8 killed in road mishap

PALPA, Feb 28 (PR)- Eight persons died and 10 sustained injuries when a truck with the registration number Lu-1 Kha 2301 plunged 500 metres down the road in Bhimad of Humin VDC at 1.15 p.m today. The truck that left from Birkot was heading towards Tansen. There were 18 persons travelling by the ill-fated truck.

According to police, those who died on the spot were driver Amar Bahadur Khatri of Isma-4, Yam Prasad K.C, 65, of Palpa Taahun-3, Prem Singh Thapa, 65 and Khagisara Thapa, 35 of Jhemrang Heklang-1 and one other who could not be identified.

Those who died on the way to hospital have been identified as Goma Laxmi Shrestha, 30, of Birkot, Khagisara Kamu Magar of Heklang-1 and Bholanath Paudyal, 35, of Ringneraha.

The 10 injured are undergoing treatment at the Tansen Mission Hospital. According to the hospital, Lok Nath Acharya of Khaliban and Man Bahadur Gaha and Lila Bahadur Somai of Birkot are in critical condition. Authorities have so far been unable to identify the cause of the accident.

Police to have sophisticated arms

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - The use of automatic and sophisticated arms (guns) by the Maoist rebels has prompted the Nepal Police to re-enforce and arm themselves with modern weapons, high level government and police officials said here today.

"Since the rebels are using grenades and automatic weapons to attack, the police force is also getting armed with sophisticated weapons ... the police force has to be better equipped than the rebels," Home Secretary Padam Prasad Pokhrel said today.

In recent attacks the rebels have been found using automatic weapons in place of crude weapons like muskets and spears that they used in the initial days of the violent campaign for a republic state.

On Feb 19, a group of rebels attacked a police station at Gharti Village in Rolpa District killing at least 15 and injuring 24 police personnel.

"From the bullet holes we examined on the scene and the eyewitness accounts of the injured men, we have concluded that the rebels had attacked using automatic rifles," Inspector General of Police Achyut Krishna Kharel said.

IGP Kharel said following the attacks the rebels showed off their new weapons to the injured men and told them they stood no chance fighting against the new weapons.

Briefing the State Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives today, Kharel said despite knowing about the attack at 1:25 a.m., help reached the site only at 9:50 am due to attacks and mines on the way.

When the party did reach the scene, they recovered 15 bodies from the charred police station and 24 injured colleagues at a warehouse 50 feet away. They were dragged to the warehouse and left locked there in wounded condition.

Home Minister Purna Bahadur Khadka too admitted that the rebels have swelled to become a more powerful force.

"In the past four years, the rebels have strengthened both their fire and manpower. However lack of funding has prevented the police force from being brought upto date," the minister said.

In recent months, the rebels have intensified attacks on the police and torching police stations. Kharel said their records show that the rebels have so far torched 116 civilian houses and 46 police stations or houses that were once occupied by the police as temporary housing.

Police too have reacted by burning down hundreds of houses turning 150 families homeless at Khara VDC of Rukum District on Feb 22. Additional IGP Krishna Mohan Shrestha who had been to the area to investigate the case said that only seven houses and six cattle sheds had been burned and 17 rebels and one policeman were killed.

Since the rebels began waging a guerrilla war four years ago from the hills in the central and mid west parts of the country, 1,215 people have succumbed to the "people’s war". The figure includes 879 rebels, 146 police personnel and 190 civilians.

Maoists abduct two

JAJARKOT, Feb 28 (PR)- Maoist insurgents kidnapped two persons -- a Nepali Congress cadre and a former Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police -- here last night, according to Nepakwada VDC chairman Ajay Bir Singh.

Singh said NC cadre Nim Bahadur Singh and former ASI Jeev Bahadur Singh were kidnapped from their residence. Both Nim bahadur and Jeev Bahadur were taken away by the rebels without allowing them to change the clothes they were sleeping in, he said.

The whereabouts of both the kidnapped is still unknown.

