Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Malaria, Polio, Monarchy


> Dear all,
>
> Police and Armed Police Force have fired indiscriminately at the
> protestors at Gangabu. Hundreds of people are injured. According to
> unconfirmed reports over a dozen people have lost life. Most of these
> people are poor and cannot afford treatment. I request all of you to
> contribute some money for their treatment. Please, please help the poor
> who are sacrificing their lives for democracy and freedom for all of us.
>
> Expecting to hear from all of you, soon.


Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:19:54 +0100
From:"Rajesh B. Shrestha"
To:paramendra@yahoo.com
Subject: Solidarity to protestors
Hello Paramendra,

I read your blog every once in a while. How can we show our solidarity to the peaceful demonstrators and send a strong condemnation to both the King and Maoists for resorting to violence?

Are you collecting the funds for the Gongabu victims?

Cheers,
rajesh
London, UK


Hello Rajesh. I am one of many individuals and groups collecting funds. But I would urge you to collect funds locally, and wait just a little before we figure out a way to send money directly from London to Kathmandu. I am pushing to do it through the Nepal Medical Association or some organization with a similar stature. That way we will have an efficient model where there will be this one bank account numerous diaspora groups will be sending money to directly, in a decentralized fashion. Small groups of 10 and 20 Nepalis across the world can raise and send money directly. Kudos. Keep up the spirit. They need us now more than ever before. On to a Democratic Republic.


Donate Money Through Samudaya: Donate.

Immunization Lack Means Return Of Eradicated Diseases
Rickets: The Come Back Kid of Eradicated Diseases
Diphtheria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Candidate Viral Diseases for Elimination or Eradication
The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Eradicated diseases ...
Visual Culture - Infectious Disease - Eradication
Topics in Infectious Diseases Newsletter May 2003: Disease Eradication
The History of Smallpox
The Principles of Disease Elimination and Eradication
WHO | Polio eradication in Nigeria - frequently asked questions
[PDF] Before it was eradicated in 1980, smallpox infections affected as ...
Eradication of a Disease: Keys to Success
UN says polio eradicated in Egypt, Niger - Infectious Diseases ...
Guinea Worm Eradication Program Gets $25 Million Challenge Grant ...
Eradication by 2009: A Q&A With Carter Center Guinea Worm Experts
Wiley::The Eradication of Infectious Diseases
Eradicating Diseases in Cattle

यो राजा होइन, पशु हो

राजतन्त्र भनेको मलेिरया, पोिलयो जस्तो हो। कुनै देशमा चाँडै हट्यो, कतै बढी टाइम लाग्यो। नेपालबाट राजतन्त्र फाल्ने बेला आइसक्यो। बेला यही हो। देश संिवधान सभामा त जान्छ जान्छ, तर त्यो भन्दा पिहले देश गणतन्त्र भइसकेको हुन्छ।

Kamal Thapa, Stay Out Of People's Homes

Killing people has not been enough for him. Now he had ordered the police into all homes in Kathmandu. We are not talking about human beings here. These are animals. This guy needs to go to jail for life.

Declare Revolutionary Parliament, Save Lives

Interim Constitution, Revolutionary Parliament

The seven party alliance leaders, especially the Nepali Congress, is trying my patience. Dialogue, what dialogue? You don't talk to animals. If these people were concerned about people's sentiment, they would have come for a constituent assembly. Small or large crowd, does not matter.

It is not okay to let people get beat up by the police, killed. This has to stop. This is where political leadership comes in.

The seven party alliance has got to coalesce around the common slogan of a Democratic Republic. The country will still go through a constituent assembly, but it will do so as a republic. This king is a madman. Can't do business with him.

Hamro Nepal: Draft Constitution
Alliance Is Mad At You
Mike Veer: Has Nepal's Orange Revolution Begun?
The King Set To Declare Date For Elections
Protests
Nepali Mandir
ये तो क्रान्ित है
Mero Sansar Video Clips 5
Happy New Year 2063
Interim Constitution, Revolutionary Parliament
Shoot At Sight Order: Dead End For The King
Protests
Constituent Assembly: 300 Seats Of Roughly Equal Population
Crime, Organized Crime, Terrorism, State Terrorism
The Police, The Army Need To Stop Following Illegitimate Orders
April 8: New Year
BBC Calls
NYC Rally Photos: Arnico Panday
April 9
April Revolution: Document Every Atrocity
Protests
The Fascists In Kathmandu
Final Act: Disobey The Curfew
Himal Survey
April 6,7,8,9, April 16,17,18,19, April 26,27,28,29
Even If The Worst Fears About The Maoists Are True
Write To Bush, Condi Before Possible Clampdown
Leahy Amendment Says No Arms To Nepal
यो सडक ितम्र्ो हो
Kamal Thapa Is A Nazi

