NC imbroglio resolved at last
PM Bhattarai may resign soon

By Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 - A truce was finally reached in the governing Nepali Congress (NC) today after Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai agreed to step down within the next two weeks ending days of stalemate in the party.

In an agreement reached between the prime minister and NC President Girija Prasad Koirala, Bhattarai agreed to voluntarily quit within a week from Wednesday when the winter session of parliament convenes.

Details of the agreement and the exact date of resignation decided between the two senior party leaders were kept secret but party lawmakers said it will be by March 8.

"In line with tradition of resolving problems in the party through dialogue and understanding, we have managed to end the present problem through talks and agreement," said a joint statement issued by Koirala and Bhattarai.

Last week, 58 NC lawmakers had filed a proposal at the parliamentary party office expressing no confidence at the prime minister and seeking his ouster from the office he has held for the past nine months.

The parliamentary party was scheduled to vote on the proposal on Saturday. However, after the agreement was reached between the two leaders, an emergency meeting of the parliamentary party was called today.

"We decided to withdraw the proposal after the prime minister assured us that he would step down soon," said NC lawmaker Suresh Malla, who led the rebel group.

During the emergency meeting, Malla announced he was withdrawing the proposal on behalf of the rebelling members since an agreement had been reached between the prime minster and party president.

"The agreement has ended the row in the party and there should be no doubt about on the implementation of it."

NC spokesman Narhari Acharya said.

While addressing NC lawmakers from the eastern region in the morning, Koirala had announced that since the second generation leaders of the party mediating a truce had failed, he was going to the prime minister and sketch out a truce.

Koirala and Bhattarai met in the morning at 11 for about 20 minutes when they initially agreed the cease fire. A committee comprising of NC heavy weights was immediately formed to draft a joint statement announcing the truce.

Bhattarai was represented in the committee by Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and Chiranjivi Wagle while Koirala had Former DPM Saileja Acharya, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Govind Raj Joshi and Mahesh Acharya.

Just before the emergency meeting convened at 6 p.m., the two leaders again met for half an hour. During the emergency parliamentary party meeting, DPM Poudel read out the joint statement announcing the agreement.

Addressing the crowd Koirala said the agreement has dashed the hopes of the people who wanted the party to split.

Prime Minister Bhattarai pledged he would keep his end of the bargain and told his actions will be in accordance with the agreement.

"This episode has strengthened the authority of the lawmakers. The role of the mediator has been fruitless and ultimately it was the two leaders that had to sit down together and resolve the situation," NC member Jayaprakash Gupta said.

The rebelling NC members had expressed "no confidence" on the parliamentary party leader who is also automatically elected the prime minister, over his poor performance as the leader of the country.

NC has a total of 137 members in the two Houses of Parliament, 113 in the House of Representatives and the rest in the National Assembly.

The rebels were accusing Prime Minister Bhattarai of failing to show any leadership qualities and turning out to be a weak leader leading a government that has not made any progress.

Rebel killed in Rukum
Weekly death toll hits 39

By a Post Reporter

NEPALGUNJ, Feb 25 - A Maoist rebel was killed early today in a police-Maoist encounter in Uwa village of Rolpa in mid-western hills, the Regional Police Office here said.

Police have not identified the dead rebel, but have seized a rifle, and few hand bombs, police officials said.

With the latest killing, the total number of people killed in the Maoist’s "People’s War" during this week alone has reached 39. While 15 police were killed in Rolpa on Saturday, 18 rebels were killed in neighbouring Rukum and one more in Mugu two days later as police intensified massive search operation in the mid-western hills.

Two more people lost their lives in Sindhupalchok and Kavre districts yesterday.

Meanwhile, officials corrected their previous version that said hundreds of houses had been torched in Rukum’s Khara, Rugha, Muru, and Chourwang Village Development Committees.

According to Parshuram Aryal, Chief District Officer of Rukum, the fire destroyed a total of 16 houses and 15 cattle-sheds on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Regional Police Office here had put the number of houses and cattle-sheds destroyed by the fires at six each.

In a telephonic interview with The Kathmandu Post Friday, he backed the claims made by police officials and said that Maoists had been using five of the torched houses as shelters.

No further details of the fire could be obtained today. There are conflicting claims on the incident with locals blaming the police and police pointing fingers at the insurgents. However, INSEC, a human rights organization, claimed that police after failing to comb out Maoist rebels during their search, set the houses on fire.

Meanwhile, Nepal Human Rights Organization in a press release issued today demanded that the government make necessary arrangements to resettle those rendered homeless by the fire.

