

Why is this surprising? Is this Dixit trying to pull a Go Home Western Media?

To my knowledge no foreign correspondent went around shooting streets in which all the buildings were still standing. They didn’t have time to look at farmers harvesting potatoes by the roadside as they rushed to pan across more historic ruins. ...... No-one found it extraordinary or newsworthy that the phones were working, that they could tweet even from the hinterland, or that Kathmandu got back electricity in three days. Such bits of information didn’t fit the script. ...... Because competing TV channels are in the same helicopter, there is a temptation to over-dramatise, embellish and overstate. And countries like Nepal better have their disasters on a slow news day in North America - otherwise they might not make the bulletins.

And now the money quote.

But in Kathmandu this month it was the arrival of Indian TV journalists that exposed the worst shortcomings of the international media. It was as if the reporters were selected for their archetypal crudeness and rudeness, and ability to be insensitive to survivors. Nepali villagers who had just lost relatives were treated like hard-of-hearing hillbillies who should have been thankful to be on camera. ..... the most biting criticism came from India’s own public sphere, with many criticising the country’s TV coverage of the Kashmir floods last year as equally crass and overbearing.

This always happens, no?

Although many correspondents tried to get more minutes on air, the media had moved on to the UK elections, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. The challenge now is to keep the spotlight on Nepal when another disaster strikes. Not another earthquake, but when the monsoon rains in July-August trigger landslides on mountains destabilised by the tremors.

Do that on social media. Become your own media.

Summary: I am surprised Kunda Dixit is surprised the global media was interested in fallen temples and houses and not those intact and standing. That is how TV works. Of all people, he should know.

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Mathura Shrestha: Liar

Preeti Koirala And Mainstream Pahadi Prejudice
Paudel Bahun Is Lying
Dhruba Adhikary: Your Typical Pahadi Liar
Pahadi Bias Colors Global Media

MATHURA SHRESTHA

“Within two minutes, over a dozen MMM cadres were killed. Then, the MPRF-hired professional killers chased the MMM cadres. Some of the MMM cadres, not acquainted with Gaur, entered the nearby houses for safety. They were dragged out and killed.”

INTERVIEW WITH DR MATHURA SHRESTHA

Dr Mathura Shrestha, a prominent human rights activist, visited Gaur a day after the carnage, in which 29 persons died. Dr Shrestha served as Health Minister in the post-1990 interim government. He attended a meeting of the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) in Delhi and met also Chief of Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha, Jaya Krishan Goit a couple of times. Dr Shrestha out-rightly rejects Prachanda's view of outlawing MPRF. He suggests that addressing the Madhesi people’s problems and implementing the decisions taken by the SPA plus Maoists thus far will help restore peace and democracy in the country. Dr Shrestha shares his opinions and recounts eyewitnesses' account on the Gaur carnage with Puran P Bista and Ghanashyam Ojha of The Kathmandu Post. Excerpts:

Q: How do you recount the gory incident of Gaur after your recent visit?

Dr Mathura Shrestha: Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) had made an announcement through mikes five days ago for holding a public meeting in Gaur at 11 am on last Wednesday. The Madhesi Mukti Morcha (MMM) set up the stage for the carnage after it, too, decided to hold the public meeting on the same ground at the same time on the same day. The locals feared something. As a result, president Deo Padayar Gupta of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Rautahat branch, invited the MPRF and MMM cadres to attend a meeting on Wednesday morning at around 8:00 am.

But none of them attended the meeting. At around 10 am, rallies of both the parties began. Some of the participants of the rallies had come from the adjoining VDCs. Both parties’ rallies met near the district court. The participants of the rallies waved, clapped their hands and welcomed each other's rally, showing an understanding on the holding of Wednesday's public meeting. The locals took this incident as a good gesture that MPRF would hold its meeting first, and then MMM would do so, on the same ground but at different times. Then, the Maoist rally passed through Gaur, while MPRF's rally converted into a public meeting at the Rice Mill ground.

The ground is near the district court. First, the MPRF cadres dismantled the MMM’s stage built for the public meeting. A few MMM cadres present there were beaten up. These MMM cadres left the ground to inform their leaders about the incident. Chairing MPRF's meeting was Ram Prasad Biswas. No sooner did Biswas took his chair as the chief guest, than the MMM cadres entered the field and began to disrupt MPRF's meeting. Then, from the southern and western sides, some people fired shots at the MMM cadres. Later, some MPRF cadres fired at the MMM cadres from the stage. According to eyewitnesses, the MPRF cadres used socket bombs and small firearms, besides sharp weapons and cleft bamboo sticks. I think MPRF had hired notorious higher killers.

Q: How can you claim so when you were not present there?

Dr Shrestha: Within two minutes, over a dozen MMM cadres were killed (on the spot). Then, the MPRF-hired professional killers chased the MMM cadres. Some of the MMM cadres, not acquainted with Gaur, entered the nearby houses for safety. They were dragged out and killed. Some of the MMM cadres were chased as far as eight kilometers and killed. Some of the dead bodies were buried in a water canal.

I was told by eyewitnesses that eight of the killers were local Nepalis and 25 others were Indians. The three locals are Balru, Hafij Mukhiya and Binda Hasin Sahani. The eyewitnesses recounted that “the police force could do nothing”. But local police contradicted this statement saying that “they blank-fired to stop the killings”. Some local people even claimed that Upendra Yadav was staying at the house next to Dr Tayab and the superintendent of police escorted him up to Barganiya near the Nepal-India border.

What was heinous was that five of the women were raped in public. Two people caught their legs and other MPRF cadres raped them in public. Later their breasts were chopped off and burnt to deface their identity. Gagan Singh, Bhusan Singh, Baban and Guddu Jha were involved in raping and chopping-off-activities. Two local Muslim girls were taken away and their whereabouts are still unknown.

