Court rules to expedite case on Chase Air scandal

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - Patan Appellate Court today decided to expedite the case against former Chairperson of Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation HongKong Rana for his alleged involvement in a scandal related to contract with Chase Air, an American company.

Last year, advocate Tika Ram Bhattarai had filed a case at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) against Rana’s alleged involvement in the multi-million scandal. The Chase Air had signed a contract with RNAC and received 7,83,725 US Dollars for lease of a Boeing 757. However, RNAC never received the airliner.

CIAA then lodged the case at the Patan Appellate Court charging Rana and two of his associates Achyut Gautam and Gajendra Mani Pradhan for abuses of their respective positions. CIAA had also urged the court to keep them on police custody for necessary proceedings.

The Bench comprising of Justices Ramji Prasad Tripathi and Govind Bahadur Shrestha today decided to expedite a case against Rana with Rs 800 thousand as security. The bench also decided to expedite hearing against Gautam with Rs 20,000 security.

Advocates Yuv Raj Sangraula, Lok Bhakta Rana, Krishna Sapkota and Borna Bahadur Karki defended the case for the alleged offenders. “We demanded the release of our clients on date as half the sum has been recovered and the rest were likely to be returned through a bank guarantee,” said Sangraula.

According to Sangraula, 3,81 thousand US dollars have been returned to RNAC and 4,10 thousand US dollars worth bank guarantee has been received through Singapore-based Skyline Aviation Services. 

Body formed to look into local issues

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - The government today formed the Local Self-Governance Act Regulation and Local Bodies Problem Resolution Committee to investigate into hurdles facing the implementation of the Local Self-Governance Act and suggest ways to overcome them, a press release issued by the Local Development Ministry stated today.

Members of the committee include the secretary at the Local Development Ministry, the chairmen of the District Development Committee Federation, the Municipalities Association and the Federation of Village Development Committees.

The committee will also include representatives from the Finance

Ministry, the Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Forestry, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Works and Transport.

The committee is expected to study the impact of the Local Self-Governance Act on local bodies and recommend ways to effectively implement the same.

Stir disrupts TIA customs

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - An hour-long strike staged by Immigration officials at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) today prompted a few passengers arriving on two different international flights to make their ways without undergoing any customs check-up.

As dozens of customs officials posted at TIA failed to show their valid entry pass required to enter the international terminal to the police and staged agitation outside the terminal from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm this afternoon some hurrying passengers made their way easily. While those who waited till the deadlock ended were compelled to face hassles from the customs officials, eyewitnesses and sources said.

The lucky - and the unlucky - passengers had arrived on SQ 413 Singapore flight and TG 313 Bangkok flights, according to a police official posted at the country’s only international airport told The Kathmandu Post. According to the official, police personnel posted at the airport entrance had been directed to stop all those trying to enter into the airport terminal without a valid entry pass.

The directive was issued in keeping with orders from Civil Aviation Authority. Two weeks back, the Authority had issued a notice to renew the entry passes.

“We were strictly ordered to keep away all those trying to enter the premises without a valid entry passes, and we followed the order,” said the police personnel on duty. “So was it our fault to stop those trying to sneak in on invalid pass?”

After being prohibited to enter, the customs officials in turn tried to forcibly get inside, said another, adding that “they even resorted to manhandling one of our personnel and blamed us of atrocity”. An eyewitness said Chief of the Customs Department along with a few of his assistants had rushed to the site upon hearing about the incident. The deadlock was resolved only after the Authority officials issued a circular directing the police personnel to allow the invalid pass holders to enter the terminal for a week.

BPP sees conspiracy in Rizal’s release

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - Bhutan People’s Party (BPP), today alleged that there is a deep rooted conspiracy behind the release of veteran Bhutanese freedom fighter Teknath Rizal.

Rizal, 52, was released by the Druk government together with 200 others - 40 of them political prisoners - on December 17, 1999. Rizal was arrested in Birtamod in 1989 and handed over to Bhutan by the Panchayat government.

President of BPP RK Budhathoki said the Druk government released Rizal to intentionally “tarnish” his popularity. He claims that the Druk government was trying to compel him to leave the country causing a severe setback to the movement.

“He hasn’t received an audience with the King yet,” added Budhathoki. “Moreover, a few days ago some rowdy men entered the hotel where he is staying and threatened him of dire consequences if he re-engaged in the democratic movement. Now, he is hardly in contact with us.”

Rizal, whose property was seized by the Bhutanese government for his involvement in the human rights and democratic movement in the country, is currently staying at a guest house in Thimpu.

Rizal was accused of drafting seditious literature by the Bhutanese Court which in turn sentenced him to life imprisonment.   Budhathoki, however, said Rizal was not under “house arrest” and was free to move around the country. “I recently had couple of telephone conversations with him. I urged him to repeatedly try to get an audience with the King so that he can urge the king to allow unconditional repatriation of the Bhutanese refugees.”

He also said that Rizal reiterated his stand that he won’t leave Bhutan till the refugee crisis is resolved. Budhathoki said the Druk government in the past few years have escalated the ethnic cleansing in southern parts of the country. Bhutanese government has been in turn settling other ethnic groups, especially Drupkpas, in Southern Bhutan.

“This internal repatriation must be nullified in order to resolve the crisis,” said Budhathoki.

Budhathoki added that Bhutan even sought help from ULFA militants from Eastern India to remove Nepali speaking Lhotshampas. ULFAs are seeking independence for the Indian state of Assam. “Bhutan gave political asylum to some 35,000 ULFAs and now they are posing threat to its sovereignty,” he said. “Bhutan is now seeking Indian military cooperation to flush the militants out of the country which also poses further threats to its sovereignty.”

He said the Bhutanese King should ask for their cooperation to resolve the crisis. “We are Bhutanese and willing to defend the sovereignty of our motherland,” said Budhathoki.

He urged the Nepalese government to involve them in the Nepal-Bhutan bilateral talks. “At the least we can give some important insights to the Nepalese diplomats while holding talks with their Druk counterparts.”

Budhathoki urged the Nepalese Foreign Ministry to form a “task force” to look into the refugee crisis. “The proposed task force can give continuation to diplomatic initiatives to resolve the crisis irrespective of political instabilities in Nepal.”

He added that any conclusion of Nepal-Bhutan talks is acceptable to his party provided that it guarantees total repatriation of the refugees with “honour”.

Budhathoki said BPP is currently conducting intensive campaigning in the United States of America. “We are about to do the same in Europe and India,” he said. “We are also setting up a strong organisation inside Bhutan.”

US concerned Albright writes to Mahat

KATHMANDU, Jan 21(PR)  - Secretary of State of United States Madeline Albright has sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry expressing interest in the long standing Bhutanese refugee crisis in Nepal, according to a source at the Foreign Ministry.

In the letter sent two weeks ago, Albright has written that US wishes the crisis to be resolved soon. She has also appreciated the way Bhutanese refugees are kept in the camps in eastern Nepal.

Julia Taft, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugee and Migration, US, had visited the South Asian region in October last year. During her visit, Taft had also visited the camps in Jhapa.

There are more than 100 thousand refugees languishing in seven camps in Jhapa. The first batch of refugees arrived in Nepal on late December 1990.

Taft visited Bhutan around a week ago. She is expected to visit Nepal soon.

Colder days stand numbered

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - Those scared of shivering cold, cheer up. Kathmandu Valley will not be so cold any more, weathermen said. Afternoons may remain colder as clouds continue to blanket mid hills for a few more days.

The Valley recorded minus three degree Celsius as minimum temperature early this week. This was slightly above the lowest in three decades. In January, 1978, weathermen had recorded minus 3.5 degree as minimum temperature. 

Ruling out the chances of rains, they also forecast that the (possible) series of cloudy afternoons too will gradually show signs of improvement by next week. They, however, do not rule out brief-light shower.

“But that does not mean that there will be snows over Phulchoki and Shivapuri hills,” said K B Manandhar, a senior meteorologist, “Since days have already started to become longer, our atmosphere is gradually warming up.”

With “inversion clouds” covering the mid hills, the Valley saw cloudy afternoons yesterday and today. So much so that Kathmanduites hardly felt the warmth of the sun today.

“The situation may continue tomorrow and the day after,” Manandhar said. “But this means that the Valley’s minimum temperature will go up and the maximum temperature down during the afternoons. We will have colder afternoons and warmer mornings.”

Minimum temperature was recorded at 5 degree Celsius this morning, down from 1.3 yesterday. Weathermen forecast it will go slightly up tomorrow morning. Likewise, maximum temperature plunged down to less than 20 degree in the Valley today, prompting many people to either remain cuddled up in quilts or to sit by a fireplace.

Meanwhile, according to a weekly weather bulletin regions other than the eastern saw winterly rainfalls during the second week of January. The thick fogs that covered central and western Terai areas has lifted thanks largely to the rainfalls due to westerly winds.

