Bandh ends peaceful
Stray cases of riots, vandalism reported

By a Post Reporter

KATHMANDU, Sept 21 - The dawn-to-dusk Nepal bandh called by the nine left parties ended peacefully today, except for some sporadic incidents of riots and scuffles, reports reaching here from across the country said.

The left parties-called bandh--which was also supported by the underground Maoists--to protest, among others, construction of the controversial Laxmanpur barrage's afflux bund by India, the recently passed Citizenship Bill and "state-sponsored terrorism," and to demand action against Prince Paras Shah who allegedly killed musician Praveen Gurung in a hit-and-run case recently.

At least six people - two truckers and four policemen - were injured in separate incidents in Chitwan and Mahottari today. A driver of a mini-truck and his helper were rushed to Bharatpur hospital for medical treatment after a group of protestors hurled a petrol bomb at the moving vehicle.

Likewise, four policemen were injured following a scuffle between police and left party workers in Bardibas of Mahottari district. Another report from Sindhuli said of the 11 people injured last night, one is in critical condition.

Police have detained a total of 150 leftwing workers -- 6 in Kathmandu, 47 in Bhaktapur, 12 each in Jhapa and Tehrathum, 11 in Okhaldhunga, 11 in Chitwan, 5 in Kaski, 2 in Dhanusha, 5 in Makawanpur, 6 in Morang, 4 in Parsa, 15 in Kanchanpur and 14 in Banke -- involved in disrupting normal life, according to a statement by the Home Ministry.

Most of the business enterprises, educational institutions and markets remained closed in Kathmandu Valley, where most of the vehicles stayed off the roads even as police patrolled the streets all day.

Rioters stoned a taxi and a tempo in the capital city, where tourist buses, taxis, tempos and motorcycles could be seen plying defying the call for bandh. Office-goers could be seen either walking or cycling to their workplace.

In Bhaktapur, activists and leaders of Nepal Workers and Peasants' Party (NWPP) lay down on the street of Surya Binayak and forced the country's only trolley bus service to close down for the day. They were later arrested by the police.

Police arrested six people in Rautahat where marketplaces remained closed and the bandh affected normal life. Birgunj, the commercial hub of the central Terai, too remained closed.

In Janakpur, all business and vehicular movement came to a standstill, but the Janakpur-Jayanagar Railway, Nepal's only railways, operated its regular service.

The bandh remained peaceful in Rajbiraj and Siraha areas even though protest rallies were taken out in the evening. Police officials said 22 of the 48 protestors arrested last evening would be released by Thursday night.

Hundreds of workers and leaders of the nine left parties, including CPN-ML, UPF, NWPP had been arrested by the police when they attempted to stage torch-lit rallies defying the government's recently announced ban on the practice.

The bandh also had its effect in Ilam and Jhapa districts. Police have arrested four left party workers attempting to forcibly close down shops in Birtamod, Bhadrapur and other areas. Police have also arrested eight left party workers in Dharan.

The bandh, however, did not have any effect in Dhankuta, Dadeldhura and other remote hilly areas.

Partial effects of the strike were felt in Nawalparasi, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts, where no untoward incident occurred despite protest rallies organized by the left parties. The bandh affected normal life in Kapilvastu, Parbat, Damauli Kaski and Bardia districts. In Nepalgunj, police have arrested 16 people who were forcing local businessmen to close down shops.

The bandh, however, had little effects in the Maoist insurgency-hit mid-western hill districts of Jumla, Humla, Mugu, Dolpa and Kalikot. Marketplaces and schools remained open there.

Another report said police arrested dozens of NWPP workers in Dailekh and Surkhet.

World anti-corruption summit opens in US

KATHMANDU, Sept 21 (PR)- World leaders dedicated to the fight against corruption gathered in Virginia, United States to discuss the ways and means to free the world from corruption. A three-day Anti-Corruption-2000 Summit was inaugurated today with live global streaming in TV and the Internet.

In the inaugural ceremony J Brady Anderson, Administrator of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) presented paper on USAID's concerns about the effects of corruption on development.  Similarly, President of the World Bank James D Wolfensohn spoke on Corruption's Challenge. Wolfensohn said that the fight against corruption and cronyism, and work for structural reforms, became "increasingly difficult" when an economy was growing strongly.

In the summit, keynote address was delivered by Stuart E Eizenstat, Deputy Secretary, US Treasury Development.  His paper was on money laundering, the international financial system, and the fight against corruption. During the live telecast there was instant survey on governance among participants on the Internet.

The summit features speakers and panels on topics like: Experiences of official anti-corruption commissions and units, Providing for the right to freedom from corruption in national constitutions, Reports from corruption investigators' experiences and Maximizing the positive use of the media to fight corruption etc.

UML for stern action

By a Post Reporter

BIRGUNJ, Sept 21 - Main opposition CPN-UML today demanded stern action against the police personnel who indiscriminately opened fire at the locals of Bhauratar Village Development Committee in Parsa early Tuesday, killing a 13-year old boy.

After the chaotic firing, thousands of raged locals dragged some two dozen police personnel and locked them at the residence of a VDC member. The police personnel, however, were freed yesterday after 15 hours of captivity following the local administration's intense negotiation with the locals.

Police claim that the security force was sent to the VDC to raid a house where a large chunk of hemp was reported to have been kept. Locals, however, maintain that tension with the police arose after the police arrested a servant of the person whose house they raided without calling for the local elected representatives.

Likewise, Human Contact Research Service (CONTACT), a social NGO too today demanded strict action against the police excesses during the incident. 

Meanwhile, the government has formed a two-member investigation team comprising the Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry Tika Datta Niraula and Seniour Superintendent of Police Devendra Bahadur Malla to probe into the incident. The probe committee would also look into the similar indiscriminate police attack at Bardaghat town in Nawalparasi also on Tuesday.

Chief District Officer of Nawalparasi Bishnu Raj Kusum yesterday conceded that police on special training course were responsible for the incident and even termed the police move as "extreme level of madness."

Five die of diarrhoea in Dolpa

DOLPA, Sept 21 (PR)-  At least five people died over a week due to the outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases in this mid-western mountain district, officials said.

The victims included two men, two women and one girl from Majhaphal and Juphal Village Development Committees (VDCs), according to officials at District Health Office (DHO).

The victims have been identified as Harka Bir Rokaya, 42, Man Bir Rokaya, 45, Nabin Kumari Karki, 8, and Man Bahadur Chand, 53, of Majhaphal VDC, and one unidentified woman of Juphal VDC. 

Though officials claim that a team of health workers and medicines have already been despatched to the site from the district headquarters, locals complain of inadequate medicine supply.

Arun Kumar Mahato, an official at DHO, said they are currently seeking assistance from the Regional Health Directorate.