US embassy cable - 05KATHMANDU1294

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 001294 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR SA/INS 
LONDON FOR POL/BELL 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PINS, PHUM, NP 
SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT ARRESTS JOURNALISTS; BAN ON INDIAN 
NEWS LIFTED; MURDER OF CAMPUS CHIEF 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
1.  (U) The government arrested 98 human rights 
activists and lawyers, including 71 journalists, from 
Kathmandu and Kavre Districts on June 13.  The 
government released all 50 arrested in Kavre the same 
day.  Journalists from FM radio stations vowed to 
continue their protest programs despite the 
government's call for talks.  Indian news channels 
resumed operation in Nepal following the government's 
approval on June 11. Maoists killed the Chief of Jana 
Priya University Campus of Pokhara and two of his 
security guards on June 12.  END SUMMARY. 
 
JOURNALISTS ARRESTED IN KATHMANDU 
--------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) On June 13, the government arrested 48 
journalists for protesting in restricted areas of 
downtown Kathmandu.  The protest rally, organized by 
the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), demanded 
press freedom and revocation of all restrictions on 
free media.  The police also arrested 50 human rights 
activists and lawyers, including 23 journalists, in 
Kavre District (central Nepal).  A senior FNJ official 
told EmbOff that those arrested in Kathmandu were 
still in police detention, but all those arrested in 
Kavre were released after six hours of detention. 
Journalists across the country organized similar 
protest rallies on June 13. 
 
RADIO JOURNALISTS TO CONTINUE PROTEST PROGRAMS 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
3.  (SBU) Save Independent Radio Movement (SIRM), an 
association of FM radio journalists and publishers, 
had decided to suspend its June 14 protest programs 
because the government had verbally agreed to enter 
into dialogue with them.  However, Tara Nath Dahal, 
Advisor of SIRM and former President of FNJ, told 
EmbOff that since the government had misinformed the 
media by saying that on June 13 SIRM had on its own 
volition withdrawn its protests, SIRM decided to 
continue with the programs and refuse to enter into 
talks with the government. 
 
INDIAN NEWS CHANNELS REAPPEAR IN NEPAL 
-------------------------------------- 
 
4.  (SBU) Indian news channels came on the air again 
in Nepal on June 11 following the government's 
decision to allow the resumption of broadcasts.  After 
King Gyanendra's Royal takeover of February 1, His 
Majesty's Government of Nepal had ordered Nepal's 
cable TV operators to take Indian news channels off 
the air.  However, despite the lifting of the curbs, 
Nepal One, the news and entertainment channel from New 
Delhi, remained blocked because the Royal Nepal Army 
(RNA) alleged that a Nepal One channel reporter 
collaborated with the Maoists -- it had aired live 
coverage of an ambush by Maoists during which the 
rebels took RNA personnel hostage in Dhading District 
(central Nepal) in November 2004.  The channel has 
denied the allegation. 
 
MAOISTS SHOT DEAD CAMPUS CHIEF AND HIS GUARDS 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
5. (SBU) On June 12, Maoist insurgents shot Ganesh Man 
Palikhe, Chief of Jana Priya University Campus of 
Pokhara, and his two security guards.  Palikhe and his 
guards were killed near the gate of his residence. 
Ashok Palikhe, Ganesh's brother and the Director of 
Fish Tail Hospital in Pokhara, told EmbOff that his 
brother assisted in the arrest of a Maoist student who 
was trying to start a fire on the campus in March. 
After the arrest, the Maoists threatened to kill the 
campus chief if he would not help release their cadre 
from the custody of the Royal Nepal Army.  The RNA had 
provided the guards who were killed. 
 
MILLARD