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EU concerned over insurgency

Kathmandu, April 13: The 15-member European Union has expressed its concern over the escalation of Maoist related violence that has claimed more than 1,600 lives in more than five years in Nepal. The statement condemned the violence and called on Maoists and government to negotiate and find a peaceful resolution to the internal conflict. The EU condemned the escalating violence that claimed the lives of nearly 90 policemen, civilians and Maoists last week nation-wide. In another development, US ambassador to Nepal Ralph Frank said in a statement, "Under no circumstances does the United States support, nor advocate the overthrow of an elected government through violence or non-constitutional methods." Nepalnews.com/br/at

King Birendra approves paramilitary ordinance 

Kathmandu, April 12: An ordinance to set up an Armed Police Force to combat the Maoist
insurgency received the royal nod on Thursday after months of uncertainty that took the country to
the verge of a constitutional crisis.

The 15,000-strong paramilitary force is to be trained by the Army and equipped with the second-hand self-loading rifles (SLR) from the military. Prime Minister Girija Koirala had been
pressing for the force, and calls for setting it up took added urgency after the attack on the Dunai
Police Post in September 2000 in which 18 policemen were killed. The latest Maoist attacks last
week seemed to have finally convinced both the Army and the Palace about the need to set up the
force. 

Koirala brought up the matter to King Birendra several times, who finally gave his approval and the ordinance (together with another one to reinstate Zonal Administrators to streamline local decision-making) were filed in the winter session of parliament for ratification.

But leftist parties led by the main opposition UML paralysed parliament saying Koirala was involved in corrupt deals involving a jet lease. The winter session ended last week without the ratification. Koirala then sent the two ordinances back to the palace on Friday and followed it up with a meeting with the king on Wednesday. The king couldn’t have refused to pass the ordinance without triggering a constitutional crisis, and he finally gave his stamp of approval. 

Military analysts here doubt if the paramilitary can be effective in combating the insurgency which has claimed 1,650 lives in five years. But it would boost the sagging morale of the police force which has been borne the brunt of the casualties in Maoist attacks in recent weeks. In the highest death toll so far, some 80 policemen were killed in raids on remote police posts in Rukum, Dolakaha and Dailekh districts since April 1. The government also seems to have got the Army’s approval to carry out joint patrols with police and to be on alert for rapid reaction in case of further attacks on police posts. 

The government may also need the paramilitary to goad the Maoists to come to the negotiating table. Attempts to broker a negotiated solution have so far been unsuccessful. Nepalnews.com/kd

Senior Pakistani diplomat caught

Kathmandu, April 12: Police apprehended a senior Pakistani diplomat who was about to return to
his country after a posting in Nepal with 16 kg of explosives on Thursday afternoon in Kathmandu.

Mohammad Arshad was the first secretary in the Pakistani Embassy in Kathmandu and had packed his belongings and moved to the flat in Baneswor and had planned to fly back to Pakistan over the weekend. Police said the explosives were hidden above a cabinet in the two-storey house and said it was “RDX”. They said they had acted on a tipoff, but refused to say from whom.

Police sources said two Pakistanis and two Nepalis have been arrested in the incident but it is not
confirmed if Arshad is one of those arrested. There were moments of high drama as police arrived to raid the building and began a thorough search. Speaking to Nepalnews.com, Arshad denied any knowledge of the explosives and said: “This is all the work of the Indians, they are trying to frame me.” Neighbours said the downstairs flat of the house where Police nabbed Arshad was the office of a highway construction firm called Sachel Engineering which had got a contract to maintain stretch of highway near Pokhara. The head of the company, Hussain Chima was away in Pakistan during the police raid.

India has often accused Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of using Nepal as a base to route explosives like RDX into India. It also blamed the hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight IC 814 in December 1999 on the ISI. At that time, police had similarly raided the house of a Pakistani diplomat in Kathmandu and accused him to being in possession of counterfeit Indian currency. He was deported.

