Direct naar de kronkel.
As you all know - I don't like group e-mails. But this one caught my attention because it doesn't ask you to do something, it doesn't try to sell you something. It is not intended to make you feel sorry for some
kid with a terrible disease.
Instead it is "just" intended to raise some awareness on a very serious problem of which we just don't know a lot in our Western society.
My visit to Nepal changed me. And the current situation is totally puzzling..
Please read the tekst below to learn about the current situation in Nepal and raise some awareness..
Dear All,
Many apologies for sending a group email, but in light of the recent troubling events in Nepal I thought it important to spread the message and ask for support from as many people as possible.
You will no doubt be aware that last Tuesday 1 February, King Gyanendra of Nepal dismissed the government, assumed total control of the nation and declared a state of emergency. All communication channels - including telephones, internet, radio and television - were immediately cut off and the airport closed. Phone lines and internet access have still not been restored (I have managed to get into the UN to use their email, which uses a satellite system and has therefore not been affected). Politicians, political activists, NGO and student leaders, media personnel and legal professionals, have been arrested - in their hundreds. All political rights have been suspended, including freedom of opinion and _expression, freedom to assemble peacefully, press and publication rights, right to information, right to privacy, and the right to constitutional remedy through writ jurisdiction. Indications are that telephone and internet tapping and tracking systems are being installed, although it is thought that communication services may not be restored for some time (maybe months). The King has issued a strict warning to the media not to publish any material considered defamatory to him or the current situation. In short, Nepal is now under an authoritarian military dictatorship.
In this environment, it is feared that human rights workers, NGO staff, union leaders and other civil society activists are in danger. Many people are already aware that they are being watched, and are concerned that they and their families will be arrested. More positively, it seems that foreigners working and visiting Nepal are safe, and will not be targeted by the security forces.
In the week prior to the King’s move, the UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, visited Nepal, and expressed serious concern about the human rights abuses that have been taking place in the country since the start of the civil war in 1996. She referred specifically to those abuses committed by the Royal Nepal Army, which is now in control of the country, under the direct leadership of the King. It is likely that these abuses will only increase under the current state of emergency. It is already clear that the disconnection of all communication systems makes the monitoring of human rights abuses impossible. Both the UN and Amnesty International have issued statements condemning the action taken by the King and expressing concern about the erosion of civil liberties and fundamental rights.
I would be very grateful for your support in disseminating information about the situation in Nepal as widely as possible, as we in Nepal are not able to do so ourselves.
I am also keen to know exactly what position the UK Government is taking on the issue, particularly the implications that it has for British humanitarian and military support for Nepal. Will the UK government continue to support an authoritarian military dictatorship under which grave human rights violations are being committed? This is particularly relevant given the high priority placed by the UK government on the development of democracy in countries such as Iraq, as well as efforts to tackle poverty and combat gross human rights abuse. I would call on everyone to write to their MP’s urging them to raise this issue with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and other government ministers, particularly Jack Straw, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Hilary Benn, the Secretary of State for International Development. Friends and relatives in other countries could also ask the same question to their governments. It may not seem like much, but little steps such as these could really make a difference.
We would also be grateful to anybody that can help raise general awareness about the issue, through NGOs, local community groups, friends, relatives and media channels and condemn the removal of all democratic and civil rights and freedoms in Nepal.
I appreciate that you are all very busy, but hope you will find time to at least cut and paste some of the information and concerns above into a letter to your MP, or to the local/national media. It would be really wonderful if those of you who have visited could add your own personal perspective, as personal letters always have much more of an impact.
Thanks so much – I will write more personally when I can. (Incidentially, it seems as though postal services are still operational. If you do want to write my address is Rural Reconstruction Nepal, 667 Neel Saraswoti Marg, PO Box 8130, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal).
http://www.nepalnews.com/Joost.
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