Mahat expects to resolve refugee crisis ‘in a month’

- By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 13 - Foreign Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat today said that the fate of nearly one hundred thousand Bhutanese refugees languishing in Nepal could be decided “within a month”.

Speaking at a Reporters’ Club programme, Mahat expressed hope that a ministerial level meeting due in Thimpu soon may achieve amicable settlement on the long festering refugee problem. He, however, did not mention the date of the meeting.

“We are holding another round of meeting with Bhutan within a month. After that we will hopefully identify the genuine refugees and initiate the process of repatriation...We want it to be the last meeting between the two countries regarding the refugee problem,” the foreign minister said.

Eight rounds of talks between the two countries have failed to yield desired results.

The eighth round of talks were held in Kathmandu in September during which the two countries decided to meet again and start the process of categorization to identify genuine refugees.

Dr Mahat said that there was a conducive environment at the moment which could help in resolving the long-festering refugee crisis.

“The misunderstandings between the two countries have been cleared,” he said, adding that the Bhutanese government thought that Nepal was taking interest in their internal affairs but that the Nepali side has assured them that it has no interest in their internal affairs.

Speaking about the Norwegian embassy opening in Kathmandu, the minister said that Nepal was working towards having the European Union also opening its embassy here. In addition, he said that the HMG had requested Italy to open its embassy here again, and that the government was preparing to open its embassy in Doha, Qatar.

Asked to comment on the Indian Airlines hijacking, Dr Mahat said, “the incident has made us more aware.” He said that relations with India were deep and friendly and that Prime Minister K P Bhattarai’s India visit would be undertaken “at a mutually agreed time.”

Asked if Nepal-India relations had chilled after the hijacking incident, and that whether it was appropriate for the PM to visit India at this juncture, he replied, “I don’t believe that relations between the two countries have chilled.”

Dr Mahat also said that the government had not “activated” the Zone of Peace proposal for the last 10 years. The proposal was actively pursued during the Panchayat years.

Asked whether relations with Pakistan had cooled after the recent expulsion of a Pakistani embassy official, the foreign minister said, “we took the right step. No one has the permission here to engage in activity against Nepal or its neighbours.”

The Pakistani official was caught red-handed with counterfeit Indian banknotes.

Dr Mahat also said that Indian government had assured that Indian Airlines would soon resume its flights to Nepal.

Mahat also refuted allegations that PM Bhattarai had accepted to the Indian media that security lapses on Nepal’s part led to the aircraft hijacking. He also refused to accept Indian media allegations against Nepal as being the official opinion of the Indian government.

But asked about Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh’s press conference after the release of the hostages in which he said he had proof of Nepal’s involvement which would be made public at the appropriate time, Dr Mahat said, “when I inquired with the Indian government, they said that was not true. It is possible that he was misquoted.”

But when asked if the television footage would lie, Dr Mahat said, “I did not see it on TV, but read it in the papers. I have always thought that he (Jaswant Singh) was misquoted.”

Dr Mahat also termed “baseless” those reports in the Indian media which say that the young Tibetan Rinpochhe Karmappa who recently defected to India, used Nepali territory for his long trans-Himalayan trek. The foreign minister refused to comment further on the Karmappa’s case.

Two killed in separate incidents

KATHMANDU, Jan 13 (PR) - A woman was killed in a bomb blast in Malangwa, Sarlahi district, and a Nepali Congress activist was hurt in another incident in Chitwan, according to reports reaching here.

The bomb exploded late Wednesday in the house of Janak Raya in Padariya VDC-8, Sarlahi, killing his wife Sitabiya Devi, police said. According to police, the attack was the handiwork of Badri Raya of the same village who had a quarrel with Janak Raya. The accused Raya is absconding, police said.

Meanwhile, in another incident, suspected Maoist rebels in Chitwan attacked and wounded a Nepali Congress activist, police said.

About 8-10 rebels attacked raided the house of Indra Kumar Oli in Piple VDC-9, dragging him outside and beating him up, district police officer Ramji Thapa said. Oli has been rushed to Kathmandu for treatment, family sources said.

Meanwhile, in Nepalgunj, police said that one of three persons abducted last month by Maoists in Rolpa district has been killed by the rebels while one has been let free. The fate of the remaining one is unknown. The DIG of the Mid-Western Region Police said that Khagendra Prasad Malla of Pakhapani-4, who was abducted along with the other two by rebels about three weeks ago, has been murdered by the Maoists.

