Invitation to violence:

The country is headed towards mobocracy. Recently, ex-armymen padlocked the Supreme Court entrance for two hours because the court was delaying a verdict. Similarly, the misguided Education Act has resulted in student protests around the country. But what can people do when the government refuses to listen? The government seems to pay heed only when people hurl stones and burn tyres to get justice. The government, especially the one which traces its stay in power to the mandate of the mass uprising, should learn to give people a hearing even when they make their complaints in a peaceful manner. The government’s tendency of knowing only the language of force is not conducive to a democratic culture. It is an invitation to violence.

Eak Prasad Duwadi, via e-mail

Photo:

Storyteller Cassandra Wye’s photo on your cover page accompanying the news report “Peace hinges on timely polls, says Prachanda” was totally out of place. Did the photograph have anything to do with the news story? Of late, it has been a practice with THT to place totally out-of-context photos. If such a photo must go on the front page, couldn’t it be separated from the news reports, for example, by enclosing it inside a box? THT website, too, contained the same photo next to the news story.

Rabin Tuladhar, via e-mail

Misleading:

The load-shedding schedules given in the report “Load-shedding begins”(THT, Dec. 5), are totally misleading. The timings clash with the NEA load-shedding schedule. Relying on THT, I was expecting the lights to go out in Baluwatar on Tuesday, but they did not. Wrong information will reduce the credibility of a newspaper.

Subhash Shah, Baluwatar

Polo:

This refers to Dr Ravi Sharma Aryal’s article “Elephant polo: Promoting animal cruelty?” (THT, Dec. 5). Cruelty to animals is not right, more so when it is unnecessary. But there is nothing wrong with involving elephants in a game as simple and gentle as elephant polo because it is not only a wonderful use of our wildlife but also a source of income. However, those who are calling for a total ban on elephant polo are doing so without an in-depth study of the level of stress the animal is subjected to during the game. Before jumping to conclusions, one should see whether the stress involved amounts to torture.

Apar Paudyal, CDES, TU

Midway:

THT’s Midway column is interesting. It is informative and provides touching stories. But what gives readers monotony is the publication of the write-ups of a very limited number of contributors week after week. It would be better if you encouraged new writers.

Prapti Dhungana, via e-mail

Listings:

THT is the most popular English daily in Nepal with its unrivalled coverage of news and entertainment activities. It would add to THT’s popularity if schedules of radio programmes of various stations were also published daily.

Manish Puri, via e-mail