Subscriber’s copy 2 4 12 - 18 MARCH 2004 #187 Really good news s hacks have been getting a lot of flak lately from loyal readers and www.nepalitimes.com royal leaders alike complaining that we print only the bad news, #187 12 - 18 March 2004 24 pages Rs 25 Urecommending that we take immediate action against the alleged culprits in an undisclosed location. UNDER MY HAT Here is a sample letter from an irate Poll pull Kunda Dixit reader that will give you some idea of what we have to put up with Suddenly, there is a lot of talk of elections. The government, under every day in our area of work in the Fourth Estate: pressure from donors about the parliamentary crisis, is nervous Dear Sir: about the donor group meeting in I don’t know why I am addressing you as ‘sir’ when I know it for a fact April. Suddenly, party factions are that you have never been knighted by the queen. You could also not rushing to reunite. Kamal Thapa, be a sir at all, but a madam, in which case, I beg your pardon. But let’s who got the all-important Home presume for a moment for the sake of argument that you are indeed a Ministry portfolio last week, even male knight. Even then, I have strong reservations about addressing specified dates. He told the BBC you with such an honorific title because I am writing to complain about Nepali Service on Wednesday: “We your work, you lousy piece of $%#&*! How come all the news you print are aiming at October-December is negative? How come you have nothing nice to say about anybody? so that we can get the security How come you give the impression that the sky is about to fall? Unless situation under control.” That may you start printing good news with immediate effect, I am personally be wishful thinking, given the going to see to it that you are awarded a medal and given a public escalation in Maoist violence and felicitation. disruptions. There is speculation Yours etc, that King Gyanendra may Name withheld to protect exact identity of anonymous writer announce polls at his Pokhara rally on 28 March. The parties say polls All right, you asked for it. We will now take this small commercial break are a “ploy”. On Thursday, the five- party alliance held a mock joint to carry some items of really good news: session of parliament (right) in which speakers delivered anti-monarchy No Need To Panic: Govt tirades. The government has assured citizens that although all major cities are FRONT BENCHERS: Seated on front row of a being blockaded, basic necessities have disappeared from shelves and simulated parliament (l-r), Bharat Mohan long-distance buses are being blown up by roadside bombs, there is no Weekly Internet Poll # 127 Adhikari, Sushil Koirala, Sahana Pradhan, need to panic, reports RSS. Q. How do you gauge the prospect of the Nepali Congress reuniting? Hridesh Tripathi, Amik Sherchan, Narayan “We have everything under control,” the government spokesperson, Man Bijukchhe, Madhab Nepal, Girija Koirala. who is also Minister of Health and Hygiene told mediapersons, “there is MIN BAJRACHARYA no reason for alarm right now, we will let you know when it is time to panic.” The public seemed reassured by the good news and immediately started hoarding potatoes and sugar. Total votes:746 Weekly Internet Poll # 128. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com 501-Member Committee Formed Q. Does a banda help or harm the organiser? Nepal’s tarnished image POKHARA—A 501-member committee has been formed in Pokhara to It is almost too late to salvage the national reputation organise a public felicitation ceremony next week. Exactly who is being Everyday Enjoy our new Menu with Traditional ANALYSIS by Geneva on Wednesday on a damage ‘normal’ once rebels are defeated. appearances, and United Nations felicitated is being kept a closely guarded secret and highly placed sources Cuisines at Patan Museum Café KANAK MANI DIXIT control mission. As a worldly-wise It has now gone beyond how Special Rapporteurs on arbitrary de- said on condition of anonymity that the identity was not being disclosed Every Sunday and Wednesday Organic Vegetable Market diplomat, Thapa knows by now all this will affect our tourism tention, torture, and on extra judi- because it was supposed to be a surprise for the chief guest. “We don’t with Special Lunch he country’s international how far Nepal’s image has industry. Nepal’s reputation is cial, summary and arbitrary want to spoil the fun, but there are no prizes for guessing who it is,” the Every Friday Enjoy the most famous BBQ Dinner reputation will face a high- plummeted in the past two years of already sullied as the country joins executions have intervened. Human source said. in Kathmandu valley since 1983. 