Monday, January 30, 2006

Protests






















One King Is Six Blind Men


The King Understands The Insurgency

"What is their bottom line?" he demanded to know. "Did they not hear the thud when communism collapsed all over the world at the turn of the century? These people are in a time warp. They will feel the pain."

And human rights abuses shot up. He claimed it was because his soldiers were not trained well enough in human rights issues. He demanded aid.

People were disappeared, they were killed, all such were labelled rebels. The bodycount went up. As long as all that happened in little villages, he felt safe.

The King Understands Democracy

"Go arrest about 200 hoodlums, and this so-called movement will die on its own," he proclaimed.

If the west lectured him on democracy, it was because those people were racist. If India lectured, it was a Big Brother, more the fodder for nationalism. If the political parties lectured, what do they know about democracy!

They do not understand corruption, they do not understand the insurgency, they do not understand law and order. They sure don't understand democracy.

"Elections are democracy! And I have promised not one but two of them."

The King Understands Nepal

"I want the people to be able to eat two square meals a day, and I want them to be able to sleep in peace," he said at the end of a meal that was helicoptered to him from a five star hotel in Kathmandu when he was out on a visit to the remote districts to feel the pain of the people long neglected by the political parties.

The King Understands India

"Have you heard of China?" he asked the Indian Prime Minister in a private meeting. "We will build roads, and bridges, and tunnels and information highways through the Himalayas. Beijing will be at our doorsteps. They say Shanghai has overtaken New York City anyway."

He got invited to a Chinese event. He went with much fanfare. Noone bothered to tell him the invitation was routine. The Chinese just don't care one way or the other.

The King Understands Africa And Mandela

"Look at all those African dictators!" he thundered. "How come noone bothers them? Some of them have been in power longer than Mandela was in jail." He sent a birthday card to one of them just to stress the point.

He wanted to feel Mandela's pain. So he commandeered a Royal Nepal Airlines plane and flew.

"He must be getting old," he said when Mandela refused to meet him. He was being respectful.

The King Understands Bush

"Give me one chance, I will outdo Musharraf!" he sent a telepathic message to Bush right before the 2/1 coup. "These Maoists are not only terrorists, they are also Cold War warriors. Through me you get to fight both the Cold War and the War On Terror. Can you have it any better?"

He did not understand why he was put on a short list of dictators, not to be met, by the Bush White House for his proposed visit to the UN. He was so offended he cancelled his visit. That will teach Bush a lesson.


The Blind Men and the Elephant

John Godfrey Saxe's ( 1816-1887) version of the famous Indian legend,

It was six men of Indostan
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.

The First approached the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk
Cried, "Ho! what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me `tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up he spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he;
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope.
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

Moral:

So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

  1. Video Nepal police open fire on protesters Reuters Video - Jan 26 3:01 PM
  2. Video Protests in Nepal CNN - Jan 23 5:23 AM
  3. Video Protesters battle police in Nepal Reuters Video - Jan 21 6:28 AM

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Khim Lal Bhattarai Arrested


I just talked to this guy last night, past midnight, which would make it Monday morning Nepal local time. Looks like he got arrested not long after. I have a bad feeling my phone call might have had something to do with it. His phone sure was being tapped. Or just that he is the most visible student leader over ground. Gagan is underground.

He leads the student wing of the UML. I got his email address from him, and then emailed him.

The first time Gagan Thapa ever addressed me was in an email. It read "Dear Sir." I was embarrassed. Gladly not long after it became "Paramendraji" after I made it clear I wanted to be addressed by first name. Khimji kept saying "Sir." This was our first conversation. Maybe that is how they address each other.