The latest incident is sure to put Nepal once more in the media spotlight and reinforce Indian public opinion that Nepal is being used a springboard by the ISI to mount attacks in India. Nepalnews.com/br/rh/kd

NC CWC meeting concludes

Kathmandu, April 12: The meeting of Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) concluded Thursday after calling upon the government to take all necessary measures to  maintain law and order in the country and provide full security to the people. In a statement issued today after the meeting, the Nepali Congress  said that the meeting discussed the current political situation and deteriorating law and order in the country comprehensively and asked the government to make all necessary arrangements to work on the security of the country and control the Maoist insurgency.

It also called upon all political parties and people who believe in the present constitution and multi-party democracy to be united against the politics of violence that has aimed at defaming and sabotaging the  democratic polity. "It is time for all democratic forces in the country to  maintain good relations and work together to defeat anti-democratic forces  and activities and protect democracy and maintain good law and order in the  country," the statement read.

In the statement, the ruling party says that the present crisis in the country can be solved only through cooperation and collective efforts of all democratic forces. In the meeting, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala briefed the CWC about the present law and order situation of the country and efforts of the government to improve security system. The statement says that meeting took the Prime Minister’s report seriously and positively but instructed the government to make further
arrangement to improve law and order. Nepalnews.com/yl/at

Another NC activist killed

Kathmandu, April 12: Maoists shot dead another activist of the ruling Nepali Congress party 
Thursday morning at a village in Kalaiya district, police said. Sambhu Yadav died of gunshot and knife wounds en route to the hospital at district headquarters. Maoist rebels attacked Yadav at a village assembly meeting.

Two children were injured Wednesday when a booby trap laid by rebels went  off at Toli village in Dailekh district, police said.

Meanwhile the Nepal Police headquarters issued a notice Monday not to accept  resignations submitted following a general scare after more than 70  policemen were killed in attacks through the nation last week. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Crown Prince Dipendra to visit Japan

Kathmandu, April 12: Crown Prince Dipendra will pay an official visit to Japan in the last week of April, the Royal Palace said in an announcement Thursday. Exact dates for the visit were not announced. The Crown Prince is visiting Japan at the invitation of the Japanese government. The heir to the throne has made similar visits to India, China, United Kingdom and other countries.
Nepalnews.com/br/at

Tourists to be charged for Pashupatinath visits

Kathmandu, April 12: Tourists visiting Pashupatinath will be charged Rs 75 as entrance fee from beginning Saturday, the first day of the Nepali New Year 2058. Pashupati Area Development Trust made the announcement in newspaper advertisements Thursday. 

"With a view to make the area more pleasant, clean and beautiful and preserve the archaeological objects, historical monuments and cultural heritage of the area designated as a world heritage site tourists visiting the area will be charged Rs 75," the announcement said. 

The move comes even as tour operators protest similar such levies at Bhaktapur and Baudhanath. It is not known how much money will be generated by the Trust from visitors to the holiest Hindu temple in Nepal. Nepalnews.com/br/at

UNDP grants $1.77 million for corridor development

Kathmandu, April 12: A corridor will be developed linking the Royal Chitwan National Park and the Beeshajar tal or wetlands and the Mahabarat range to provide mobility to endangered protected animals like the tiger and the rhino. The project is called the Landscape Scale Conservation of Endangered Tiger and Rhinoceros Population. 

The RCNP has been very successful in preserving endangered animals due to the combined conservation efforts of different conservation organisations. The corridor development will, in effect, expand the acreage of the park also. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Wednesday gave Nepal $1.77 million to execute the project which will be implemented over three years by the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. 

The project will be launched immediately and personnel recruitment has already started. The bold new conservation scheme is being developed to link forests by building corridors in the entire length of the country. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Nepal SBI gives bonus shares

Kathmandu, April 12: Nepal SBI Bank Wednesday announced an operating profit of Rs 146.66 million in the fiscal year 1999/2000 --up from Rs 82.7 million the previous year. The joint venture bank announced two bonus shares for every 10 shares and one right share for every two shares at its annual general meeting. Total deposit during the period increased by 27.57 percent to Rs 5.75 billion but total loan investment fell to Rs 3.70 billion. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Government debars STN satellite transmission

Kathmandu, April 12: In yet another move, the government has told Space Time Network Pvt Ltd (STN) not to begin satellite television transmission from Saturday until "the technical examination and final inspections are over," an official announcement said. The Ministry of Information and Communication sent the fresh directive to Nepal’s biggest cable television network this week. 

