British official denies compensation to POWs

By Satish Jung Shahi

KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - British defence officials have denied reports that the United Kingdom was "positive" about granting compensation to ex-British Gurkha prisoners-of-war (POWs) during the Second World War.

Ben White, press officer of visiting British Secretary of State for Defence Geoffrey Hoon, asserted today that, such Gurkha POWs were technically Indian Army Units during the War. "They did not join the (British) Army till 1947...And on that basis, the decision is being made so far that we can’t actually pay that compensation."

White made the comments during an exclusive interview to The Kathmandu Post early Friday, before he departed for London along with Hoon.

White’s comments is in sharp contrast to the earlier reports based on high-ranking Nepali government sources which stated that Hoon had shown positive consideration about providing the compensation to Gurkha POWs during talks with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

Britain has so far been sidelining Gurkhas, unlike their British counterparts, from receiving the 10,000 Pound compensation it announced last month for those held as POWs during World War II.

However, White confirmed that "the issue was raised" during the visit and that Hoon "has said that he would continue to look at the issue".

On revising the pension package for the former Gurkha soldiers, White said that some pensioners, during the course of the visit, said they would appreciate further increase in pension. He, however, added that "there’s a limited scope to what could be done" due to the tri-partite agreement signed between Nepal, Britain and India in 1947.

White also said, "The pension scheme does distinguish according to rank and the length of service.... I would say that a system based on seniority is not unusual and, we think, that the package offered to Gurkha soldiers is a good one".

Furthermore, White emphasised that the policy of the British armed forces, whether it is the Army, the Navy or the Royal Air Force, "is of non-discrimination and to treat all fairly." "We have a equal opportunity policy," he stressed.

Referring to the recent case where Hari Thapa, an ex-Gurkha soldier, had filed a case in the British court accusing of in-service discrimination by the British Army, White said that any allegation of discrimination on the army will be "investigated very seriously". He, however, refrained to comment on it, saying that the matter is presently sub-judice.

White also refused to clarify, if Britain had raised the issue of former Gurkha soldiers organisations, particularly the GAESO, "intimidating" the former Gurkha soldiers for their movement.

On the prospects of future recruitment in the British Army, White said: "What we get is that, there are still a large number of young Nepalese men who are keen to join the British Army and we hope that continues."

Talking about the Maoist insurgency, White said Hoon "has sympathy" with the Nepalese government for having to face the problem.

He also said that "it is better that it is sorted out through diplomacy and talks rather than having to resolve it by using your armed forces." "But, as I said, I understand that it is a difficult situation," he added.

Total ban on cigarettes and liquors ad likely

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KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - Two years after banning the advertisement of cigarettes and liquors from the electronic media, the government is now mulling to bring a law banning it totally including from the print media.

National Health Education, Information and Communication Centre at the Ministry of Health has already drafted a Bill that will be tabled at the up-coming session of Parliament.

The Bill, once approved by both the houses of Parliament will ban all advertisements of tobacco and alcoholic products in the print media as well. It will also prohibit smoking and use of tobacco at government offices, parks, hospitals, temples, schools, colleges, universities and other public places.

The Bill has made it mandatory for the industries to display statutory warning on all such products. If the rules, proposed in the Bill, are strictly implemented, shops will not be able to sell such products in retail and those selling it would require permission from the concerned authorities. The bill also prohibits the financial institutions from providing loans to any industries producing cigarettes and liquors.

Provision to levy fine anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 25,000 is also included in the bill.

Minister for Health Ram Baran Yadav said that the decision to bring the Bill was largely to meet the commitments made by Nepal at the international forums and on the recommendation of the World Health Organisation.

TU to appeal against Kirtipur Municipality decision

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KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - The two-year-long row between Tribhuvan University and Kirtipur Municipality (KM) over the new buildings constructed without KM’s permission is being taken to the court soon, for final decision.

TU has decided to go to the court against Kirtipur Municipality’s recent decision to bring down the newly constructed buildings in the TU compound, which lies within the municipality.

"We are going to the appellate court soon to save our buildings which are to be complete next June," said Chandra Kumar Rai, the chief, General Administration Division of the Registrar’s Office, TU, Friday.

The government-funded TU recently constructed seven new buildings without obtaining permission from the municipality, which is, as KM has been saying, necessary under law.

Rai said that demand of KM is baseless as the buildings were built when the Local Self-Governance Act 2055 was not formulated so they do not require permission from the municipality.

"Moreover, TU Act 2039 states that the property of TU is above any taxation so paying any tax to KM is unnecessary and also is beyond the TU’s capacity," he added.

Rai informed The Kathmandu Post that TU had tried to obtain the KM’s permission because the misunderstanding was good for nobody. But, TU abandoned the process because KM asked TU to pay land revenue, to have the permission approved.