Date: Sun, 29 Jan 2006 20:41:52 -0800 (PST)
From:"Paramendra Kumar Bhagat"
Subject: यहाँ सँग गफ भयो। खुशी लाग्यो।
To:Send an Instant Message khimbhattarai@yahoo.com
खिमजी।

यहाँ सँग गफ भयो। खुशी लाग्यो।

गगनजीसँग न्यू यर्कमा नै भेंट भएको हो। वहाँले मलाई चिन्नुहुन्छ। अहिले त शायद
अन्डरग्राउण्ड हुनुहुन्छ क्या रे वहाँ।
माधव नेपालजीले पनि मलाई चिन्नुहुन्छ।

आइडिया के भन्दा खेरि देशव्यापी पम्फलेटिङ गर्ने।
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/01/blog-post_19.html

त्यसकालागि पैसा प्रवासबाट, संगठन ८ विद्यार्थी संगठनको।

तर त्योभन्दा अगाडि इमेलबाट गर्ने। त्यसकालागि ८ विद्यार्थी संगठनका केन्द्रीय स्तरका सबै नेताहरुको इमेल र जिल्ला
स्तरका सबै नेताहरुको इमेलको एउटा मेलिङ लिस्ट तयार पार्ने।

८ विद्यार्थी संगठनका केन्द्रीय एवं जिल्ला समितिका इमेल ठेगाना भएका सबैको इमेल ठेगानाहरु एक ठाउँमा जम्मा गर्ने। र
त्यो लिस्ट मलाई पठाउने। सबै एकैचोटी जम्मा भएपछि नै पठाउनुपर्छ भन्ने छैन। १०, २०, ५०, १०० गर्दै पठाएहुन्छ। मेरो
ठेगाना paramendra@yahoo.com हो।

न्यू यर्क र अमेरीकामा जस्तो काठमाण्डु र नेपालमा इमेलको इस्तेमाल त्यति व्यापक न होला। तर इमेल फोनभन्दासस्तो र
सुरक्षित पनि हो। तपाईहरुको फोन सरकारले पक्कै ट्याप गरिराखेको हुनुपर्छ। त्यसैले इमेलको बानी नपरेका साथीहरुलाई
पनि बानी पार्न लगाउनु पर्यो।

http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/

अरु विशेष अर्को इमेलमा।

I had talked to another student leader not long before that, from the Deuba Congress. He was not much into email, he made it clear.

The king seems to be heading for a heightened confrontation. This guy is not exactly trying to compromise.

Student leader Bhattarai arrested NepalNews

Student leader Bhattarai arrested

Plain-clothed security personnel on Monday have taken firebrand student leader, Khim Lal Bhattarai, from Lekhnath Marg in the capital, Kathmandu, Monday.

President of the CPN (UML)-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU), Bhattarai, was arrested this afternoon from Thamel shortly after taking part in a protest rally organized by the group of eight student unions against the royal takeover of last year.

Bhattarai is being kept at the Police Training Academy at Maharajgunj, according to reports.

Hundreds of political leaders, human rights activists and media personnel have been detained across the country ahead of the municipal polls announced by the government.

The opposition parties have called to boycott the civic polls slated on February 8 saying that the exercise aims to further consolidate the direct rule of the king.

Officials, however, say municipal poll is a meaningful exercise of democracy. nepalnews.com by Jan 30 06

Student leader Bhattarai arrested Nepalnews.com, Nepal - 2 hours ago
Plainclothes Police Arrest UML’s Student Wing Chief NewsLine Nepal
ANNFSU President in custody
Nepaleyes, Nepal - 7 hours ago
Youth Leaders Stress on Peaceful Agitation
NewsLine Nepal, Nepal - Jan 25, 2006 They ruled out any possibility of dialogue with the king, warning that the agitation, which they claimed to have moved on for democratic republic, has posed a question on the future of monarchy. .... Nepali Congress leader Chandra Bhandari expressed determination on yielding the desired results through the agitation, claiming that the on-going agitation will not end in any agreement or consensus. “The agitation will not conclude without constituent assembly election,” Bhandari said, claiming that the agitation cannot be suppressed by any means....... Gagan Thapa, former General Secretary of Nepal Students’ Union, said the agitation would not come to an end until it achieves the election to a constituent assembly. “The downfall of the autocratic government is inevitable,” Thapa said, accusing the palace of hatching conspiracies to thwart the agitation. ....... Khim Lal Bhattarai, President of ANNFSU, said the agitation would bring about a complete change, adding that the youths were ready to sacrifice their life for such a change........
Street demo continues, 26 arrested, 55 injured Kantipur Online, Nepal - Jan 23, 2006 ANNFSU, the student wing of CPN-UML, took out a protest rally at New Beneshwor. ANNFSU President Khim Lal Bhattarai addressed a corner meeting that followed the rally...... NSP (A) leader Yadav manhandled, arrested Policemen on Monday arrested Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi Devi) vice president Bharat Bimal Yadav, while the latter was addressing party men to mark the 5th memorial of the party's founding chairman late Gajendra Narayan Singh at the party office in Tripureswor. Policemen manhandled Yadav while taking him under control, NSP cadres alleged. Yadav is being kept at Kalimati police station.