The government also asked the network to submit evidence for technical examination that it has met terms and conditions set in the transmission license. The government earlier overturned the decision of former Communications Minister Jayaprakash Prasad Anand canceling the transmission license of the company on a technicality. The STN satellite transmission was to be beamed to 52 countries. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Chinese tourist market to be targeted

Kathmandu, April 11: Nepal and China will sign an accord to formalise the kingdom as a destination for Chinese tourists, travel trade sources said. Minister for Tourism Omkar Shrestha left for China Wednesday to sign the accord. China last year put Nepal as a state approved tourist destination increasing possibilities for Chinese arrivals. The inflow has not started yet.
Shrestha heads an eight-member delegation. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Finance Ministry orders expenditure cuts

Kathmandu, April 11: The government has ordered a 7.5 percent cut in the regular budget to meet increased expenditure to curb the spiralling Maoist insurgency without reducing salaries, an official source said. The Finance Ministry this week sent out a general circular ordering the cuts.
Expenditures in electricity, telephone, travel, rent, printing, newspaper purchases and other classifications have ordered to be to be curbed. This years Home Ministry was however almost double to fight the Maoist insurgency. Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat earlier expressed concern at the increase in regular government expenditure and the decline in development expenditure this year. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Kathmandu, April 11: Seventeen days after his reinstatement by the Supreme Court, Dr Tilak Rawal Wednesday took over the top job of the Nepal Rastra Bank, the kingdom's central bank. Governor Dr Rawal challenged his dismissal nearly 10 months ago by the then Finance Minister and current Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya. Dr Rawal was appointed for a fixed five-year term by the government of Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai unceremoniously ousted by Girija Prasad Koirala in a bitter internal power struggle in the ruling Nepali Congress party. The delay in taking over after the court order was only procedural. Dipendra Purush Dhakal, a former government secretary who had been placed in the post in place of Rawal, quit immediately after the Supreme Court verdict. Nepalnews.com/br/at

Maoists kill NC Activist

Kathmandu, April 11: Rebels of the underground Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) killed the treasurer of the Nepali Congress Tanahu district committee Bishnu Prasad Jamarkattel in Dulapani of Tanahu district, about 200 km west of Kathmandu, Tuesday. A group of some 6-7 rebels dragged Bishnu Prasad Jamarkattel out of the bus in which he was returning home from Damauli, brutally beat him and later shot him in the midriff and fled to a nearby forest. Police said the attackers were following him from Damauli. Rebels left him unconscious thinking he was dead. Later Jamarkattel was airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment but died in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital while undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, London based human rights watchdog Amnesty International asked the insurgents to stop the recent spray of killings. "The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) should immediately stop killing people who were not taking active part in the conflict, including combatants takes prisoner," a statement said. The AI also condemned the execution style killings of eight policemen who had surrendered to Maoists at a police striking force in Dialekh of Friday/Saturday 450 km west of the capital. Nepalnews.com/br/yl/at

NC parliamentary party meets; Koirala asked to step down

Kathmandu, April 11: The meeting of the Nepali Congress parliamentary party began Tuesday in Kathmandu to discuss the country’s current political and security situation. Sources at the Nepali Congress said that some lawmakers asked Prime Minister Koirala to resign to give an outlet to the country’s dire political situation. According to a NC lawmaker, although the meeting was called without any agenda, several lawmakers raised the country’s current problems and said that Koirala needed to resign in order to maintain good relations with opposition parties and solve the country’s problems. Koirala listened to other members and did not respond, the source said. Even some lawmakers, who were previously known as Koirala’s strong supporters suggested Koirala to resign.

Talking to media persons after the meeting, secretary of NC parliamentary party Benup Raj Prasai said that meeting will be continued on Wednesday, as all those who wanted to speak could not do so due to the lack of time. Prasai said that the issue of the premier’s resignation did not figure in the meeting but some lawmakers said that if change of leadership of the government is the only way for solving country’s problems, the party also needs to think about it seriously.

In the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel briefed the lawmakers about the security condition of the country. However, lawmakers said that law and order and security situation is worse in the country and asked the government either to take necessary step to maintain law and order to protect life of the people or give way to others to do the same, the source said. Nepalnews.com/yl/at