Q: Are these rapists local or Indian criminals?

Dr Shrestha: They should be local people because the local residents knew them well and everyone could pronounce their names clearly. Twelve of the MMM cadres were killed at Hajmonia, some 12 kilometers away from Gaur. They included three women and nine men.

Q: According to your assessment, what was the police force doing at that time? Dr Shrestha: Police could do nothing when government offices were set on fire by the MPRF cadres some weeks ago. The police force has been unable to wipe the sign boards written Madesh Sarkar in government offices. What can you expect from them? Secondly, you must understand that King Gynendra conducted municipality polls. All the political parties boycotted the polls except Kamal Thapa's. And you must have learnt that the highest turn out in the country was at Gaur - almost 72 percent of the voters cast their votes in Gaur municipality polls. And Kamal Thapa's candidate got 92 percent of the votes polled. Now you can think of the situation there. Recently, all the government offices have been set on fire. By whom? A girl of late 20s raised a question. She asked me, “Dr Sahab, is political change meant for criminals or the people?” I was shocked to hear such a question from a girl who I think was forced to leave her studies. Then, I asked a few more questions. Her response was: “there is none who supports MPRF at Gaur and I do not know other places. But whatever MPRF wants, it happens here. We can do nothing in the presence of MPRF because of criminalization of politics, culture and religion”. Until the restoration of democracy 1990, there had been a mafia group operating in Gaur. This mafia used to smuggle hashish, gold and idols, and traffic women. But the restoration of democracy led to an emergence of another mafia group. This group killed the leader of the Panchayat mafia in Janakpur. The locals say that the democratic parties have given this mafia group a political protection. Whenever they are arrested, the parties ask the police force to release them. The NC, UML and other political cadres feed and pay them. During the early 1990s, there had been clashes between these two mafia groups. Today, they have joined their hands and the dacoits across the border have also been working in tandem with these two mafia groups. So, it looks that these groups have been very active in Gaur and its adjoining districts. The locals say that MPRF is a mere mask. These two mafia groups are active in the name of MPRF. Even human rights activists cannot release any report on these mafia leaders as they threaten to kill them.

Q: How could these mafias be hired by MPRF to the extent of butchering so many MMM cadres?

Dr Shrestha: MPRF hired professional killers. They paid them money. Eight of them were Nepali criminals and over 25 were Indian professional killers. I am talking about only those who fired gunshots. Today, the cost to hire the professional killer groups comes to 15 million rupees.

These killers are used during the elections in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states also. You do not have to campaign if you pay 15 million rupees to these professional killers. You win the elections. I was shocked to hear such stories from a girl who was forced to leave her studies by these local mafias. I was further told that a girl cannot get married to a man of her or her family's choice in Gaur. These mafias come and ask the girl to get married to their choice. If she refuses, she is threatened to be taken to a nearby mango tree and raped to be left a prostitute. Such incidents are common in Gaur. These mafias have been very active since King Gyanendra's regime conducted municipal elections. Now they are being used by MPRF.

These are the tips of the iceberg. In fact Gaur is ruled by criminals and the SPA government, until recently, considered them its allies. Apart from eight Nepalis and 25 Indian professional killers, some MPRF cadres hit with cleft bamboo sticks. Each MMM cadre killed and injured had deep cuts in their heads. You see a cleft bamboo stick is as sharp as khukuri. And you can't survive if you are hit with a cleft bamboo stick on your head. They used other sharp weapons too. All the hospitalized had head injuries. One MMM cadre, who left the hospital after a doctor advised her to leave, was later caught and hit by a cleft bamboo stick. Now that girl is on her death bed. I was shocked to learn that MPRF hired professional killers to kill unarmed MMM cadres.

Q: Whom do you blame for the carnage? Dr Shrestha: What I have been advocating for the past several months is that we should not have opposed MPRF-organized protest programs. The main reason that let the Maoists oppose the MPRF organized protest movement is that the SPA gave up its stance on addressing the Madhesi problems. First, the SPA gave up its stance on federalism in the interim constitution. Second, it gave up its stance on proportional representation. Third, it raised the issue of public opinion and later it gave it up. All this disappointed the Madhesis and other ethnic groups in the hill and mountain. Now we must realize that democracy did generate hope but doubts are undermining our hope for democracy. I see this is the emergence of people's resentment. It is there in Madhes, hill and mountain. The movement in Madhes was not started by MPRF but by Nepal Sadhbhawana Party (Anandi Devi). MPRF shot into the fame only. I agree there are politicians in MPRF. I met Upendra Yadav personally and informed him of SPA's stance on the demands. I advised him to give up the political demands since the SPA government was preparing to address his demands. Secondly, I told him to use peace as a weapon to raise the demands. His response was “we have been put behind bars, now all our cadres are out of our control”, adding that “it will be a peaceful movement.” He had assured me that he would even hold talks with the janjati groups, which he did not do so. Let us not talk of him now. He is not the right kind of politician. He was just a village level leader though he may claim himself a national leader. Second, the primary concern is that the second revolt (April uprising, even if you call it a people's movement) brought the eight parties into a single platform. If these leaders of eight parties continue with leg-pulling politics, then the Gaur carnage is the beginning. These leaders take decisions but fail to implement them. What is the reason behind the failure to implement or delay in implementing and blaming one another? This is not the way of playing politics. Q: But the SPA continues to insist on arms registration before the formation of eight-party government. Isn't it? Dr Shrestha: Arms registration is not a big deal, nor is it the problem. The Nepali Congress did raise arms against the establishment, not once but twice. If we add the incident of Okhaldhunga, it raised arms thrice. When the NC reached an agreement with the then government, it did not surrender all the weapons; so did the Marxists after the Jhapa killing. The Marxist and NC did not surrender all the weapons they had in their possession. So, history clearly tells us that registration of weapons is not the primary concern. The Maoists have agreed to join mainstream politics. Why can't the SPA be accommodative now? The Gaur carnage is an outcome of Maoist pride and the anarchy let loose in the country. There are several counter-Maoist groups unleashing anarchy. Unless the eight parties come together and build trust among themselves, the country will continue to reel under violence.

Posted on: 2007-03-26 10:37:38

Hamro Nepal, ANTA Press Releases On Gaur Incident

Hamro Nepal Press Release: Only A Political Outlet To The Madhesi Movement

ANONYM Audio 03/21/07
Invest 03/19/07
Audio Message 03/03/07

ANONYM: Association Of Nepali Organizations In New York Metro

Hamro Nepal, "world's first digital democracy organization," is deeply saddened by the recent incident in Gaur where a political clash has resulted in more than 25 deaths. This should never have happened, and this should not be allowed to repeat. A thorough investigation has to be conducted, and the guilty have to be brought to justice.

Hamro Nepal is sorry to note that the local police stayed away when they could have engaged in crowd control. This is reflective of the weak law and order situation the country faces as it tries to navigate its way to the constituent assembly. This can not be allowed to continue if we are to envision a free and fair election to the proposed constituent assembly. The worst case fallout from this could be a civil war, Sri Lanka style, and we have to openly talk about it if only to make sure we muster all the political strength, skill, magnanimity, and maturity that we can to prevent any such possibility. The Nepali people, Pahadi or Madhesi, deserve better than ethnic violence, let alone a civil war.

It was a political mistake on the part of the Maoists to try to organize a mass meeting at the same place and same time as that of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum. That was the third attempt on the part of the Maoists after Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj to disrupt a MPRF mass meeting. That shows a lack of respect for the basics of multi-party democracy among the Maoists. The Maoist leadership has to take note, and it needs to train its cadres so as to make sure cadres of all parties can engage in political activities in all villages and all towns across the country. Without that constituent assembly elections can not be imagined.

The Maoists must also transform themselves completely into a political party before elections can be imagined. Political parties do not engage in law enforcement work. Political parties do not run the traffic. All extortions, abductions, and threat of use of force have to come to a halt all across the country. Seized property has to be returned, although that is no argument against drastic land reform, which must be carried out by a duly elected government, if need be.

The interim parliament must also pass a law that makes it mandatory for all parties to make public their book keeping. If the Maoists are substantially richer than all the other parties put together, that also is going to distort the ground reality and free and fair elections can not be imagined.

The MPRF is a nonviolent political organization. And we urge the organization to continue to be so. We urge the MPRF leadership to train its local cadres to never give in to any temptation to random acts of violence, arson, and hooliganism in general. You hurt the cause when you engage in violence, however unplanned, however isolated.

There is some speculation Indian criminals hired by regressive elements might have been behind the methodical killings. A thorough investigation must get to the bottom of the truth.

The primary onus though rests on the political leadership of the eight parties.

The need of the hour in the country is to hold at the earliest free and fair elections to a constituent assembly that will "look" like Nepal as much as possible in terms of its ethnic and gender composition, and we have to get there without ditching the basic one person one vote mechanism that is democracy. All the knotty, difficult, challenging issues are to be solved inside that assembly through debate, dialogue and voting.

The eight parties have to accept the three basic demands of the Madhesi, Janajati, Dalit Movement so as to clear up the road for the journey to the constituent assembly elections.

1. Home Minister resign to take moral responsibility for the 38 deaths during the Madhesi Movement.
2. Form probe commission that will report on the 21 day long Madhesi Movement.
   
3. Hold proportional elections to the constituent assembly.
   

Hamro Nepal urges the Nepali diaspora to get behind these three basic demands so we can all then head on to holding free and fair elections to a constituent assembly. The Gaur tragedy should bring to focus the specific political action we can take so as to avoid taking the country down a downslide.

Paramendra Bhagat
President, Hamro Nepal

Om Gurung
Gaur: Prachanda's Reichstag Fire?
Gaur: The Madhesi Gongabu
PM, Defense, Finance: Congress, DPM, Home: UML, DPM: Maoist
Magar Event
Mainstreaming Maoist Tendencies In The Madhesh

In The News

Uneasy Calm in Gaur After Wednesday's Bloodbath Himalayan Times Over three hundred locals of Gaur left for bordering villages of India since Wednesday ...... The bazaars remained closed while only few rickshaws, motorcycles and bicycles were seen plying. The government offices and academic institutions also remained shut. The final examinations of the schools in the district have not been conducted since past three days. Vehicular movement on Chandranigahapur-Gaur road section has come to complete halt from past three days .... Altogether 28 persons were killed and over 40 injured in the clash that occurred in Gaur on Wednesday. The Maoists have taken all the bodies to the capital claiming that they were all Maoist cadres. ..... the bodies will be cremated at Pashupati Aryaghat after a rally ...... Meanwhile, an armed group looted cash and goods worth of over Rs 4 lakhs from the houses at Baleri of Bishrampur VDC that lies along the border of Gaur last night, the DPO said. The Gaur residents have become more terrified after the incident. A Local, Govinda Dhital sustained bullet injuries, during retaliation against the looters
Maoists protest in Kathmandu against Gaur killings Zee News, India
UNMIN, US Ask Govt Not to Spare Perpetrators of Gaur Killings Himalayan Times, Nepal

