Rights activists leave for South Africa and Mozambique

A group of human rights activists led by former Justice Laxman prasad Aryal has left for a ten-day long study tour of South Africa and Mozambique on Monday.

Mr. Aryal is the chairperson of Friend for Peace, a non-governmental organisation, that is coordinating the visit. National Business Initiatiative, a Johannesberg-based organisation, will host the Nepalese delegates in South Africa.

The delegates will study constitution making process, peace building and post-conflict transformation in the two countries including Demobilisation, Disarmament, and Rehabilitation (DDR) issues.

The members of the delegation include senior human rights activists Padma Ratna Tuladhar, former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, former Foreign Minister Shailendra K Upadhyay, Himalaya Shumsher JB Rana, Shyam Shrestha and Mrs. Shobha Gautam. 

Ms. Feyzi Ismail, senior programme officer of the London-based International Alert, that is helping peace building efforts in Nepal, is also accompanying the group. Nepalnews.com by Aug 09 04

RNA expresses grief, offers compensation

The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has expressed grief over what it said `accidental killing' of Bal Keshari Sahani, a resident of Sisautiya VDC of Sarlahi district. 

Security personnel had opened fire at her residence suspecting that the Maoist rebels had taken shelter in her house. 

Her infant child was also injured in the incident. Early reports said the child was also killed in the incident.

The RNA has provided Rs 5000 as compensation to the family of the victims. Security officials have promised to help in making full compensation available to the family, reports said. 
Nepalnews.com by Aug 09 04

Top Indian newspapers report on STN controversy

Top Indian newspapers have reported on India's request to Nepal government to probe the alleged investment made by Indian fugitive don, Dawood Ibrahim, into one of the leading media groups of Nepal.

Influential English language dailies, The Times of India (TOI) and The Hindustan Times (THT),  reported that Indian authorities have asked Nepal to probe Dawood's association with the Space Time Network (STN) Pvt. Ltd.-- owned by Jamim Shah, a Nepali muslim-- in accordance with the UN Resolution 1526 that calls for freezing of assets of listed terrorists.

India is of the view that Resolution 1526 is applicable to Dawood for the fact that he has been found to have links with Al-Qaeda that along with the Taliban figures on the UN sanction list. Besides, the United States has also put him on its terror list," THT reported Monday quoting the letter sent by the Indian embassy in Kathmandu to the Nepalese Foreign Ministry on July 16 as note verbal.

THT reports that Nepal had tried to stop the STN from launching Channel Nepal considering the Indian opposition to the said company. Channel Nepal's transmissions now cover 52 countries of the world.

The STN also runs a Nepali language daily, Space Time, and runs the biggest cable network in the country.

A Kathmandu-based weekly, Deshanter saptahik,  had published a copy of the letter for the first time on Sunday.

Another leading daily, The Times of India— said to be close to the South Block that houses Indian Foreign Ministry— said, " The publishing of the letter is likely to stir up the local media, which has recurrently been accusing the Indian government of interfering in Nepalese issues."

Nepalese authorities are yet to comment on the controversy publicly. The THT report said Nepal government has asked Space Time to submit its accounts. The STN officials have strongly denied latest allegations and said, they were ready for scrutiny of their investment and expenditure accounts. Nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04

Related News
- Space Time Network refutes Indian allegations

Speaker criticises ministers

Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives, Taranath Ranabhat, has criticised the members of the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government for making diverse remarks on the issue of resolving the Maoist insurgency.

Addressing a function organised by the Gorkha Brewery Pvt. Ltd. to honour the top ten SLC graduates in the capital, Kathmandu, on Sunday, Mr. Ranabhat said it is unfortunate that ministers in the coalition are expressing often contradictory views (regarding the insurgency) at a time when political parties were busy in back-biting.

Saying that the country was heading towards polarisation between extremist political forces, Mr. Ranabhat alleged the government and Maoists of destroying the future of children by playing the 'game of guns.'

At a separate function, the Speaker urged the CPN (UML), a coalition partner in the country, to persuade the Prime Minister to re-activate the National Assembly, the upper house of the Parliament.

"The National Assembly can play the role of mediator in such a situation of crisis," he added. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04 

Former `Kamaiyas' grab land in Dang

Former bonded labourers have grabbed government-owned land at Tribhuvan Nagar municipality in Dang.

