View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
April 27, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 7:04pm

Breaking curfew to cover Nepal’s protests

By Press Gazette

By Dan Rivers

Breaking a curfew is not a particularly easy or safe thing to do Nepal.

Our CNN team was confined to our hotel, under a sort of unofficial house arrest, with the city locked-down. But we were determined to find out what was going on, and had to get out onto the streets.

Our first attempt was quite comical, struggling to climb over the back gate of the hotel gardens. We were spotted by a security guard, who marched us back into the lobby.

next we tried the obvious: What about walking straight out of the front gate? The security guards protested and remonstrated, but seemed unwilling or unable to stop us. Together with a Channel Four News team, we vaulted over the gate and were free to walking off down the main road in Kathmandu, the protests of the guards echoing up the street.

The key was not to look back — and not to stop.

Walking through the deserted city was weird. Grey, squat armoured personnel carriers were parked at key junctions around the royal palace, soldiers looking nervously around.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

As we walked through the city, we passed tourists, bewildered that their vacations have suddenly become news. It took us two and a half hours to walk to the city’s ring-road. Our route circuitous, as we try to avoid numerous road-blocks.

Finally we stumbled on a huge protest, a chaotic scene with tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators chanting and throwing stones at lines of riot police.

There was a crimson, sticky pool of blood where one protester had paid with his life. Witnesses say he was shot in the head by the police. And scattered like jewels among the rubble were spent rifle cartridges — the detritus of a violent clash between the state and the people.

We start filming, but the atmosphere is tense and volatile, at one moment good humoured, then suddenly violent and angry. Periodically, the groups of young protesters flee in panic thinking the shooting is about to start again.

After an hour, I decided it was time to go. At one point, the stone throwing was aimed at me and I worried that if we had stay much longer we might have become the focus for the angry mob.

The only way to get back to the hotel is to walk that long, quiet route home. Ambulances sped past with sirens blazing; they are the only traffic on the streets.

We managed to sneak back into the hotel and immediately went live on CNN to describe what we’ve seen. After filing my report, I eventually managed to get to bed a little after 3am. Up again at 7am to start all over again!

Dan Rivers is CNN’s Bangkok correspondent.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network