Armymen thronging to drink water at Tundikhel after the parade organised on the occasion of the 51st National Democracy Day, Sunday.

PM not to resign on Oppn’s force

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 18 - Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today expressed his firm resolve not to quit prime ministerial post despite his party rebels’ and the Opposition pressure asking him to do so.

The Prime Minister said that the demand for his resignation should follow proper parliamentary procedure and accused the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the opposition for not allowing proper functioning environment in the House. All the opposition parties, except the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, have disrupted the parliament’s proceedings demanding his resignation over his alleged role in the Lauda Air jet lease agreement. Nepali Congress (NC) rebels have been supporting the demand from outside the parliament.

At a meeting with his Council of Ministers and senior party leaders at his official residence today, the Prime Minister decided to call a meeting of the Nepali Congress Central Working Committee (CWC) on Monday to find a way out of the present political crisis. Immediately after the meeting today, PM Koirala rang up veteran party leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and informed him of the sudden call for the CWC meet.

After failing in his attempt to get the cooperation of the opposition leaders to find a way out of the current deadlock in his meetings with them for the past three days, the PM has resorted to calling the CWC meet.

In order to resolve the current crisis, Koirala also put forward certain alternatives, the principal among them being his emphasis on the House majority to effect any change in the government. According to a minister who took part in today’s deliberations, the PM, while admitting that his resignation was the immediate way out, but he pointed out that if he resigned on the opposition’s "fabricated charge", future prime ministers will become opposition’s prisoner. This, the PM felt, would invite a lot of dangers upon the political system and so "I would not resign".

"Even the NC lawmakers have been asking my resignation and I have to prove my majority in the parliament. If I lose in the House, I am ready to quit," said the Prime Minister. "If I go for a confidence vote, I will be tested by my opponents and the outcome will give a fresh directive."

PM Koirala reportedly said that if the government was not allowed to present its case in the parliament, mid-term polls could be another alternative. However, he added that there was no possibility of taking such a course. The Prime Minister is expected to meet the Speaker, Taranath Ranabhat, to emphasize that his party must get an opportunity to present its case on the Lauda Air jet controversy. Omkar Prasad Shrestha, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation had failed to present the government’s version in the House for two consecutive days.

As a third alternative, the PM proposed the concept of "national government" by "sharing power " with the parties in the parliament. However, he said that since Nepali Congress has the majority in the parliament and with no such provision in the Constitution, even that was not possible.

In today’s meeting, the ministers and the leaders suggested to the PM not to resign as the RNAC-Lauda Air agreement was being respectively tried and probed by the Supreme Court and the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) and with the Public Accounts Committee report not formally presented in the parliament, they felt, the opposition’s demand was "immature".

Gastroenteritis, Viral Influenza kill 5 in Humla

HUMLA, Feb 18 (RSS) - Five children have died of gastroenteritis and viral influenza in Syunda, Srimastha, Thihe, Bhelchham, Simikot and Kalika Village Development Committees of Humla district.

The victims of the disease are mostly children of the 2-6 year age group.

Similarly, symptoms of diseases like conjunctivitis, throat pain and measles have been reported from other VDCs of the district.

There has been some difficulty in providing treatment to the people affected by the disease since most posts of technicians and physicians lie vacant in many of the health posts and health centres in the district.

A team of physicians and paramedics along with necessary medicines will be dispatched to the affected areas since the medicines have been received from the regional medical store, Nepalgunj.

Armed Police Force Regulation gazetted goes into effect

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 18 - The government has taken yet another step towards operationalizing the recently established Armed Police Force (APF) by publishing the APF Regulations 2057 in the Nepal Gazette.

The Armed Police Ordinance, promulgated by His Majesty’s the King on January 22, has been tabled at the ongoing session of the Parliament for approval.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Home Secretary, Shree Kant Regmi today confirmed that the Regulations are already into effect as it has been published in the Nepal Gazette after it was endorsed by the Cabinet.

Once the Regulation is published in the gazette, it becomes public and gains the status of the law of the land.

However, the Ordinance becomes null and void automatically if it is not passed by both the houses or is annulled by His Majesty. The Ordinance should be approved by the Parliament within sixty days from the commencement of the present session, which began on Feb 8, to mature into law.

The APF Regulation, which is now into effect, says the personnel to be recruited to APF will have to sign a bondage that will demand their service for at least five years.

It also prohibits the personnel from speaking about any "government workings" to the press. It also states that they are not supposed to participate in politics, speak against the government and accept any kind of gifts, donations or credits from any parties.

Furthermore, the APF Regulation does not allow its personnel to conduct any commercial business and establish a company. It also prohibits its personnel to be involved in polygamy and child marriage, states the Regulation.

Kantipur Publications celebrates 8th anniversary

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Feb 18 - Kantipur Publications (P) Ltd. celebrated its 8th anniversary amid a function at Kantipur Complex, Subidhanagar, Baneshwore, today. Staff members from various publications of the Kantipur family i.e. The Kathmandu Post, Kantipur, Saptahik, Sarbottam, Nepal and Kantipur FM were present on the occasion.

Chairman of Kantipur Publications, Hem Raj Gyawali, announced that regional edition of Kantipur would be launched from Biratnagar by mid-April. Likewise, Kantipur FM would be aired in the eastern region by mid-April. He said that team spirit was one of the main reasons behind the success of the Publications.

Additional pay equivalent to one-month salary was announced for all the staff members. It was also announced that salary of all the staff members would be increased, effective from Falgun 1.

Certificates were presented to the employees who donated blood on the occasion of the 8th anniversary. Likewise, certificates were given to those employees who pledged to donate their eyes.

Outstanding performers from each publication were awarded with a trophy and certificate of merit.

Ameet Dhakal of The Kathmandu Post received the award for his outstanding performance.

Similarly Sudeep Shrestha received the award from Kantipur, Saptahik and Sarbottam, Ram Poudel from Kantipur FM, Prateek Kumar Upadhyaya from Marketting Department, Raju Bahadur Karki from Circulation Department, Shayam Lal Acharya from Finance Department and Salik Ram Parajuli from Administration and Press. From among the stringers, Pratap Bista from Hetauda and Deependra Karna from Computer and Design section received the awards.

Prizes and amount of Rs 3,000 were also awarded to Santosh Acharya from Saptahik, Raj Kumar Shivabhakti from Computer Department, Sanjaya Kumar Burma from Press and Sunil Kumar Ranjit from Nepal.

Likewise, three advertising agencies Thompson Nepal, Eco Advertising and CTC the Media People, which excelled in providing advertisements to the publications were awarded.

Kantipur Patrakarita Puruskar was also awarded to students of journalism scoring highest marks in Intermediate and Bachelor levels, Bhoj Narayan Shrestha and Maheshwore Karki respectively. Bal Krishna Basnet who scored the highest marks in Journalism course conducted by the Press Institute Nepal was also awarded during the function.

Will Ligal Committee ