Chakka jam called off 33 pc concession to students agreed

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KATHMANDU, April 3 – The threatened transport strike by agitating communist students has been called off as the government, transport entrepreneurs unions and student leaders reached a settlement to provide 33 per cent concession on public transport fares to students.

The agreement was reached at the Ministry of Labour and Transport Management after hours of discussion between the three sides on Tuesday, just a day before the students were to launch the threatened public transport strike for two consecutive days nation-wide.

"The new provision will be effective from tomorrow and both college and school students carrying identity cards will be eligible for the concession," Lalit Bahadur Thapa, Acting Secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management told The Kathmandu Post Tuesday evening. "Students carrying their ID (identity) cards can claim the concession in all the public buses operating in both short- and long-distance routes."

The Communist Party of Nepal - Marxist Leninist-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) was sticking to its demand for 50 per cent concession in all public transportation fares till Tuesday afternoon, and had been staging phase-wise protest programs for the last two months or so.

Their demand, however, was scaled down by the representatives of various transport entrepreneurs’ federation present at a close-door meeting held at the chamber of Minister for Labor and Transport Management Palten Gurung.

After hours of negotiations, the transport entrepreneurs’ agreed to provide "33 per cent concession to all the students on the basis of ID cards".

The provision will be effective "only for the time being", and in order to actually get it implemented forever the government will need to provide "facilities" to the transport entrepreneurs as provisioned in the Industrial Enterprises Act 1995.

To this effect, "a task force comprising student union representatives, transport entrepreneurs’ federation representatives, and government officials will be formed," said a press release issued late Tuesday by the Ministry. "The task force will submit a report within a month, on the basis of which the government will take a final decision on the matter."

Today’s meeting started at 1 p.m. and was attended by the representatives of various factions of transport entrepreneurs, ANNFSU Chairman Rabindra Adhikary, Vice Chairman Shiva Gurung, General Secretary Basanta Manandhar and Secretary Krishna K.C, and Minister Gurung, Acting Secretary Thapa and other high-ranking officials of the Ministry.

The students used some rough tactic to force their demand through. In the course of negotiations, as the entrepreneurs refused to provide 33 per cent concession as compromised by the student leaders, one of the student leaders came out of the meeting hall at 2:30 p.m. and made a telephone call to his union office (Ratoghar, Ratnapark), and told his colleagues to take to streets and disrupt vehicular movement "according to our strategy".

Though the students affiliated with the ANNFSU (ML) had resorted to vandalizing public buses at Ratna Park area yesterday evening, no such incident was reported today, however.

Half an hour later, the four students representatives walked out of the minister’s office, leaving their compromised demand of 33 per cent concession, to the entrepreneurs and the government officials to decide upon. However, at 6 p.m. in the evening, the two sides reached the decision and finally agreed to provide 33 per cent concession to the students.

Fresh attacks on police outposts
2 killed in Palpa, 8 more die in road accident

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KATHMANDU, April 3 - In continued series of attacks by Maoist rebels at various places, two more policemen died last night while countering fresh attacks in Mujung of Palpa district. Eight policemen also died this morning in a highway accident as a police truck heading towards Palpa with reinforcements veered off the road near Butwal.

Meanwhile, according to the reports arriving here till evening, insurgents also attacked and looted more than a dozen arms and a radio set from an area police station in Darkha, around 20 km north of Dhadhing Besi, the headquarters of Dhading district. In another incident, Maoists manhandled the owner and manager of Pragati Textile Industry situated in the Biratnagar’s industrial estate, Duhab terming the act as "People’s Action."

"Around 40-50 rebels forcefully entered into the industry premises and disconnected the telephone lines...then they continuously hit the owner and manager with the butt of their muskets accusing them of exploiting the labourers," employees said.

In another incident in Pokhara, Maoists exploded a bomb in the office of Agriculture Development Bank, Prithibi Chowk. They also looted papers and cash from Small Farmers Development Project run by another branch office of Agricultural Development Bank at Lekhnath Municipality in Pokhara.

Today’s fresh attacks follow Monday’s massacre by the rebels at police outposts in Rukum and Dolakha districts that killed at least 36 policemen. Though the official toll was 35 till yesterday, one more dead body of a policeman was recovered today.

