Nepal one finally spoke..................... "We are an international channel": Nepal 1 Amid controversy regarding its legal and financial status, Nepal 1?a private sector television beamed from the Indian capital?has clarified that it is ?an international channel." In its public notice carried by two leading dailies in Kathmandu Monday, the television channel has made it clear that Nepal 1 TV is not registered in Nepal and that it is a channel under the TV Live (India) Pvt. Ltd. ?The allegation that Nepal 1 TV does not pay taxes is a fraudulent and imaginary one. The channel functions within the law of the land to the best of our knowledge. We are particular of being law abiding and will always be so in the future,? said general manager of the television. The notice, however, did not carry the name of general manager of the television channel. ?The allegation that Nepal 1 is using V-SAT service for transmission of news to its head office in Delhi is completely false. Nepal 1 is sending its entire data through courier, air service and internet,? the TV channel said. It further said that since its inception, Nepal 1 has never done any live telecast of any event or incident. The TV channel was responding to allegations from the Advertising Agencies Association of Nepal (AAAN), which has demanded with the government to ban the transmission of the channel saying that its ?financial, legal and administrative status is not clear.? Earlier, the Department of Information had issued a circular saying that Nepal 1 was a foreign TV channel and that it should be dealt with accordingly. In its public notice, the TV channel said ?it is the wish of Nepal 1 TV to present the best picture image of Nepal to the world and in this effort we can claim success. Through our programme, ?Hamro Desh Ramro Desh? (Our Country Beautiful Country), we presented and took the positive aspects of Nepali society before the world. In our new programme, ?Nepal Star,? we are going to present the finest talent from Nepal to the world, which was undiscovered till today,? the TV channel said. Meanwhile, addressing a function organised in the capital Monday, Minister for Information and Communications Dr Mohammed Mohsin has said his ministry has written to Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the issue of the channel with high-level Indian officials. He, however, did not reveal the content of the said letter. ?The channel has posed a challenge to Nepal?s national identity. So, this issue must be considered seriously,? he added. Nearly two years after the private sector channel is being beamed across the Nepali audience in Nepal and India, critics have raised reservations over its name. ?The Channel should bring about reforms in its name and presentation,? said Taranath Dahal, president of Federation of Nepali Journalists. He, however, said if the government intended to control the editorial content of Nepal 1 television-- that was informing the people of Nepal-- could not be accepted. Talking to HBC FM, a private radio station based in Kathmandu, Monday, legal counsel of Nepal 1 TV, Birendra Thakur said the pride of Nepal and Nepalis was of paramount importance to Nepal 1 television channel. He, however, urged people not to mix up the issue of advertisement with nationalism. ?In the era of WTO (World Trade Organisation), we must be prepared for competition,? he added. nepalnews.com by Jan 31 05 No more bullshitting on this thread now......