Khim Lal Oli, who was also abducted, has been released while the fate of Padam Malla is unknown, he said.

Racketeers abscond with millions from Indosuez Bank

- By Kedar Ojha

KATHMANDU, Jan 13 - In one of the biggest cases of banking embezzlement, an unidentified racket has absconded with Rs 20.5 million from Indosuez Bank from Kathmandu producing forged documents over the past one month, according to police.

The racketeers produced cheques bearing forged signatures of Norbu Tshering, proprietor of Yak Carpet Industries, Lalitpur.

Tshering, who holds a current account at the King’s Way branch of Indosuez, said he is appalled by the incident. “The Bank officials consult with me even when I issue a Rs 500,000 cheque. Why didn’t they ask me when millions were being withdrawn on a number of occasions?”

Asked for their comments, Bank officials didn’t explain their position satisfactorily.

Mark Dumaj, Executive Director of the Bank, yesterday filed a written application at the Kathmandu District Police Office to conduct necessary investigations. 

On Dec 14, the racketeer used a forged letter-pad of Yak Carpet Industries to get a new cheque book. All six cheques were issued from the same cheque book.

The alleged swindlers have been identified as Manoj Gurung of Lalitpur (address: PO Box 4876 in Kathmandu post office) while the other two are account holders are Prem Bahadur Shahi and Gopal Bahadur Gurung also of Lalitpur, according to preliminary findings.

On one occasion, on Dec 15, Rs 4.96 million was first transferred to Gopal’s account and then withdrawn. He cashed two other cheques  of Rs 300 thousand bearing his own name and of Rs 1315 thousand on behalf of Universal Carding and Washing Industries also on the same day.

Shahi cashed Rs 9.675 on Dec. 16 and Rs 4.3 million on Dec 20.

It was only on January 6 that Tshering noticed “a sudden fall” in his bank balance and immediately informed the Bank, police said.

Bank’s documents, however, reveal that Tshering was the lone signatory when Gopal opened his bank account. Police are closely looking into this link.

According to the Superintendent of Police Rabindra Pratap Shah, the bank used to call Tshering whenever the cheque was worth over Rs 500 thousand. “Norbu is wondering why the Bank didn’t call him while cashing the cheques,” said SSP Shah. Police are not ruling out complicity of the Bank staff.

Last November, another racket tried to dupe Nepal Arab Bank Limited. The group also succeeded to avail a new cheque book through a forged letterhead of Sadasukhi Enterprises but the culprits ran away when the bank officials started asking them questions to establish their credentials.

According to the SSP Shah, pictures obtained from the closed circuit cameras of the Arab Bank incident reveal that the same culprits could be involved in the Indosuez embezzlement also.

Nepal asks partymen to launch social reform

-By a Post Reporter 

KATHMANDU, Jan 13 - Main opposition leader and general secretary of CPN (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal today urged his fellow partymen to launch social reforms to elevate women’s status in society.

While opening his party’s Second Kathmandu District Convention here Thursday, Nepal also invited like-minded people to join CPN-UML “as it is the only mainstream communist party to lead the nation in the 21st century”.

But Nepal spoke more on the plight of women and urged party-men to ban dowry system and fight for women’s rights to parental property. “If we are to change the face of the country, such caimpaigns should start,” Nepal said, referring to the District Committee’s recent announcement to start No-Dowry campaign.

“You have stated that the new district committee members will not accept, or give, any dowry in their weddings. But this is not enough, the convention needs to ponder over the possibilities of granting property inheritance rights to our women,” he said.

He added, “And this should not only be confined among Kathmandu’s district committee members. This noble message should go to each and every district and villages.”

His remarks followed a call from All Nepal Women’s Associaton (ANWA) President and MP Bidhya Bhandari who, besides calling on to launch No-Dowry caimpaign nationwide, stressed on the need to grant women inheritance rights to parental property.

The custom of giving dowry while marrying off daughters is widely practised across the country’s predominantly Hindu society. And the heavily paternal society has traditionally been granting inheritance rights only to sons.

A bill granting women some semblance of property rights failed to pass parliament as it was stalled for years in the committees. A new bill has been drafted which is still awaiting approval from lawmakers.

The main opposition leader also called upon those facing dilemma to join CPN-UML. “I want to invite all those facing dilemma (on which party to join), including those who joined CPN-ML, to join our party...All those who are honest and have good moral character are welcome.”