Chairman of the Freed Kamaiya Society, Dang, Tek Bahadur Raut, said they had decided to grab the government land as the authorities did not heed to their demands for rehabilitation. 

Some 80 families of the former Kamaiyas have already erected make-shift bamboo huts at Kapasibagiya area in the district. 

Meanwhile, former Kamaiyas in Bardiya have said they will grab more land in the district if the government did not make proper arrangements for their rehabilitation. Of more than 14,000 freed Kamaiyas, only around 5,000 have received land from the government. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04 

Related News
-  Freed Kamaiyas capture land in protest 

A soldier killed, two injured in an attack

A soldier was killed and two others injured when suspected Maoists opened fire on them when they were sipping tea in front of the Royal Nepalese Army barrack at Birendranagar, Surkhet on Sunday evening.

The rebels indiscriminately fired around one dozen bullets on the soldiers and fled within minutes.

The injured security personnel are undergoing treatment, reports said quoting security sources. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04

Related News
- Soldier killed in explosion
- Soldier, militant killed

Rebels kill a couple alleging them as 'informers'

A group of armed Maoist rebels killed Kul Bahadur Rai, 55, and his 35-year-old wife, Laxmimaya Rai, residents of Shitalpati VDC in Sankhuwasabha district alleging them as 'informers' early on Sunday. 

The group dragged the couple from their house, tortured them and pushed Mr. Rai into the swollen Arun river. They then shot Mrs. Rai, Space Time daily reported quoting security sources.

The rebels then returned to Rai couple's house, looted some cash and fled, the report said. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04

Related News
- Rebels kill former Indian captain

Space Time Network refutes Indian allegations

Space Time Network (STN), a private sector company, has refuted allegations that it is financed by the notorious, fugitive don, Dawood Ibrahim.

In a statement published on the front page of the Space Time daily, a flagship publication of the STN on Monday, the company said its financial status was being audited regularly and that  it was ready to disclose its investment details to any agency of the Nepalese government.

The company was responding to a `leaked' letter carried by a Kathmandu weekly on Sunday. In the letter addressed to the Nepalese Foreign Ministry, the Indian embassy had urged the Nepal government to take action against the said Network and apprise it of the action taken.

"India has credible information that Dawood Ibrahim, who is accused of masterminding the 1993 bombings in Mumbai that killed almost 300 people, has invested in the STN," the embassy said in its letter. The Indian government has asked the Nepal government to conduct a probe and freeze any investment by Ibrahim. 

Nepalese authorities haven't made their reactions public. Sanjay Verma, first secretary at the Indian embassy in Kathmandu, told Rajdhani daily that he did not have any further comments. "We had anticipated action on this issue, but it surfaced in the media," he added.

Owned by Jamim Shah, the company runs biggest cable network in the country, a private television channel and a broadsheet newspaper. "In the last ten years of our operations, there has been no foreign investment in our company," an official with the company said.

Media reports in the past said Indian government was suspicious about the investment in the STN. But this is the first time that official Indian request to the Nepal government to take action against the STN has become public. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04

NC to hold its general convention by next year 

The Nepali Congress party has decided to hold its general convention by mid-May 2005. 

The central working committee meeting on Monday is expected to make a formal announcement to this effect, reports said. 

The forthcoming eleventh general convention of the party is expected to elect a leadership of the party, party officials said. According to the party's statute, octogenarian leader and NC President, G P Koirala, is expected to hand over his mantle to the younger generation during the general convention.

The NC's statute stipulates that a person can't hold the post of President for more than two times.

The former Prime Minister had been elected twice as the party's President by its general conventions in the past. nepalnews.com by Aug 9 04

Related News
- NC nod for constituent assembly likely

Five security men hurt in Maoist attack

At least five security personnel were injured in a Maoist attack in Gajyangkot area of Jumla district Sunday afternoon.

The shootout had begun when the Maoists opened fire from the nearby hilltops on a security patrol of the Unified Command that had just arrived at Tilakhola in Gajyangkot VDC, reports said. 

In the shootout that lasted over an hour, four Royal Nepalese Army soldiers and a policeman were injured, one of them critically.

Within hours the injured security officials were airlifted to Nepalganj for treatment, reports said. nepalnews.com mbk Aug 8 04

Related News
- Maoist killed in security action in Bara
- Maoists kill three policemen