First, it was Lok Raj Baral -- a harmless 70-year old political science professor.
Then others were arrested.

Now, Kanak too.

*************************************

Kanak Mani Dixit, the Editor and Publisher of Himal Khabarpatrika
fortnightly magazine was taken into custody by police on Monday
evening.

Plainclothes policemen who had been waiting at his home took him away
saying the "Superintendent wants to talk to you."

Dixit then drove to thepolice station in his own car. His wife who
went to the police station in jawalakhel where he is being kept wasn't told
the reason for the detention nor how long he will be kept.

Ashu and I seem to have crossed post!

Guys, I have been trying to access Himal and Nepali Times in the internet but with no avail. Seems the autocratic regime have scraped the ISP. I don't understand why Gyanendra and company is scared of truth. Apart from some resentment against Gyanendra's undemocratic move, there was nothing questionable in the latest issues of both papers.
Now is there any doubt about Gyanendra's intention to rule Nepal in darkness? Why don't the educated fraternity come up with strong words against the despot? Let me make clear, the direct beneficiary of the Mandalays do not include in the educated fraternity I have maintained.

Government arrests then quickly releases a high-profile journalist


Akhilesh Upadhyay

- The arrest and quick release yesterday of Kanak Mani Dixit, a prominent journalist, underscores not only the current perils of Nepal?s free press, but also a dilemma its new government faces.
It?s just been over a month since King Gyanendra took on absolute powers to fight the Maoists. But the going hasn?t been easy amid widespread international calls to restore democracy.

Dixit, 49, editor of Himal South Asian magazine and publisher of Himal Khabarpatrika, was arrested two days after his arrival from a New Delhi conference where he had voiced his reservations against the royal putsch and the imposition of a state of emergency.

Dixit has been a high-profile rebel. While most other editors and human rights activists have been happy lying low, Dixit has been vocal against the new regime in the international press, including CNN and The Economist.

Only yesterday, New Delhi categorically told the visiting Foreign Minister Rameshnath Pandey that restoration of political freedoms would remain central in its resumption of military aid to Nepal, suspended since Feb. 1. The United States and Britain have taken similar positions, though all three powers may be willing to give the King the benefit of the doubt for a while.

How does that play out in terms of press freedom? Dixit?s arrest follows fresh censorship measures that forbid journalists from reporting on the Maoist conflict without official vetting. The government can convict journalists or media outlets whose reporting ?affects the morale of the security forces.? This issue is of enormous public concern, as the toll of the Maoist ?people's war? exceeds the 11,000-mark.

"It [the arrest] gives a window into uncivilized behavior of our rulers," Dixit told us Tuesday morning of his overnight detention. He had spent a night at a Jawalakhel police station, not too far from his home in Patan Dhoka, where some senior political party leaders have been locked up since Feb. 1, without much contact with the outside world. "They [the leaders] have been less fortunate [than me]," says Dixit.

To a government facing international isolation, the Dixit saga yesterday exacted some price. Within hours, online news sites reported that Dixit had been picked up from his home by plainclothes security forces to ?see a DSP? (Deputy Superintendent of Police). As word of his arrest spread like wildfire, late news reports had more time to talk to his family members who said that they had delivered him sleeping bags and clothes late in the evening at the police station (Dixit himself told us Tuesday morning that he was prepared for a long haul). Overnight Monday, emails and telephone messages voicing concerns for his safety traveled round the world.

In New York, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the CPJ, soon showed solidarity with the veteran journalist through a statement. ?The jailing of Kanak Dixit is another severe blow to the ideals of democracy and press freedom that once seemed so promising in Nepal,? said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. The CPJ called for Dixit?s immediate and all other journalists in detention.

Cooper went on to voice her concerns about the situation in Nepal. "Despite international censure of the king's actions, journalists remain in jail and conditions for the press are dire,? she said. In its homepage (www.cpj.org), the CPJ noted that criticism of the King?s actions has been banned in Nepal, along with independent reporting on the ongoing Maoist conflict.

Upon his release, Dixit, once again, used the bully pulpit to lecture the government, while he candidly admitted that not all the journalists and human rights activists have been released after a few hours in detention. "Some of us are privileged in Kathmandu," Dixit told us, ?but make no mistake, the country's civil liberties and press freedom have taken a knock. They have been pushed back several decades. The situation of journalists and human rights activists, especially outside Kathmandu, is anything but normal."

At least five journalists remain in prison. Forty FM radio stations have already fired most of their journalists because the government no longer allows private stations to air news programs. Major newspapers face prospects of huge layoffs as advertisement revenues continue to plunge amid deepening political instability.

Many Nepalis nodded in approval when King Gyanendra in his televised address of Feb.1 blamed the squabbling political parties for the country's failure to fight the Maoist insurgency. A month on, many of them are now wondering whether sweeping clampdowns on fundamental rights, including press freedom which followed the speech, would help that fight.

www.kantipuronline.com

Well,
Kanak sir was my boss once when i worked in himalmedia but then there was nothing political about him and it is really strange that he is arrested. He is a very nationalistic person and i feel sad that he is labeled as someone else.

it is sad that professionals like him are getting arrested everyday in the name of politics. Looks like you cannot even prove to do things the right way and be successful in your field.

Tell me one thing.. isn't this Himal publication financed by Indians? Isn't that the reason why before feb 1, in Nepal, they wanted to shut it off. Itmeans Kanak Man Dixit was on teh payroll of indians.

Prem Dai,

You must be thinking Himalayan Times as in "direct indian investment".

Himal Media is also true, in an obscure kinda way. Kanak's great grand pop was Madan Shumshere's PA or Purohit. Madan Shumshere's wife, Jagadamba Maharani, came from Benares with a whole lot of priceless jewelry as her dowry. Dixits got all of Madan Shumshere's property as they didn't have children.