Referring to the recent hijacking incident when the government admitted of security lapses at the Kathmandu airport, he blamed the ruling Nepali Congress for “insulting” the naiton’s image in the international arena. He reiterated that NC was ‘incapable’ of ruling the nation.

In his over one hour long speech, Nepal also took time to flay the violent Maoist movement. “Maoists are living in a dreamland. They are carrying guns, killing people indiscriminately...Sooner or later they have to face the ground reality and bow down.”

The party’s standing committee member Iswor Pokharel and central committee member Krishna Gopal Shrestha called on the Valley’s partymen to consolidate the party’s organizational structure in the days ahead so as to make the Valley a “Lalkilla (Red-fort)”.

How Tharu families walk into a bondage contract on Maghe Sakranti

-By Kamal Kumar Panthi 

GULARIA, Jan 13 - It has been a year since Shivaram Tharu of Khairichandapur VDC-9 sent his 14-year old daughter to a landowner’s house in Nepalgunj to work as a kamaiya (bonded labourer).

But now, since maghe sankranti (a major festival for the Tharus which falls on Jan 15) is just round the corner, Tharu, a father of 10, wants his daughter to come home for the celebrations. And in the process, hand him over some of her hard-earned money. “It is very difficult to sustain our family of 10 with the little land that we have,” Tharu says. “ Thus, I sent my grown up daughter to work.”

There are a number of Tharus like Shivram who send their children to work as kamaiyas for anywhere between Rs.1000 to Rs. 5000 a year. This is the time of the year when many of those young kamaiyas come back home

Because, maghe sankranti is not just a big festival of family togetherness, but it is also the time when the kamaiyas are traded to the local landed gentry, much like cattle or vegetables.

During that one day, labourers are released by old masters, and new ones take over after receiving the appropriate price. Sometimes, the old masters keep them. All the transactions take place without any paperwork.

The kamaiya system, which has been a blot on Nepal’s social scene, is mostly prevalent in five districts in the west. It is a result of debt, often small but which balloons over time due to interest and which is handed down generation to generation. Until the kamaiyas pay off the debt, they remain bonded to the master. On maghe sankranti, it is the debt that is traded off to a new master. There is no data accounting for the number of children who work as kamaiyas, says Pram Bahadur Chand, a government official incharge of the local office that looks after kamaiya welfare.

There are  15 thousand one hundred and 52 persons working as kamaiyas in Western Nepal’s Dang, Banke, Bardia, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. 83 thousand 3 hundred and 75 families in these district depend upon the kamaiyas for work, says Chand. According to the District Land Reform Office, Bardia alone has 5 thousand 37 kamaiyas.

For the Tharus, the entire month of Magh (from Jan 15 to Feb 12), is a holy month and a month of honesty. Thus, in this month, they are bonded to work, without a written commitment. This is also a month of relaxation for them. For three days, they celebrate joyously.

Poshan Pokhrel from Gularia says that the Tharus are not bonded but are just labourers. However, for the kamaiyas, they are indeed bonded. According to Chand, the kamaiyas from the five districts have borrowed Rs. 48 million, 876 thousand, 932 all together from the landlords, all of which they have to pay back.

The government has made efforts to release the kamaiyas from their bondage but due to a lack of clear policy, many still remain in bondage. In the Rural Development Bank, Nepalgunj, in the fiscal year 98/99 Rs. 500 thousand was sanctioned to relieve the kamaiyas from bondage but due to the lack of clear policy, the money has not yet been used, says Chand.

In the fiscal year 96/97, the government designed programmes for the development of the kamaiyas and for their debt relief. Institutional programmes as well as income generating programmes were launched. This FY 99/2000, an amount of Rs. 14 million 460 thousand 3 hundred has been sanctioned for these five districts.

From that programme, in Bardia alone, from a total budget of 5 million 232 thousand, from the FY 96/97, a total of Rs. 4 million 942 thousand has been spent.

In Bardia, after the launching of that programme, a total of 265 persons have taken skill development training and 257 have taken a enterprise development training. 81 persons have been able to release themselves from bondage and are carrying on with activities learnt during the training, say Danda Pani Poudyal, Chief of Land Reform Office.

A man vacating the Bata shoe shop in melee in New Road after the fire brigade personnel put out the fire at the footwear outlet on Thursday.