UML initiates to resolve Maoist problem

By Sanjeev Ghimire

KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - As proposed by all opposition parties, CPN-UML shall now take the initiative for the peaceful resolution of the Maoist problem as the ruling Nepali Congress has failed to do so, the main opposition leader Madhav Kumar Nepal said Saturday.

"All the political parties (excluding NC) are now urging us to take initiatives to find a peaceful resolution to the Maoist problem as the government has failed," said Nepal talking to the reporters at a tea-party organised by his party today. "UML is not waiting any longer for the government to settle the problem."

Nepal added that his party was holding informal talks with major opposition parties like RPP and Nepal Sadbhawana Party to create a conducive environment to hold the talks with the Maoist rebels. "They wanted us to take the initiative," he said.

"We on Oct 10 held some four hour long informal discussion with all the leftist parties to find a way out of the problem and they also urged us to take the initiative..," he said.

Lambasting government’s motive of suppressing the insurgency through the army mobilization, Nepal said: "If the government makes foolish decision of the army mobilization, it would be unfortunate for the country, the government and democracy. This would lead the nation to the brink of a civil war. Being a political problem it must be resolved at the political level."

In the aftermath of Maoist raids in Dopla and Lamjung last month which killed 22 policemen, government is trying to build national consensus for the mobilization of Royal Nepal Army to crush the four and half year old insurgency. The insurgency has claimed more than 1400 lives altogether.

When asked to comment on the government’s intention to form an armed police force to quell the insurgency, he said: "There are some 44,000 armymen and 52,000 policemen...still the government want to create armed police force to quell the Maoists. Moreover, will the armed police dissolved if they accomplish their goal? No. It would be foolish to invest on this unproductive force with the tax payer’s money."

He said it was equally unfortunate that the government despite repeated request by the rebels for talks "couldn’t be flexible enough to accept some of their trivial demands" which could have paved way out of the problem. "On top of that the government seems to have disabled Deuba..."

Former Premier Sher Bahadur Deuba heads a high level committee to hold dialogue with the insurgents to resolve the problem. Deuba maintains that the government is not co-operating with the committee.

Asked whether the insurgent also urged his party to take initiative for the talks, the main opposition leader said "they too intend UML’s initiative". He also said that his party might mediate government-insurgent talks if the both side wish.

Parties protest petro price hike

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KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - The main opposition CPN-UML and other political parties today announced various "protest programmes" starting from tomorrow to oppose the government’s decision to hike the price of petroleum products.

Leader of the main opposition Madhav Kumar Nepal said the government is "fooling" people by assuring that the price would not go up just a few days back and slapping them with a tremendous raise.

According to Nepal, the party is organising a "protest rally" at Ratnapark tomorrow. A press release issued by All Nepal Peasants Association, a sister organisation of the main opposition has demanded the government to maintain the price of the petroleum products as earlier, stating that they would organise "strong protest programmes" if the government failed to do so.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) issued a press release condemning the decision and has urged the government to immediately "take back" the decision. The decision to maintain "dual price" of kerosene without any preparation at the administrative level would further encourage and "institutionalise" corruption, said RPP.

RPP has criticised the government for failing to cut down the price of the petroleum products when the price in the international circle was going down. "The price of petroleum products never go down when there is a drop in the international market, which does not justify the current hike," states the release.

The nine left parties today announced a series of protest programmes starting tomorrow. According to a press release, the nine left parties will organise a protest rally tomorrow at 3 p.m from Bhotahiti and "gherao" Nepal Oil Corporation on Monday. Their other programme include burning the effigy of the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on October 19 here at Ratnapark.

Nepal Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist) has urged all democratic political parties and the people to "get to the street and protest the decision".

In separate press releases issued here today, the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist) and the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union, a students wing of CPN-ML have condemned the decision and warned to take to the streets if the government "does not recognise the calls of people or disregards it."

Uproar over ‘fishy deal’ in RA jet lease

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - Despite restrictions imposed by two constitutional watch-dog agencies, Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation has sent over a million US dollars to lease a widebody Boeing B-767-300 ER jet from Lauda Air of Austria.

The payment has confounded chairman of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Subash Nemwang who voiced strong reservations about the Lauda Air leasing deal.