MPRF expresses sorrow over Gaur incident Kantipur the MPRF has urged the government to begin a fair investigation into the incident. The MPRF said that the government in co-ordination with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights should form a high level committee to probe into the incident and demanded that after a thorough investigation, action should be taken against the guilty ........... Rastriya Janashakti Party accused the eight parties of not paying proper attention to the problems of the Madhesis, Janjatis and other ethnic communities and added such an incident has taken place as a result of indifference. .... Maoist-aligned Madhesi Rastriya Mukti Morcha (MRMM), which was directly involved in the clash with the MPRF, condemned the incident and demanded stern against the forum.
Don't mistake our leniency for weakness, caution Maoist lawmakers
US condemns Gaur massacre
Gaur carnage exposed lack of effective policing: UNMIN exposed the lack of effective policing in many parts of the country
OHCHR saddened by Gaur killings
Maoists hold memorial service for Gaur clash victims
Interim Legislature to form six committees today
Fear rife in Rautahat; PLA troops continue to desert Chitwan camp Although two days have passed since the deadly shootout ..... activity in Gaur is minimal, with only a few shops staying open. ..... The locals, still terrified after the incident, remain reluctant to venture out of their houses. ...... Vehicular movement in the streets is almost nil while private schools are shut down in Gaur.
Defer polls through eight-party accord: Deuba given the absence of a fear-free environment to hold the polls at present. ..... the government to must also focus its attention on how to address the demand raised by the Madheshi community and others.
गौर सुनसान भयभीत र्सवर् साधारण घर बाहिर निस्कन डराएका थिए । .... माओवादी कार्यकर्ता अशोकले गृहमन्त्रीलगायतको टोलीसमक्ष भिडन्तका बेला प्रहरीले सहयोग नगरेको गुनासो गरेका थिए । आक्रमणबाट बच्न प्रहरीको शरणमा गएका बेला उल्टै प्रहरीले फोरमतर्फधकेलिदिएको आरोप उनले लगाए । ...... माओवादी आफैंले हेलिकोप्टर चार्टर गरी ती शव ल्याइएका हुन् । शव महाराजगन्जस्थित शिक्षण अस्तालमा राखिएका छन् । ...... मधेसी राष्ट्रिय मुक्ति मोर्चाका महासचिव प्रभु साहले २१ जनालाई फोरम कार्यकर्ताले समातेर हत्या गरेको र छतछतबाट समेत गोली हानेको दाबी गरेका छन् । उनले आफ्नो तर्फाट गोली नचलेको पनि दाबी गरे । मधेसी जनअधिकार फोरमका जिल्ला अध्यक्ष अमर यादवले आफ्ना केन्द्रीय नेताहरूलाई सभामै हत्या गर्ने माओवादी षड्यन्त्र रहेकाले प्रतिकार गरिएको दाबी गरे । ........ घटनाका बेला प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारी माधव ओझा प्रहरीस“ग समन्वयसमेत नगरी सेनाको ब्यारेकमा बसेका थिए । कफर््र्यु लगाउन प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारीको लिखित आदेश प्राप्त गर्न नसकी प्रहरी आफैंले निर्ण्र्ाागरी माइकिङ गर्न हि“डेको थियो । ..... फोरमकै आन्दोलनका क्रममा केही अघि तोडफोड र आगजनी भएको आफ्नो कार्यालय स्थापना नगरी प्रजिअ ओझाले निवासबाट कामकाज गर्दै आएका छन् ।
ँफोरममाथि प्रतिबन्ध लगाउनर्ुपर्छ’
घाइतेहरूको टाउकोमा गम्भीर चोट
माओवादीका थारु नेता अपहरित
रौतहटमा मृत्यु भएकाहरू संजोग -दांग), प्रभा तामाङ -मकवानपुर), संजु, अर्जुन-गोर्खा), रामविश्वास यादव -रौतहट) लफ्फा -मकवानपुर), राजनपोखरेल-मकवानपुर), गोविन्द अधिकारी-मकवानपुर), उषा थापा -बारा), सरस्वती उपे्रती -रौतहट), प्रतिमा परियार -रौतहट) छोटेलाल साह -रौतहट), नागेश्वर उपाध्याय -रौतहट), रामाकान्त चौधरी -रौतहट), चुन्नु -रौतहट) प्रवीण अन्सारी -रौतहट), प्रतिमा खातुन -रौतहट), देवेन्द्र अधिकारी -रौतहट) ..... शवको प्रकृति हर्ेदा अधिकांशलाई नियन्त्रणमा लिएर अमानवीय तवरले हत्या गरिएको पाइएको छ । हत्या गरिएका मध्ये तीन महिलालाई जलाएर मारिएको जिल्ला प्रहरी कार्यालयले जनाएको छ । मारिएकामध्ये पन्ध्रको शव करिब पा“च किलो मिटर टाढा प्रहरीले भेटेको थियो । मारिनेको संख्या बढ्नसक्ने माओवादीले जनाएको छ । ....... ढुंगानाले भने- 'मधेसमा केही महिनाअघि भएका दर्जनौं हत्याका घटनापछि हिजोको रौतहटमा भएको दर्ुइ दर्जनभन्दा बढीको हत्याले मुलुकभरका जनतालाई भयभित तथा त्रसित बनाएको छ ।'

Maoists dismiss govt’s probe committee; memorial service organised for Gaur victims NepalNews Bhattarai said and warned that the Maoists “will be compelled to punish the perpetrators of Gaur massacre if the government fails to bring them to justice”. He also claimed that royal reactionaries and foreign elements were behind the Gaur killings.
Seal the border, says Mahara; Maoists stop House session Charging that the elements from across the border were used to carry out the Gaur carnage ..... "Seal the border. Form joint investigation team of eight parties. Declare all those killed as martyrs"
EU asks Maoists to walk the talk; wants to see interim govt formed soon
Cabinet forms panel to probe Gaur bloodshed
US Embassy condemns Gaur violence; urges law and order
Army chief briefs PM over security situation
Rights activists reveal shocking details of Gaur attack
Debate on federalism kicks off
Maoists' Tharu leader abducted

After bloodbath, looters spread terror in Terai India eNews.com, India Even before mourning for the 28 people killed in clashes in Nepal's Terai plains died down, fresh gunfire and terror erupted in the same afflicted district once again early Friday, injuring at least one. ....the bandits looted at least 16 houses at gunpoint ..... The government's inability to bring to book the Maoists responsible for the first killings in the plains in Lahan town in January has fuelled the unrest and jeopardised the upcoming elections, Koirala said. ...... though a considerable number of law enforcement personnel were present in the area Wednesday, only a small number were deployed to the scene of the incidents.