On the other hand, KM mayor Hira Kaji Maharjan insists that the buildings need to be pulled down. "KM will not hesitate to follow any legal procedure".

Earlier, the municipality officials had requested TU administration verbally, then had met the vice-chancellor, which was followed by letters to stop the construction works but TU had ignored them all.

The conflict between TU and KM continued for over two years but it did not come to any conclusive end, as both are persistent on their version of interpretation of the law.

Article 162 of Self-Governance Act 2055 states that one can go to the appellate court if he is not satisfied with the mayor’s decision to bring down the illegal buildings within 35 days and the court’s decision will be the final.

Most schools resume classes

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KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - After a week-long closure, most of the schools throughout the country resumed classes today. Most of the private and public schools remained closed after a call for their closure by the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), a student wing of the underground CPN (Maoist) with 15-point demands.

Some private schools in the Kathmandu Valley remained closed even today, due to psychological fear of the revolutionary students.

Prior to re-opening the schools, two rounds of dialogue were held between the Ministry of Education and Sports and the student leadership. Unfortunately, both attempts were practically futile. However, the students say that the dialogues narrowed the distance on certain issues between them and the Ministry.

Meanwhile, ANNFSU (Rev), on Friday, held interaction with other four students’ groups - CPN-ML associated ANNFSU, CPN-ML associated ANNFSU, CPN-Masal associated ANNFSU and ANNFSU (2022), student wing of CPN (Unity Centre) - to jointly organise future protest programmes to fight against existing educational anomalies. "We will decide on the programmes tomorrow," one of the revolutionary students said.

Lauda jet deal under CIAA scrutiny

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KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is currently summoning the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) chief to answer questions over the violation of the Commission’s directives in the RNAC-Lauda Air jet deal.

According to Hari Bhakta Shrestha, Executive Chairman at RNAC, it was his third consecutive day at the CIAA. At present, he is made to provide written explanations over RA’s violation of the Commission’s guidelines for leasing and buying any aircraft.

When asked, Shrestha said that he was merely making the visits to explain the "technical matters only" and not over any violation.

However, a high-level functionary at the CIAA, requesting anonymity, told The Kathmandu Post, that the Commission has indeed launched an investigation into the deal after "it came to light that RNAC had violated our directive on leasing an aircraft". He added that CIAA was probing all the aspects of the deal - financial and administrative, besides the technicalities. The investigation will go on till they reach a conclusion, said the functionary.

The parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) too is currently investigating the deal. However, RNAC management has already violated its directive of freezing the deal by bringing the jet on December 1.

Int’l meet to be held to safeguard Nepal’s heritage

By Razen Manandhar

KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - The International Campaign for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage of Kathmandu Valley (ICSCHKV), which began here twenty-one years ago, is being terminated, and another programme that targets the preservation of heritage sites is to be launched soon.

Unlike the current campaign, the new program will cover all heritage sites throughout the kingdom.

A member of the UNESCO Evaluation Team, which was here last week to supervise heritage preservation works in the valley, informed The Katmandu Post that ICSCHKV is organising an international conference here from March 28 to 30 to work out a strategy and action plan for next program.

"The conference will work out a new vision for the new millennium and decide how to revive the campaign in broader and more effective ways, " he said.

The venue of the conference has not yet been fixed, but it could be in the historic city of Bhaktapur.

On the first day, the participants will analyze the achievements and failures of the previous campaign. On the second day, the participants will discuss papers presented at the conference and the concluding day will be set aside for strategy formulation and drawing up the new action plan.

Francis Childe, chief of the operational section for Asia and Pacific Division of Cultural Heritage, UNESCO Headquarters, during his recent visit said that the campaign would, among others issues, concentrate on providing training to the craftsman and technicians who are directly involved in preservation works.

Childe was one member of the evaluation team who stayed in the valley for two weeks - from November 28 to December 12. The others being Giles Proctor, an expert from English Heritage International and Keshav Raj Jha, the former Nepali ambassador to UNESCO.

The evaluation team surveyed the 20 heritage sites, met concerned officers and expressed mixed reaction on people’s awareness on heritage conservation.

ICSCHKV works constantly in the field of heritage conservation and raising public awareness in the Kathmandu Valley -- among the elite and illiterate locals. Some areas where it has worked include the Durbar Squares of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and areas like Swayambhu, Pashupatinath, Bouddha, Panauti, Thimi, Dahachowk, Lubhu, Bungamati, Khokna, Bode and Dadhikot.

However, some local heritage experts complain that UNESCO is spending a big part of international donations on technical visits than on real conservation works. Out of total US 240,374 dollars, US dollars 62,601 has been spent on visits of experts to Nepal, they say.

Transporters to protest vehicle ban

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KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - Transport Entrepreneurs Associations (TSA) are preparing to take to the street to protest against the government’s recent decision to ban all vehicles more than 20 years old from operating inside the valley.