But, Kanak's pop, Kamal Mani runs Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya (MPP),the principal archive of books and periodicals in the nepali language and also manages two of Nepal's most prestigious literary prizes, the Madan Puraskar and the Jagadamba Shree.

Hmm...
It's amazing then how Kanak became mouthpiece of Girija.

Tell you one thing.. the journos in nepal never became independent or free. Always they were affiliated to pancha, komunists or Kangress and the RNA/King. JOurnos were always tainted.

Round 1: Kanak Mani Dixit vs. Big Guy Gyanendra

Kanak 1 - Big Guy 0

Three cheers for the winner!

kanakk
dixit realeased

ell me one thing.. isn't this Himal publication financed by Indians? Isn't that the reason why before feb 1, in Nepal, they wanted to shut it off. Itmeans Kanak Man Dixit was on teh payroll of indians.


Hi Prem Dai,

I guess you are getting confused with The himalayan times. Himal publication and The himalayan time ( under Appka publication) are two different entity....

Himal Publication ( himal, himal south asian and nepali times) is owned by nepalese to the root, it belongs to dixit family.

the Himalayan Times (appka publication) has been in controversy for long because there is indirect investment of Times of india group and other indian national.. Now I do not want to go in detail whether it is good or not... we can start a new thread to discuss this....

As far as your comment that Himal is Girija's mukhpatra.... I think that is wrong perception.. because during the days before October 18th take over by king... Himal publication taints toward NEpal communist (UML)... they are known to be UML supporter.

There is a rumor in ktm (Land of rumor) that Dixit family are supporting UML because they have lots of wealth inherited from Rana Family ( how I dont know)... and to protect their wealth even though UML / Communist comes to power, they wanted good relation with communist.....

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Kanak Dixit is getting really popular here.. 1275 views 35 posts....

there was hardly any post related to Bishnu Nisthuri's arrest.. president of journalist association....

Anyway, hope Kanak and Himal publication will keep their popularity going my providing us with unbiased and true news.. .and with articles from people from different walk of life .... guiding misguided nepalese to come out of current darkness...

I like the news and quality of articles in himal and nepali times...


Even Kantipur has good popularity but I hate it because it is too biased towards political parties especially congress... it is like reading those bullshit weekly papers like Deshantar Bimarsha, drishti and so on....

next thing I started hating it when they changed their color like lizard once their boss was indicted for corruption charge...

I mean before kishor shiroya was charged with corruption they were supporting every move of CIAA but the day their own boss got in jail they started opposing every move of CIAA...

I guess journalist should know the limit of their biasedness....

Himal has set itself as CNN which is biased to a limit.... all others are like Fox channel completely biased with "my way or no way" attitude

They say, Lauda Kanda is at No. 1 among the cases the Shahi Commission'slooking at these days... Let's see how things will turn up.

The journalists... Oh, they are not real journalists in Nepal. They too share the same attitude of general public, and they too have the similar atibutes of those bhratsa leaders, karmacharis etc.

C,mon, everyone wants to build a house in the Valley. Never thought of developing their villages.

What about you Prem? What good have you done to the country or anybody for that matter except for your own? I know that many politicians are/were irresponsible and corrupt. But how do you know it? Because the press could bring it out during these post-1990 years. Does it mean the netas before 1990 were clean? NO. The only differnece is that nobody could write or talk about their corruption and smuggling before. Just like now, after Feb 1, 2005. Who decides who is corrupt and fair? Not somebody like Gyane and his clique that has done every imaginable crime against Nepal and yet wants to appear as a clean cow. Not in my name. Maybe you are a darbariya's son now living in a western country and happy at the return of the old days because nobody will question you or your masters' wanton behavior. Not here in Nepal, because we know what it means to be free and have the right to decide the future of the country.
Also you can't paint all the journalists with the same brush as you can't grossly generalize politicians and politics. If a doctor is bad, wise men don't destroy the hospital, they have new qualified doctors. You might jump in to say that King G did that but no butcher has that right. It's the brave nepalis who should and will do that.
Think about it!!!

I know that many politicians are/were irresponsible and corrupt. But how do you know it? Because the press could bring it out during these post-1990 years. Does it mean the netas before 1990 were clean? NO. The only differnece is that nobody could write or talk about their corruption and smuggling before.....


Thats the freaking point... if the leaders b4 1990 were corrupt .. what were there democratic leaders looking for 15 years.. why did not they made a move to take action agains them.. why did not they try to limit the power of palace and put it in back seat.....
they were so busy earning money they did not care to do that.... So now King took the advantage of their weakness... and there is nothing wrong... as king is determined to clean after 1990 corrupt leaders cleared... so I would rather be happy with 50% cleaned country than with 100% dirty country.....

Our leaders and even us are biggest idiot.... when ever we came out of a autocratic system we never went ahead to demand back every thing that were looted from us during that period....

I mean Rana regime was over, but Ranas still remained and their wealth still remained with them... while we know the wealth belonged to us nepalese people.....

Panchayat regime was over, but panches still remained their wealth still remained... and more over they still ruled us... I mean panche are still one of the major political force in nepal just the thing is they changer their jacket labeled as Pancha to RPP.

So bottom line is it is those corrupt politicians mistake that they did not try to expose and clean the mistakes done during Panchayat... instead they went ahead following panche's steps...so today some one else took advantage of them....

For me Democratic leaders are more worst than panches... because these leaders made false promise and expoited us... they promised us democratic system but gave us corrupt autocratic system....

"Ke garchas Mangale Afnai dhanga le"

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