Hoteliers call off strike
PM promises to fulfill demand

By Gopal Tiwari

KATHMANDU, Dec 11- Following a series of threats and counter threats, the hotel industry finally agreed to call-off the hotel shut-down today, nipping off what otherwise could have been a fatal blow to the tourism industry.

After merry-go-round of separate meetings with the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel today, the hoteliers, who had remained firm in their call for hotel shut-down beginning December 11, agreed to hold back the closure plan and sit for dialogue.

The hoteliers and workers are at loggerheads over the levy of 10 percent service charge demanded by the hotel workers. The hotel workers had announced to go on strike starting December 11, 2000 but postponed it for two months after their meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel yesterday.

However, a meeting of IFC, an association of 16 tourism associations including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) and Nepal Bankers Association (NBA) yesterday had declined to comply to the government’s call, and had announced the shut-down.

Prime Minister Koirala today invited the hoteliers to his office and promised them to resolve the issue of 10 per cent service charge amicably within two months.

When asked about the call off, Narendra Bajracharya, President of Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), replied, "We decided to hold back the strike after Prime Minister Koirala gave us full assurance to resolve the issue within two months and find an acceptable solution through high level committee formed by the government a month ago."

Bajracharya informed that the Prime Minister has assured to review Labour Acts as per their demand and provide security to the tourism industry. " If need be, the government will not allow workers to go on strike in tourism related organizations," Bajracharya quoted Prime Minister as saying.

A meeting of IFC held here today evening took the final decision on the strike call off.

However, Central Action Committee (CAC) of hotel workers issuing a press statement today reiterated that hotel workers would go for an indefinite strike after two months if their demand to levy 10 per cent service charge is not fulfilled. Hotel industry has been, however, insisting that the imposition of 10 per cent service charge would only divert the potential tourists to India.

Since the call off came late it has already hit the tourism industry. According to Thai Airways, their incoming bookings has already decreased by 50 per cent, however, its departure bookings has increased at a whopping rate of 100 per cent due to early departure of the tourists. It has also affected number of ancillary industries such as horticulture, food products, fishery, poultry farming and among others, which depend largely on country’s tourism industry.

Bajracharya says the row over service charge and today’s closure will have lasting impacts on Nepal’s tourism industry. "It will take about 3-5 years to recoup the damage in Nepal’s international image."

Bhola Bikram Thapa, President of Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATO) also worries about the damaged caused so far and opines that it will take a long time to recover it.

NC rebel camp might table no-trust motion

By Meena Kaini

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - The rebel camp of the ruling Nepali Congress might table a no-trust motion against the Prime Minister Girija Prasad if he fails to give up one of the two positions he is currently holding.

During a brief meeting between the Prime Minister Koirala and his rival Krishna Prasad Bhattarai at the later’s residence in Bhainsepati this morning, Bhattarai asked Koirala to relinquish either of the post of Prime Minister or the party president, according to sources.

"I will help you resolve the problems if you give up one of the positions," Bhattarai reportedly told Koirala during the meeting. Koirala had sought Bhattarai’s help to resolve problems plaguing the country, said the source.

After Bhattarai’s request, Koirala is learnt to have asked the former for some time to think on it.

The rebel camp of the party is waiting for a reaction from the Prime Minister’s side before it begins a signature campaign to assault Koirala. "Now the ball is in the Prime Minister’s court. We will wait to see his reaction to our demand," said Chiranjivi Wagle, a leader from the dissent camp.

With the general convention of the party just a month away, political wrangling is likely to boil up further. The latest wrangle comes only a day after the former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai returned home from his weeklong visit to India.

Bhattarai supporters gathered at his residence this afternoon after Koirala held discussions with Bhattarai. According to sources, the rebel camp is planning out the strategies to challenge Koirala for the party presidency. The meeting was attended by the former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who has already announced to challenge Koirala in the forthcoming general convention, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Koirala’s aide-turned-foe and Wagle.

Prime Minister Koirala and Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba are the only two contenders for the position of party president, which will be decided during the general convention of the party, scheduled for January 19-22.

The rebel camp’s demand is nothing new. They had made the same demand, including four others in September when they led a signature campaign against Koirala. The Prime Minister had agreed to fulfil the four demands but had declined to relinquish any of his positions.

According to close sources from the Koirala camp, the possibility that the Prime Minister would give up any of his positions is almost nil.

Though the rebel camp was successful in deferring the general convention by two months, they have bagged little success in their fight against Koirala. In September, Koirala had agreed to reshuffle the cabinet and the party’s central working committee giving fair representations to both the camps, which is yet to materialise.