In The News

Foreign Office warns against travel to Nepal Telegraph.co.uk
Unrest In Nepal Voice of America
Nepal pro-democracy protestors injured, arrested in fifth day of ... JURIST
Thousands march in Nepal protests despite curfew, government ... JURIST
Troops fire on Nepal protesters Aljazeera.net, Qatar protests and clashes, including in places where shoot-on-sight curfews were in force, showed that more ordinary people were coming out openly against him.... sources close to the palace said the king was unlikely to relent
Update 9: Activist: Police Fire on Nepal Protesters Forbes
Clash shakes Kathmandu as Nepal again tries to stop pro-democracy ... Canada.com A small clinic near the scene of the Kathmandu clash treated about 130 injured protesters, said Keshar Karki, a clinic employee........ The Kathmandu violence came in a neighbourhood on the city's edge, when protesters marched toward a line of police from an area not covered by the strict curfew rules. When the protesters didn't retreat, the police first beat the demonstrators with batons and then opened fire on them, said Poshraj Adhikari of the rights group INSEC-Nepal........ Brian Cobb, an American doctor who set up a small clinic to treat those injured in the protests, said police had stormed his makeshift operation and attacked his patients..... "The police charged in and knocked people onto the ground and starting beating them," said Cobb........ The government said the clashes were being investigated, but insisted security forces were fired on....... The government also announced it would launch a search of houses across Kathmandu in search of terrorists who they say have infiltrated the pro-democracy protests.
Nepal riots continue, scores injured Bangkok Post
Protesters in Nepal fired on International Herald Tribune, France
Update 8: Activist: Police Fire on Nepal Protesters Forbes
Activist: Police Fire on Nepal Protesters ABC News
Back off! Brajesh Mishra tells Nepal King CNN-IBN, India
Crack in King’s govt as fresh violence erupts Indian Express
Anti-monarchy strike continues in Nepal NDTV.com
KING’S CROSS Calcutta Telegraph King Gyanendra may still be the reigning monarch of Nepal, but he clearly has little political or moral authority. The army and the police may yet succeed in winning back for him an administrative post or a town that protestors overrun and seize for some time. But that does nothing to regain for him his lost authority. On the other hand, even a fleeting victory adds to the moral strength of the uprising. This is the real significance of the siege of Chitwan, where hundreds of students took control of the district administration for a few hours before being driven out by the king’s army....... The movement is fast acquiring a strident anti-monarchy character. ........ the main responsibility for the crisis in Nepal lies with the king. He first usurped all powers of an elected government and then went on to rob the people of their basic freedoms. He has ignored all appeals, domestic and foreign, to restore democracy. His refusal to resume the peace talks with the Maoists is compounded by his inability to tackle the revolt. The international community must do much more in order to save Nepal from its failed monarchy.
Dozens injured in clash in capital of Nepal Xinhua, China
Nepal parties defy curfew orders, 15 activists arrested Hindu
Nepali seven-party leaders vow to continue agitation Xinhua
Nepali gov't imposes 13-hour curfew in capital People's Daily Online
Curfew clamped in Nepal, agitation continues
Sify, India
Curfew clamped in Nepal, stir continues Daily News & Analysis
Agitation continuing in Nepal despite curfew Islamic Republic News Agency
Protestors continue to defy curfew in Nepal Outlook (subscription)
Nepal beyond the monarchy
Hindu, India
Nepal: Left Calls for End to Repression, Talks Political Affairs Magazine, NY
OHCHR-Nepal deplores excessive use of force, arbitrary detention Kantipur Online, Nepal
Popular protests ignite Nepal Christian Science Monitor, MA A nationwide civil uprising gripped Nepal for the fifth consecutive day Monday as civilians from all walks of life brazenly defied a government curfew imposed in Kathmandu and half a dozen districts outside the capital. This is the first time a curfew has been widely defied here in 16 years......... The strike quickly gained a life of its own, with party leaders not seen at the forefront of the demonstrations........ demonstrations now are coming from the grass roots with spontaneous participation from women, children, and the elderly. Ordinary citizens - fed up with a decade-old insurgency that has crippled life, and a king who has curbed civil liberties - clashed with security personnel during curfew hours, decrying repression, demanding that the king be exiled, and declaring their localities republics.......... every locality in Kathmandu Valley, and every district in the country are in spontaneous revolt........ "Even the parties had not expected this degree of spontaneous participation... The massive participation from the people is more due to disillusionment with the royal regime than due to love for the parties. People have no expectations [of] the royal regime anymore." ....... Groups of protesters have swelled into thousands with ordinary citizens, students, teachers, professionals, doctors, and even civil servants joining in. Employees at government-run banks have locked bank vaults and joined the democratic movement........ to put an end to violence and misrule ....... It is true that the parties made mistakes during their 12 years of rule from 1990. But the king has outdone them in just over a year.... We want the king out of the country.......... Even the parties cannot stop us now ......... Individuals like Koirala have taken it upon themselves to barricade roads, burn tires, and chase away police in most localities in Kathmandu. Streets in the capital are littered with bricks, rocks, charred tires, and torched vehicles. The number of protesters coming onto the streets rises as curfews begin. In places like Gongabu and Kalanki in Kathmandu, thousands of demonstrators who have been defying daytime curfew since it was imposed Saturday, have asked Army personnel to shoot at them, saying they are ready for martyrdom.......... The killing of four protesters, one each in the towns of Pokhara, Banepa, Chitwan, and Janakpur, by Army bullets and batons, has inflamed tensions. ........ the government denied curfew passes to independent media .....
Nepal under dictator’s rule, forces searching all homes for ... International Reporter, India Nepal's government admitted on Tuesday that it ordered security forces to conduct a comprehensive search of all homes in the capital where they have doubt of alleging rebels have infiltrated....... he resort town of Pokhara, while the king has been vacationing .......The last mass democracy movement in 1990 only gained steam after dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators were shot by police, prompting a surge of anti-royal sentiment.........
Former parliamentarian shot dead in US NepalNews Former parliamentarian Prakash Koirala was shot dead by unidentified assailants at convenient store in Texas of United States (US), on Monday. According to reports, the assailants shot Koirala and burnt the store where he had been working for the last few years. His body was almost completely burnt. Koirala was elected as a member of House of Representatives in the 1991 general elections representing Nepali Congress from Sindhuli. Koirala was residing in the US for the last ten years and working at the store of a Pakistani national.