Prachanda a nouveau dictator Nepal... Telegraphnepal.com, Nepal the Maoists are trying to disrupt the peaceful protest programs organized by the Forum and also have a plan to kill their leaders. ... “We are ready to solve the problems through dialogue”, Sita Nandan Rai- an ex-UML leader ..... valley incharge Upendra Kumar Jha said that the Maoists equipped with modern weaponries were the first to fire at a peaceful program organized by the Forum in Gaur. .... Prachanda is no more than a dictator so his outburst against us is understandable. ..... the Maoists cadres exploding bombs and firing bullets had arrived in the venue disrupting the MJF program that was planned a week before.
Nepal King s Coronation set... Telegraphnepal.com, Nepal King Gyanendra appears to be in a mood to organize “coronation ceremony” for himself. ..... The dates for the coronation ceremony to take place have tentatively been set around by the Pundits and astrologers for the second week of the first month of the next Nepali year-Baisakh 14- which corresponds to April 27, 2007

Rights activists reveal shocking details of Gaur attack NepalNews murderers raped five women and cut off their breasts before killing them. Over one dozen persons were chased five to eight kilometers before they were killed. .... organised criminal gang must have been involved in the attack. "Looking at the grisly manner of killing, one cannot imagine that any political organisation can engage in such act ..... those who were killed have been found to have sustained grave wounds in their heads. Bamboo sticks and spears have been used repeatedly to smash their heads ..... Dr. Mathura Prasad Shrestha, Dr. Arjun Karki, Dr. Gauri Shankar Lal Das, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Daman Nath Dhungana, Subodh Pyakurel, Gauri Pradhan, Bishnu Pukar Shrestha and Bimal Chandra Sharma
Maoists' Tharu leader abducted Laxman Tharu aka Roshan who had last week rebelled from the Maoist party and vowed to float a separate front to carry forward causes of Tharu community and who had dramatically announced return to the Maoist fold a few days ago, has been abducted ...... a group calling itself TM Don Group has claimed the responsibility for his abduction ..... demanded Rs 1 million ransom within five days to release him. .... Maoist leaders have suspected hand of reactionary conspirators in his abduction
Government to take action against guilty of Gaur incident: Sitaula locals of Rautahat were confined to their houses even after the local administration lifted curfew from 3 pm .... All shops and educational institutions in the area remained shut.
SC forms committee to study model of court in federal structure
Nepalnews page views cross 100 million Nepalnews' unique page views hit the 100 million mark on Monday (March 19), starting from 20th November 2000. This figure does not include the hits between August 1998, when the news portal was actually launched, and 19th of November 2000. .... in the days to come with emphasis on video and audio

Gaur massacre has shocked world: Martin Himalayan Times “A credible election would require not only the management of arms and armies, and the right laws and technical preparations: It requires a climate in which all political parties can campaign freely in all places, and all voters can vote free of any intimidation or fear of reprisal” ..... “The Young Communist League must be a peaceful political organisation and must not engage in purported law enforcement.”
A royalist plot, says Prachanda Prachanda also rapped the local administration for being a “mute spectator” even though the massacre took place for hours within the secured district headquarters. He claimed that the MJF used sophisticated wea-pons
Leaders Demand Sitaula's Resignation Over Gaur Incident the incident would not have happened if the administration had taken necessary precaution, when it was obvious that there would be conflict between the Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum and the Maoists, because both of them were planning to organise mass meetings in the same venue on the same time. ...... CPN-UML leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari ..... Nepali Congress (NC) leader Arjun Narsingh KC held both the government and the Maoists responsible for the Rautahat incident. Saying that the Maoists are still involved in undemocratic activities ........ UML leader Raghu Bir Mahaset termed the Rautahat incident as a result of the government "weakness". ..... C P Mainali of the United Left Front said the episode was well-planned and it indicated of a "dangerous game plan."

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In The News

Nepal: Abdication talks and the provocative CD Global Voices Online, MA
Nepal parties discuss interim government Hindu, India
Indian aid to Nepal rises to 3.5 billion Nepalnews.com, Nepal
Nepal: King's envoy carries message to Hindu meeting in India Religioscope, Switzerland
NEPAL:Prachanda's comments have put US citizens at risk, says Moriarty PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
Ethnic unrest affects fuel supply in Nepal Hindu, India
Nepal: the Terai problem Equilibri.net (Abbonamento), Italy
Japan provides aid to Nepal Television Nepalnews.com, Nepal
UN in Nepal Concerned At Reports That Maoists Retain Arms PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
'We didn't stop NA vehicles' Gorkhapatra

