Errant cops punished

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 22 - The Police Headquarters has taken action against 81 police personnel including two who refused to go to the Maoist affected areas.

According to a police bulletin published by the Central Police News Room, some of the police personnel who tried to avoid their responsibilities were sacked from the job while some have been suspended. The 81 policemen includes both gazetted and non-gazetted staff. The action also includes termination of promotion, termination of grade and warning.

According to the information given to The Kathmandu Post, the two who refused to go the insurgency affected areas are both from the junior level. The bulletin also adds those who have served their duties well have been promoted as well as given incentives.

EU pledges to help refugees

By a Post Reporter

BHADRAPUR, April 22 - European parliamentarians who visited the refugee camp in Timai today said they were sympathetic towards the refugees for the unfair treatment meted to them by Bhutanese government.

After hearing out what refugees had to say, Gerard Collins, chairperson of the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with South Asian Countries and SAARC, said, "It’s wrong. It’s very wrong and there is no excuse for it."

Expressing his sympathies towards the refugees, Collins said "European Union has accorded top priority for the resolution of the refugee crisis".

He also expressed concern over the future of the minors in the seven camps. "What will happen to the 17,000 children who were born here? Collins wondered aloud. "It is a matter of concern even for us."

The nine-member delegation of the European Union declared their commitment to raise the issue of Bhutanese refugees in the European parliament and also in their respective parliaments. They said they believe that the refugees should be allowed to return home with dignity and said they would stand by it in their parliament.

Former Bhutanese lawmaker PR Dahal read out the memorandum submitted by the secretary of the Timai Camp Rajman Gurung. He informed the delegates about the situation of the refugees and demanded that a favourable environment be created for the return of the refugees with dignity. He also requested the European countries to help the refugees in the matter.

The delegates also inspected their citizenship card and other documents.

Likewise, refugees of the Goldhap camp, came to the Bhadrapur airport and submitted a memorandum to the delegation. The memorandum signed by camp secretary Purna Gurung demanded that the Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuk give audience to the Bhutanese democratic leader Tek Nath Rizal, the King give amnesty to all political prisoners and the international community pressurise the Bhutanese government to meet all these demands.

The delegation also inspected the inquiry centre established at the refugee entry point in Kakarvitta.

Cops clash with locals over dice

By a Post Reporter

DHARAN, Sunsari, April 22 - At least 50 people, 10 of them police, were injured today in Pakali village following a fracas that ensued after a group of revellers attending a Tharu festival quarrelled with riot police from a nearby barrack. Ten houses were also ransacked in the melee, eyewitnesses said.

The fracas took place at Lati Dhan Devi temple in Pakali VDC-5, where local Tharus were observing their traditional Puruwa festival, at about 5 p.m, Saturday evening. Witnesses said it all started after some locals quarrelled with few police trainees from nearby Regional Riot Police Training Centre who were playing dice.

Chief of district police, SP Krishna Bahadur Rana said ten police personnel were injured in the incident which also saw locals charging Khukuris, and police breaking into the locals’ houses. The injured police were rushed to Biratnagar hospital, while the injured locals are receiving treatment at BP Koirala Academy Hospital.

Hospital source said ten people were admitted to BP Hospital till 9 p.m. Saturday night. They include, Chandram Chaudhary (16), Bhagalu Chaudhary (45), Tila Ram (18), Suresh Shah (27), Jugunu Ansari (23), Thalim Uddin (24), Madan Kumar Chaudhary (22), Samida Khatun (45), Badri Sada (45) and Ram Chandra Nayak (35).

Most of the injured have serious head injuries, while four of them are in critical condition, the source added.

Ahmed Jakir Hussain, a ward chairman of Pakali VDC, said at least 400 police personnel from the barrack swarmed into the festival venue after one of their member was beaten up by a local dice player. The policeman was beaten after he demanded the amount he lost in dice from a local.

Ghumar Miya of Pakali VDC-5 said "the police personnel beat up his innocent 24-year-old rickshaw-puller son."

Vehicular movement in the area, which lies 2 kilometres west of Itahari along the East West highway, has come to a standstill following the incident. Authorities might impose a curfew in the area during the night, police sources said.

