[Buddha-l] Is there any basis for the allegations concerning the "expulsion" of Ani Karma Lhamu?

[Curt Steinmetz]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just saw this one move again!

The journalist who started the whole "expulsion" scandal, Shudesna 
Sarkar, has written yet another piece that started making the rounds two 
days ago (August 16) under the title "Gangraped Buddhist nun faces new 
ordeal." Sarkar's article has been picked up by a number of news outlets 
including The Asian Age, MSN India, GreaterKashmir.Com, Gulf Times, etc 
(sometimes her name is given, sometimes the byline is just "Indo-Asian 
News Service").

The funny thing is, all mention of the nun being "expelled" or "facing 
expulsion" have vanished from Sarkar's version of events now. There is 
also no mention of any "statement" released by "15 Buddhist 
organizations", nor does the name of Norbu Sherpa appear anywhere (he is 
the Nepal Buddhist Federation official who was the only Buddhist source 
ever cited by Sarkar to substantiate her claims).

Sarkar does not completely relent, though. She still buries one last 
feeble, passive-voiced, vague-to-the-point-of-meaningless insinuation in 
the closing paragraphs of the article: "there was a debate over whether 
the raped nun was still eligible to remain a nun and her future became 
uncertain." Who debated? What did they say? When did they say it? How, 
when, and where was the "debate" settled? And: What is it that is 
supposedly "uncertain" about the nun's "future"? For that matter, is 
anyone's future ever "certain"?

In essence, Sarkar has now tacitly conceded that she either knowingly 
made up the whole "expulsion" story, or, possibly, that she was 
unknowingly fed false information that she accepted uncritically and 
passed along as "fact" to the general public.

If anyone is interested in what appears to be the truth of the story, 
check out this article in the Nepali Times (an article that, unlike 
Sharkar's fabrications, has been completely ignored both by the world 
media and by Western Buddhist bloggerdom):
http://nepalitimes.com/issue/2011/07/22/Nation/18400

Curt Steinmetz

On 8/14/11 2:12 PM, Curt Steinmetz wrote:
> On 8/13/11 6:50 PM, Jo wrote:
>> Also, I find it hard to think that this Indian paper would play along with
>> Chinese designs on territory, as you imply.
>>
>>
> Well, many people found it hard to believe that the New York Times would
> play along with George W. Bush's mad rush to war. Propaganda is only
> effective if it comes from a trustworthy source.
>
> Curt
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