Meanwhile, according to the Mid-Western Regional Police Office in Nepalgunj, three Maoist rebels were killed in another incident. The police-Maoist encounter took place at Lekali Jungle of Jajarkot last Friday.

Our Nepalgunj reporter adds that the Mid-Western Regional Police Office has accused the Maoist rebels of burning down police posts that have been vacated by the police in various parts of mid-western hilly districts.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police Rajendra Bahadur Singh, police posts scattered across the mid-western hilly district have been recently allied to empower the police force in the area. The burnt police posts were situated in Simrut of Rukum, Dhumchal of Rolpa and Devsthal of Syangja, police said.

UML announce month-long stir

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - In what has been described as protest against the price hike, congressisation of the administration, and deteriorating law and order situation, the main opposition today announced a month-long protest programme today.

This announcement comes a day after the nine leftist parties announced a series of agitation programmes. Their protest programmes were aimed at pressurizing the government into addressing their 34-point demand.

The protest campaign will start three days after the winter session of the parliament convenes. The winter session is to convene on Wednesday.

At a press-conference organised by the party today, spokesperson, Pradeep Nepal, said that the party will organise Nepal Bandh on March 27, as a part of the month-long protest campaign.

According to KP Oli, coordinator of Agitation Mobilisation Committee, the party will take actions against the "locally identified corrupt people". "However, the actions we take against them will not be like the Maoist’s," said Oli. "We will not resort to any violent actions, rather we will reveal their wrongdoings."

The Agitation Mobilisation Committee headed by standing committee member Amrit Kumar Bohara was recently dissolved and reconstituted under KP Oli.

Oli said that the party does not have any plans to go for agitation with other leftist parties. "It is not that we (UML and other leftist parties) cannot go together at all, we can do this in some of the issues," said Oli. "But the initiation should come from them."

Referring to the Maoist insurgency, he said both -- the government and Maoists--should create a favourable atmosphere and initiate dialogue.

The series of protest will begin with a campaign against violence in Kathmandu on March 3 and in other districts on March 4, sit-in in all the offices identified as "corrupt" by the local residents from 17 to 19, and protest against Congressisation in all the districts on 23.

According to the spokesperson, the party will gherao the office of Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (New Road) on April 2, "since it is famous for corruption". On March 5, their campaign "Let’s go to Kathmandu" will start from Bhaktapur, Chitwan, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kavreplanchowk, Lalitpur, Makwanpur, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchowk. It will be followed by burning of the Prime Minister’s effigy on March 22 in Kathmandu.

The campaign will end with mass-meeting on the occasion of Martyr’s Day and protest along with the announcement of "protests" to follow on April 8.

Dismissing the speculation that the opposition might file no-confidence against the government, Oli said that they have no intentions to do so. "Nothing will happen by submitting no-confidence motion."

Oli said that there has been no decisions to submit no-confidence motion. "Even if we put it ahead it is not going to do anything, it is just a matter of legal procedure," Oli said.

Swindlers sentenced

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - Kathmandu District Court today ordered interrogations and prosecution case amidst heavy security to four of the accused in the recent swindling at the capital’s major banks with connection with embezzlement of Rs 33.5 millions and 17 thousands.

The Bench of Justice Sharada Raman Ghimire sentenced the accused -- Madhusudan Puri, Mahesh Bhandari, Bunty Giri and Khil Bahadur Shahi -- to interrogation for counterfeit signatures and also initiated a case against them with security worth Rs 7.7 millions and 17 thousands each for the swindles.

The verdict came after the accused confessed that they swindled Rs 20.5 millions and Rs 7.1 millions from the Indo-suez Bank and Himalayan Bank , Tri-devi Marga, respectively.

Likewise, they had duped 400 thousands from Rastriya Banijya Bank, Rs 1.8 millions and 75 thousands from Nepal Bangladesh Bank, Baneshwore Branch, Rs 200 thousands from the Agricultural Development Bank, Chabahil Branch and Rs 3.5 millions from Nepal Arab Bank, New Road Branch in various dates in the last one year.