Prachanda sets condition for talks

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 - General Secretary of the underground CPN (Maoist) Comrade Prachanda today reiterated the group’s earlier willingness to sit for dialogue provided the government meets its demand and creates a conducive environment for the same.

"On our fourth anniversary we stated that we have no problem holding dialogue with the government if it creates favourable environment for talks," the press release issued today by Comrade Prachanda states.

"Considering the recent developments and the statement issued by the Commission formed by the government to look into the matter, we would like to clear that if the government is really serious about holding the dialogue it should immediately release Dinesh Sharma and others who were arrested and disappeared while still in custody, investigate the recent incidents like setting villages on fire and punish the guilty and create environment for dialogue as per the international standard," states the release.

"Otherwise, if the government talks of holding dialogue on one hand and goes around killing people and spreading terror on the other, the government will itself be responsible for the consequences," the press release states.

Former prime minister Deuba, Coordinator of the High Level Commission formed to build consensus on Maoist issue had issued a press release on February 23 appreciating the interests shown by Maoists in holding the dialogue with the government. "...The positive response shown by Maoists towards our request to sit for dialogue is praiseworthy," Deuba’s press release had stated. He had also requested the Maoists to sit for dialogue immediately and quit violence.

Grist ready for opposition mill

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 - The main opposition party will come down "more heavily" against the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) party in the parliament’s upcoming session, CPN-UML leader KP Oli warned here today.

Parliament’s winter session is slated from March 1.

"We will come down more heavily against the ruling Nepali Congress in the upcoming session. In fact, more heavily than we did in last session if NC continues to ignore our rational suggestions," the UML’s second man said.

"In fact, NC is like a proverbial buffalo which does not hear the beats of a bin (a musical instrument)," he cited a Hindi proverb and described how difficult a job it was to have a meeting of minds with NC leaders during House sessions.

Oli made such remarks while reacting to suggestions that the main opposition party give up tendency to "wreak havoc" during parliamentary deliberations at an interaction programme organized here Friday by Sancharika Samuha.

He expressed concern over the present situation in mid-western hills, where at least 40 people have died in less than a week period, and heaped all responsibility on Krishna Prasad Bhattarai government.

Explaining the role UML would play in the upcoming House session, Oli asserted that his party would play a more powerful role. "We will raise voice against mounting corruption, and on Maoist issue and flimsy foreign policy," he added.

He also assured women rights activists present at the programme that his party would strongly raise voice to grant parental property rights to women. A bill drafted to grant parental property rights to women is once again being tabled in the upcoming House session.

He also said that it would be inappropriate to introduce such laws that curtail the rights enjoyed by the media. "We are not against rights to expression and freedom, but we are really concerned about "gutter journalism" being practised by a section of media even today," he said when asked whether his party would vote for or against such a bill.

The government is said to be set to present such a bill that would curtail the freedom of expression currently enjoyed by the media.

Stating that his party would raise voice against the anomalies plaguing bureaucracy, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) General Secretary, Pashupati SJB Rana, said RPP would also touch upon worsening law and order situation, flimsy foreign policy and foreign aid issues in the upcoming session.

He added, "We will also raise the issue of revenue leakage. Nothing has been done towards punishing those indicted in last year’s auditor general’s report on revenue leakage. The culprits should not go scot-free."

He also slammed the ruling NC for failing to give a clean government as promised to the electorate, and blamed that "NC is full of viruses that cause a dangerous disease - political instability".

Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) leader Narayan Man Bijukchhe Rohit said that his party would force the government to implement the suggestions made by a committee which looked into the issue of poll rigging in the past parliamentary elections.

Rohit also said that his party would voice concern over all burning national issues, including economic equality and challenges to Nepal’s sovereignty in the aftermath of the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane and escape of Karmapa Lama from Tibet.

Describing multi-party democracy as a "reactionary polity", leader of National People’s Front, Chitra Bahadur KC, stressed the need to empower women and emancipate the country’s over four million dalits (downtrodden people) by strictly enforcing laws.

IC flight suspension hits economy

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 — The major thirteen tourism related associations have claimed that suspension of Indian Airlines flights even after sixty three days of IC-814 hijacking is a political move on the part of Indian government, and it is a serious economic sanctions against Nepal.

In a press meet organized today, tourism entrepreneurs said at least 28,400 potential visitors have been denied access to the Himalayan destination due to the withdrawal of Indian Airlines flights. And, 244 thousand kgs of export cargo have been denied access to international markets. Due to this the losses has reached to 1.5 million US dollars in tourism industry and 735 thousand US dollars in cargo business.

