You know, it's only after reading out my speech today did I come to know there were so many martyrs in Nepal !!

Nepal endorsed as peacekeeping centre

-By a Post Reporter

UN PEACEKEEPING TRAINING CENTRE, Panchkhal, Jan 30 - Exercise Shanti Prayas, the first ever South Asian Multi-Platoon Training Event, concluded here today with Resident Coordinator of UN systems in Nepal Dr Henning Karcher endorsing a proposal to develop a regional peacekeeping centre in Nepal.

Royal Nepal Army (RNA)’s Chief of Army Staff Prajawalla SJB Rana closed the two-week long event amid a grand ceremony in this scenic valley, 45 kilometres east of the capital city.

"There is a need to inspire the establishment and development of a culture of peace in the region and around the world," Karcher told a gathering of army officials from around the world. "And what could be a better place to look to in this context than Nepal, where Lord Buddha, the much revered pioneer of Peace, was born and where peacekeeping has been an honoured tradition."

Lieutenant General Edwin P Smith of US Army Pacific Command, Lt General Muhammad Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh Army and Major General LP Balagalle of Sri Lankan Army were present at the programme participated by observers from 18 nations--Australia, Canada, China, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and United Kingdom.

Karcher’s endorsement followed a similar backing from Assistant Secretary General of UN’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Yon Jing Choi and Commander-in-Chief of United States’ Pacific Command, Admiral Dennis C Blair. At the opening of the historical training event the officials had said that it would be appropriate to set up a peacekeeping centre in Nepal "as South Asia region does not have a regional peacekeeping training centre yet".

On the occasion, RNA’s Chief of the Army Staff Rana had sought the endorsement of the proposal.

According to officials, setting up of the regional peacekeeping training centres in different parts of the world is a fairly new concept. Such centres have so far been set up in countries like Norway and Sweden.

The Panchkhal-based centre has remained the training venue of the Royal Nepal Army, widely lauded as one of the leading peacekeepers of the world. Since 1958 over 35,000 Nepal Army personnel have already served in various UN missions. Nepal has currently committed a total force of 3,000 for UN peace-keeping duties at any given time. Thirty-five Nepali soldiers have lost their lives during the peacekeeping duties to date.

"Peace has a price, and I hope that the last two weeks of toil in the cross cultural gathering has enabled the participants to interact and identify procedures in coordinating and supporting each other in adversity," RNA’s Chief of Army Staff Rana said. "I am certain, your brief sojourn at Panchkhal has also been a period of exposure in harmonizing the growth of cordial relationship with comrade-in-arms dedicated to peace."

Altogether four platoons--one each from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the United States--partook in the training. Also attending were trainers from these countries.

Rana also distributed certificates and awards to the commanders of the participating nations, and plaques and mementos to observers. RNA’s Assistant Chief of Staff Pyar Jung Thapa had delivered welcome address.

The multi-platoon training event, supported by the UN’s Department of Peacekeeping and the US Pacific Command, is said to have enhanced new peacekeeping partnership amongst the units hailing from various regional, cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

RA passengers camp it out

-By Bishnulal Budha

DUNAI, Dolpa - Caravan, the Eric Valli documentary about Dolpa, may have been running to packed houses in the capital’s cinema hall, but a real caravan of frustrated passengers have been camping out in vain here for 18 days, waiting for an aircraft to fly them out to civilization.

Braving icy cold winds, passengers old and young, even the sick-ones, have camped out in an open field near the Juphal airfield since January 12, waiting for the Civil Aviation Authority to send a technician to fix a high frequency radio set at the tiny control tower.

Ever since the radio set went out of order, no flights have landed here, stranding poor villagers in a district which has no roads. Dolpa has no other means of communicating with the outside world except for walking for days along narrow trails, or flying the subsidized flights by the government-run Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC). "I have spent all my money here waiting for the flight," says Bal Bahadur Bohara, who trekked from his village for one and half day to arrive here 17 days ago with his sick mother to catch a flight to Nepalgunj for her treatment. "Now I will have to take her back home without the treatment."

Authorities at the local control tower say, they sent out word more than two weeks ago about the broken down HF radio set, requesting officials in Kathmandu to send a technician to repair it.

"The passengers are angry with us. We sent out word two weeks ago, but no one ever listens to us," says Kailash Sharma, an airfield official.

RNAC sends four flights a week to Juphal from Nepalgunj. But for four days before the radio conked out, bad weather forced flight cancellations. As soon as the weather cleared on January 12, the radio went out of order. So far, the airline has cancelled 13 flights, stretching the patience of stranded passengers.

Meanwhile, as they wait, commodity prices have sky-rocketed. A packet of Wai Wai noodles here costs Rs 18 and a kilo of sugar Rs 75.

It’s not just the HF set that is out of order. Sharma, the airfield official, says that condition of even other equipment such as microphones, the wind direction indicator, and VHF sets have been progressively deteriorating.

"Whenever there was problems before, a technician would be despatched. He would arrive late, do some simple fixing and return," he said, implying that the airfield equipment had been running on an adhoc basis.

Passengers complain that politicians and government bureaucrats are not receptive to their problems, hidden from immediate view as Dolpa is. If bus operators were on strike in the Terai, lawmakers and officials would all resolve the problem soon, but no one cares about a far-flung remote district like Dolpa, they complain.

Leaders criticize PM

-By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Jan 30 - Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai came under further scathing criticism today from his party colleagues, some even asking for his immediate resignation.

Two prominent party members, Nepali Congress general secretary Sushil Koirala and Nepal Tarun Dal president and NC Central Committee member Bal Krishna Khand lashed out at Bhattarai today during a program hosted by the Nepal Students’ Union.

Both the Tarun Dal and NSU are sister organizations of the NC.

