Oppn set to block PM’s entry into Singh Durbar
Scuffle with police expected

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 15 - The government and the main opposition CPN-UML supported by various other left parties are heading for a showdown Monday at Singha Durbar over the blockade to prevent the Prime Minister from entering it.

As informed by the CPN-UML leaders, thousands of their supporters along with others from the various supporting left parties will gather in Putalisadak from 9 am Monday morning with the aim of preventing Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala from entering the premises of his office in Singha Durbar.

Although the General Secretary of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said in Dolkha today that the protest would be a peaceful one and in accordance to the Constitution, violence in case of sudden turn of events cannot be entirely wiped out.

With the CPN-UML cadres determined not to let the Prime Minister pass through and saying that they are willing to go to any extent in doing so, it is likely that at least some scuffle between the police and the left cadres could break out as Koirala it seems has decided to enter his office through the main entrance.

According to a source in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Prime Minister has ordered the Home Minister to ensure safe passage to Singha Durbar through the regular route. The source also said that Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel has issued a circular asking to keep the special police force stationed at different places. "The police have been asked to use force if necessary," added the source.

On the other hand the influential leader of CPN-UML and coordinator of the party’s National Protest Program Coordination Committee, KP Sharma Oli said that the party was determined to go ahead with the program and prevent Koirala from entering his office.

"The Home Minister has run away from 73 districts fearing anti-Constitutional activities, the Police force has been battered by the insurgents in different places, and if force is used against a peaceful protest then we will be also forced to think what the Maoists are doing is right," he said.

"But in no way are we going to turn back. We will stop Koirala from entering Singha Durbar," Oli added.

Meanwhile, Srikant Regmi, Secretary at the Home Ministry, said that sufficient security measures had been taken up to prevent any untoward incidents.

Hurdle for SLC students

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 15 - Once the opposition parties begin their planned protest early Monday, major traffic jams is expected to result in chaos and among the worst affected are likely to be the students who are appearing for the SLC exams .

SLC or the School Leaving Certificate exams began today and college students are also either taking their exams or preparing for it.

"As long as the vehicles are running we have no problem," says a student from Bagbazar returning after appearing for his Nepali exams. "We won’t mind walking a short distance if the vehicles are plying elsewhere," adds his friend.

Throughout the day today in spite of sudden wet weather, workers of CPN-UML and other left parties were seen distributing leaflets asking all to gather at Ratna Park at 7 am Monday to take part in their program.

Many students are still not aware that the Putalisadak road, one of the busiest roads in capital, is going to be completely blocked as thousands of the opposition parties supporters will try to prevent Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala from entering Singha Durbar.

Since most students are not aware of the blockade it is most likely that many reach their examination centres late caught in the chaos of traffic jams trying to take an alternative route to their respective exam centres. Not just the students but many office-goers and the public vehicles will also have to take an alternative route during the peak hours of already stifling traffic of Kathmandu.

But the initiator of the program CPN-UML remains not much bothered about the predictable chaos.

"Our aim is only to stop the Prime Minister, we are not going to stop any student. But yes everyone will have to take a diversion to reach their destinations," says Krishna Gopal Shrestha, co-ordinator of CPN-UML’s Valley Protest Program Co-ordination Committee. "And I don’t think its much of a problem."

Shrestha says that since all the students supported the party’s anti-corruption campaign no student would complain for having to take an alternative route to their destinations. "Moreover I am sure that the students themselves will support us in blocking Koirala’s way," he adds.

SLC exams underway

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 15 - About 213,000 students appeared in the first day of the nation wide School Leaving Certificate examinations held on Sunday.

"The exam on Nepali paper was conducted peacefully today with only few minor incidents," said Examination Controller Shah Dev Bhatt. "One hundred and two students have been expelled from four different centres in Rautahat only and these students’ Nepali paper will not be marked," said Bhatt.

According to reports filed by our correspondent from various parts of the country, Man Bahadur Thapa appeared in his exempted Nepali paper from the jail in Bhairahawa where he remains arrested under public security act. Likewise Tulasi Pun who was arrested two and half years ago on bomb blast charges also appeared the exam in jail according to our correspondent from Rolpa.

Three people who were confined in Sindhuli Jail also appeared for their Nepali paper.

Even blinds students, Kunti Poudel from Bhairahawa and Yam Kumar Devkota from Sindhuli, appeared in the Nepali paper. Students studying in class eight wrote for both Poudel and Devkota on their dictation. Four more blind students appeared in the paper today at Baglung district.

This year, students appearing in the SLC examinations have declined in Rupandehi, Kanchanpur and Paanchthaar. Last year there were 4,906 students who had appeared in the exam in Rupandehi but the number declined to 3,966 this year.