Maoists call for polarisation of revolutionaries

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, April 22 - On the golden jubilee anniversary of the Communist movement in Nepal, the extreme left groups -- the underground CPN (Maoist) and the pro-Maoist CPN (Mashal) -- today appealed to other revolutionary groups for the "polarisation of revolutionaries" to fight against "barbarous and fascist ruling system".

In a joint press release issued today, Maoist general secretary Comrade Prachanda and Pradip (Dina Nath Sharma) coordinator of central organising committee of CPN (Mashal), have urged all the groups with ideological proximity to join hands for the polarisation.

The appeal issued today states, "the incidents of the last decade have pushed the country in the direction of war. The rulers are increasingly becoming barbarous and fascist to resolve the problems created by destructive parliamentary system and reactionary state. There is a need of unity amongst all the revolutionary forces, groups and individuals."

"The present Girija government, directed by its foreign masters is giving way to civil war in the country," says the appeal. "There is a need for revolutionary polarisation to generate amongst the Communist forces to give the movement a concrete direction."

"The need to fight the war is not just the need of one party only," the appeal further states. "The war is associated with the emancipation of the proletariat."

The appeal also states that the 21st century will see the victory of the proletariat socialist revolution.

How commitment to project environment has become a common pledge

By Surendra Phuyal

KATHMANDU, April 22 - Like in other corners of the planet earth, thousands of people including school children marched through the streets of the capital city today, calling on to make world a cleaner and greener place in the new millennium.

For the first time in the 30 year old history of Earth Day, which began from the U.S. as a day of "ragtag demonstrations" on this very day in 1970, environment minister, government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), environmentalists and school children locked their arms to celebrate Earth Day.

Thanks largely to the initiatives taken by Leaders Nepal which played the lead role in holding the event, The Explore Nepal Group, Eco Club Network, Kathmandu 2020, Martin Chautari and more importantly Ministry of Population and Environment. The Earth Day 2000 Committee which was formed a few days back comprised these organizations which together have been instrumental in waging an anti-pollution drive in Nepal.

Just as hundreds of youngsters marched through the streets of the capital city early today, at another corner, Save the Environment Foundation (SEF), a women-led environmental award winning NGO, distributed some 5,000 hand-made jute or paper bags free of cost to the grocery-owners in such areas as Gairhidhara, Putalisadak and Thapathali.

It also handed over a memorandum to Ministry of Environment officials, demanding immediate ban on non-degradable polythene bags, which are dangerously popular among Nepali marketgoers.

And the battery-operated SAFA tempos, which have multiplied in the streets of the capital city after the government’s last September ban on diesel-run Vikrams, offered Rs 1 off in its regular fair in an attempt to attract local commuters. SAFAs’ regular fair is slightly higher than that of their petrol-operated counterparts.

The number of SAFAs plying the roads of Kathmandu has multiplied by three times--from 200 to 600--after the government banned diesel-run Vikrams last year. Four different private companies--NEVI, EVCO, Green and Green Valley--assemble the unique vehicles in water rich Nepal. Promoters are planning to introduce SAFAs in other parts of the country like Pokhara Valley and Lumbini in near future.

While the world’s nearly 180 nations had their own local Earth Day slogans, the catch-phrase (decided by the committee) for Nepal was - Clean Energy: An answer to Global Warming.

"The call to exploit clean energy in water rich Nepal does not only help celebrate the Earth Day," says Bikash Pandey, an energy expert at Winrock International, referring to Nepal’s vast hydro power potential (83,000-plus Mega Watt). "If we can really translate this clean energy vision into actions, we will be able set an example in the international arena."

And the global warming phenomenon -- triggered by growing human activity that is continuously heating up the Earth -- is already evident in the Himalayas, leave alone other parts of the rapidly industrializing world. Studies on variation in surface air temperature for Nepal have already shown that for the period of 1971-1972 has warming trend ranging from 0.1 to 0.18 celsius degree per year in most regions.

While Nepal has been witnessing such disasters as droughts, floods and landslides due to changing climatic patterns in recent years, the Himalayan country is also seeing its snow-hung glaciers retreating. For instance, a Department of Hydrology and Meteorology study says, "the Rikha Samba Glacier lake in the mid-Himalayan region of Nepal appears to have retreated to a distance of 100 meters in a period of just 20 years within 1994-1994."