Khand even went as far as to call for the Prime Minister’s resignation during the program.

The prime minister, Khand said, "should resign immediately for his inability to lead the country." PM Bhattarai’s working style and procedures, he continued, " are very outdated which can’t maintain the parliamentary norms."

"He (Bhattarai) can’t discipline his own minsters who are acting against democratic values. For the interest of people and his own party, he has to step down immediately," the Tarun Dal leader said. NC General Secretary Sushil Koirala, meanwhile, said the if NC continued to remain divided between its leaders then the party would disappear.

"The party has since long been divided between various panels like Koirala and Bhattarai," said Koirala referring to the prime minister and party president Girija Prasad Koirala who have a running feud going on. "The party would disappear if similar rivalry prevails between the second generation leaders."

Both NC general secretary Koirala and Tarun Dal president Khand are close to party president Koirala. The NC general secretary also took the opportunity to condemn the government’s handling of the Maoist insurgency.

"Dev Gurung, a prominent Maoist leader, was arrested and brought to the court and the court and the government let him free," Koirala said. "What is the government upto?"

Gurung, a top Maoist rebel, was released a few weeks ago on condition that he appear regularly at the Chief District Officer’s office. He disappeared soon after his release.

Khand also came down heavily on Home Minster Purna Bahadur Khadka and the police administration for "intentionally demoralising" the police and the local administration in the Maoist affected areas. He asked why the minister and the IGP were not sending those close to them to the Maoist affected areas but rather posting them at customs points and the airport.

Truckers flay govt move on old vehicles

KATHMANDU, Jan 30 (PR) - Valley’s truckers have flayed the government decision to phase out vehicles over 20-years old from the capital starting February 19.

Valley’s local truck entrepreneurs have also accused the government of being biased against them and making the policy announcements without considering any options for old vehicle owners.

The Ministry of Population and Environment had taken a series of pro-environmental decisions on December 23 aimed at improving the Valley’s air quality, declaring that any vehicles over 20 years on the road will not be allowed to operate in the country. The government had also enforced ban on the import of vehicles which don’t meet Nepal Emission Standard 2056 (1999/2000), the local version of Euro-1 emission standard. Valley Local Truck Entrepreneurs Association (VLTEA) today threatened to take to the streets if the government did not review its decision soon.

"On the one hand, the government has failed to provide good quality petroleum to control air pollution while it boasts of vehicles complying with the Euro-1 emission standard," said Vice President of VLTEA Rajaram Silwal at 4th general meeting of VLTEA today. "Our vehicles, no matter new or old, emit what our engines are fed with."

"Plus, the government decision is unilateral which turns most of us jobless," he added. According to VLTEA officials, over 90 percent of its total 600 members do not comply with the present standard set by the government.

Other demands that VLTEA has placed are tax exemption on old vehicles, allowing them to run after proper maintenance, review the pollution standard and provide new registration numbers to vehicles not holding the necessary documents after the approval of the association.

It’s high time judiciary became more open

-By Kavita Sherchan

KATHMANDU, Jan 30 -While all public institutions including the monarchy have come under public scrutiny after the restoration of democracy in 1990, judiciary still enjoys the holy-cow status.

The absolute power it wields in the form of Contempt of Court has largely shielded it from criticism. Unlike most other institutions, judiciary has remained largely intolerant to public criticism, and has been quick to book people under the Contempt of Court.

Noted legal practitioners are now suggesting that the court started paying attention to constructive criticism and adopt a more tolerant attitude at large.

Senior advocate Kusum Shrestha, who once opted to stay in prison overnight for Contempt of Court rather than relent to the charge, says the court should be lenient and more open. "Public institutions are subject to public scrutiny. The court cannot escape that either," says Shrestha.

It is easy for the court to slap charges of the Contempt of Court as there is no Act specifically dealing with it. The Constitution has given Supreme Court the authority to initiate proceedings and impose punishment in accordance with the law for contempt of itself and its subordinate courts or judicial institution but legal experts say this provision has often been misused.

"Contempt of Court has been misused by judges for ego satisfaction," says Shrestha. "The judiciary has not been able to accept that it is subject to criticism too."

In his earlier days as an advocate, Shrestha was fined Rs 500 for saying, "I am surprised to see the bench being dictated by the harsh words of a lawyer" while he was pleading. Shrestha paid only Rs 499 and refused to give the Rs 1 as a token of protest for which he was kept in prison for a night.

Senior Advocate Ganesh Raj Sharma also advocates freedom of expression and says the court should be careful while punishing anyone on Contempt of Court. The offender should be booked only when he tries to obstruct justice or its execution.

According to Sharma, courts in Britain, United States or closer home in India have become increasingly tolerant to criticism. "Nepal (Supreme Court in Nepal) too has become more tolerant regarding the punishment (on contempt of court)," he says. "In recent days the court has not jumped straight into punishment. It has released a person with only a warning."

Sharma says the judiciary has been lenient even with the press. "It (judiciary) is trying to reconcile freedom of press with the dignity of court," he says.

But the leniency need not be institutional. "It (the court) seems to have become lenient these days but nobody knows...," says Shrestha. No institutional decision to this effect has yet been taken.

There is also no clear-cut definition of what constitutes Contempt of Court, say experts.

According to Kashi Raj Dahal, Spokesperson of the Supreme Court, it is the court that decides what constitutes its contempt.

Dahal said that a draft Bill on the Contempt of Court has been formulated and awaits to be tabled in the parliament. "Any comments with a mala fide intention according to the court is the contempt of court."

Shrestha on the other hand does not agree that an Act will solve the problem, adding it is the court that after all decides what is mala fide. What is therefore called for is the change in attitude among the judges. "Unless the judges realise that they are public figures and judiciary is a public institution the Act will not help," he says.