Citing security reasons three different examination centres in Jajarkot have been clubbed into just one centre. The exam was conducted at the district head-quarter centre here according to news available from Jajarkot.

One thousand and twenty six Bhutanese refugees students also appeared in the exam today at Bhadrapur, Jhapa.

Two invigilators were expelled in Jumla as they were found engaged in examination misconduct.

The Ministry of Education and Sports has made major changes in SLC examination to make the system more efficient and reliable. The four major changes from this year include issuing different question papers for the five different development zones maintaining uniform standard. Other changes include issuing different sets of question papers on compulsory subjects, English and Maths. The other two changes are coding of the answer sheets and checking of the answer sheet only at specified centres.

Non-leftistists support West’s remarks

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 15 – Leaders of the non-leftistist parties and intellectuals today disagreed with the leftistist parties’ assertion that the recent statements of the European Union and the USA tantamount to interference in the internal affairs of the country, saying as Statement of Principle, there was nothing wrong about the statements.

"As Statement of Principle, the EU and the USA’s comments are pro-democratic, our party does not view it as interference; nor is it intended to influence the current political climate of the country," Kamal Thapa, former Foreign Minister and Spokesperson of the third largest opposition party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), told The Kathmandu Post today.

Thapa, however, said that the timing of the statements had drawn controversy as the leftist parties led by the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) were launching its "Oust PM" campaign and have planned to prevent Prime Minister Koirala from entering his office from Monday. "The government has not helped matters by interpreting the statements in its favour through the government-owned media," he said.

Similarly, Mohan Lohani, Chairman of the Institute of Foreign Affairs agreed with Thapa’s statement. "Judging by the West’s democratic process, there is nothing wrong with the statements. It is their Statement of Principle." However, Lohani said the use of the term "unconstitutional means" has raised the heckles of the leftist parties. "The statements have come to be associated with the "Oust PM" campaign and in that context, it appears as interference, even though I feel that was not the intention of the US ambassador."

Hridyesh Tripathi, General Secretary of Nepal Sadbhawana Party said that his party would issue official comments on Monday and also remarked that the West’s comments cannot be seen as interference.

"They have given lot of funds for various projects, so naturally they are apprehensive about any perceived threat to democracy." He declined to comment when asked whether the leftistists were over-reacting on the issue.

On Thursday, Ralph Frank, the US Ambassador had said that the US would not support the overthrow of the elected government through unconsti-tutional means.

Lok Raj Baral, former ambassador and political analyst and close to the ruling Nepali Congress, also said that the leftistists were going overboard with the EU-USA statements. "The statements cannot be interpreted as interference. "The West always issue such statements whenever it feels democracy is threatened in a country. It is no different here."

Maoists loot Rs 9 million in Jhapa

Post Report

BIRTAMOD, Jhapa, April 15 - In a daring daylight raid, a group of suspected Maoist rebels today surrounded a commercial bank office in Ghailadubba village and robbed cash and jewelry worth Rs 9.23 million. The rebels numbering between 28-30 also took away four rifles and 41 rounds of bullets from the bank’s security guards.

The Manager of Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB), Ghailadubba, Pandav Kumar Rajbanshi said that the rebels raided the bank at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon and made off with cash and properties. The rebels held the bank staff at gunpoint and security guards before robbing the amount.

Rajbanshi claimed that the rebels robbed Nepali Rs 552,160, Indian Rs 116,150 and gold worth Rs 8.2854 million from the bank. He added that the rebels did so after sneaking into the bank premises saying that they were there to borrow some money.

The hold up started after the rebels took the bank’s accountant Suresh Shrestha at gunpoint. It took only 20 minutes for the rebels to finish this operation. No one was injured in the event. Neither the bank staff nor the onlookers dared to stop the armed rebels.

Rajbansi said he had gone out of the bank on an assignment when the incident happened. The Ghailadubba-based RBB branch lies one kilometer away from the nearest police station, 24 kilometers from the district headquarters Chandragaddhi and nine kilometers from Birtamod.

The police arrived 15 minutes after the rebels fled the scene. This is the first time that the underground rebels have made off with such a huge amount of cash and jewels in the far-eastern frontier district.

Meanwhile, in another incident in Ganjyangkot village ward no. 1 in Jumla district in the mid-western region, another group of Maoist rebels today attacked Gorkha Bahadur Budha and looted cash worth Rs 25,000, gold and silver and other valuables from his house. His wife, Jhupu Budha, said he is currently receiving treatment in Jumla hospital.

Another report from Kalikot said that the Maoist rebels recently kidnapped two political party workers - Padam Nath Yogi of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) party and Narad Nath Yogi of CPN-ML, both from Shipkhana village.

Police continue to flee Maoist areas

Post Report

SURKHET, April 15- Many police posts at Surkhet are being removed, and others are on verge of closure, even as the Maoist insurgency continues to grow more acute after the rebellion marked its sixth anniversary in February.