Likewise, the whereabouts of the two dozen policemen who were abducted yesterday from the attacked police striking base in Shova Village District Committee, Rukum still remains unknown. The underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), who has also called for a nation-wide bandh this Friday, has not officially claimed its hand behind the attack.

Meanwhile in another incident eight policemen died when a police reinforcement vehicle heading for Palpa from the Bhairahawa-based Regional Police Unit Office plunged about 200 metres off the Siddhartha Highway at Dobhan, about five km north of Butwal. Out of the 17 others who sustained injuries, six are critically injured.

The 25-member police reinforcement was dispatched to the Mujhung for additional assistance where underground Maoists had attacked and killed two policemen, Monday mid night. Maoists looted and blew up the post after they forced the policemen to surrender.

According to Binod Singh, Rupandehi’s Superintendent of Police, the accident occurred due to a "sudden steering failure" and the vehicle could not negotiate a sharp bend.

"The truck plunged into the gorge around 200 feet below breaking two road boundary pillars," SP Singh said. "The survivors told me that they heard a loud bang from in the engine and the steering wheel jammed."

Those who succumbed in the ill-fated accident have been identified as Head Constables Yedunath Bhusal (Parbat), Bam Bahadur Fajuli (Syangja) and Constables Buddhi Bahadur Gurung (Gorkha) and Ganesh Dush (Tanahu), Min Bahadur Mahato (Nawalparasi), Rajendra Lohar (Dadeldhura), Lal Bahadur Rana (Gulmi) and Nara Bahadur Gharti (Arghakhanchi). All these policemen had just completed their special police training and were waiting in Bhairahawa to receive their certificates.

According to Butwal area police post, six of the critically injured police personnel have already been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Others are being treated at Lumbini Zonal Hospital.

At Darkha in Dhading, the rebels blew up the police post after they forced the 15 policemen stationed there to surrender after two hours of exchange of fire.

A police source said that the rebels looted 14 rifles, three pistols and a radio set from the police station. The post was under the command of Sub-Inspector Mohan Tamang.

NDC reviews security situation

KATHMANDU, April 3 (PR)– National Defense Council (NDC), country’s top body to oversee security situations, today met for about four hours and "seriously reviewed" the deteriorating security situations.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post after the meeting, Defense Minister Mahesh Acharya said that the meeting seriously reviewed the situation and decided to take "all necessary means" to maintain law and order in the country. However, Acharya did not elucidate further.

When asked if the discussion was also concentrated on using the army more extensively in maintaining law and order, Acharya said, " We discussed ways to use all the security agencies more effectively towards achieving the basic duty of defending the lives of Nepali citizen."

Unlike regular NDC meeting, today’s meeting also had the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Inspector General of Police Pradeep Sumsher JBR and newly appointed Inspector General of Armed Police Force Krishna Mohan Shrestha as the invitees.

According to a reliable government source, the two IGPs submitted a new proposal in the meeting to address the worsening security situation in the country. However, the source could not explain the content of the proposal.

Deputy Prime Minister Poudel briefed the NDC meeting about the prevailing security situation and about the incident in Rukum and Dolakaha that led to the death of 35 policemen and abduction of other two dozens. Three Maoist rebels were also killed in the gunfire between the police and the Maoists.

Prime Minister, Defense Minister and Chief of Army Staff are the permanent members of the NDC.

8-10 Nepali workers die in Saudi Arabia every month

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KATHMANDU, April 3 - Two high ranking Nepali diplomats serving their term in the Gulf came out today with appalling information about the Nepalis working in the region.

Nepali Ambassador to Qatar, Syamananda Suman and Second Secretary at the Royal Nepali Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Tirtha Wagle were sharing their experiences regarding the Nepalis labours in the respective countries at an interaction program organised by the Ministry of Labour and Transport at the Ministry premises today.

Suman said that in his tenure of nine months in Quatar he found out that visa was sold and bought and the visa that an average Nepali receives goes through the process several times with the middlemen making a lot of profit.

"An average Nepali buys a visa for about 100,000 rupees and it takes minimum of one and half years for the man to recuperate the amount in his working term of two years," said Suman.