Demonstrations continue on Tuesday; two protestors shot in Pokhara NepalNews
Meaningful dialogue need of the hour: RJP chief Thapa
FNCCI expresses full commitment to democracy
Open dialogue with the opposition parties: Gill
Former parliamentarian shot dead in US
Day-time curfew continues on Tuesday; curfew hours reduced
Direct palace rule has failed in every regard: US
AI fears increase in violence in coming days
CoAS Thapa inspects Butwal, Taulihawa
NHRC concerned over excessive use of force
NT employees called strike over mobile phone disruption

Senior EU official warns of pushing UN to take action on Nepal Kantipur
OHCHR-Nepal deplores excessive use of force, arbitrary detention
Pro-democracy demonstrations continue, hundreds injured in police action; 9 tourists arrested
10 journalists arrested
King's failure to restore democracy has compounded problem: US
Restore democracy: Boucher
Army infiltrates rally
Civil servants join protests
Securitymen using excessive force: NHRC
Police beat Kantipur journos



Visitors

Measuring since …16 December 2005

Total number of page views up till now15999

Busiest day so far10 April 2006

Page views467

Page views today229

Page views yesterday467
11 April09:27British Telecommunications plc, United Kingdom
11 April09:28Cogeco Cable Solutions, Burlington, Canada
11 April09:38Duke University, Durham, United States

11 April09:45Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
11 April09:50US West, United States
11 April09:55Wanadoo France, Brest, France
11 April09:59Google Inc., Mountain View, United States

11 April10:03Columbia University, New York, United States
11 April10:11University of Missouri, Columbia, United States
11 April10:14PCCW IMS Netvigator, China
11 April10:15Cornell University, Ithaca, United States
11 April10:18Columbia University, New York, United States
11 April10:24Cornell Medical College, United States
11 April10:28Cornell Medical College, United States
11 April10:37Corporate Access (HK), China

11 April10:39Ernst & Young, United States
11 April10:58Hotwire, India

Police open fire at demonstrators in Gonganu, over a dozen critically injured

More than a dozen protesters were injured when security personnel opened fire at a demonstration in Gongabu in Kathmandu Tuesday evening.

TV footages showed several injured demonstrators being rushed to hospital as violent clashes between the police and the protesters went on. Red Cross officials, some foreign volunteers and police personnel carried the inured persons to police vans and other vehicles to be rushed to hospital.

