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Mystery surrounds Bhutan journalist's arrest
The whereabouts of Shantiram Acharya, who, it’s claimed, has been working as a reporter for a number of newspapers operating in the Bhutanese refugee camps in Nepal, is still unknown. Acharya was arrested on January 16, 2007, on the charge of being a Maoist militant. His case was initially reported eight days later on January 24 by Kuensel, the state-owned website. The Bhutan Chapter of Third World Media Network (TWMN) investigated and filed a report on Media Helping Media expressing deep concern about Acharya’s arrest and disappearance. Devi Acharya, a brother of the missing journalist, says the only hope is for international human rights organisations to probe his brother’s detention. Speaking by telephone with a TWMN-Bhutan representative, Devi Acharya said the family feared for Shantiram Acharya's safety. “The state terrorizing situation inside Bhutan is extremely risky. I do not know whether my brother is inside a cruel Bhutanese jail or even whether he is still alive.” The Communist Party of Bhutan (CPB-MLM) has already stated that Shantiram Acharya was not affiliated to their party. TWMN-Bhutan called on international media freedom and human rights groups to investigate further.
The writer, T P Mishra, is president of Third World Media Network - Bhutan Chapter and the editor of the Bhutan News Service (BNS) and chief coordinator for Helping Hand - Bhutan (a social organisation). He is also the winner of Bhutan’s journalist of the year award, 2006. Note: The Bhutan news site Kuensel Online provided another angle on this story. Click here for an earlier version on this site.
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