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Army officials posted in Nepalese print, visual media offices
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 13
Quickly after the February 1 royal coup in Nepal, officials of Royal Nepal Army (RNA) have been posted in the editorial offices of print and visual media, both foreign and domestic, and are monitoring every news report so that nothing against the King or his hand-picked Council of Ministers is reported, according to a report put up today before Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

There is a pervasive climate of fear among journalists in Nepal and a systematic campaign of intimidation, harassment and persecution has gripped the media in Nepal, both domestic and foreign, sources told The Tribune today.

A number of journalists who dared to criticise the actions of King Gyanendra or participated in demonstrations against the government have been put behind bars. The exact number of journalists arrested so far is still not clear in view of a repressive media censorship regime enforced at the orders of the new government.

The journalists in Nepal have been clearly told to toe the government line or else they would be put behind bars.

The RNA, which has now for all practical purposes donned the mantle of editor-in-chief for the entire media in Nepal, has prepared a roster of duty for its officials who are posted in the editorial offices of newspapers and television networks.

The hardest hit is the common man in rural and remote areas of Nepal who is totally cut off from free, fair and objective news. That is because the FM radio channels, which were closed down altogether for a few days after the royal coup, have been instructed to broadcast only music and entertainment-related programmes. The news bulletins of these radio networks, which could be heard by common Nepalis on their battery-operated, hand-held transistors, have been banned by the new regime.

Stringent censorship is enforced on internet editions of Nepalese newspapers also. As a result, some of the popular newspapers are just not accessible on the net while those which are, have been posting pro-government news. For example, the internet editions of Nepali papers today prominently highlighted the reduction in prices of cooking gas and kerosene and killing of two Maoists in India.

Ironically, King Gyanendra in his address to the nation on February 1, had stressed the role of independent press in Nepal.

An interesting part of the report put up before the Indian Foreign Secretary today also includes an appeal from the media in Nepal to their Indian counterparts to support them and take up their cause in a big way in this hour of crisis.

The journalists in Nepal are sore over the fact that Indian journalistic bodies like The Editors Guild of India, Press Association, Indian Union of Journalists and Press Club of India have done precious little to take up their cause and have not even issued a statement condemning the repression and censorship of media in Nepal.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador in Kathmandu, Mr Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, will be briefing External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran tomorrow on the latest ground situation in Nepal. Mr Mukherjee has been called here for “consultations”.

The United States and Britain have also recalled their Ambassadors in Kathmandu for consultations, signifying that India was not isolated in the international community in condemnation of the royal coup in Nepal and there was perfect synergy among New Delhi, Washington and London on this issue.