If the king does not opt for reconciliation, for dialogue, for a constituent assembly, I don't see how ending the monarchy will not come before going for a constituent assembly.

I am for the South Africa option, but that option is only possible if the king plays ball.


I also sent this out to the Sailesh Acharya and Dinesh Prasain duo in Delhi yesterday. They are the people behind Loktantra.

Loktantra Issue 1
Loktantra Issue 2
Loktantra Issue 3
Loktantra Issue 4

Loktantra: Backbone, Guiding Light, Iskra

We democrats are non-violent, but we have to be super aggressive in terms of getting our message out to the widest possible cross sections of people all across the country so as to raise the political consciousness of the people and foment action on the ground. Loktantra has put forth impressive four issues, has collected a wide spectrum of really impressive writers. And it has a wide readership. But it could do more, little in terms of the quality of the writing, but much, much more in terms of circulation.

Print Version

Write up a budget proposal and send it this way. We will try and raise money. But you have to be seen taking the lead all the way. That makes it easier to raise money. Don't feel shy. Those in America can not do what you are doing, all that you are risking. So let them do the little they can: give money. And do book keeping. It is basic. You do book keeping, you get to raise more money in round two. This is not a trust issue. This is a professionalism issue. It is basic. People at the other end (1) do not want to be seen asking for money, and (2) are leery of book keeping. Need to get over it. Or you are hurting the movement.

Money and printing will be the easy part. Nationwide network will be the hard part. My suggestion would be to have the eight student organizations set up something clandestine. That will be our best bet. Also have safe houses right across the border in India, all along the border. So you print in India where it is cheap, and then you smuggle it in. Or it could be printed several different places: Benaras, Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, Birgunj, Janakpur, Pokhara. You email the stuff, and they print it. I don't know. You decide. Printing all in one place is cheaper, but printing many places is safer.

We sell the print version. If not become for profit, this magazine should at least break even. So the money you raise is only to take off. Say as much in the proposal.

Pick the top, hard-hitting articles for pamphleteering. Pamphlets are much easier to carry around.

PDF, Email

Keep up the good work. Expand your mailing list. Go to the bottom of my blog and find a great way to compile a really large mailing list. Actively ask all your readers to send you email addresses of all Nepalis they know. Let's go hugely global. This part is free. But all those Nepalis out there in the world have personal contacts inside Nepal they are in regular touch with. We "bounce" the message through them.

Online Version

Why not take it from PDF to online? Use unicode. This will ensure even wider circulations. More articles can be crammed in. Webpages are easier to navigate than PDF documents. The mag can be hosted at one of the free sites like Blogger.

Display Google ads. Also solicit donations. People could use PayPal or Moneygram or whatever.

Put up a box that allows you to collect email addresses of people, those who might want to be notified as soon as a new issue comes out. With this framework I think it might become possible for Loktantra to come out once every two weeks, or even every week. Especially if you were to solicit contributions in Nepali. As in authors submit articles in Unicode itself.

Some advantages: (1) Publishing a new issue online is as easy as copy and paste. (2) Wider circulations inside as well as outside Nepal. (3) Virtual immunity to blocking by state authorities. People outside can copy and paste into the body of email and send it in. (4) Revenue generation to allow print penetration into Nepal. This might be the NUMBER ONE reason to do it. PDF restricts us to the already converted. Let's penetrate every wada in the coutry by using the 8 student organizations.

So you are not looking at one magazine but perhaps three. You are looking at an online presence that is huge and with rolling submissions. You have no incentive to limit contributions. Then you pick the best articles for the PDF and print versions. You sell the print versions across Nepal.

Whip up your stable of writers! Let's rumbo.

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