THE US ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher, has said that US assistance to Nepal had been delayed as the Maoists had not given up violence, reports The Himalayan Times daily. Speaking at a press conference organized at
American Center in Kolkata on Friday (August 4), Boucher said the US and India worked together for the establishment of democracy in Nepal . He said, “We would welcome if the Maoists wanted to be a legitimate force and get involved in political process. However, we would call them terrorists if they wanted to continue as a terrorist group.” Meanwhile, high-level sources said the chief of UN assessment team that visited Nepal recently, Staffan de Mistura met Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran in New Delhi before going back to New York .
TEN PERSONS HAVE BEEN SWEPT AWAY by a landslide in remote Yarsa village of Rasuwa district. Of them, bodies of four were recovered while the situation of six others remain unknown. The landslide struck Ghormu area of the village – which is one full days walk away from district headquarters Dhunche – on Wednesday night. Security forces, red cross and Maoists are engaged in the rescue efforts.
EVEN AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THE people’s movement and ceasefire in place, eight children have lost due to Maoist abduction, torture and explosion, according to National Campaign for Children As Zone of Peace. Revealing the report including activities since the restoration of democracy, the Campaign said that 26 others were injured during this period. According to the report, four kids died of explosives left behind; two were murdered and two committed suicide within the labor camp of the Maoists. The report adds that the trend of abducting children on various charges, torturing them, recruiting them on cultural troupe or militia continues in the Maoists. The campaign further states that the state and the Maoists were indifferent to the plight of children. It said that during the course of people’s movement, around 273 children were injured.
NEPAL GOVERNMENT HAS DECLINED TO ENLIST the country in the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) list. It has also stopped the process initiated by the previous government to be enlisted in the list, according to Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat. The previous government had sent a letter to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicating willingness to be put in the list in order to stave off financial crisis. At an interaction program organized by the Finance Ministry on Thursday to discuss the issue, economists and experts advised the government not to get enlisted in HIPC. Once a country enlists as HIPC, the WB would provide annual Rs 1.5 billion grant assistance for 20 years. However, other major donors like Japan and Asian Development Bank had stated that their assistance could be affected if Nepal enlists as HIPC. Japan ’s International Cooperation Agency had, in fact, stated that it cannot provide assistance to an HIPC. At present, there are around 40 countries in the HIPC list. Experts advised the government that at a time when donors were becoming positive to help Nepal , it would be counterproductive to enter into the list. In fact, Nepal qualifies in only one indicator, among many, to be enlisted as HIPC – the one related with the ratio of total exports to total loan. “ Nepal ’s loan repayment situation is good, there is no crisis situation, reforms are going ahead. So, why get enlisted just on the basis of one parameter,” Dr. Mahat said. Former chief secretary Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala said that enlisting as HIPC would hurt the prospects of inviting foreign investment.
THE UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA) Nepal is launching a one-year project to deliver mobile reproductive health services to the conflict-hit in six hilly and mountain districts of the far western and mid western regions, it said in a press release. The project will serve 15,000 women, men and adolescents, it said. The Humanitarian Aid Department of the European Commission is funding the project. Mobile health clinics will provide diverse health services including vital surgical services, the release said. “This project is highly relevant to ensure that preventive and corrective measures for reproductive health concerns can be provided before they severely limit livelihood,” the statement quoted Junko Sazaki, the UNFPA representative to Nepal as saying.