Global Media Ignoring Madhesi Movement In Nepal NewsBlaze, CA
MPRF cadres vanadalise NC Parsa office, attack district chairman Kantipur Online, Nepal
When words are weapons Nepali Times, Nepal
Nepali Madhesi community ends strike PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal
NEPAL: Madhesi group calls off strikes to allow aid in Reuters AlertNet, UK
FNJ concerned over threats to journalists Nepalnews.com, Nepal
Madhesi Forum calls off strike Gorkhapatra, Nepal
Madhesi groups withdraw indefinite strike in Nepal Zee News, India
A paradigm shift in Nepali self-perception Nepali Times, Nepal So far the tarai movement representing madhesi aspirations has claimed the lives of 38 people and more lives seem to be at stake. The tarai issue can make or break the country not only because the region is home to more than half the population and resources of Nepal, but because this is an uprising of people who have shared a common history with other Nepalis without ever being truly an integral part of the nation. The movement therefore reflects a changing perspective in the political discourse of Nepal, destroying old perceptions and creating new ones. .... Despite viewing madhesis with suspicion and prejudice due to their geographical and cultural proximity to India, political leaders and the people at large have now acknowledged that these grievances are genuine. ....... Second, the tarai movement has given a new direction to the state building process in Nepal. The upsurge suggests that the April Movement, more than merely restoring democracy, is a continuing political feature of present-day politics in Nepal and the beginning of state-building. Debates such as this one were untouchable for fears they would disrupt ‘national integrity’. ..... the tarai movement has struck a strong blow to the Maoists ..... Insinuations about reactionary forces or a foreign hand being behind the tarai backlash do not hold water. The movement was almost wholly spontaneous. The recent shifts in the Maoists’ policy statements (aggressive demands, such as that for a republic) and tactics (the use of violence to reinforce their edicts) appear to be a consequence of their loss of control over the tarai and perhaps even the Nepali electorate at large. Clearly, if the Maoists have so much public appeal, a significant chunk of the population residing in the tarai would not have revolted against the interim constitution, a statute whole-heartedly endorsed by the Maoists. ......In the tarai movement we can see the emergence of a new identity for Nepal and its institutions, its people, their ethos, and even the very individual.

Dhruba Adhikary: Your Typical Pahadi Liar

Dhruba Adhikary in Asia Times: Nepal Rioting Threatens Political Transition
Part 1, Part 2

The disturbances that mountainous Nepal is currently facing in the southern plains, called Terai, threaten to blossom into a separatist movement as in Sri Lanka. ........ spread like a wildfire. ...... Spontaneous demonstrations across several Terai towns ...... took an ugly turn when mobs began to attack the lives, homes and properties of people with hill origins. ...... In some district centers, government offices were burned, others stormed and ransacked. In some cases, mobs with spears, knives and sticks attacked police stations unprovoked, killing police officers trying to defend themselves. ...... On Wednesday, demonstrators in the eastern district of Morang took a sword to the head of a police officer and threw him into a nearby pond with his limbs tied. Demonstrators were among a dozen people who have lost their lives. ...... Initial restlessness among the Madheshis was visible in the western town of Nepalgunj. ...... a perception that Madheshi natives have always been under-represented in Parliament ...... Terai is not the only perceived victim of discrimination; there are several dozen ethnic groups in the hill districts, some of whom live in the remotest parts of the country. The claim that the Terai region is under-represented in Parliament in not exactly correct, either. An analytical report published by the Kathmandu Post disproves the Madheshi claim. And, since most of Nepal's road networks and industrial activities are based in the Terai, it is unrealistic to say that the region is neglected from the national perspective. ........ Members of the Madheshi community, including the members of the interim legislature representing various political parties, contend that agitation in Terai is spontaneous and an expression of pent-up anger against exploitation and discrimination, and is not directed to Terai people with hill origins (often alluded to as Pahaades). ....... This contention is not credible to the authorities, nor to most of the leaders whose political parties are constituents of the governing alliance headed by Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala. In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday to deal with the "Madheshi grievance", Koirala minced no words about who the suspects could be: "After analyzing the recent incidents, I want to caution you all that regressive forces are attempting to take advantage of the situation." ........ The Maoist supremo, Pushpa Kamal Dahal (aka Prachanda), and his deputy Barubarm Bhattarai have publicly shared the government perception of a conspiracy, adding that Hindu fundamentalists from India are also active behind the scenes. ....... "They are carrying many truckloads of people from Bihar, India, to foment violence in the Terai," Bhattarai said in a recent radio interview. ...... According to Prachanda, two of the militant Madheshi groups that have surfaced in recent months are headed by people who were earlier expelled from the Maoist party. And the leader of a "forum" of the Madheshi community was once detained in India for being a member of the Nepali Maoist movement. ...... While Indian authorities, said Prachanda in a televised debate last week, handed over two of three detainees to the Nepali army, the third one, Upendra Yadav, was set free without any condition. He was allowed to stay in India for the next six months, and now he is the person who heads the "forum" for Madheshi rights. The Maoist leadership once again claimed in a press conference on Thursday that the Indian establishment is conniving, if not overtly cooperating, with the groups carrying out violent deeds in the southern plains. ........ Indian Ambassador Shiv Shankar Mukherjee has described as "rumors" the media reports that India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party was involved in the Terai mayhem. ........ people who welcomed India's support of the pro-democracy movement last year do not believe that the ruling class in New Delhi is unaware of what is happening in Terai. India is the only country that has a consulate in Nepal outside of the capital city, Kathmandu. Birgunj, where the Indian diplomatic mission is located, has been in the midst of what a local journalist described as a "highly inflammable" situation since last week. "A lot of vested interests are active," Chandrakishore Jha, editor of a local newsmagazine, told Asia Times Online. He did not elaborate. ......... Back in Kathmandu, there is a strong perception that New Delhi has instigated a directionless, and often leaderless, violent movement ....... Analyst Madan Regmi, writing in the People's Review weekly, used strong words to criticize the UN for glossing over the reality and becoming servile to New Delhi. ....... What is New Delhi up to? Since Nepali rulers have always shied away from entering any agreement to place Nepal under the Indian security umbrella, often citing their need to balance relations with China, New Delhi might have devised an alternative scheme to achieve its objective. One such alternative could be to fan a secessionist movement in Terai........ Professor Mahendra Lama of Jawarharlal Nehru University does not find reason to disagree with such a view even if it sounds alarming. In an interaction program held in Kathmandu on December 26, Lama alluded to a small but strong minority view in New Delhi that advocates the following: "If Nepal has to be managed effectively, it should be allowed to disintegrate." ......... In a book titled The Call of Nepal, a former British embassy defense attache in Laos, J P Cross, recalls his conversation with an Indian embassy diplomat in mid-1970s (around the time India "liberated" Bangladesh and annexed Sikkim) when he told the author, "sincerely if a little drunkenly, that by the year 2000 Nepal would be part of India for all intent and purposes. He proceeded to tell me the weak points about all levels of Nepalese administration that India would rectify." ....... events in 1980s and thereafter did not encourage the Indian leadership to embark on a mission that would put the Indian military face to face with the Chinese in an additional area covering nearly 1,500 kilometers. Third, the global scenario that emerged after September 11, 2001, required India to explore other alternatives, including the one referred to by Professor Lama.