He also said that many of the Nepali labours deployed in Qatar as skilled labourers did not have any skills and because of that the employers did not pay them the stipulated amount.

Suman also said that the Nepalis were completely ignorant of the laws, working and climatic conditions of Qatar before landing in Doha and in many cases the people didn’t even have any legal papers.

Suman suggested that, the man power companies inform the workers about the situation they are likely to face and that the Nepali Embassy be informed about every worker entering the country. "If only this much is done then it will be lot more easier for the workers as well as the officials," he added.

Similarly, Tirtha Wagle, Second Secretary at the Royal Nepali Embassy in Saudi Arabia, said that out of 80,000 Nepalis working in Saudi Arabia in an average 8-10 Nepali workers die every month.

"Most of the Nepalis die in road accidents and many commit suicide," Wagle said. He said that ignorance was the main cause of their death.

"The people don’t know anything about the rules, regulations and conditions of the country nor are they told anything by their recruiting companies," he said.

Defending the manpower companies, Dan Bahadur Tamang, President of the Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs Association said that the root of all problems was that the Nepal government did not have bilateral working agreement with any country.

"In past also our organisation has extended practical suggestion to the government but nothing has been done," he said.

He also said that if a recruiting company has fulfilled all the criteria set by the government there can be no room left to point a finger to the company.

"Let’s make laws and try to implement it rather than just pass the buck from one to another," he said.

The interaction program Problems and Solutions of the Nepali Employees Abroad concluded with an agreement that all the government departments and man power companies should work together and solve the problems.

RPP condemns Rukumkot killing

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KATHMANDU, April 3 - Rastriya Prajtantra Party (RPP) and a few other organisations have strongly condemned and voiced their concerns over the killing of police personnel by the Maoist rebels in Rukumkot and Mainapokhari Sunday night.

RPP the third largest party in the parliament today issuing a press release stated that the party strongly condemns the attacks.

The press release adds that the present government has failed completely in providing security to the citizens and hence RPP asks the government to take an effective step as soon as possible to end this. "We ask the Maoists shun violence and take a peaceful path," the release also adds.

Similarly, Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON) a human rights group has asked both the government and the Maoists to give up arms and find a way out through dialogue.

Likewise, Nepal Teachers Association (NTA) in a press release stated that the massacre of over 30 policemen has proved that "the country was slowly drowning into the abyss of violence and terror".

It said that the present situation and the tussle for power and corruption in the ruling party has not only let down the hopes of the people but also made them feel humiliated and neglected.

NTA, appeals to the government, the lawmakers and all the political parties to work together towards making of a better country and society, the press release adds.

JVT Nepali head replaced, verification delayed

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BHADRAPUR, April 3 - Verification process of the Bhutanese refugees at the Damak-based office of the Joint Verification Team (JVT) could not proceed today following the replacement of the Nepali team leader to the team, a report here said.

Nepali team leader to the JVT, Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry, Usha Nepal, has been replaced by Chief District Officer of Jhapa district, Sushil Jung Rana, for the time being till another arrangement is made.

According to Chairman of the Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Committee (BRRC), SB Subba, verification of 28 people of five families from Khudunabari refugee camp was delayed as the Nepali team leader Rana spent today’s time in a meeting with the Bhutanese counterpart obtaining details of the verification processes.

The refugee families were brought by a bus here from 45 km away from the JVT office. The JVT has already verified a total of 34 families since the team began the verification process on March 26.

The verification work will be further hampered on coming Friday because of the nationwide general strike called by the underground Maoist party.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Bhutan People’s Party, RK Bhudhathoki, is leaving for Geneva in Switzerland today to participate in the 75th conference of the United Nations Human Rights Commission scheduled to be held from March 19 to April 27, according to a press statement issued by the party in Kathmandu.

The press statement said that Chairman Bhudhathoki will for the first time present his paper in the conference on various aspects of over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees languishing in eastern Nepal over a decade, particularly since the beginning of the refugee verification process.

Poverty a major snag in enhancing literacy

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, April 2 - Despite the statistical data showing rise in literacy rates, nearly a third of the nation’s children of school-going age are still deprived of education primarily because of hunger, say experts.

