Dear Internet User,

The private sector in Nepal has long been suffering from the political instability in our country. The private sector has repeatedly been the victim of the worst criminal atrocities, such as extortion, arson, abduction and brutal physical assault by members of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) despite its very public renunciation of such violence.

While repeatedly showering words of support, the Government has done little to curb such vicious activities. It is the right of every citizen to lead a free and safe life in the country and it is the responsibility of the government to provide a secure environment. In protesting the government's failure to provide security to the private sector, and in solidarity with the rest of the private sector, the Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN) has decided to suspend all Internet services from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM starting from March 20, 2007. The protest program will be further intensified depending on the government's response.

We hope that our activities in consort with the activities of the rest of the private sector will put pressure on the government to take up its responsibility to ensure security to all citizens. We will be compelled to intensify our protest with similar service outages in the coming days if the government does not act responsibly. As a concerned citizen, we urge you to contact the Prime Minister's office and voice your support for our legitimate demands. We deserve a secure environment, just like anyone else.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you.

Sincerely,

Pavan S. Shakya
President
Internet Service Providers Association of Nepal (ISPAN)
Email: info@ispan.net.np