Koirala asks PM to step down

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala today asked Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai through mediators to step down as per the agreement reached between them.

Koirala supporters had claimed that Prime Minister Bhattarai had agreed to step down after two months when the two leaders reached an agreement on February 25.

According to sources, Koirala has felt insecure by the recent appointments in the cabinet at the time when Prime Minister Bhattarai was supposed to step down.

Sources said Koirala had asked Bhattarai to step down by Monday or else he threatened to start a new campaign from March 14 to remove Bhattarai.

In response Bhattarai too expressed his resolution not to vacate the seat for Koirala. According to sources, Bhattarai is, however, willing to leave the position for second generation leaders.

Koirala called mediators Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister Chiranjeevi Wagle, Central Committee members Khum Bahadur Khadka, Govind Raj Joshi and Mahesh Acharya to the party office for discussion today.

According to sources, Koirala told the mediators to find out what Bhattarai’s intentions are.

Sources added the mediators will inform Koirala about Bhattarai’s answer only on Sunday. Deputy Prime Minister Poudel refused to divulge the details but said there was a need for consensus between the two leaders.

"When the party is weak from attacks from outside, the dispute within the party itself is not good," said Poudel. "May be the party president is feeling insecure due to the appointment of ministers yesterday," said NC Chief Whip Gopal Man Shrestha. "If the Prime Minister plans to step down in future he wouldn’t have taken that step. May be he appointed ministers to make them face the parliamentary session."

The 58 MPs who had waged the signature campaign seeking Bhattarai’s removal withdrew it after the two leaders reached the consensus.

Some 3 thousand Tibetans enter Nepal annually

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - Tibetan refugees staying in various refugee camps across the country have not been registered after 1989, Sandup Lhatse, representative of Dalai Lama’s Tibetan-government-in-exile for Nepal said today.

The first batch of Tibetan refugees entered Nepal in 1959, the year when Tibet’s spiritual leader Dalai Lama along with thousands of his followers fled to India’s Dharmashala.

"We have registered all but those coming to live together with other refugees in our several camps after 1989," the Dharmashala representative told The Kathmandu Post today. He did not give the actual reason behind the de-registration after 1989, but put the total Tibetan refugees living in Nepal at around 20,000.

According to Sandup Lhatse, most of the Tibetan refugees in Nepal are living in Kathmandu’s Bouddhanath area, which saw a nasty fracas between police and demonstrating Tibetans yesterday while the rest are scattered in Pokhara, Baglung, Mustang, Taplejung, Manang, Rasuwa, Solukhumbu and Lalitpur.

He said there are 12,000-plus Tibetans in Kathmandu Valley, around 3,000 in Pokhara, 300 in Baglung, 300 in Manang, 300 in Rasuwa, 200 in Taplejung and 150 in Mustang.

Also, thousands of refugees illegally sneak into Nepal--reportedly on their way to Dharmashala--each year. However, local authorities have been arresting many of them in Dolakha, Udaypur, Solukhumbu, Khotang and other mountainous districts that border the Tibetan Autonomous region of China.

Western media claimed, even Karmapa Lama, who caused a furore in Beijing by fleeing from a monastery in Tibet to Dharmashala late last year, followed a Nepali route.

Lhatse said an estimated 3,000 refugees, who illegally enter Nepal each year, later make their way back to Tibet via India to catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama.

CPN-UML launches Rukum relief package

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - ‘People’s Volunteers’ affiliated with the CPN-UML today announced a relief package to the people affected by last month’s police-Maoist clash in Rukum’s Khara area.

At a press conference held here Saturday, the main opposition party leaders said that relief materials worth over Rs 242,000 would be formally distributed to the affected families from Tuesday, March 14.

As part of the package, the UML volunteers plan to distribute a 50 kg rice bag and some pair of clothes each to affected families. More food and clothes and even tin sheets for roofing would be distributed depending on the need, the volunteer said.

"We want to help all the people affected by the fire," CPN-UML Central Committee member Ishwor Pokharel told reporters. "And at the same time we want to spread the news of our movement for peace throughout the zone."

Rukum is one of the Maoist hotbed districts in the mid-western hills, where activists of the underground CPN-Maoists have been waging "People’s War" since February 1996.

On February 22 a group of police looking for Maoist rebels had torched about 100 houses and cowsheds in and around Khara VDC.

The police were believed to be retaliating against the killing of 15 of their fellow policemen, including an Inspector, who were killed in a powerful bomb explosion the same week.

Ramnath Dhakal, General Secretary of the People’s Volunteers said that similar relief packages would be launched in benefit of the people living in Maoist-affected areas other than Rukum in the second half of April.

CPN-UML activists had collected a total of Rs 242,124.20 during their February 3-5 fund raising campaign.

More than 1200 people, including Maoist rebels, policemen and innocent people, have lost their lives so far. A few remote hill areas in the country’s central and western regions are affected by the insurgency in addition to the mid- and far-western hills.

Pick-pocket amongst lawyers

By a Post Reporter

BIRATNAGAR, March 11 - Could there be a pickpocket even in the middle of lawyers? There might be one. So beware.

A legal practitioner queued up for registration prior to the start of the second day proceeding of Eighth All Nepal Legal Practitioners Conference was pick-pocketed here today, police said. Everybody in the queue were lawyers.

Lawyer Tej Bahadur Rai of Lalitpur lost Rs 8,000 in cash and a photograph of his mother while he was in the queue of legal practitioners early Saturday, said an official with the District Police Office.

Rai said he very well remembered having the money in his pant pocket when he was in the line, the official said. But the money was all gone by the time he finished registering his name.

Meanwhile, today’s session saw the conference concentrating main on four themes: constitutional law and preservation of democracy, judiciary and legal practise, economic development and law, and decentralized government for equitable development.

Advocate Govinda Sharma of Pokhara Appellate Court, a participant, said altogether 97 working papers had been presented, while the participants busied themselves in group discussions. The conference will due to end tomorrow.

Technicians demand change in Act

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - Nepali engineering technicians today claimed that their situation is the poorest amongst the SAARC nations and stated that the path towards their prosperity has been hindered by the existing Nepal Engineering Council Act.

"The Act prohibits us from engaging in consultancy service," said Laxman Rayamajhi, General Secretary of NETA. The engineering technicians complained that their status is not mentioned in the Act which has led to their low morale.

"The government should work towards providing opportunities for the technicians," said Rajendra Prasad Adhikari, programme officer at the Nepal Engineering College. "There should be a provision to promote technician’s to engineers on the basis of experience."

Presenting a paper Adhikari said that the environment for the technicians is not encouraging in terms of the monetary compensations as well as job opportunity and career progression.

"Career development opportunities for middle level engineering technicians are not many and therefore, they face a problem of social recognition," said he. He also added the technician’s salary was too measly. The technician’s monthly salary stands at Rs. 2,957.

The technicians -three year diploma holders form the Institute of Engineering - expressed their concerns at the 2-day 9th National Conference of Nepal Engineering Technicians Association (NETA).

The technician’s also expressed concern over the skewed proportion in the production of engineers in relation to the mid-level technicians. According to Adhikari, 672 technicians and 1,088 engineers are produced annually by the different colleges here. "The technicians, the actual persons who have to step into the field to carry out the work are lesser than the engineers," said he.

They also expressed indignation at the official use of the word "overseer" and stated that it needs to be changed. "The word denotes overseeing slaves in the British imperialism - all over the SAARC nations, the definition has changed," said Rayamajhi. He stressed that the use of the word too has led to the low morale among technicians.

General Manager of Nepal Telecommunications Corporation Chet Prasad Bhattarai said that a new Technical Council Act should be formulated. He also suggested that the official name be changed through Ministry of General Administration. He stressed on the need of a continuous education for all the technicians in order to be in par with the technological changes worldwide.

Minister of State for Information and Communication Govind Bahadur Shah stressed the importance of the technicians and said that the development of a country is not possible without them.

"After democracy, the expectation of common people have increased and our government is determined to provide a sustainable development," said he. He stated that the engineers and the technicians have a "tremendous potential" to develop the country and expressed commitment to solve the problems of the technicians.

Save the nation call a farce, says Thapa

By a Post Reporter

POKHARA, March 11 - Chairperson of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Surya Bahadur Thapa today said the recent calls to the King to save the country is a farce.

"The recent calls by some groups appealing to the King to step forward in order to save the country is nothing but a ridiculous drama," said Thapa addressing a press conference here today.

Few extremist rights group have been taking out demonstrations in different districts calling the King to save the country.

He also called the recent uprising against the multiparty system as "farce".

"It is absurd to blame the multiparty system for the failure of political parties to live upto expectations," Thapa said. "This is a Gaijatra (comedy). And such Gaijatras can arise from any corner."

Call to save heritage

By a Post Reporter

BHAKTAPUR, March 11 - Officials today expressed concern over the dilapidated condition of Bhaktapur’s 55-Window Palace and laid the blame for the delay in its restoration to differences between the Department of Archaeology, Bhaktapur Municipality and the donor nations.

An UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Palace was built over three centuries ago and has withstood a number of earthquakes. Experts claim the much weakened Palace can collapse any time.

"The walls have developed fissures and the ancient paintings are in danger," said Bishnu Raj Karki, Chief of the Palace Area Conservation Office. The walls have swamped into the earth by 40 to 50 centimetres.

Officials from the Department of Archaeology and Bhaktapur Municipality today at a seminar discussed their continued failure to renovate the Palace. At least half a dozen reports on the status of the Palace have been prepared to date.

According to Prem Suwal, Mayor of Bhaktapur Municipality, the proposal from the donor community would have actually put the very existence of the Palace in a jeopardy. "Three years ago, we had proposed to renovate the Palace retaining its originality, all with the budget of Rs 4.4 million of the Municipality."

Preliminary plans for the Palace’s restoration was drawn up by the Department of Archaeology 10 year ago. Later, the German government came up with a new plan in 1993, while the Department of Housing and the UNESCO came up with their own in the following years. A number of other experts have also conducted studies on the status of the Palace.

The plan of action prepared by UNESCO and the German government were rejected because they did not take into account the preservation of the antiques and ancient paintings but only considered earthquake safety aspect, said Riddhi Baba Pradhan, Director General at Department of Archaeology.

Minister for Local Development Chiranjivi Wagle today stressed that the Palace should be renovated promptly. "The Heritage Department has to take special responsibility in order to conserve such a sensitive area," said he.

Capt Rai, VC, suffers from cancer at 82

By Satish Jung Shahi

KATHMANDU, March 11 - Agan Singh Rai, 82, the famed Second World War hero decorated with Britain’s highest military honour has gone down. Down with cancer, according to the attending doctors.

Captain Rai is one of the six living Gurkhas (of the 13) who have bagged the highest British military honour.

And his family members, much as thousands of others, say British government hasn’t quite paid the Gurkha war veteran his dues.

"There was no response to any of the letters my brother sent to the British authorities in Kathmandu requesting assistance," said Bikram Rai, Agan’s youngest son

A monthly pension of over Rs 6,000 suddenly appears too small as the octogenarian’s family struggles to keep pace with an ever mounting medical bills. And an impending tragedy.

"Only recently did the doctors tell us that he’s been suffering from cancer," says the son. "We just don’t know what to do...We’ll have to see until my elder brother, who is serving in the Indian Army in Kashmir, arrives here tomorrow."

The family has footed heavy bills for his medical check-ups conducted at Siliguri in West Bengal, India and later in Biratnagar and in Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital.

"But even after putting together the amount of money he receives as monthly pension and the additional bonus as a VC recipient, the amount is too meagre..," says Bikram, a former British Gurkha. Beginning last year, his father started receiving an additional 108 pounds (around NRS Rs 10,000) as a Victoria Cross holder.

According to Bikram, who recently returned from Hong Kong to attend on his ailing father, doctors first speculated tuberculosis and various other diseases after some blood was detected in Capt Rai’s sputum.

Recent medical reports have revealed that his right lung is severely damaged while the left one is also showing some signs of deterioration.

However, the family members have kept the findings away from Capt Rai "fearign that it cause shock to the ageing father". He was brought to the capital two weeks ago for treatment from Tahahara in Sunsari.

Originally hailing from Amsara village in Okhaldhunga, Capt Rai, enrolled in the Gurkha Army in April 1941. He was awarded the highest gallantry award for leading an attack on one of the two posts against the Japanese in June 1944 when he was only twenty-four.

While capturing the enemy and overtaking the post at Bisenpur in Myanmar (then Burma), Rai subsequently tackled an isolated bunker single-handed, killing all four occupants.

Captain Rai, who was with the 2/5 Royal Gurkha Rifles of the Indian Army, retired as a Honorary Captain in 1971.

Though the VC entitlement of 108 pounds has to some extent helped the ageing veteran, he says that he receives "much less benefits compared to my British counterparts."

And "it is actually the older soldiers who are suffering from lesser pensions," he said, "since subsequent pension hikes don’t cover us."

Refugees blow their blues away

By Shankar Kharel

BELDANGI, Jhapa, March 11- Govinda Sharma of Biratnagar neither took a sanahi nor a modern band for his wedding. To the utter surprise of the bride’s family in Jhapa, he took a band of artists in his wedding procession.

And the band was not Nepali. It was a group of artists from the Bhutanese refugee camp.

The group, without any instruments like sanahi, harmonium, guitar, drumset and piano was able to enthral the procession by its single flute, a madal and Bhutanese folk songs.

"At first when we saw the procession we thought that the guy must be very poor to bring such a madal and murali (flute) band," says Ram Bahadur Khadka of Shivagunj. "But as we went on listening to their songs and music, it was much better than the music played by modern bands."

