#256 15 - 21 July 2005 16 pages Rs 30 UPSIDE DOWN WORLD: Pedestrians reflected in a Weekly Internet Poll # 256 puddle at Basantapur after Q. How confident are you that the new rains on Wednesday afternoon. budget will help Nepal make an economic turnaround? Total votes:413 Weekly Internet Poll # 257. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q... Should the ban on news on FM radios be lifted? Comrades-in-armsKIRAN PANDAY Looking at Nepal’s Maoist revolution through Indian Naxalite eyes CK LAL in BIHAR open dasgaja strip too is now going to Panditji’s paan shop Naxalite attack on the town of under close security watch. India’s down the road. Madhuban in which 21 people ere in the densely paramilitary Seema Suraksha Bal On the Nepal side, every were killed and six government populated Ganga plains, the (SSB) now pull up rickshaw shopkeeper is up to date on the buildings razed (see: ‘Spillover’, H10-yard strip separating wallas if they park their tricycles latest Maoist exploits. In Bihar, #254), there is a surprising lack of Nepal and India has never been on no-man’s land. despite media hype about the concern about Maoist activity treated like a national frontier. Security is stricter than before Naxalite ‘menace’ engulfing 160 along the border. Land is too precious to leave and there is talk here of introduc- districts in 12 Indian states, If the local people it as a no-man’s land. Nepali and ing identity cards and barbed-wire people along the border seem aren’t the least bit Editorial p2 fences to regulate crossborder barely aware of the activities of interested, we Democracy in Press Freedom for Indian farmers use it for grazing installments livestock, playing cricket or even movement. Still, the India-Nepal the Maoist Communist Centre thought we Peace and Democracy growing vegetables. frontier is probably the most (MCC) in Bihar or the People’s should try to track down an But as the Maoist war in the relaxed international border in the War Group (PWG) in Andhra Indian Maoist to ask if there was Nepal tarai intensifies, the Indian world. Pradesh. The two merged last indeed collaboration with their fear of spillover of violence has The SSB guard does ask you year to form the CPI-Maoist but Nepali comrades during the begun to change that relaxed where you are headed as you a local teacher isn’t even attack, as alleged by Bihari police. attitude. Along with border saunter across but doesn’t even aware of it. Continued p2 ISSN 1814-2613 check points, the traditionally blink when you answer that you're Even after last month’s 2 EDITORIAL 15 - 21 JULY 2005 #256 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editors: Abha Eli Phoboo, Aarti Basnyat Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan Shilpakar Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Pushparaj Sharma, [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013 [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com The media’s ethnic gap Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018 Madhesis are Nepalis and not just residents of the southern plains t was an anguished email from many of us pay attention to the madhesi musical evening but DEMOCRACY IN INSTALLMENTS a well-known author and what is covered, we often there was no serious reporting on Billboards on the city’s intersections have been painted over with I editor, a pahadi janajati, citing overlook what they deliberately the discussions of the conference soundbites from King Gyanendra’s recent proclamations. The one a small news item which exclude due to the media’s nor even a mention of the outside Singha Darbar stands out, it reads in translation: ‘We firmly reported that no journalist collective self-censorship. The dukkha of being a madhesi in believe that centralisation of power is against the spirit of turned up for a press conference subject matters that journalists Nepal. democracy.’ called by madhesi students. He leave out reveal either their Journalists do write or speak No, it’s not a spoof. But we don’t blame people for being was agitated by this gross ignorance or more ominously, about the madhesh or tarai but bemused because that has been the problem all along since October discrimination. This is my their bias. mainly as a location down south 2002: the gap between words and deeds. The current regime’s detrimental defiance of domestic response to his fury and distress. It could be argued that the where negative events occur. The aspirations and needless needling of the international community grievances of a handful of madhesis themselves hardly isn’t helping it win any friends. It should have realised long ago that GUEST COLUMN madhesi university students figure in the stories. Or as one the public’s apathy towards the political parties doesn’t mean there Rajendra Pradhan being beaten up is hardly worth madhesi journalist bitterly is support for its authoritarian tendencies. If the royal-appointed reporting during a period of complained during a conference, council of ministers had been able to take a great leap forward in Journalists surely are entitled very grave political turmoil. the national press usually restoring peace or service delivery to the people, there may have to decide which press Other happenings are more ignores madhesis except to been some support. We have looked but haven’t discerned any such conferences they want to attend newsworthy and of interest to portray them in bad light. A dramatic improvement. On the contrary, there are daily reports of or ignore what they want to the public. Or is it one more reputed organisation which has inspection teams behaving high-handedly, political witch-hunts, construct and communicate as example of the perhaps published a series of landmark inconsistency and contradictions in the state’s functioning. news. They have the right to unconscious collective effort of books on the media’s coverage of Many people went along with the royal move nearly six months ago because they thought there was A Plan. But the only plan write about the antics of a minor the pahadia dominated press to dalits and janajatis has not yet seems to have been a systematic and premeditated plot to use the starlet in Kollywood or the news erase madhesis from the media brought out a publication on the insurgency as an ploy to of a diplomat and thus from public media and madhesis. disassemble democracy, gag who sang at a knowledge and national We often complain that the free press and put civil private party or discourse? Nepal is almost totally ignored liberties into deep freeze. about human The press invariably reports by the world media except when What really worries us now rights abuses, the on all workshops and there are stories about poverty, are feelings being expressed activities and conferences held in violence, political instability publicly by genuine well- wise words of Kathmandu, even the most and natural disasters. In a wishers of monarchy. They are our respected insignificant ones, especially if similar manner, pahadi media aghast at the ways of the politicians and inaugurated by a public figure gatekeepers are doing injustice to extremist right who are running the show and are concerned rulers. We may (the public figure being the madhesis (and many other that this will ultimately not agree with news and not the meeting). But groups) by what they cover, more undermine the institution of their choice, but the press on the whole did not importantly by what they omit. monarchy as a symbol of it is their choice. report on the first ever national The violence of erasure is Nepali nationhood. Beware of They exercise conference on the tarai, perhaps even more painful for those who are more royal than press freedom on focusing especially on the the madhesis for they are fellow the king, they say. our behalf. madhesis. Nepalis–and they would like This is democracy in The media The conference was held in their compatriots to know them, installments: release a few influences a well-known hotel, press to have their voices heard and detainees here, allow banned public releases were faxed and it was their dukkha discussed tv stations back, relax press knowledge and attended by several journalists. nationally just like other controls somewhat. The idea seems to be to stretch this out opinion both by Two columnists (one a Nepalis. for three years. Problem is, what it reports madhesi) wrote about the Madhesis are Nepalis and not there isn’t that much time. and what it conference and a popular just the residents of the southern leaves out. While magazine published a photo of plains. z MIN BAJRACHARYA …but they want tom fight their wars separately from p1 the Maoist movement in north India has Nepali Maoists is too shocking even for impossible. That is the reason Naxalites in not yet acquired a critical mass,” he says in India’s hardened Naxalites. “The Maoists India support political parties representing After three days of persistent enquiry at Hindi, skirting potholes, “they wouldn’t seem to have no qualms in killing the downtrodden.” various tea, paan and cycle repair shops, a risk ruthless reprisals by random attacks.” innocents, we never do that,” he argues, With Girija Prasad Koirala’s offer of young man claiming to be a local labour How does that explain the landmine adding, “affinity between Maoist groups of talks eliciting tempting responses from organiser sympathetic to the Maoist cause attack on a police van in UP last November the world over is natural and mutual Chairman Prachanda this week, it appears comes up outside a drugstore.