The heads of the major organizations gathered here said that despite repeated efforts of Nepal Tourism Board and the private sector and various categorical assurances received from the Indian diplomatic mission in Kathmandu the impasse is not approaching any conclusion.

Every time the Indian Airlines officials in Nepal and Indian Embassy have been telling that the flights would resume in just another fortnight, but nothing has been taking place so far, said the participants responding to questions of the press.

The programme was jointly organized by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA), Hotel Association Nepal (HAN), Pacific Asia Travel Agency-Nepal (PATA-N), Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN), Tour Guides Association of Nepal (TURGAN), Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA), Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN), Nepal Incentives and Conventions Association (NICA), Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA), Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA) and Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO).

Among all the tourists visiting the country 48 percent come from India or via the Indian route. In 1999 the number of tourists coming to the country reached to 421 thousand. It was said in the conference that due to the closure of IC flights the number of Indian tourists coming to Nepal dropped by 54 percent, and foreign tourist by 5 percent in the month of January.

The private sector leaders slamming the suspension as an economic sanctions also blamed the local political leaders and the government. They said, after the suspension there had been two ministers for Tourism and Civil Aviation, two Foreign Ministers and two Ministers of Commerce, but nothing has happened so far. "Either they are unable or unwilling to do anything about this," said the release distributed in the meet.

Suggesting the government to come out with a significant steps, the tourism entrepreneurs said, "One of the ways on the part of HMG Nepal should be to instruct RNAC to add frequencies to Delhi and to start immediate flight operation to Varanasi and also to allow private airlines from both the countries to operate between various points in either countries."

It is also said, the government should make aircraft acquisition for Royal Nepal Airlines a national priority. "At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authorities of Nepal must ensure that the licenses of those private airlines of Nepal who have been allowed to fly to India but have failed to do so in the last three years be withdrawn and fresh licenses be issued to those willing to fly to India in their place," the release added.

Landslide prone villagers air SOS for protection

By Bhaskar Sharma

RAMCHE (Syangja), Feb 25 - As darkness sets in, villagers here start feeding their lamps with kerosene to keep it flickering till the next morning. The family members too take turns to keep vigilance all night, especially during monsoon.

The reason: Fear of their houses being sunk or swept away by landslides.

Locals in this village that lies in Panchamool VDC at an altitude of about 1,650 metres above the mean sea level, have been troubled by soil erosion for more than two decades. Villagers here claim to have undertaken afforestation and soil conservation programmes on their own to reduce erosion but to no avail. The resource crunch has eluded them of the desired result.

Khem Narayan Dhakal, 25, who lives with a joint family of 10, is worried about the safety. "We have been tormented by soil erosion for the past two decades. With huge tracts of agricultural lands sinking below, dividing a single terrace into smaller terraces at different levels, our safety cannot be guaranteed," he says. "The rainy season is the worst period."

"We have to take turns to keep vigil all through the rainy nights," says he. "The fear that our foundations will sink or our houses will be swept away by landslide keeps us awake. The tiredness after a hard day’s work too cannot be taken as an excuse."

Most of the houses situated in the lower slopes of the village are damaged. While some have their walls cracked, others are clearly tilted, with sunk foundations. Dhakal’s house, too, is no exception.

A local teacher in the same village, Purna Prasad Sharma, 51, says engineers from the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation had conducted a survey of the region almost nine years ago and identified it as region vulnerable to soil erosion.

The engineers had estimated Rs 5.2 million as a cost for the soil conservation programmes. However, villagers claim all that was done was the construction of a wall of about 2.5 kilometers in the lower part of the village, which is meant for diverting the flow of water down the slopes and to prevent men and animals from straying into steeper slopes. The wall was built about 4 years ago at a cost of Rs 300 thousand.

While the government after the survey identified 32 houses of this village as prone to landslides, villagers claim the number of such vulnerable households has crossed 70, 29 of which are seriously affected.

"Despite the engineers’ report on the soil condition of the village, the government has not done anything significant to protect us," laments Sharma.

However, former member of parliament from adjoining Sirubari village Rudra Man Gurung claims that the government had offered one bigha land in terai for each of the 32 affected families. He claims they did not agree to migrate then. Only five families migrated permanently, that too before the government had conducted the survey.

The recurring problems they faced over the years seem to have changed the mindset of the villagers now. The villagers now want the present government to work towards that direction and resettle them.

"We have lived in this land for generations. We are now faced with no other choice but to migrate," says a villager. "We want the government to work for our migration again."

"But the government is turning a deaf ear now," says Gurung.