According to human rights monitors present on the scene, more than a dozen agitators were shot by the riot police and the Armed Police Force (APF) officials as angry demonstrators threw stones at the residence of police AIG Roop Safar Moktan at Gongabu after unidentified persons reportedly opened fire at the crowd from inside the house.

APF Senior Superintendent Madhav Thapa who was leading the security forces refused to order his men to halt fire despite several requests after a number of protesters were shot at, the rights activists said.

Several rights activists and journalists were also injured as police indiscriminately charged batons at the crowd while dozens others were arrested from the protest that started soon after the daytime curfew ended at 5:00 p.m.

The condition of a number of persons who have been undergoing treatment at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital is said to be critical. nepalnews.com mk Apr 11 06


"Glorious Revolution" of Nepal (Special to Nepalnews)

A timely restoration of the Parliament is in the King's interest too

By Rajesh B. Shrestha

It is 1685 AD. After a prosperous reign of 25 years, King Charles II of Britain, who recalled the Parliament that had had been dissolved for 7 years, dies. His brother, James II succeeds him and, shortly then after, tries to bring back absolute monarchy and savagely suppresses rebellion. Fed up with the new monarch, the political parties of the time, in 1688, launched what later became known as the Glorious Revolution, forced the King to give up his crown and chose James's daughter as the new monarch. The Parliament thereby proved itself more powerful than the Crown, and enshrined in a Bill of Rights, ended divine right and absolute monarchy in Britain.

Today, the seven party alliance (SPA) is calling for the restoration of the Parliament as the first step towards return to peace. Monarchists in Nepal cite that the revival of the Parliament which has expired its mandate is unconstitutional. The sequence of events leading from October 2002 when the King dismissed the elected Prime Minister to the royal takeover on February 1, 2005 can hardly be described as constitutional. Even as the King cites the Constitution in his every address, he has routinely acted against the spirit of the Constitution and blatantly abused the Article 127. The ultimate arbiter of the Constitution, the Supreme Court, in terming the RCCC illegal, has also intimated the unconstitutionality of the King's takeover.

His Majesty King Gyanendra

The King has also publicly stated that he is committed to multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy. If that is indeed so, the restoration of the Parliament assures the King the most direct and the country the least anarchic route back to order. Many legal analysts argue that Article 127 of the Constitution was designed for this very purpose. An old Parliament is better than no Parliament. By its very nature of representation, the Parliament is inherently more sensitive and more in touch with people's realities and aspirations than any king or dictator could ever be.

A timely restoration of the Parliament is in the King's interest too. Not only would it keep the monarch above the political frays that is inevitable among the political parties and the Maoists in the days ahead, but also contribute to restoring people's faith in the usefulness of the monarchy. The alternative is a complete shakeup of the political terra-ferma of the country, which will most certainly leave the monarchy in tatters. A delayed action on the King's part risks missing the parliament-window and the SPA moving ahead to full-fledged republicanism which has already gained considerable favour among young Nepalis.

A delayed action on the King's part risks missing the parliament-window and the SPA moving ahead to full-fledged republicanism which has already gained considerable favour among young Nepalis.

Of course, restoration of the Parliament alone is not enough. The present Constitution is in need of a serious revision, if not a complete rewrite, through constituent assembly elections. Similar to the British Bill of Rights, legal safeguards need to be put in place establishing the supremacy of the Parliament and sovereignty of the people, to prevent the history of 2017 B.S. or February 1 ever repeating again. Either way, the responsibility of taming the Maoists, forming the government and the modus operandi of the constitutional changes will be left to the Parliament.

Since the Maoists do not have any representation, the restoration of the Parliament offers a litmus test to their claim of political transformation. The Maoists are clearly envious of the recent successes of the SPA's peaceful movement. In launching civil and economic rather than military attacks against the government, SPA has demonstrated that peaceful economic defiance is more effective and more appropriate in today's economic world order. Nevertheless, the restoration of the Parliament would oblige the Maoists to tilt more towards the SPA's peaceful methods and towards their permanent disarmament.

A cursory review of the British history reveals that the Parliament was dissolved a number of times but later re-instated, even after as many as 11 years. The timely restoration of the Parliament would be a meeting point between the three forces in Nepal and a quick way out towards getting the country back on track. History may look back at the beginning of this new year as Nepal's own "glorious revolution" for long-term peace and prosperity of the country.