This is such shameless hogwash on the part of Dhruba Adhikary.

For me it started with a New York Times article that got forwarded to me by Dr. Binod Shah. I could not believe what I was reading. This was the New York Times. Tilak Pokharel is someone I have met in person a few times in NYC. The guy was feeding lies out of his teeth to Somini Sen Gupta, a journalist of sound reputation and some renown, and she was lapping it up so gullibly.

Pahadi Bias Colors Global Media

I immediately jumped into action. I was not able to find Somini Sen Gupta's email address anywhere so I wrote to my friend Sree Srinivasan, the dynamo behind SAJA, South Asian Journalists Association. He relayed my complaint to Gupta.

Then I got an email from Rashmi Shukla of Voice Of America Hindi Service. She wanted to interview me, she said. Earlier today she called me up.

Yubaraj Ghimire had told her what is happening right now in Nepal is the doing of the Maoists, and it affects "only" 20 or so districts, and that it is "not true" that the Indians and Indian origin people are being driven out of the country.

It felt surreal being at my end of the phone. I was flabbergasted. Ghimire was lying out of his teeth.

And then I opened up an email from Jai Mehtaji who is in Toronto. Do you read Asia Times online? He drew my attention to Dhruba Adhikary. Someone needs to write a rebuttal to this guy, he said.

I googled up the newspaper and the name. I mean I have been aware of the paper, but I have not been a regular reader.

And Dhruba Adhikary's article reads outright Goebbelian, Stalinist. This is not journalism. This is propaganda hack work.

Dhruba Adhikary, Yubaraj Ghimire and Tilak Pokharel are some of the top names in Nepali journalism. The media houses they have been speaking through are some of the top global names. That is what makes this whole thing scary. This is too mainstream. This should be happening on the fringes, if at all.

In November I went to the Academy Awards of Business event in NYC. (Carly Fiorina: "The Academy Awards Of Business") At my dinner table I found myself sitting next to a big shot journalist who asked me if I knew who Yubaraj Ghimire was, considering I was from Nepal. I said I did not know him personally, but I know of him, and I do know people who know him very well. This guy is huge.

And he is lying out of his teeth. Why? Is it deliberate? Or is the Pahadi prejudice so strong that maybe he does not feel he is lying? What is going on?

Just look at this article by Dhruba Adhikary. This guy is nuts. He is giving every bad name he can find in the dictionary to the Madhesi Movement in Nepal. This movement has to be compared to the civil rights movement in the US in the 1960s. This is like the Quit India movement. As a Madhesi I have been waiting for this all my life, and finally it is happening.

There is a big reason why this movement has been so spontaneous. Every Madhesi in Nepal has experienced what Nelson Mandela calls "a thousand little indignities." The Madhesis just know.

The Pahadi-Madhesi dynamic is the fundamental dynamic in Nepal. King Mahendra was Saddam, he is gone. His son Gyanendra is about to be gone. The political class in power right now are like the Sunnis of Saddam. 20% of the country wants to rule over 80%. That is not going to happen. That is what this is all about.

The Pahadis dominate the political parties, they dominate the bureaucracy, they dominate the police, the army. They dominate the media, they dominate the NGOs. The ratio is 95:5 against the Madhesi for the most part.

Madhesis are 40% of Nepal. 30% are Janajati. 10% are Dalit. 20% are Bahun, Chhetri. But then there has never been a fair cesus in Nepal. Noone knows for sure what is what.

Pokharel, Ghimire, Adhikary: they are all Bahun names. The Bahuns know that if you establish a one person one vote democracy in Nepal, the Madhesis will rule. The Madhesis have the numbers. And that drives them nuts. They want democracy, but that democracy has to be limited, distorted, prejudiced. The cards have to be stacked against the Madhesis. The Madhesis may have the crumbs, but they may not sit at the dinner table. That is what this movement is about.

They have blamed the royalists and India and the Hindu supremacists. They can't believe it that it can be the Madhesi. They grew up thinking the Madhesi are cowards. Cowards don't revolt. Cowards don't organize civil rights movements. It has got to be India, it has got to be the BJP, the RSS, the VHP. It has to be the king and his men working behind the scenes.

I hear Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani are offended, and for good reason.

The Madhesi Movement goes against their fundamental worldview, it goes against all their social values. It goes against all they learned growing up.

And they are offended.

What gets me is how the big global media houses are being taken for a ride. This is a big story that is not being told. This is a huge story that is being fundamentally distorted in this day and age of instant communication.

I urge all the big media houses to get firsthand information.

Call the Leaders Of The Madhesi Movement. Go Direct. Skip the biased Pahadis. Find out for yourself. Dig up the truth. In plainspeak, do your work.