Chairman of the Panchamool VDC, Harka Bahadur Gurung stresses upon the need for the government to either implement soil conservation programmes or to arrange for their migration.

The Forest Sector Master Plan, 1988, also identifies the area as severely affected by soil erosion. The master plan has named 20 districts in the mid-hills and mountains as severely affected and 25 other districts as affected.

Experts call for concerted efforts on TB

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 - Health experts have stressed on the need for concerted efforts from all sectors, governmental and non-governmental in order to address and minimise the incidence of tuberculosis. "Total cooperation and involvement from every level of the society is a must in order to combat the burden of the disease," said Dr Dirgha Singh Bam, Director of National Tuberculosis Centre. "The involvement of all the sectors would help to create awareness about the disease, prevent it from spreading and undergo the strict medical treatment."

According to Dr Bam, a new drug to cure the disease would come into effect by 2010. "Researches on the drug are being done in South Africa."

Nepal has some 80,000 TB patients and half the cases are infectious. Every year some 44,000 new TB patients appear in the country and some 11,000 die.

The three-day international conference on Power, Poverty and TB concluded here today with calls to all sectors including the government, non-government organisations and media to help lift the burden of the disease. The conference was organized by TB.NET, a three-year-old global TB network based in Nepal which maintains an Internat resource centre for TB control.

Over 120 participants from 18 countries discussed the link between the disease and poverty. Over 50 experts from across the world were connected to the conference through E-mail.

Tuberculosis, a contagious bacterial disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Once infected with tuberculosis, the person remains infected for many years, often life, states a journal distributed at the conference. The vast majority of (90 percent) of people infected with M. tuberculosis do not develop the disease of tuberculosis. Active tuberculosis occurs in an average of ten percent of those who are infected.

TB kills more youth and adults than any other single infection worldwide. About one-third of the world population is infected by M. tuberculosis. In 1997, there were about eight million cases of TB and two million deaths worldwide.

Closely followed, DOTS (Direct Observation Treatment Short Course) will go a long way toward putting a lid over the growing number of TB patients, said health experts. Under DOTS, patients are administered drug in close observation of health professionals. "We are trying to implement DOTS for all the patients in Nepal and we hope to do so by the year 2003," said Srikant Regmi, secretary at the Ministry of Health.

Nepal adopted DOTS strategy in 1996. Since then 55 percent of the total population has been covered and the rate of cure is more than 85 percent. Some 125 countries use DOTS to control TB.

Grand mural show in December

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 25 - In December 2000, around 50 murals of peace made by children around the world will be exhibited in Nepal.

The official declaration of the exhibition was made here at a function by Minister of Youth Culture and Sports, Sarat Singh Bhandari.

The programme was initiated in Japan in 1995 by Art Japan Network. "Kids’ Guernica", "sends the message of peace from children around the world to people in the global community in the 21st century," said the organisers today.

According to Tadashi Yasuda, representative of Art Japan Network, Nepal was chosen for the "grand finale" because the "murals

painted by children of the world are sacred, and Nepal is a sacred country".

"Children are the leaders of tomorrow. No one but them will create world peace. We trust in their imaginative and creative ability as opposed to the logical thinking of adults," said Yasuda.

According to Yasuda, the size of the mural is the same size of Pablo Picasso’s Gurenica. Picasso’s Gurenica was painted in 1937 when the Spanish town of Gurenica was bombed during the Spanish civil war (1936-1939). The painting, which is considered one of Picasso’s masterpieces, is regarded as a powerful expression of rage and despair beyond individual control.

In Nepal a 79-member National Organising Committee under the chairpersonship of the Minister for Youth, Sports, and Culture is coordinating the exhibition. Others in the committee include the Mayors of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan Municipality, officials from the field of tourism, government officials, police officers, members of the Royal Nepal Academy and veteran artists.

According to Baikuntha Man Shrestha, Chief Executive Coordinator of the Committee, 36 Nepali children painted a mural in 1996. The workshop was then organised by Srijana Art Gallery.

"The exhibition will be telecast in collaboration with Nepal Television via satellite," said Shrestha. "About 300 delegates and children from various countries are expected to take part in the gala," he said.

Children from 16 countries have already prepared 38 murals. According to the organisers, by the end of 2000 there will be 50 paintings. Around 7000 children will have participated in the exhibition, they added.

The murals were already exhibited in Japan, Taiwan, and in various cities in Europe, Australia and North America. According to Yasuda, the exhibition will be held in Okinawa, Japan during the G8 Summit Meeting.

Other highlights to be held during the exhibition include workshops of Child-artists, an international symposium on art education for children and a children’s summit named "exchange for peace."