Dissent in Nepal could lead to midnight knock on door By Sanjeev Miglani KATHMANDU (Reuters) - It was a simple statement that wouldn't raise eyebrows almost anywhere else. Reuters Photo But in Nepal's state of emergency after the royal coup, the implied criticism of King Gyanendra was enough to bring police to journalist Bishnu Nisthuri's front door late at night to drag him away. Nisthuri had defended a colleague who had spoken out against King Gyanendra's decision to impose an emergency and suspend civil liberties in the tiny Himalayan kingdom. "We said come tomorrow morning, we won't go anywhere. We haven't done anything," said Nisthuri's wife, Shakuntala Ghimire, recalling the freezing cold night earlier this month. "But they wouldn't listen, they said they had orders." In a country which has always had a tradition of a free press, Nisthuri, 40, general secretary of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), isn't the only one targeted. Federation president Taranath Dahal is also on the run, and hundreds of political activists and union leaders have been in detention since the king sacked the government on Feb. 1. Soldiers have been stationed in newsrooms and in some cases are vetting every word before it goes out, say reporters. International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders has said that around 1,000 journalists, especially those working for the dozens of private radio stations, could lose their jobs as a result of the crackdown on the news media. Political parties say as many as 1,000 people may be detained or under house arrest in the countrywide crackdown. But authorities said only 31 political leaders remained under detention or house arrest after seven people, including two former prime ministers, were freed last week. "The initial picture of the situation in Nepal is one of heightened uncertainty, insecurity and fear," rights watchdog Amnesty International said as its representatives began a tour of the country to assess the impact of the emergency. CRACKDOWN ON MEDIA The king's decision to assume power in the mountain nation that has been battling a spreading Maoist insurgency for years has evoked condemnation from many countries. Activists fear the emergency could led to the further deterioration of human rights in Nepal, which already has one of the world's worst records on rights since the Maoist revolt began nine years ago. Both the military and the guerrillas have been accused of torturing and killing people in a conflict in which 11,000 people have died so far. Ghimire said the men who came to arrest Nisthuri did not show an arrest warrant or identity papers. With phones cut off across the kingdom, Ghimire had no clue where her husband was for five days. Last week, a friend managed to trace him and persuaded authorities to allow Ghimire to visit him. "We were both crying when I saw him, but he was all right," she said after her first visit to the heavily guarded Singha Durbar, the seat of the Nepali government, where Nisthuri was kept in a sparse room. Ghimire said her husband told her he had not been tortured or harassed in custody. "But he should be released. I don't know long we can cope with the mental tension," she said. Gyanendra justified taking power by blaming the previous government of failing to tackle the Maoist rebellion and raised fears of the poor country sliding into anarchy. Politicians said the arrests suggested that anyone thought capable of organising popular protests against Gyanendra had been taken into custody or placed under house arrest. "It is a two-fold strategy, arrest top leaders, and terrorise the party workers," said an official of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML). http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1965&ncid=731&e=5&u=/nm/20050214/india_nm/india_191456