Correction should start at party level, say experts

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - Correction of socio-economic and political distortions should be initiated at the political party level, said experts here today.

Assessing a decade of multi-party democracy, experts said that distortions among political parties is reflected in the government they form, which inevitably triggers severe national regression and crises. "As these problems originate at the political level there is no better alternative but to correct them there," said political analyst Dr Yagya Adhikari.

"All the political parties should blacklist their corrupt cadres and lawmakers and make sure that they are barred from influential positions," said the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) lawmaker Gopal Rai. He was addressing an interaction programme titled "A Decade of Democracy" organised by Foundation for Parliamentary Studies and Development, a non-governmental organisation.

"Money for politics and politics for money has been the focus of all leading political parties since the restoration of democracy a decade ago," said Ganesh Pandit of CPN-ML. "Due to this, corrupt politicians and black marketeers roam freely in the capital while many innocent people in remote areas are deprived of their rights to live due to poverty and become trapped between the Maoist and government excesses."

He added that such circumstances were fostering all sorts of crises ranging from the people’s acute lack of faith in democracy to the insurgency. "If the political parties strictly combat corruption, Maoist and other grave crises will automatically lose their significance."

Former NC lawmaker Pradeep Giri said that the failure of the political parties to be just in terms of class, caste and gender is a major hindrance to development.

"Maoists may be wrong in practice but they are very exact in their ideology. Like previous autocratic regimes all governments since the restoration of democracy have been represented by only a handful of high class and caste men," said Giri.

"Likewise, women comprise 52 percent of the national population while their representation in the Parliament stands at a mere 5 percent," said Prof. Suprava Ghimire. "Every political party advocates gender equality in principle but nothing materialises at the implementation level."

Economist Guna Nidhi Sharma said the lack of specific "National Economic Policy" was largely responsible for the drop of economic indicators in the country. "We are now drowned in foreign aid and helplessly accepting ad-hoc liberalisation policies dictated by the World Bank, IMF and other donors," said Sharma. Foreign aid has multiplied six-fold in the last ten years.

ML, Maoists flayed for 'no action' over murder

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - National People’s Front (NPF) today flayed CPN (ML) and underground NCP (Maoist) for failing to punish their cadres who had reportedly murdered one of their active members in Jhapa last year.

Rudra Timilsina, a NPF member, was found dead at New Giri Tea Estate, Salbari in Sanischare VDC-6 on December 6.

A three-member probe committee comprising lawmaker Pari Thapa, Keshav Nepal of All Nepal National People’s Front and Brata Kumar Rai of NPF had come to the conclusion that Timilsina was murdered by local cadres of CPN (ML) and NCP (Maoist). However, other details of the report have not been released so far.

"We have come to the conclusion that Timilsina was murdered by some local cadres of CPN (ML) and NCP (Maoist)," told Pari Thapa, coordinator of the probe committee, to reporters today. "Both CPN (ML) and NCP (Maoist) have not initiated any action to punish the responsible people. They have not even issued a condolence at the death of a party worker who was a member of an organization close to them."

According to the report, Timilsina had been murdered either by Maoist cadres who had pocketed the amount he had collected to send to the Maoist headquarters or by other party workers who feared his advancing political career. Timilsina was a former Maoist rebel who later joined NPF, Thapa said.

A protest gathering is scheduled to be held at Jhapa on March 23 to condemn the death.

Nirmal’s dream to fly aborted

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - A 22-year old man’s dream to fly a helicopter made by himself failed after the District Administration Office Banke issued a notice not to conduct the flight just a few hours before he was about to launch it.

According to Pradip D.C, his brother Nirmal had to abandon his plan to fly the diesel-operated helicopter when a letter arrived from DAO of Banke stating that he had to acquire permission from the Civil Aviation Authority Nepal (CAAN).

The Isc (Intermediate of Science) graduate Nirmal made the diesel-engine helicopter with the engine of the three-wheeler Vikram Tempo and parts of other vehicles. He had earlier made a helicopter while studying in grade 10 in Nepalgunj, which failed to reach a required height. His first helicopter is at the science lab of Mahendra Memorial School.