The lack of food at home makes them forego school affecting their education. According to educationist Dr Bidhya Nath Koirala, 30 per cent of the country’s children cannot attend school because they have no food at home. Half Of these come from the Dalit community (oppressed class) and the other half belongs to the Janjatis or indigenous groups.

Nepal spends 3.2 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on education, mainly towards primary education. Nepal’s education allocation is higher than that of Bangladesh and Pakistan. But the return on investment is largely insignificant, except for very minor gains, say experts.

According to the World Development Report 2000, 42 per cent of the people in Nepal remain below the poverty line, with per capita income of just US$ 220.

"The investment in primary education is quite high but the outcome is still comparatively low," said Ram Sarovar Dubey, Secretary at the Ministry of Education.

As the ministry has increasingly realised that the poverty and backwardness is the major snag in the way of increasing literacy, it has set up eight different diagnostic task groups.

"We have sent a total of eight task groups to backward areas exclusively for the education of the Dalits and disabled groups," says Secretary Dubey.

Adding further, he said that the minimisation of waste of resources spent in education sector and mass participation is essential to reach the target - Education for All by the year 2015.

Even with the improvement of educational achievement in the last few years, student enrolment ratio, gender issue, and disparity continue to look frustrating. "We are still in the lower side in the human capital investment, compared to the increase in the educational expenditure in other countries of South Asia," says Dr Biswamber Pyakurel, expert on the Development Economy, outlining the emerging education issue in Nepal.

"The vicious circle of poverty is a significant factor underlying the present gruesome scenario in the education sector, particularly in the Terai region," says Prakash Adhikari, President of the Innovative Forum for Community Development.

The problem is compounded by the government’s flawed education policy, lack of awareness among the parents, remote location of the schools and the ubiquitous poverty among these indigenous people.

A total of 23 Dalits (socially oppressed classes) groups mainly Sarki, Damai, Chamar, Satar and 60 other indigenous groups fall under the most educationally deprived community in Nepal.

Most of the Dalits and Janjatis children are left to fend for themselves at home because their parents live in vicious cycle of poverty despite bureaucratic assurances that they provide social safety nets to the economically disadvantaged rural masses.

Dr Krishna Bahadur Bhattachan, a sociologist in Tribhuvan University, argues that it is the social hierarchy that excludes Dalits from educational opportunities and benefits of development. "So long as upper class (Brahmins and Kshetris) predominance over Dalits continues to mark our social structure, no progress can be attained no matter how much fund is funnelled for education." The government policy of devolution has only benefited the Brahmins, he further added.

A SAARC Ministerial Level Meeting, scheduled for April 10-12 in Kathmandu, is expected to address some of the pressing issues in education, such as ‘Education for All’ by the year 2015 and gender discriminations.

At the international level, a "Plan of Action" was adopted at the Dakar Conference in Senegal (April 2000) to address these issues.

However, the much hyped-up "Plan of Action" is expected to become operational only after 2002 and much homework is left at the disposal of the government before the plan can be translated into action.

Anything but a policeman: Shine wearing off a once lucrative profession

By Suman Pradhan

KATHMANDU, April 3 - Serving with the Nepal Police may have been one of the most sought after jobs just a few years ago. Not any longer. Whatever shine a police job once held is rapidly wearing off in this rough and tumble decade of democracy. No more does the allure of power, prestige - and if you are clever - wealth, attract young ambitious men to the force as it used to in the old days.

When the Nepal Police last invited applications for the post of inspector some months ago, only a little over 300 aspiring youths applied for the job. That is in sharp contrast to the mid-1990s when well over a thousand applicants routinely vied for a few coveted openings. "The number of applications for police openings is on a downward trend," confirmed an inspector at the Police Information Centre.

During the Panchayat years, a police job was probably one of the most sought after by young men for it was thought to be a passport to middle class prosperity and respectability. While the lower ranks did most of the hard policing work, the officer corps could indulge in any pastime they fancied, including violating human rights, accumulating wealth, and generally lording over the community they were supposedly raised to protect.

That should have changed after 1990 when democracy was restored, but it didn’t. On top of the already rampant corruption inside the police force came a new ill - politicization. Officers were no longer hired solely on merit, but also on the basis of whom they knew, and which strings they could pull. Even the top brass got embroiled, as was plainly evident during the controversial reins of ex-police chiefs Achyut Krishna Kharel and Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, both of whom sought and got political patronage from various political parties and leaders.