According to RNAC sources, U.P. Upadhyay, Director of Finance at the Corporation, himself had seen through the transaction at Nepal Rastra Bank Friday. When contacted today, Upadhyay refused to make any comment. They also said that Lauda Air has not given the mandatory counter guarantee under which a supplier cannot encash the amount till the plane reaches here.

This advance amount is the monthly rent of 300 flight hours which has to be paid to Lauda Air, even if the plane does not fly its minimum stipulated time.

Highly placed sources inside RNAC said the B-767 is being leased at a rate of US dollars 3,350 per flight hour. It has been guaranteed a minimum of 300 flight hours a month. If the aircraft is operated beyond that threshold, the lease rate comes down to US dollars 2,200 per flight hour. Sources said the term of the lease is for 18 months and begins on December 1, 2000.

The advance payment of over 1 million dollars which RNAC sent on Friday to Lauda Air is in direct contravention of directives from the PAC and Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) after the infamous Chase Air scandal of 1998.

Both the bodies had restricted RNAC from making any advance payment to aircraft suppliers until the jet arrives at TIA. The Chase Air jet never arrived despite RNAC having paid an advance amount to the company, leading the PAC and CIAA to probe the deal.

PAC chairman Subash Nemwang, when told that RNAC had made the advance payments despite standing PAC directives, told The Kathmandu Post, "what they (RNAC) have done is wrong. It only shows that there is something fishy going on."

The PAC chairman added: "RNAC seems to have comfortably closed its eyes to bitter experiences of the past." He also said that a number of RNAC officials were themselves against any new lease as there was no scope for its proper utilization. "But some vested interests have played a role in the deal," he added.

Meanwhile, PAC officials said that RNAC has ignored not only the long-standing PAC and CIAA directives, but also fresh instructions issued by PAC and the Ministry for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation.

"The Ministry had written to Hari Bhakta Shrestha, Executive Chairman of RNAC, forbidding him to go ahead with the deal. But Shrestha has disregarded even that," fumed Nemwang.

As the controversy over the Lauda Air lease deal here grows, RNAC executive chairman Shrestha, meanwhile, is off to Vienna and New York on a personal trip. There is considerable suspicion even within RNAC that the chairman has undertaken the trip to finalize "under the table" financial details of the lease agreement.

Minister Yadav lands in soup

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KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - A minister has kicked up controversy by disclosing a cabinet decision on the possible appointment of "former" police chief as ambassador before its formal announcement.

Amidst growing speculation of Inspector General of Police Achyut Krishna Kharel’s appointment as ambassador to Myanmar after his resignation from the chief’s post, Minister of Health Dr Ram Baran Yadav made public the decision.

The Cabinet decision on Friday on Kharel’s resignation and his new role as an envoy had not yet been formally announced. However, Yadav revealed both the decisions in Radio Nepal’s Parivesh programme Saturday.

According to norms of Nepal’s council of ministers, no minister can disclose Cabinet decision before 24 hours. Only the official spokesman is allowed to do so.

Even the decision on appointing a new ambassador has to be first agreed upon by the concerned country and appointed by His Majesty the King. It is only then the formal announcement is made.

Sixth Condom Day marked

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KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - With an aim of checking world’s two major ills - sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including HIV/AIDS and population growth, Nepal today marked the sixth Condom Day throughout the country with rallies and street shows.

Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) with support from Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been celebrating the Condom Day since 1995.

This year’s Condom Day with the theme "Let’s use condoms: It’s our responsibility" is being celebrated in Doti and Udayapur districts for a week, said Deepak C Bajracharya, Deputy Programme Director at CEDPA. The primary aim of this campaign is to generate awareness at community level about the importance of using condom, he said. More than 50 government and non-government organisations have participated in this campaign.

Likewise, the organisers, performed street plays in Basantapur followed by a rally which turned in to a mass gathering in the city’s Open Air Theatre this morning. The theatre was adorned by posters prepared by the competitors in a valley-wise poster competition on Condom Day and by IEC (Information, Education and Communication) materials. IEC materials include condom wallets, posters, brochures and stickers. Jupitar Pradhan, Sanjeev Karmacharya and Rita Manandhar stood first, second and third in the competition. The organisers also distributed condoms on the occasion.