The rebel camp also failed to elect majority of their candidates during the local level party elections that elects representatives to the general convention. Koirala supporters claim to have won over two-third of seats for the general convention representatives. The rebels have accused Koirala’s men of refusing renewal of active membership to their supporters thereby blocking their candidate’s way to general conventions.

Talks held to resolve school closure

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - A meeting held on Monday between officials of the Ministry of Education and Sports, the agitating students’ union and parents’ body failed to reach a breakthrough over the week-long closure of schools throughout the country.

The nearly two-hour long meeting at the Ministry was held on the initiative of the Parents Association, aimed at calling off the strike that began on Friday.

After the talks, both Khagendra Basnyat, Secretary at the Ministry and Devendra Parajuli, President of All Nepal National Free Students Union (Revolutionary) termed the meeting cordial.

Basnyat said that nothing substantial was achieved at the meeting as it was sudden and that neither side was prepared for the talks. However, Parajuli said that the government side had participated in the meeting without any authority.

The union leader added that a lot of fuss was being made over the closure of the schools. "Teachers had gone on a 38-day strike in 1985 and they are saying we are insensitive to students’ future." He denied his organisation, close to Maoists rebels, was trying to extract political mileage out of the agitation.

Parajuli hinted that they would now target higher ups and mete out the same treatment (of blackening the face as they did to a few of the headmasters) if their 15-point demands are not met by the government. Chief among the demands is free education in public schools up to the secondary level.

Secretary Basnyat said the beginning of the dialogue was a positive development. He added that there was convergence of views on reforming the present education system. He declined to elaborate. Another meeting is likely to be held in a day or two.

Lauda Air preoccupies PAC

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - For weeks now the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been at loggerheads with the government over the leasing of a jet aircraft by the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC).

Now with RNAC directly defying orders of PAC, it has taken the case so seriously that it has decided to summon Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to question him over the role of parliament and the government’s accountability towards the people’s representatives.

With PAC stressing its full energy on the Lauda Air deal, many other important cases of irregularities have fallen casualty and have been delayed.

The report on the Police Welfare Fund (PWF) over the signing of a deal with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) was scheduled to be presented today by the subcommittee formed to investigate the controversial deal.

However, two days have been extended for the report to be presented.PAC had formed a sub-committee to probe into the deal under the coordination of Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani and has N P Saud and Krishna Lal Maharjan as members.

IOC last year had signed a deal with PWF to rebuild a petrol station on the southern perimeters of the police headquarters at Naxal.

In exchange, IOC got the exclusive rights to supply all lubricant and grease for the 45,000-personnel of Nepal Police for the next 15 years that would amount to millions of rupees.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this arrangement was signed by IOC and PWF on September 17, 1999, giving IOC not only exclusive rights to supply the grease and lubricants but also its dealers the right to fix the price they want without negotiations.

Other issues like the financial irregularities in the Bakrah River Control Project and the Karnali Irrigation projects were also to be decided few weeks back but the issue has not been decided yet.

Now, PAC Chairman Subash Nemwang has decided that they are going to organize and prepare an outline of where they stand on each of these cases.

"On Wednesday we will have a report detailing where we stand on each of these cases, what documents we are yet to receive and how we are going to tackle them," Nemwang said.

Meanwhile, PAC has summoned Finance Secretary Bimal Prasad Koirala to inquire on the issuance of Treasury Bill five days before the law was even endorsed.

The National Debt Recovery Bill was given the royal assent on Nov 24 which became the law of the nation. However, the government issued the Treasury Bills worth Rs. 630 million five days before that.

"How can the government take such a step even before the law is implemented," asked Dr. Lohani.

NTL releases 3600 quintal sugar

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 – National Trading Limited (NTL), the state enterprise, along with the private sector, responsible for the supply of sugar to the market, has decided to release 3600 quintals sugar today, in the wake of mounting sugar shortage in the market.

Sukha Shrestha, Chief Manager at NTL informed The Kathmandu Post that the government enterprise had decided, Sunday, to supply the said amount to remove the "artificial shortage" created in the market.

With this supply, he said, there should be no shortage in the market. He also alleged that businessmen were creating ‘artificial’ shortage of this daily essential commodities through hoarding.

Salt Trading Corporation (STC), another semi-state owned enterprise, however, admitted that shortage of sugar in the market was due to short-supply of sugar from sugar mills. " STC is unable to sell sugar as per demand as we are short of supply," Parmeshwor Maharjan, General Manager of STC said.