By this time, the Maoist insurgency was already underway. Slowly but surely, the rag-tag band of rebels in Nepal’s rural hinterlands began picking off policemen as trophies.

The Paanchkatiya and Dunai incidents last year when dozens of policemen were gunned down were the first indications what the determined rebels could do. Six months later, the rebel hits in Rukumkot and Mainapokhari, when a combined 35 policemen were killed Sunday night, proved their military prowess for the doubters.

Being a policeman has suddenly become a very dangerous vocation where the rewards are little and the risks too high. As a result, very few young men want to join the police force these days, and the ones who have done so are ruing that decision.

Workshop on violence against women concludes

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KATHMANDU, April 3 - A ten day South Asia Regional Work Shop on violence against women concluded here on Tuesday with the participants stressing on the need for the organizations working towards the upliftment of women to come together and also for the enactment of the necessary laws.

The American Center, ABC NEPAL and SAATHI jointly organized the program.

Speaking on the occasion, USAID Director, Joanna Hale said that domestic violence exists everywhere irrespective of the country being rich or poor. Hale said that domestic violence exists even in the United States, and there is the ‘National Coalition against Domestic Violence’ to monitor and check such violence.

"There is the problem of under reporting such violence even in the developed nations," Hale added.

To check domestic violence in Nepal, Hale suggested that the women should become literate first and then they should be made knowledgeable of their legal rights.

Meera Khanna, women’s activist from India, said that if the state neglects domestic violence then it has no consideration for the women’s right. She said that, not just speedy delivery of justice is important but administering the justice is equally important too.

Another activist Salma Ali from Bangladesh said that the nature of domestic violence is similar in the South Asia region. She stressed the need for bilateral agreements among the nations for the control of cross-border human trafficking that is plaguing countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.

Ali said that even writ petition has been filed at the Bangladesh Supreme Court making the Home Ministry as one of the respondents for the extradition of the women working in brothels in foreign lands.

President of ABC, Nepal, an NGO working for the upliftment of women, Durga Ghimire speaking on the occasion stressed on the need for a change in the attitude of the people and even the policy makers. She also expressed the need for the NGOs to work together to initiate legal aid and economic programs for the women.

During the occasion Deputy Speaker Chitra Lekha Yadav stressed the need for integrated approach to end the domestic violence.

Robert Kerr, Director of the American Center felt more benefit could be accrued through skill development programs to empower women.

Anuradha Kapoor, another activist from India, said that all the organizations working in this sector should come together to bring about a change. She said that it was the coordination between the organizations in India and Bangladesh that a Bangladeshi girl, gang raped in Calcutta, could be provided Indian Rs one million compensation.

Kanchan Mathur said that the gender issues should be sensitized and the parental attitude of treating the male child as assets and the female child as liabilities should be changed.

‘Consensus solution needed’

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KATHMANDU, April 3 – Surya Bahadur Thapa, President of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, today appealed to the king, all political parties and groups to reach a national consensus based on mutual trust, respect and understanding to find a way out of current impasse gripping the nation.

In a signed press release issued today, former Prime Minister Thapa said the country was passing through a period of crisis, with violence, terror and anarchy being the order of the day. "Whether accessible or inaccessible area, city or village … businessman or politician – all are terrified and insecure," said Thapa, blaming the government for failing to maintain law and order in the country.

Thapa added that politicization of the security forces has rendered them ineffective and corruption in high places with the misuse of administrative machinery has played havoc with revenue administration and discipline.

An apprehensive RPP President cautioned that the nation’s attention remains drawn to a single issue, for which the parliament stands disrupted, whereas there are other issues of same magnitude facing the country. "Are we focussing too much on a single issue? We need to ponder over this."

The opposition parties, including the RPP, has disrupted the parliament for nearly two months now demanding Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s resignation alleging his complicity in the infamous RNAC-Lauda Air jet lease deal.

Giving credit to the ruling Nepali Congress, Thapa admitted that the NC had indeed tried for a very long time to resolve the stalemate through constitutional means. However, he said that the lone effort of the NC would not be enough, especially since there were internal wrangling in the party.