"Altogether 300 thousand people are expected to have been reached by today’s Condom Day," Bajracharya said. Almost 250 thousand people from 65 districts were reached last year and nearly 50,000 were reached in the first Condom Day, NRCS reports said.

RNA to finally deliver arms to police

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KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - Royal Nepal Army (RNA) has decided to deliver the arms, it promised to Nepal Police and at the same time has initiated moves to procure weapons of the latest models for itself, a highly placed army source said here today.

According to the source, the arms will be delivered to Nepal police from Monday and by the end of the week, the arms transfer would be completed. The police force would possess nine thousand semi-automatic weapons after the army supplies the weapons.

The army is presently selecting the weapons it needs and the process of negotiation for the purchase would start after sometime, according to the source.

Meanwhile, the police instructors who were supposed to be trained by the RNA have already left for training camps and the remaining are about to follow suit. These instructors will train some 150 police personnel in different places, the source said. After the police massacre at Duani (Dolpa) on September 25 and two days later at Bhorletar (Lamjung) the then home minister Govinda Raj Joshi had accused RNA of delaying the delivery of the promised arms to the police despite the payment of Rs 170 million to the army.

Army seek information on Maoists with CDOs

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KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - District based Royal Nepal Army (RNA) battalions and brigades have asked the Chief District Officers (CDO) to provide the army with information about the possible striking points in the district headquarters by the rebels.

The army units have also sought information regarding the state of security and intelligence in the district.

According to reports, the National Defence Council (NDC) took the decision to issue circular to the district army units and were made active in collecting information.

The NDC has already decided to send the army along with police in the six "most-affected" districts for what they call "co-operative patrolling". In other districts, the army can be mobilised for the security of only the headquarters after a written request from the CDO.

According to a battalion chief based in a terai district, the army has sought information with the CDO to remain prepared for possible attacks and to learn about the potential flash-points at the district headquarters.

"Though the army headquarters is preparing separate reports on the activity of Maoist rebels we have requested for details from the CDOs in order to be acquainted with the information available at the district levels," said the district chief.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has also issued a circular that allows the CDOs to call for "written assistance" from the army at times of attack.

NC yet to sort active membership controversy

By Pramod Poudel

KATHMANDU, Oct 14 - Ruling Nepali Congress has yet to sort-out the controversy of active membership even as the 10th general convention of the party is just three months away.

NC leader Chiranjivi Wagle today alleged that inappropriate means have been used while renewing the active membership. Talking to The Kathmandu Post Wagle said that nine hundred twenty one new active members have been added in Kathmandu District alone. "

"They have taken unjust measures to renew active memberships in districts like Sunsari, Syangja, Solukhumbu and many others," said Wagle.

The Central Working Committee (CWC) of NC had decided that it would renew active membership of all those who had obtained the membership in the last general convention of 1995, except those who were taken disciplinary action.

Narahari Acharya, NC Spokesperson stressed that the removal of some people from the active membership was procedural but not intentional. "Membership renewal was done in accordance with the party’s decision," said Acharya.

"Exclusion of some people from active membership was a mistake and should not be considered as un just," said Acharya. "Such mistakes will be reviewed and CWC will decide on the final list of the active members of the party," he added.

Those excluded from the active membership were even party leaders Prakash Man Shrestha, Arjun Narsingh KC, Chandra Bhandari and Binod Kayastha among others. According to Acharya only nine hundred seven discontented party members had filed complaints after a list containing 101,950 names of active members was made public last month. There were 136,843 active members in the last general convention.

Former Prime Minister and NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba had asked for consolidated active membership list of last general convention but since we didn’t have such combined list we couldn’t provide it, said Acharya.

But Wagle stressed that not providing such list was intentional. "There is no question that such list could not be prepared," said Wagle. "We were even denied to help prepare the combined list," he added.

"There are many cases where deserving party workers are sidelined and unworthy people are rewarded with membership to gain upperhand in the upcoming general convention" said Wagle.

"CWC should meet at the earliest and first solve this issue," said Wagle. "If the party President (Prime Minister Koirala himself) wants, there is no question that the issue cannot be solved," he added.

From these active party members, village and municipality members will be elected who then elect regional representatives. These regional representatives elect convention representatives who in turn elect central leadership in the forthcoming general convention.