Ghising for emergency

Chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) Subash Ghising, during his short visit to Kathmandu on Thursday, advised the King to impose emergency under Article 115.

He suggested this during a felicitation program organized by Media Reporters’ Club. Speaking in the program he said, "The present system is not functioning well so I suggest to the King to use the constitutional power for the betterment of Nepal". 

He added, “the King should impose emergency without any delay and head towards forming a new constitution." He, however, suggested to the King not to ignore the political leaders while forming the new constitution.

Earlier, he said that no one should be blamed for the prevailing crisis in the country. “Its not any particular party or the person who is responsible for the present situations rather its the policy adopted by Nepal during the last decade.” He said.

Making comments regarding Nepal’s policy he said, “Nepal practiced highly centralized power even after the restoration of democracy”. 

Ghising said that people living in the rural areas of Nepal do not feel their presence in the government. “Therefore power must be decentralized”, he said. nepalnews.com pd jan16 04

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'Gwye Daan' offered to His Majesty the King

"Gwye Daan" were offered to His Majesty the King at a special religious function at Narayanhiti Palace on Thursday, RSS said. "Gwye Daan" is an invitation to the King to grace "Samyak Mahadaan Puja", observed every 12 years. 

During the "Gwye Daan", beetle-nuts and coins were offered to the King. According to Buddhist religious tradition, the "Samyak Mahadaan" is the greatest of its kind, along with "Charyadaan" - another great "Daan". 

The "Samyak Mahadaan" tradition is in practice since the end of Kirat and beginning of the Lichhabi era and right through the Malla period down to the modern times, RSS added.

In Buddhism, the reigning monarch is considered a reincarnation of the Dipankar Buddha. Historical records show that His late Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great also participated in the "Samyak Mahadaan".

The "Samyak Mahadaan" will be organised next year by Shakya communities of three "Mahavihars" - Lagan Baha, Watu Chighanbaha and Itumbaha. 

The last "Samyek Mahadan" was graced by His late Majesty King Birendra in 2049 B.S. nepalnews.com mr Jan 16  04

MoU signed to promote alternative energy 

The WWF program and Alternative Energy Promotion Centre Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote alternative energy technologies in WWF's project areas, RSS said.

The MoU will be effective for five years, the agency added. nepalnews.com mr Jan 16  04

1,500 telecentres in offing: Govt.

In a bid to promote Information Technology (IT) sector in Nepal, the government has plans to set up 1,500 telecentres in different districts by 2007, Minister for Education and Sports Hari Bahadur Basnet said Thursday.

"A very large chunk of Nepalis do not have access to information services in the rural areas," Minister Basnet said. 

"If MCTs (Multi-purpose Community Telecentres) are developed, they will help in the learning process, increase agricultural production and contribute to connect the people of the rural areas with those from the urban areas," he said, according to the Rising Nepal.

He was addressing a two-day international seminar on "MCT: Networking and Future Aims" jointly organised by Nepal Library Association and Nepal National Library in cooperation with UNESCO.

Crown Prince inaugurated the international seminar participated in by 125 delegates from SAARC countries and Asia-Pacific region. nepalnews.com mr Jan 16  04

Five Ordinances issued

His Majesty the King, following advice and consent from the Council of Ministers, has promulgated five ordinances related to economic matters on Thursday, an announcement said.

According to a statement from the Council, the King promulgated the Finance Ordinance, Expenditure Ordinance, Loan Reimbursement Ordinance, Local Self Governance (First Amendment) Ordinance and Loan and Security (4th Amendment) Ordinance.

Finance Minister Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, during a press meet organised to unveil the Ordinances, said, the government has not brought any major changes in the existing policies.

"The Ordinances are the continuation of government's policies and programs announced in the current fiscal year's budget last July," Dr Lohani said.

As expected, the government has slashed taxes in the imports of mobile sets and medicines.

Similarly, the government has incised customs duty on ambulance and hearse. Customs duty of mobile sets is lowered to 5 percent to 15 percent. 

The government has also lowered its share in the revenue earned from community administered forests from 40 percent to 10 percent. This, however, does not apply in all cases.

Likewise, the government has announced measures to expedite reforms in revenue administration. It has announced to form a different institution under the Inland Revenue Department to deal with the big taxpayers. 