Subsequent cold waves triggered by the thick layers of fog even took six lives in central and western Terai areas.

Taplejung, Biratnagar, Dhankuta and Okhaldhunga areas in the eastern region saw zero rainfall during the period. Average rainfall in these areas would range from one to three millimeters, according to the same bulletin.

Rest parts of the country, however, recorded rainfalls up to one millimetre some of which even lasted for three consecutive days in some regions. While the whole of the central and western regions recorded the one millimetre rainfall for a period of maximum one day, the mid- and far-western regions received isolated showers even for two or three days.

While the far-west’s Dhangadi area saw rainfalls for three days, same region’s Dadeldhura, and mid-west’s Jumla, Dang and Surkhet saw rainfalls for two days only. 

Likewise, temperature conditions remained lower than average in the western Terai region, and most parts of mid-western region during the first week of January. While remaining parts of the country recorded average and higher than average temperatures.

How locals turn a cremation site into a place of worship

-By a Post Reporter

BHAKTAPUR, Jan 21 - The cremation grounds of Jyotirlingeshwore Mahadev at the foothills of the Changunarayan temple, 16 km east of the capital, is now turning into a popular religious site thanks to the efforts of locals here.

The locals have been raising funds by performing Deusi, a cultural programme performed at the doorsteps of households on the occasions of festivals. Around Rs. 5 lakhs was collected two years ago followed by Rs. 6 lakhs last year. The money was later used to build a three-story Ram Janaki temple at the venue.

“This place was hardly visited before it was renovated,” says Kaji Singh Thakuri, a priest at the Jyotirlingeshwore Mahadev. “Even fairs are organized here during major festivals such as Ekadashi, Krishna Janmasthami, Ram Navami and Rishi Panchami.”

People from the nearby villages of Changu, Jhaukhel, Chaling and Duwakot had been using the place only for cremating their dead ones. Only a few years ago did the locals through the initiation of Gopal Prasad Pokharel from Changunarayan VDC-8 started renovating the area.

Akhanda Batti (eternal lamp) is also lit at the temple for world peace and harmony. Locals believe the heat of the flame cures various eye diseases.

The idol of Jyotirlingeshwore Mahadev was discovered when efforts were carried out to dig a sacred pond in the area. As of yet, the four-handed Shiva idol is considered to be the only one in existence.

“We made the efforts thinking that it would contribute to preserve our hindu religion and culture,” says Pokharel. “We expect everybody to help and make contribution to our efforts.”

He, however, expressed sadness over the government’s nonchalance in helping the cause despite the fact that locals were active in not just the renovation but reconstruction too.

The daily rituals in the temple are conducted from donations made by the locals. There still remains much to do for the temple, says a local Padma Raj Dhimal, who has been working at the cremation ground for the past 22 years.

While the Guthi has been providing Rs 300 each month for the daily service at the temple, all the other functions were performed with the donations. “We have been supporting the temple with donations till today, let’s see what will happen later,” says Pokharel.

To attract donors, the names of donors are carved in stone. Those who donate more than Rs 501 will have their names in stones, and those donating more than Rs 1001 will have the names of three generations of their family.

Though the temple is developing into a popular religious site, it is still searching for more financial support.

“The contributions raised from devotees is not fulfilling the temple’s present requirements,” says Pokharel who is also president of the temple construction committee. “The temple still needs a copper roof with gold topping. We also have not collected enough funds to buy an idol.”

According to Pokharel, the committee has estimated the cost of laying stone slabs and oil lamps around the temple at around Rs. 7 lakhs.

Indian held for smuggling in shawls

-By a Post Reporter

 KATHMANDU, Jan 21 - Police today arrested an Indian national trying to smuggle in 109 pieces of India-made pashmina shawls with false “Made in Nepal” tag at the Valley’s major entry point in Thankot.

According to Inspector of Police Ram Kumar Thapa, Kamal Joseph of Theli Thana Pardevi in Shyamganj, India, had hidden the shawls inside the bus coming from Bhairahawa. Joseph admitted upon interrogation that he brought the shawls with the intention of exporting it abroad. Nepal made pashmina shawls sell like hot cakes in the international market.

Police claim the wholesale rate of the confiscated pashmina shawls is expected to be around Rs. 3,00,000.

Joseph, who has been handed over to the Revenue Investigation Department for further interrogation, has also revealed that Indian pashmina shawls with “Made in Nepal” tag are exported abroad from transits at Delhi and Mumbai in India.