With the shortage in the supply of sugar, retailers are also charging higher price in the market. Though the retail price of sugar is Rs 28.50, many retailers are charging as high as Rs 35 per Kg.

Shrestha refused to accept that it was the responsibility of the NTL to check unnecessary price hike by the retailers. "It is the duty of the Market Monitoring Committee, formed as per the provisions of Consumer Protection Act, 1997, to monitor the market prices," he said.

The market, since last Dashain, has been facing a deficit in sugar supply, causing prices to soar. The main reason being the low production of sugar by sugar mills as a result of the farmers’ boycott on supply of sugar cane since last few weeks.

The farmers are demanding increase in the prices of sugar cane from the present Rs 125 per quintal to Rs 168 per quintal.

Though the price row between the farmers and the sugar mills is yet to be settled, government-owned Lumbini Sugar Mills has increased the rate to Rs 131 per quintal and has resumed its production.

Consumer activists have begun to demand scaling down of import tariff on sugar if the government cannot ensure its smooth supply. Following the complaint by sugar manufacturers against "dumping" of sugar from abroad, government had increased the import tariffs from 15 per cent to 40 per cent.

Nepal’s sugar production from its eleven sugar mills, last year, stood approximately at 135 thousand tonnes. The production, however, is projected to touch 160 thousand this year - 10 thousand in excess to the present demand.

Govt mulling ban on 2-stroke bikes

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - The Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE) is working towards banning two-stroke motorbikes from the Kathmandu Valley. A decision to this effect will be taken before mid-November 2001, officials said here today.

The government has already announced that it would ban all vehicles older than 20 years from operating inside the Valley from mid-November next year. According to data made available by MOPE today, between 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles would be phased out after the ban. The ban, however, does not affect privately-owned cars no matter how old they are.

Talking to journalists at a press conference here today, MOPE Secretary Dr Govinda Raj Bhatta said that "the government is equally concerned about the pollution caused by two-stroke motorcycles in the Valley, and will take an appropriate decision shortly". He, however, did not specify a date.

The government last year imposed a ban on the import of two-stroke motorcycles into the country, as well as scrapping a provision to register the two-stroke motorcycles in Bagmati zone. According to MOPE estimates, between 30,000 to 35,000 motorcycles with two-stroke engines are running on the streets of the Valley.

Dr Bhatta also hinted that the government could provide facilities and incentives to the owners of the 20-plus year-old vehicles. "We are considering providing facilities of one kind or another, but can’t provide custom duty facility like we did last year (when they banned Vikram tempos, the diesel-operated three-wheelers)," he added.

The government last year banned over 600 Vikram tempos from the bowl-shaped Valley, exempting Value Added Tax (VAT) and custom duty by up to 99 per cent on the import of micro-buses that, albeit late, have finally hit the streets of the Valley as an alternative to the Vikram tempos.

The government on November 10 published a notice in the Gazette announcing that it would impose a complete ban on the registration and operation of all diesel and petrol-operated buses, minibuses, minitrucks, mobile trucks, tankers, vans and taxis owned by both government, private enterprises and individuals - from Mangsir 1, 2058 B.S. (mid-November 2001).

Surprisingly however, a few days later MOPE relaxed the decision saying that the ban would not affect vehicles owned by private enterprises and individuals "as they are regularly maintained by their owners and tend to be in good condition".

The Gazette notice also announced that all petrol and gas-operated three wheelers (with two-stoke engines) owned by both government and private enterprises and individuals would be banned from operating in the Valley.

The third ban which will come into effect from Shrawan 1, 2058 B.S. (mid-July 2001), will ensure that none of the diesel-operated three-wheelers (Vikrams tempos) that were banned from operating inside the Valley last September, will be allowed to operate in the municipal areas of the country.

The announcement, however, irked transport entrepreneurs. Saying that the government decision has "agitated and terrorized" them, they are demanding that the government provide them with incentives or facilities to import new vehicles.

Govt chided for plight of Kamaiyas

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - Kamaiyas of the far western region were freed from virtual slavery five months ago but even today, they are living wretched lives in forty camps, Agriculture Labourers Association (ALA) said here today.

Talking to reporters, central member of ALA Phiru Lal Chaudhary said that the government has done nothing than delivering a populist speech in favour of the hundreds of thousands of bonded labourers or kamaiyas. "The kamaiyas are free from their master’s oppression but now they spend nights awake in open fields because of cold. They are dying of hunger and diseases but the government here is turning a deaf ear to their voices," he said.