The government has decided to award 50 percent of the royalty received from the district electricity authority to the District Development Committee (DDC) so that the same can be used for the developmental works in the local level.

The ordinance has paid no attention to the appeal of private sector to slash the present income and corporate tax rates to provide relief to terror stricken private sector. nepalnews.com mr/pd Jan 16 04

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Student Union elections declared

Tribhuvan University has declared elections on February 26 to fulfill posts in Free Students' Unions (FSUs) in all colleges affiliated to the University, an announcement said Thursday.

According to the existing provisions, each FSU has two years' term. Students, so far, are non-committal to the announcement, which coincides with their aggressive anti-King demonstrations.

The protesting student organisations affiliated to five parliamentarian parties, meanwhile, have made their protest programs public on Thursday. The protest "calendar" has series of programs to be launched in and outside Kathmandu until February 3.

Of late, the protesters have been demanding a republican set-up in the country. Their mother organisations, however, have been expressing differing views over their student activists' such a demand. nepalnews.com mr Jan 15 04

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RNA: Maoists behind students' protests

Maoists have an "involvement" in the ongoing protests of students, who, of late, have been pressing for a "republican" set-up, the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) claimed in a press meet on Thursday.

"It's true that the Maoists are also involved in the protests," RNA spokesperson Col. Deepak Gurung told journalists during the regular press meet organised at the RNA headquarters.

The RNA spokesman, however, refused to give more details of the "information", which he said, his department has.

Fielding a query as to why protesters, if they were really Maoists, are released after short custodies, Gurung said, "The civil administration can give better answer to it."

"Our role comes at last as far as controlling the ongoing protests are concerned," Gurung said. "First of all, it's the duty of civil administration, civil police and armed police to control the protests." nepalnews.com mr Jan 15 04

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'1500 died in post-ceasefire break period'

After the ceasefire abruptly broke on August 27, nearly 1500 people have been killed until January 14, the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) said Thursday, adding, "1200 of them were Maoists."

Apart from the 1200 deaths, 200 more Maoists have been feared dead, RNA spokesperson Col. Deepak Gurung said, addressing a regular press meet.

On the casualties in the security side, Gurung said 111 soldiers died and 191 were injured in the period.

Fifty-four armed police were killed and 76 more were wounded in the respective period, according to a representative of the armed police force present at the press meet. 

Likewise, 123 civil police were killed and 184 more were injured in the period, according to a representative of the civil police.

On the surrenders by the Maoists, RNA spokesman Gurung said altogether 94 Maoists have surrendered to the administration in the last 30 days of the government announcing amnesty and other incentives to those who give up rebellion.

He dismissed various media reports which alleged the RNA of violating civilians' human rights.

"We have been taking action against those security personnel, who are found guilty," he said.

On security arrangements, Gurung said the security situation in Kathmandu has improved. "It became possible as we have seized huge amounts of explosives from the capital areas," he added. nepalnews.com mr Jan 15 04

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Soldier killed in ambush, other details

Maoists Thursday morning ambushed a soldier to death in Chhaimali VDC in Kathmandu, injuring two more security personnel in the blast, eye witnesses said.

The booby trap exploded at around 10:30 in the morning. The name of the soldier could not be known immediately. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital.

Meanwhile, reports from Parbat said Maoists Wednesday brutally murdered Nepali Congress activist Hari Dutta Tiwari in Shankar Pokhari VDC with an axe. NC head office, in a statement Thursday, has flayed the murder, terming it a cowardly act.

In Rautahat, Maoists burnt a passenger bus, plated Na 2 Kha 8453 during a strike called by the rebels on Wednesday, the reports added.

An activist of Nepal Student’ Association, Ashok Kushwaha is reported to have abducted from Siraha district Wednesday. His whereabouts were still unknown until Thursday afternoon, according to the reports. nepalnews.com mr Jan 15 04

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Shambhu Thapa new NBA president

Advocate Shambhu Thapa has been elected the new president of private lawyers' umbrella organisation, Nepal Bar Association (NBA), an announcement said Wednesday.

He defeated contestant Yagyamurti Banjade by 321 votes, receiving a total of 2,824 votes in the elections held last Saturday. 

Likewise, Madhav Baskota was elected as the secretary general of the Association. 
nepalnews.com mr Jan 15  04