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Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Crackdown On Media Is Crackdown On People


"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We wouldn't let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?" -- Josef Stalin

If anyone needed evidence this king lacks a democratic character, now he has tightened the screw on the media. This step takes confrontation to a whole new level. Tulsi Giri was right, it really is a choice between monarchy and democracy. I know where I stand. This step asks for underground pamphleteerig to bring down the monarchy itself.

Movement time is over. Now it is revolution time.

You don't hold dialogue with this regime. It is now a fight to the finish.

The king has invited a polarization that leads to an end of the monarchy.

The seven party alliance now needs to formally adopt Democratic Republic as its common slogan.

King promulgates media ordinance NepalNews .... In the new laws the authorities have been authorised to slap heavy amount of fine to publishers and editors if the published materials are found to be “helpful to terrorists”. The ordinance has also incorporated stricter provisions regarding publication or broadcasting of materials likely to create communal or religious disharmony...... According to The Kathmandu Post, there are provisions in the new ordinance to increase the penalty to editors and publishers - for publishing defamatory items - up to Rs.100,000 from Rs.10,000 while anyone publishing, translating or importing banned items will be subjected to a penalty of Rs.500,000.......

United We Blog is down. Looks like the media crackdown is already having major effects in terms of self-censorship.
In The News
  • What type of democracy do Koirala, Nepal want? Gorkhapatra
  • Poll announcement in Nepal may trigger fresh violence NewKerala.com .... "only a constituent assembly election can address these issues. Holding local elections instead is like putting medicine on your belly button when you have a headache." ....Ram Chandra Poudel: "When the country is in a political crisis, it is meaningless to hold municipal polls without resolving it first. If the government wants to hold polls, they should hold elections to parliament and a constituent assembly." ...... Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, said while it was committed to participating in the polls, it wanted the government to create a conducive atmosphere for major parliamentary parties to participate in them...... Surya Bahadur Thapa said his newly formed Rastriya Janashakti Party was still considering its participation. "Elections are meant for the parties," Thapa told IANS. "If they stay away, there is no point of holding polls."
  • Madhav Nepal Reiterates Poll-boycott Stance Himalayan Times, Nepal
  • Parties promise peaceful putsch after festivals Kathmandu Post ..... prepare for a firebrand action after Dashain and Tihar ..... planning to field hundreds of thousands of people on the streets and complete the peaceful putsch. Senior leaders of Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and People's Front Nepal claimed that the post-festival movement would be decisive...... the NC will launch its nationwide awareness campaign immediately after Dashain. They will make aware people on a whole gamut of issues ranging from constituent assembly, role of political parties in democracy and the king's retrogressive activities...... party will deploy its central-level leaders in all 75 districts and they will sensitize people about the king's regression, revitalize party organization, and go strongly for pro-democracy movement..... campaign would monitor the Maoists' unilateral ceasefire. "It will be a test case for us to know whether the Maoists will really allow political parties to carry out their activities in local level" ...... CPN-UML, another large party in the seven-party alliance, has already launched a nationwide "Loktantra Awareness Campaign" for the next two months...... party has already deployed its central level leaders in all 75 districts for the campaign. "The party has set local level programs like meetings, interactions, and wall-paintings to sensitize people about democratic republicanism" ...... UML has already announced its nationwide protest programs on November 11, immediately after Tihar. Similarly the party has also called its nationwide cadres' gathering in Kathmandu on 14-15 November..... Amik Sherchan, chairman of Peoples' Front Nepal (PFN), said that his party had set a two-and-a-half month long awareness campaign at local levels.
  • Polls will increase confrontation: Nepal ....the seven-party alliance is holding an informal negotiation with the Maoists. "But the Maoists should first make their position clear about multi-party democratic system, human rights and peoples' sovereignty," he said. "I think the Maoists are now holding their internal meeting regarding these issues and the formal talk will take place after they come out with a decision" .... the parties were expecting harsher moves in the days to come. "New constitution may be introduced, political parties and unions could be banned," he said, adding, "But we are undeterred in our mission and will continue with our movement until democracy and peoples' sovereignty is restored." ..... "Autocratic governments always attack free press because it is the real voice of the people," Nepal said. "It is a clear example of the government's autocratic attitude" .... "If you keep quiet, autocrats throttle down, but once you protest, they withdraw"
  • Polls will only complicate problems: Parties
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