The vehicles in Kathmandu will operate with black flags to protest the decision starting Saturday, said a press release issued by Independent Transport Workers’ Association of Nepal (ITWAN). The association accused the government of taking the decision to ban the vehicles in the name of cleaning up the environment pollution, "without providing viable alternatives to the transport entrepreneurs who are surviving on the earnings of the vehicles".

"We will be compelled to take to the streets if our voices are not heard and given attention," says the release.

The government on early November decided to ban all vehicles older than 20 years from operating inside the Valley from mid-November next year.

According to data made available by the Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE), between 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles would be phased out after the ban. The ban, however, does not affect privately owned vehicles no matter how old they are.

Dr Govinda Bhatta, secretary at the MOPE, last week hinted that the government could provide facilities and incentives to the owners of the 20-plus year-old vehicles.

But, denied that the government would provide custom duty facility that was given to the banned Vikram tempo owners last year.

Blood shortage mounts as Blood Bank and BDA contest

Tashi Dolma Thinley

KATHMANDU, Dec 15 - The ongoing wrangle between Blood Bank, the blood transfusion service of the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and Blood Donors Association (BDA) of Nepal has resulted in a severe shortage of some blood types.

"There is strong demand for A+ and AB+ blood in the valley and we have been running short of it since Dasain," said Rishikesh Silwal, Senior Public Relation Officer of the Blood Bank. However, BDA claims that there has been shortage of blood in all groups as the donors have refused to donate blood.

NRCS and BDA are at loggerheads over the issue of purchasing blood bags from an Indian Company J Mitra & Co. NRCS has been buying the bags from the Indian company for the last two years. BDA wants NRCS to give up this practice and instead, purchase similar bags from JMS, a Japanese company. BDA argues that the bags manufactured by the Indian company are faulty and contain harmful blood.

The Chairman of the BDA, Sharad Kasa says, "The blood bags which are currently in use cause patients pain, itching, patches and blisters. We have suggested that they use blood from bags made by the Japanese company, which has no adverse reactions on patients. These bags are currently being used by Patan and Teaching hospital." Kasa even claimed that the Indian-manufactured bags do not meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. However, Director of the Blood Bank, Dr. Ratna Kishore Roka, denies the allegations. He says the bags meet WHO standards and the manufacturers comply with the Good Manufacturing Practise (GMP). " If the bags were faulty, why have there been no complaints so far from the users - including Bir Hospital, Maternity Hospital, and Army Hospital," he questions.

He also maintained that all the necessary procurement procedure had been fulfilled during the purchase of the blood bags. "The bags were procured through calling tenders," he says.

He also claimed that the blood bags from the Indian company not only meet all the specifications and certifications, but are also cost-effective. The Indian bags were procured at Rs 38 per bag, while the Japanese bags cost Rs 107.

Dr Roka said, "When the BDA has neither the technicians, the equipment nor concrete proof, how can they blame us - or the bag - for that matter?"

Officials at NRCS also blame BDA for creating "unnecessary hassles." A senior official at NRCS says, "First they started complaining about the needles, then about patients suffering black patches, then about anti-coagulant, and now they are complaining about the bags."

The official even alleged that BDA is raising the whole issue because it was denied any commission by the Indian company, which it demanded in the purchase of the bags. However, Kasa rejected the allegations and counter-charged the Blood Bank officials of buying the inferior and faulty blood bags to line their own pockets with commission.

While those visiting the Blood Bank for purchase of blood say the smooth supply of life-saving blood shouldn’t be obstructed due to narrow interest of any institution. "We do not care what is going on between the Blood Bank and BDA but we definitely do not want the dispute to stand in the way of the smooth supply of blood," said Narayan Dahal, who went to the Blood Bank to purchase blood for his mother who is expected to undergo surgery next week.

PM hints change in NC constitution

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BHADRAPUR, Dec 15 – Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has hinted that the ruling Nepali Congress’s present party presidential system should be changed to collective leadership during the up-coming general convention of the party.

Koirala who is contesting for the post of party president against former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba indicated that the party constitution should be changed so that majority of the Central Working Committee (CWC) members are elected.

The Bhattarai-camp of the party has been making the demand to elect 75 per cent of the central members for long. Talking to his partyworkers he said that the party president, deputy-president, general secretary, treasurer and majority of the members of the CWC should be elected during election in the tenth general convention of the party, scheduled for January 19 –22 in Pokhara. The party constitution will be amended at the beginning of the general convention of the party and the election will be conducted accordingly.

Under the current provision of the party, only the party president and five members to the CWC, each from a region, are elected and 85 per cent of the CWC members are appointed by the party president. The Bill on Political Parties passed by the last session of the parliament has made it mandatory for the political parties to elect 50 per cent of its central members.