District Development Committee Chairman, Balkrishna B.C. said that the only post in the northern part of the district at Moheli was amalgamated at the Gumi police post, and described the decision as an act of injustice to the local people there.

He also claimed that plans and preparations to shift the Badepipal post at the eastern VDC of Rakam and the Babiyachaur post in western Surkhet to the district headquarters at Birendranagar were underway.

"Such acts of shifting and relocating the police posts is undoubtedly encouraging the insurgents and surely undermining the credibility of the government," says B.C, adding, "The people are in a state of terror and the developmental activities at a virtual halt due to the lack of proper security in not only the rural but also the urban areas."

The DDC Chairman also claimed that instead of taking charge of public security, a number of policemen are creating terror by imposing an undeclared curfew in some parts of the district during the evenings and nights, including the Gumi VDC.

"The people have to walk around at villages in the course of their normal activities during late evenings too, but given the restriction by the police to move freely after 8 P.M., innocent people have been suffering unnecessarily," he complained.

Meanwhile, according to a report received from Bardiya, four police posts there have been removed in the aftermath of the recent Maoist attacks at the police posts of Rukum and Dailekh.

The police posts which have removed are the police posts at Bubiyabhar, Suryapatuw and Jamuni as well as police post at Khairichandanpur along the banks of Karnali river. These police posts have been broken up to be amalgamated at the police posts of Dhodhari, Neulapur, Magaragadhi, Rajapur and Mainapokhara.

Another report from Dang states, meanwhile, that the police post situated in the north-eastern part of the district at Kamirechaur has been removed on Saturday. The 40 police personnel there have been called to the headquarters at Dang.

The police posts at Rajpur, Govadiya and Chiraghat have already been dislodged, citing security reasons.

Yet another report from Dolakha says that the Maoists burned down the police building at Singri bazar, which the policemen had deserted five days earlier due to fear of a Maoist attack.

Kennel clubs improve health of pet dogs

By Tashi D. Thinley

KATHMANDU, April 15 - The advent of kennel clubs in Kathmandu Valley has vastly improved the care of pet dogs, but ironically, they have also become the targets of veterinary hospitals and clinics.

Three private kennel clubs operate in Kathmandu at the moment - the Mt. Everest Kennel Club (MEKC), Gaurishankar Kennel Club and Himalayan Kennel Club. All of them register dogs and strive to provide dog-care service to private households, at least, according to what they claim.

But officials at the government’s veterinary hospital, even private officials, complain that such clubs are not qualified. Veterinary being a science, these clubs, lament, have few technical expertise to deliver the type of service they are required to import. Private kennel clubs, on the other hand, brush off the allegations saying that the hospital and the veterinarians are complaining because the kennel clubs are taking away their business.

Since the clubs appeared on the scene some years ago, caring for the 30,000 or so pet dogs in Kathmandu households has vastly improved. Most common breed among the pets are the Alsatian, Doberman, Lhasa Apsoo and German Shepherd. With much improved door to door services and specific care-takers, the clubs have won over many of their customers.

Says Manju Tuladhar, a housewife, "With the kennel clubs giving good door to door service, our dogs are now healthier and smarter". But all the care comes at a price, which is quite expensive, and has lately led to some grumbling.

"We love our dog very much," says a young couple from Baneshwor Heights who are the proud owners of a German Shepherd. "But that doesn’t mean we need to pay a hefty amount for every slight problem. There are so many people who love their dogs, but how many can afford all the expenses?"

Such grumbling have played right into the hands of the professional hospital and vets. Despite the kennel clubs, many households still can’t get a grip on their pet’s health, point out the vets. According to veterinary Doctor Shree Ram Adhikari, dogs in Nepal suffer from various diseases like rabies, canine distemper (viral disease), hepatitis, parvo, uptospirosis and corona which require professional assistance.

Says another vet, "These kennel clubs are not professional vets, and they don’t know how to provide good and quality care."

The Kennel clubs, meanwhile, reject the charges. "A pet can provide an enormous amount of companionship and affection but one must be prepared to care for the pet for at least the next thirteen years" says Suresh Shrestha president of Mt. Everest Kennel Club, one of the three such clubs, justifying the hefty charges levied by the clubs. "Our service is more expensive than government hospitals and cheaper than private clinics. And, since these clinics are run by government vets, our participation in the service affects their business".

Part of the problem stems from the fact that none of the kennel clubs are registered with the municipal authorities. In the beginning MEKC was registered with the Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation for two years, but the license has not been renewed since.

"After the agreement period of two years, they never came with any proposal to renew the contract, and neither were we interested to associate with them. For during the two years, they never submitted any reports, and the general public come complaints with us about the club" says Babu Ram Gautam , chief of Public Health Division of KMC.