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The Accurately Named Krishna Pahadi
Nonviolent Madhesi Movement For Equality Or Violent Ethnic Riot
Sukhdev Shah: Terai’s Fate—Looking Within!
Action Plan: 5 + 5
Hamro Nepal Press Release: Only A Political Outlet To The Madhesi Movement

Pahadi Bias Colors Global Media

Harvard Law School: Global Voices Online: Nepal: Madhesh Is Burning

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Nepal Needs To Be Hitting The World Headlines: Write To The Media
Op-Ed Piece Sent To The New York Times

• This is not an ethnic riot. This a Madhesi Movement that has to be compared to the civil rights movement in the US in the 1960s. It has to be compared to Nepal's own April Revolution. This is chapter two.
  
• One police officer did get killed. And that should not have happened. But the police have killed at least 13 Madhesis so far. They have injured hundreds of Madhesis. They have gone inside hospitals to beat up the injured Madhesis.
  
• The Pahadi political leaders have been talking of mobilizing the army against the Madhesi.
  
• The Madhesis are not descendants of Indian migrants. Madhesis are the indigenous people in the Madhesh. The history of the Madhesh goes back thousands of years. Janakpur, which is going to be the capital of the Madhesh state, was the capital of King Janak of the ancient times.
  
• They do not make as much as 30% of Nepal. They make up somewhere between 40 and 50%.
  
• It is not thousands who have been denied citizenship papers. The number is more like six million. Practically half of all Madhesis have been denied citizenship papers.
  
• The reason is not because they could not prove Nepali nationality. The reason is Pahadi bias that sees Madhesi as not Nepali but Indian. This denial has been a structural violence on Madhesi aspirations going back decades.
  
• Koirala's talk of dialogue is as misleading as King Gyanendra's was during the April Revolution. (Gyane In April: 3 Speeches, Girija In Magh: How Many?) Koirala has to fulfill the basic demands of the Madhesi Movement, and that is the only option. Or the movement will continue.
  

I denounce Pahadi journalists like Tilak Pokharel who mislead the world through their access to the global media houses. And I denounce the global media houses for not making the effort in this day and age of easy communication to try to get down to the bottom of facts.

Tilak Pokharel's prejudices that have fed this New York Times article prove how deep seated the anti-Madhesi prejudices are among the Pahadis of Nepal.

You are looking at 13 million Madhesis in Nepal who have waged a nonviolent struggle for equality in the land that has been inhabited by them for centuries, millenia.

My Role In The April Revolution: The Butterfly Effect
The Virus Of The April Revolution
The Matrix, Vision, Spread Democracy, Revolution

Butchers, Stop The Killing, You Will Get Tried
Action Plan: 5 + 5
Gyane In April: 3 Speeches, Girija In Magh: How Many?
Girija Koirala: Address To The Nation: Madhesi Movement Partial Victory
The Movement Will Not Stop, It Will Go To Step 2
Dragonfly Without A Wing Loses Hearing Capacity
Hamro Nepal Press Release: Only A Political Outlet To The Madhesi Movement
Madhesi Movement Invites The Dalit, The Janajati, The Mahila
Gagan Thapa On The Terai
ANTA Press Release: Stop The State Terror
Stop The Shooting, Give The Speech
Why Are The Pahadis Quiet?
Girija, Give A Speech Like Gyane Did In April

Ethnic Unrest in Southern Plains Undermines Peace Pact in Nepal
SOMINI SENGUPTA, New York Times
Published: February 1, 2007

NEW DELHI, Jan. 31 — A fragile peace was fraying in Nepal on Wednesday, as ethnic violence went on unabated on its southern plains, a police officer was hacked to death and the prime minister was prompted to call for an end to the bloodletting.

The United Nations chief envoy to Nepal has already warned that the trouble in the plains, the Terai region along the Indian border, endangered the possibility of landmark elections this summer.

The violence broke out two weeks ago when the majority people of the Terai, the Madhesis, complained about the way the voting districts had been drawn for the elections. Madhesis have long been aggrieved by the domination of Nepal’s politics by ethnic communities from the hills.

The Madhesis, descendants of migrants from India several generations ago, make up as much as 30 percent of Nepal’s population. Until late last year, thousands were denied citizenship rights because they could not prove Nepali nationality.

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in a televised address on Wednesday evening that he would push for Nepal to have a federal system of government, one of the Madhesis’ chief demands.

“Given my age and my health, it could very well be my last message,” said Mr. Koirala, who is 84. “I make an appeal to all to stop all strikes and agitations that have been launched in some parts of the country, and resolve the crisis through dialogue, and maintain peace and harmony in the country.”

Ten people have been killed in the last two weeks in protests over the redistricting. Several towns in the Terai have been under curfew. Blockades called by some Madhesi groups have brought several southern towns to a standstill. The police arrested three former ministers of the royalist government on Tuesday, including the onetime home minister, Kamal Thapa, accusing them of inciting violence.

By putting the planned elections in jeopardy, the troubles threaten to unravel a delicate peace deal intended to end more than a decade of Maoist conflict that has claimed an estimated 13,000 lives. Under the accord, signed in November, the Maoists joined the government and agreed to sequester their weapons under United Nations supervision.

Elections are to be held in June to choose an assembly to draft a new constitution. The outcome could decide whether Nepal’s monarchy will survive. The Maoists have made its abolition the centerpiece of their platform.

No dates have been set for the polls, which would be the first in Nepal in eight years. Ian Martin, the United Nations secretary general’s representative in Nepal, said Friday that the election schedule “can only be jeopardized if the situation in the Terai continues or escalates.”

Tilak Pokharel contributed reporting from Katmandu.

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In The News

PM's statement hasn't addressed Madhesi people's demands: NSP-A Kantipur Online, Nepal
PM’s address not enough to fulfill Madhesi demands: Prachanda Nepalnews.com, Nepal
The Interim Constitution; the Madhesi Turmoil Kantipur Online, Nepal
Madhesi Activists Continue Demonstrations Himalayan Times, Nepal