PM to help preserve Jyapu culture

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KATHMANDU, Dec 25 - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today said he would convert the Balaju Industrial Estate into Jyapu Development Centre if the local farmers’ community help him to rid of the polluting industries from there.

He was addressing the first national conference of Jyapu Mahaguthi, the community-based organisation dedicated to preserve the culture of the Jyapus, the indigenous farmer-community of the valley.

Koirala also said that the government would pay special attention to improve language, culture and education of the indigenous farmers’ community of the Kathmandu Valley. "The foundation of the culture of the Kathmandu valley is laid by the farmers. It is our duty to preserve it," he said.

State minister for Health Tirtha Ram Dangol said that so long as the melody of Dhimey and Bansur, the traditional musical instruments played by the Jpapus, remains audible, the culture of the valley will also remain alive.

Former Minister and Chairman of Human Rights Protection Forum Padma Ratna Tuladhar informed the audience that the call to preserve indigenous people’s right is being raised all over the world and thereby making it a collective demand, United Nations is preparing a document to preserve their rights.

Nati Maharjan, an celebrated elderly farmer, showed his concern over the farmers displaced from their farms and suggested the community kept attached to the culture of farming. He said, "We are Jyapus because we have land and we work on it. If we lose it, we don’t remain Jyapu."

Earlier, hundreds of thousands of Jyapus, in their traditional attire accompanied by 300 musical troupes, took part in the colourful procession in the capital.

One of the participants, sixty-year-old Krishna Lal Maharjan from Harisiddhi, Lalitpur said that gathering like this would help the members of the community to interact among themshelves on various subjects like new methods of agriculture and ways to preserve the Jyapu culture in the context of the changing world.

Maoists extort money, food from locals

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BANKE, Dec 25 - The Maoist workers are extorting money and food from the locals, say locals from this western Terai district.

" Business has gone down. There is not a single penny in house. It is now five years that the Maoists, with swords and letters, have come to extort money and food from us," laments a local trader.

The District Organisation Committee of CPN (Maoist), Banke, has widely distributed letters, signed by Aayam (Secretary of Banke-Bardia District Organisation Committee), demanding money for their party.They have also sent such letters to the leaders and workers of political parties specially to those who oppose the Maoists. Though the words in the letters are quite polite, they collect money forcibly, the locals say.

"The Maoists are collecting ‘tax’ for the People’s War by at gunpoint and sword," says Gobinda Koirala, Central Working Committee member of CPN (UML). "They have collected money only by using force," he says.

"If the Maoists don’t stop extorting money, it will not take long time for the people to go bankrupt," says a local farmer.

The people are forced to comply with the demands even by taking loans from somewhere else, says Krishna Man Shrestha, Nepali Congress President of Banke. "This is terrorism, not politics," he adds.

"If people refuses to provide donations, the Maoists will attack them saying they are police spies," says another local.

However, police say no case as such has been filed till date. "Instead of informing the police, they give money and food to the Maoists," says Amar Singh Shah, Deputy Inspector General of Police and regional in-charge of mid-western region.

Jail inmates end their fast

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SURKHET, Dec 25 - The inmates of Surkhet district jail have ended their fast on Sunday.

They had started their fast on Thursday with a 13-point-demand, though their protest had started 10 days ago. Their demands included ‘A’ class facilities at a par with the politicians, arrangement for library, appropriate management of goods produced in jail, weekly health examination of the inmates, means of entertainment and so on, according to jailor Mahendra Jung Shahi.

The inmates had also boycotted the daily ration, but they have broken their fast on Sunday, District Administrative Officer Balanand Kafle told The Kathmandu Post.

He said the inmates broke their fast after they were assured orally that their demands which could be met locally, such as weekly health test, library and means of entertainment, will be fulfilled.

Out of the total 38 inmates, 16 had participated in the fast, according to jail officials.