And, complaints there are not few. Many of the complaints centre around lax service and care. Like many other resident in Maharajgunj, Sandeep Rawat, says, "When I registered my dog, I had to pay Rs 700 as registration fee two years ago. And till today, they (the club) never came for a follow-up visit".

Conflicting views on bandh

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 15 - The opposition parties today stressed that organising general strikes is not within their interest but a compulsion, as a means to pressurise the government.

Speaking at a program organised by Pro-Public on ‘Nepal Bandh: Why and for Whom?’, CPN-UML leader Raghuji Pant said that all Nepal Bandhs can not be justified but it is the government who is primarily responsible for these bandhs. "Let the government create such environment where the oppositions will be forced to search for issues to organise such bandhs," said Pant.

But, Pant too agreed that even the opposition political parties have been irresponsible at organising bandh programs.

Central leader of the Nepali Congress (NC) Narahari Acharya stated that alternate method of protests should be sought rather than resorting to bandhs.

National People Front leader Navaraj Subedi said that program such as bandh and chakka jam are the tools opposition resort to fight against the corrupt and unaccountable governments.

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leader Jogmehar Shrestha blamed the government for encouraging bandhs. "The government becomes ready for dialogue with the oppositions only if such bandhs are organised," said Shrestha.

Opposing such bandh moves, President of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pradeep Kumar Shrestha said that Nepal bandh should be completely discouraged. "And, it is the unwanted elements that take advantage of such bandh," he said. "Frequent bandhs will also have a negative multiplier effect upon the economy," Shrestha added.

Presenting a result of a recent sample survey on the occasion, Senior Journalist Kanak Mani Dixit said that people don’t support programs like bandh and chakka jam. "The survey showed that more than 75 percent people supported peaceful protest to express their political grievances and disagreements," said Dixit. "The political leaders must understand this," he said.

Director of the Nepal Tourism Board Tek Bahadur Dangi said bandh will have a negative impact on tourism as tourists’ perception towards Nepal will also change.

Conducting the programme, Pro-Public’s Kedar Khadka presented the data about Nepal bandhs during the last ten years. "There has been 45 Nepal bandh in the last 10 years in which 10 people have lost their lives," said Khadka. He also stated that the private sector is the party most affected by any bandh programs.

JVT interviews 625 refugees

Post Report

BIRTAMOD, April 15- The Nepal-Bhutan Joint Verification Team (JVT) has completed interviewing only 625 refugees from 106 families as on Friday, nineteen days after the verification began, sources said.

The 10 member JVT, representing five officials each from the two countries, has the responsibility of identifying all the 100 thousand refugees of the 15000 families languishing in the seven refugee camps of Jhapa and Morang districts.

The snail’s pace of the JVT has, meanwhile, not only agitated the Bhutanese refugees but also waned the initial euphoria that marked its start. General secretary of the People’s Forum for Human Rights, Bhutan, D.P. Kafle, expresses his anguish and protest over the

functioning of the JVT. "All the Bhutanese know that this drama is never going to change their situation," he claimed.

"The verification process as it is going now will take decades for its completion, not to mention the possible increase in the number of refugees in the future and several more likely complications at Bhutan’s initiative," added Kafle.

He also added that the international community has been apprised of the slow pace of the verification process, and in consequence, the donor agencies are exerting pressure on Bhutan to go faster.

President of the Bhutanese Refugees Repatriation Committee, R.B. Subba, has also expressed his furious response over the JVT’s progress. Demanding other machineries for speeding up the verification process, Subba said, "If fresh measures for quickening the verification task are not taken immediately, the refugee issue is sure to land into more complications and more serious disputes."

Role of media stressed

Post Report

NEPALGUNJ, April 15- Government officials of mid-western region today at the interaction programme jointly organized by the Nepal-India Journalists Forum said that media can play a significant role in informing the people about the terrorism.

Mid-western region is considered to be highly sensitive region because of the terrorism created by the Maoists. Most of the districts which lie in this particular region are deemed as hot beds of Maoist insurgency.

Speaking at the programme, Deputy Inspector General of Police(DIG), Amar Singh Shah said that media can undoubtedly play a vital role in informing people about the terrorism. "Media can be proved really effective even in changing the policies of the country," said Shah.

However, DIG Shah lamented about media being biased in covering the recent attack at the Naumoole VDC, Dailekh by the Maoists. Maoists gunned down 35 policemen in this VDC. He also accused the human rights activists for not voicing problems of the police force in the country.

Likewise, Chief District Officer(CDO) of Banke district, Bal Krishna Prasain said that both the countries namely Nepal and India have been grappling with the terrorism and media can definitely play a great role in curbing terrorism.