Sharma is not the sole person who hired such a band in his wedding procession. The trend to hire Bhutanese groups in wedding procession has increased in the recent days. There are already more than two dozen such groups in the eight refugee camps of Jhapa and Morang. Each group comprise of five to eight members.

The groups charge somewhere between Rs 700 to 1,000 for a wedding. "We are on demand in weddings of the families who are not well off financially," says Ram Bahadur Baniya Chettri, team leader of the Beldangi group. "However, we still go to the weddings of some affluent families for which they give some money and food."

These bands, however, are not legally registered in the camps. According to Shekhar Regmi, a Nepali official at the Jhapa refugee camp the practice of registering the groups is not there.

"They just write their names when they go out of the camp," says Regmi. However, the groups do not even have to write their names while going out of the camps in Morang.

The local representatives and residents had complained to a 10-member group of MP’s from the upper house about the free movement of Bhutanese refugees.

"The Bhutanese groups are talented but they should not be allowed to move out of the camps freely," says Mohan Tumkheba, chairperson of a VDC.

The refugees, on the other hand say that they should be allowed to perform anywhere. "We express our feelings about the atrocities of the Jigme government through our songs. It feels very reliving," says a Bhutanese artist. "It would be better if we were issued identity cards while we go out to perform."

Boeing 757 lease extended

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - The Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) has decided to extend the lease period of the China South West Airlines’ Boeing 757 currently being used by the Corporation for three more months, according to a press release issued by RNAC.

The press release states it took this decision after none of the tender bids made for the supply of a Boeing 767 aircraft as advertised by the corporation met the condition of the airlines. RNAC’s lease contract with China South West Airlines for the current aircraft expires on March 27.

Since it’s earlier two calls to lease the wide-bodied Boeing 767 for two years failed to yield the desired result RNAC has decided to re-evaluate few of its conditions and bring out a 35 day notice to lease a Boeing 767-300 ER aircraft on AMI basis for 18 months.

According to the press release, the new notice will make a shift from its stance on the age of the aircraft and call for bids from aircrafts that are 10 years old. RNAC had earlier called for bids from only five years old aircraft. Besides, the notice will also call for US$ 25,000 bid bonds.

RNAC only contains three Boeings in its fleet--two are its own and the other has been leased.

Left writers issue unity call

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, March 11 - Members of the Progressive Writers Association (PWA), the common forum of writers affiliated with different left parties, today pledged to pressurise the divided communist parties to unite.

Litterateur Shakti Lamsal said that the unification of the party is possible since writers supporting different left parties have always loved to stay inside the same circle.

"Prejudice, torture and injustice is growing in the nation. We writers must now focus on writing against imperialism, capitalism and feudalism," he said.

"Had the leaders of the party not fought among themselves, the party that has stood against imperialism, capitalism and feudalism, wouldn’t have suffered so much," said litterateur and politician Modnath Prashrit.

Litterateur Bhawani Ghimire expressed the need for the leaders to give up the sense of vanity. Ghimire said the leaders have to learn a lot from their mistakes.

Ghimire said he was confident that the leftist parties would unite and give a definite direction to the left movement.

Chairperson of the PWA and litterateur Shyam Prasad Lamsal stressed on the need for the writers to remain united.

PWA’s 4th conference in 1992 had got mired in controversy when the officials elected to the executive positions were mostly from the CPN-UML.

"The conference this time will not lead to such problems, as people have done a lot of homework," said General Secretary of the PWA Ganga Uprety. About 300 people are participating in the conference that ends tomorrow, according to Uprety.

Woman poisons neighbour’s children, held

By a Post Reporter

MANTHALI, March 11 - A woman today admitted to killing three children of Govind Bahadur Khatri in Khimti VDC on Tuesday.

Gita Maya Thapa, confessed before the District Police Office (DPO) Ramechhap that she had given poison to the children, Min Bahadur Khatri,7, Lok Bahadur Khatri,5 and nine month old Chuna Devi Khatri, all of whom died on Tuesday from poisoning.

The details on why she committed the crime is not yet clear. Police are still interrogating Thapa.

The three children had drunk the poisoned milk when their mother was away to collect fodder. Chuna Devi had died before their mother reached home whereas the two boys were still alive. They too had breathed their last before their mother could ask them anything.

Police had called Thapa to the DPO for interrogation after villagers claimed that it was she who had given the poisoned milk to the children.

Meanwhile, the post mortem couldn’t be conducted on the bodies due to the absence of doctors. The bodies were sent to Ramechhap hospital on Friday morning. According to villagers the bodies have started to stink.

Anand Shrestha of the hospital said someone has been sent to bring the doctor from Pakarbas VDC.