Around 2,500 kamaiyas and their dependants now spend the chilly nights in open air with tents of plastic around public places, old airports, offices of Village Development Committees and by the side of jungles in Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur and Dang districts. Many of them are even deprived of kamaiya identity cards because of their former masters or they lacked citizenship cards.

The government declared all kamaiyas free on 17 July which terminated the age-long tradition of keeping poor farmers in bonds to work for life and even whole of families against the sum they borrowed from their masters.

"The children of the kamaiyas are not given proper education and are suffering from diseases like pneumonia, flu and measles. Likewise, the elders too are victims of various diseases and they can’t go to work," he said, adding that the government’s decision to distribute 5 kattha of land to each kamaiya family has not materialised.

They have been demanding 10 kattha of land per family.

To add to the present hazard, the labourer leaders said that the number of kamaiyas would increase three to four times after five weeks.

Umesh Upadhyaya, Central Secretary of GEFONT, a leading trade union, said that only 25 per cent of the total number of kamaiyas have been freed and others are waiting for their turn. "On January 14, the "masters" renew the contract, traditionally. But this year, as the government has declared keeping kamaiyas illegal, the kamaiyas were driven out of their shelters."

According to a dispatch from Nepalgunj, 38 kamaiyas were arrested today while they were staging sit-in programmes in 351 km long section of the Mahendra Highway which runs through all affected five districts.

Kamaiya Liberation Movement and Kamaiya Action Committee jointly organised the sit-in against the government’s indifference to their demands for rehabilitation. Earlier, the organisers had staged sit-in Lapki of Kailali and Jhalari of Kanchanpur on Nov 19.

On the other hand, Land Reforms Office Bardiya (LRO) said today that it has distributed certificates to 1200 kamiayas, according to another dispatch from Gulariya.

"The office had recorded 3,155 kimaiyas as homeless and it is now working on war footing to distribute certificates to more 1,700," said chief of the LRO Poshan Pokhrel.

CPN-ML meet opts for National Council

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - Today’s closed door session of the first national conference of the Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist Leninist (CPN-ML) decided to elect a new National Council, annulling the previous system of electing the Central Committee.

According to Devi Prasad Ojha of the Publicity Committee, this convention will elect the Council and the Council in turn will elect the Central Committee members and politburo members. "This is the new system we are going to introduce," said Ojha.

He said the meeting also annulled the system of issuing two types of party membership.

A total of five political documents have been tabled at the closed door session. The documents were presented by former General Secretary Bamdev Gautam, former central committee members Chandra Prakash Mainali, Siddhilal Singh, Shambhu Ram Shrestha and Hari Rokka.

Controversies had dogged the party, ever since Mainali and other members registered alternative political documents challenging the one presented by Gautam.

One delegate, preferring anonymity, said there is 85 per cent chance of the approval of the document presented by former general secretary Gautam.

Ten groups have been formed to discuss on the documents and discussions were on till late in the evening. The discussion groups excludes the person who tabled the document and members of the presiding committee.

The group leaders were Bamdev Gautam (a teacher), Rabindra Adhikari, Gobinda Gyawali, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Hiranya Lal Shrestha, Kamal Koirala, Ram Chandra Adhikari, Sher Bahadur Tamang, Uday Raj Pandey and Krishna Prasad Rijal.

Because a lot of activities including the discussion and polling are yet to be done the Convention is likely to be extended by one more day, Ojha said. The Convention is scheduled to end tomorrow.

Status of Asian Elephant 2000 report launched

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 11 - Between 35,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants exist in the wild today, which is less than one tenth of the estimated total African elephant population. Of these, 90 to 110 live in Nepal, according to a report released here today.

In Nepal, the pachyderms are found mainly in the forests of Bardia (45-50), Parsa-Chitwan (20-30), Shuklaphanta wildlife Reserve (15-20) and in Bahundangi-Jhapa (7-8).

The Status of the Asian Elephant 2000 report, released today by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), has identified 13 priority rhino and elephant conservation landscapes throughout Asia.

The areas include Riau, Bukit Barisan and Ujong Kulong on Indonesia’s islands of Sumatra and Java, in the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo, in Cat Tien in Vietnam and in the Emerald Triangle (Lower Mekong area) around the tri-border area of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, in Nepal’s western Terai and in India’s north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Elephant habitat conservation projects are said to be underway in these areas.

In Nepal, WWF in partnership with the Department of Forest and the Department of National Parks has already launched the Western Terai-Churia Conservation Programme. "One of the main objectives of this programme is to restore the elephant corridor (migratory route)," a WWF press release said.