And Tsho Rolpa Glacier lake in Dolakha district’s Gauri Shankar region which was a tiny dot during 50s extended to such an extent that the government had to take immediate mitigation measures in 1997 to save the lives of thousands of people living in the downstream areas from the potential Glacier Lake Outburst Flood. A project aimed at draining out the lake water is underway at present.

"The government can start off by shifting polluting industries such as carpet and cement out of the Valley," Amod Pokharel of Leaders Nepal said today after handing over a citizen report to State Minister of Environment and Population Shivaraj Joshi. "It’s high time the world community focus its attention more on how to leave our children a living earth."

The citizen report, prepared after holding consultations and interactions with communities in Kathmandu, has put six-point demands: Translocation of polluting industries, formulation of pollution standards and emphasis on cleaner production, promotion of clean fuel and clean-energy-run vehicles, strict enforcement of Nepal Emission Standard 2056, proper maintenance of roads and community awareness and mobilization programs.

Where songs left audience sombre

By Upendra Pratap Singh

KATHMANDU, April 22 - For the crowded audience in a fully packed space in Tahachal, it was a welcome relief. In the time when pop music rules the roost and one hardly gets to hear patriotic songs, the 11 odd patriotic songs of Gopal Yonzon, was a virtual treat.

Even an hour long wait due to the mild rain, couldn’t dampen their spirit. The rendition of powerful patriotic lyrics composed and sung earlier by Yonzon, left the audience sombre. The soulful presentation of Yonzon’s songs by singers Prakash Shrestha, Sukmeet Gurung, Uday Sotang, Yam Baral, Rajesh Payal Rai, Manila Sotang and Reema Gurung mesmerised the crowd.

That was what Yonzon was popular for. He made even the patriotic numbers popular. His huge collection of patriotic songs are as popular as his other compositions.

The audience looked up in awe as senior artiste Deep Shrestha sang with a deep passion Yonzon’s popular number Deshale ragat maage, malai bali chadau...rudinan meri aamaa oo Nepali ki chori (If there is a need to give blood for the country, sacrifice me. My mother will not cry, she is Nepal’s daughter).

This first song, set the mood for the programme organised by Parivartan Nepal in memory of late Yonzon. Yonzon had died of cirrhosis and other complications on May 20, 1997.

It gained momentum after educationist Subarna Shakya, social activist Anuradha Koirala, film director and lyricist Chetan Karki, Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolis Keshav Sthapit and a school student Himanshu Pradhan hoisted the national flag.

"His (Yonzon’s) songs should be an inspiration to the younger generation who are keen to do something for the nation," said Mohan Niroula, Chairman of Parivartan Nepal while speaking about Yonzon.

A shadow dance was also performed during the programme. Shadows were cast on a curtain as the song "Kshyarogi aamaa (Mother who has tuberculosis) was rendered in the background. This song was written by Yonzon right after the restoration of democracy.

Yonzon, at the time he wrote this song, felt that the people were demanding more from the country than giving. The song says how can I demand my right for milk from a mother who is sick with tuberculosis?

Yonzon started his musical journey in the sixties in Darjeeling. In the early sixties when he first heard late Narayan Gopal’s song "Aankha ko bhaka" on the radio he said: "I will make him sing my song". The two later grew on to be great friends.

The end of the programme too was befitting the event. The curtain fell down as singer Yam Baral, dressed in Daura Suruwal with Khukuri kept in the belt sang "Dherai chha garnu swadeshko sewa Nepali Bhannalai (There is a lot I have to do for my nation before I can call myself a Nepali).

Man released after ransom

By a Post Reporter

MUSIKOT, Rukum, April 22- A person abducted by the Maoist rebels a month back was freed yesterday after his family gave the hefty amount the insurgents demanded.

Leela Bahadur Pun, who was abducted by the Maoist rebels was released yesterday, after his family gave Rs 72,200 to free him from the Maoist’s captivity, according to Gagan Singh Pun, chairman of Muru VDC.

The rebels robbed the VDC chairman’s house and took away Rs 15,500, one-and-half tola gold and other household items including foodstuff.