(Rajesh B. Shrestha, currently based in the UK is one of the organisers of London Chhalphal (www.london-chhalphal.org). Please send your comments to rajeshbsh@gmail.com)


Hamro Nepal: Draft Constitution


Preamble

Hamro Nepal is a non-profit political organization. It hopes to organize Nepalis and friends of Nepal across the world to attain the goal of a Democratic Republic, then to help with institution building on behalf of democracy, and to contribute to the country's rapid economic growth. Hamro Nepal hopes to make the best of globalization and the internet and the latest in group dynamics so as to enshrine a culture of transparency, democracy, egalitarianism, empowerment and efficiency in the organization. All members must use their real first and last names in all virtual communication of the organization, to stay transparent.

To be registered in the US once it grows at least 500 strong, Hamro Nepal is to be a global organization with autonomous, locally registered chapters in many countries. They are to work in close coordination.

Hamro Nepal is not a member of any umbrella organization.

Hamro Nepal also hopes to work to earn voting rights for the Nepali diaspora in the host countries, and also find ways to get them to participate in elections in Nepal when that might not be an option.

The basic thrust is political empowerment of members. That would include working to melt/break glass walls and ceilings for blacs. Hamro Nepal hopes to emerge a role model for other diaspora populations of similar political backgrounds.

Article 1: Membership

Any Nepali or friend of Nepal can hope to become a member. But before the goal of a Democratic Republic is realized, one must be committed to the idea of a Democratic Republic to become a Member. The membership fee is $10 annual. $3 stays with the town/city chapter, $2 goes to the state committee, and $5 to the national committee. But for the duration of the movement in Nepal, all money is to be collected centrally.

Article 2: Executive Committee

There is to be an Executive Committee of a President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer. They are to be elected annually in June. The founding Officers are to stay in office till June 2007. The Executive Committee is to have a Google Group whose archives stay public. President: Paramendra Bhagat, Vice President: Anil Shahi, Vice President: Manaslu Gurung, Secretary: Sarahana Shrestha, Treasurer: Kiran Sitoula.

Article 3: Central Committee

$10 and a commitment to a Democratic Republic makes you a Member. A Member who finds at least 9 other Members is a Leader. A Leader who finds at least 9 other Leaders is a Senior Leader. The Senior Leaders are members of the Central Committee. Members have the option to reach out all across the US, and are encouraged to also reach beyond to expand the organization globally, although the later does not count for this particular purpose. Alternately, a person can join the Central Committee by bringing in 100 members.

Article 4: City, State Chapters

Each city/town and state may organize itself an executive committee that may have only a President and a Vice President, or five members, depending on size, and local decision. Within a city, the organization is to follow the 10-10-10 model for unity, and efficiency.

Article 5: Virtual Parliament

All members will be invited to join a virtual parliament. Real first and last names are to be used. All members may talk. Anyone may participate in the comments sections. Anyone may read. The idea is one person, one vote, one voice. The concept of Open Thread will be used to tidy up the parliament without curtailing any member's right to free speech.

Article 6: Online Polls

For lack of something better, free online polls will be used for voting purposes, to be sent out over email, and not displayed online until after the polls are closed. One IP address will not be able to vote more than once, and there would be a time limit on each such poll. And any poll that has more votes than the size of the voter pool will be automatically invalid. It is hoped the honor system will be followed.

Article 7: Face Time, Screen Time, Bridge Activists

The internet will be the backbone of the organization, but it will be designed with Face Time at its core, and Bridge Activists among members will connect the offline only members and groups to the backbone.

Article 8: House Party

A house party is a revenue neutral social event that involves food - snack/lunch/dinner - on a potluck basis. Members are encouraged to organize many of them, and to text/audio/video blog them for the benefit of the larger membership. The same model is also to be emulated for the major celebrations of the year with slight modifications, locally decided.


Hamro Nepal All Set To Be Launched
Organization: Hamro Nepal

Interim Constitution, Revolutionary Parliament (April 8)
Proposed Republican Constitution 2006 (January 1)
Proposed Constitution (December 19)
Proposed Constitution (November 17)
Proposed Constitution (September 3)
Proposed Democratic Republican Constitution (August 12)
Janata Dal Constitution (August 8)
Proposed Constitution (June 18)
Reorganized UN, Proposed Constitution, Methods (May 30)
Proposed Constitution (May 3)
Shortcut To A New Constitution, Shortcut To Peace (April 8)
This Inadequate, Improper, Insufficient 1990 Constitution (April 4)


Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests
Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests
Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests
Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests
Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests Protests

Loktantra Issue 1
Loktantra Issue 2
Loktantra Issue 3
Loktantra Issue 4
Loktantra, Issue 5