"If the administration does not support such young innovative minds, how can the nation move ahead?" asked Pradip at a press conference here today. Nirmal, a resident of Dhamboji, Nepalgunj, however, has his family’s support.

"The country which has not been able to manufacture even a needle should not obstruct innovative minds. The administration should instead `search’ for these minds and not `order’ them to ask for permission," said Pradip.

"The administration should clarify why they are preventing me from conducting the test flight," said Nirmal. "If I have made a mistake, I am ready to accept punishment. They should either explain what is wrong with conducting the test flight or else they should encourage me."

The DC family said Nirmal cannot be stopped by the administration from conducting the test. They also said some NGOs and embassies are interested to fund Nirmal. "We hope the administration responds," said the DCs. "Otherwise, we will seek help from private sectors."

'Women only' ads many, candidates hardly any

By Meena Kaini

KATHMANDU, Feb 28 - It has become common these days to see vacancy advertisements that read in bold letters: Women are strongly encouraged to apply or only women should apply.

While this can be very encouraging for women, there are men who suddenly feel left out by the phrase "women only". Especially, since there have been instances in recent times when organisations have left the slots vacant for months in the absence of qualified women applicants.

Two leading INGOs in the capital have been looking for Communication Officer for the past several months. The post has been lying vacant all this while. It’s not that there has been no application from qualified people but the applicants lack in the basic criteria : "woman"!

The position of Communication Officer has been lying vacant in CARE-Nepal for more than six months. A man in late 20s currently employed at one INGO who inquired about the job at CARE-Nepal says he was rejected with the answer: "No man".

Narayan Ninglekhu, Human Resource Development officer at CARE-Nepal conceded that the office has rejected male candidates. "We have rejected male applicants outright." says Ninglekhu. "This is indeed a discrimination but a required one in order to keep up with our slogan of gender-equity," he says.

Ninglekhu argued that without such efforts women could never come forward. "This is an attempt to make women more competent so that they can reach to senior positions through free-competition along with men."

Many argue that the cry for "equality" has become an excuse for giving priority to women even when they do not deserve it. "They (the organisations) are not accepting the reality that the idea does not really work in a country like Nepal where it is difficult to find competent and efficient women," says Greta Rana, senior editor at International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

"Lot of these things are all donor-driven," says Rana. "Being women ought not be the sole criterion for achieving the positions, it should rather be decided on the individual abilities. It would be absurd to classify a person as suitable for a position just on the basis of gender." "Equality is a highly malleable term, one can shape it however one likes," says Rana. "Men are just as much victims as women are."

A British INGO, Action-Aid Nepal too has been looking for a female candidate to fill in its newly created position of Communication IT Manager for the past several months.

Ramesh Khadka, Country Director of Action Aid says this has been done according to their strategy of making male-female staff ratio 50-50 by the year 2002. "We developed this strategy in 1997 and have been recruiting only women to fill in all our newly created positions and the vacant ones," he says.

He, however, does not believe that this is in any way a discrimination against men. "I would like to call this positive bias towards women, not discrimination against men," says Khadka. "All this time women have been heavily outnumbered in all the positions...Men were always given priority and were granted opportunity, so why not do it for women for sometime at least."

He added that it would be useless if the offices did not apply and practise the slogans within their own organisations while advocating for equal opportunity outside.

Critics of reservation policy claim that by reserving certain positions for women only the organisations are infact harming the women’s cause. "You are making women believe that they have arrived when they have not," says Rana. "They should fight for it and achieve the positions on their own so that they can feel that they actually deserved it."

Sudarshan Shrestha, English news reader and editor at the Radio Nepal, says it is unfair to discriminate on gender basis. "You cannot discourage men just because you want to encourage women," he says.

"People should be taken into a position based on merit rather than gender," says Shrestha. "If you want to promote women let them come forward through free competition."