6:30 – 9:30 pm T profile challenge this month conflict and half-hearted democracy. the list of other human rights Rights Watch, has begun to moni- Please visit our new Apartments when the UN Human Rights Nepal’s parliamentary crisis and the hotspots. The Guardian last moth tor Nepal. Mainstream watchdogs Govt Finishes Its Homework Reservations: 552 1810/ 552 6271 inability or unwillingness of the listed “some of the most dangerous like the International Crisis Group His Majesty’s Government, which was accused by political parties of not Commission in Geneva debates Royal Nepali Army to conduct a and repressive regimes of the are stepping up the pressure, and doing its homework on time, has finished its homework. “We can human rights abuses in Nepal for clean war will soon get a lot of world”: Colombia, Zimbabwe, even the US State Department’s hu- proudly say we have now completed our homework,” said the Minister the first time. international attention. Uganda, Indonesia, the man rights report this year points to of Home, Works and Transport,“it is the office work that is giving us European members of the Watchdog groups say that it was Philippines, Israel and Nepal. abuse by the army. problems.” commission, worried about the army’s impunity in the the Maoists who unleashed war “The government must have The United Nations Human against an elected government nine got the message, but I fear the Rights Commissioner has asked for Political Parties Still At It counterinsurgency war, aim to put years ago, and don’t doubt that they officials and the generals still don’t a full and independent enquiry into At a mock-parliament on Thursday, leaders of the five-party alliance the Nepali government on the have practiced widespread abuse. realise the extent of international RNA excesses. Knowing where the expressed alarm that the Maoists were getting ahead in the race to bring dock. The Swiss have prepared two But, they argue, the state has a bigger indignation that is building up,” buck stops in the kingdom, the the country to standstill, and decided to step up their own efforts to draft resolutions: a harsh one responsibility to protect citizens, said one senior donor agency official International Commission of Jurists bring the country to a grinding halt. Party spokesman Madup Nepal blaming the government, and a including in times of war. The worry on a recent fact-finding visit to has written a letter to King said: “We know that country is already at a standstill. That makes our job consensual one in case the is that the RNA is putting the core Kathmandu. Gyanendra, and now the UN a lot easier.” government makes moves to address the issue by then. humanitarian principles of the Alarm bells are ringing loudly: Secretary General Kofi Annan is Banda Rumours Confirmed Foreign Minister Bhekh Geneva Conventions on hold in the Amnesty International issued no- similarly engaged. hope that things will go back to tices on illegal detentions and dis- continued p8 Rumours that Friday may be a banda has been greeted with much Bahadur Thapa is travelling to jubilation in non-governmental sectors through email group postings. Police sources confirmed the rumours, saying: “Yes, at this point we can confirm there are rumours about a banda.” No one, not even the organisers, were aware that they had called a banda. But non- governmental organisations were undeterred, saying in a statement: “We will make the banda a success even if it hasn’t actually been called.” CDO Regd No. 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No. 04/058/59 2 EDITORIAL 12 - 18 MARCH 2004 #187 OP-ED 12 - 18 MARCH 2004 #187 3 Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda Dixit Desk Editors: Trishna Gurung, Jemima Sherpa Design: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan Shilpakar LLL ETTERS Advertising: Sunaina Shah [email protected] Subscription: Anil Karki, [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal STATE OF THE STATE responsible for security within the Tel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013 [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018 It is not possible to understand Embassy and has no military liaison Showing we have guts Jawahar Lal Nehru University function whatsoever. Both are (JNU) without having been either normal components of any US ravery is a basic instinct. a student or a teacher here. It is a Embassy in the world. However, We curse bandas, but meekly 10,000+ Whenever there is a complex all-India institution where Mr Lal may have mixed up recent confrontation, an animal ne little item of news two weeks ago escaped the notice of all kinds of people gather.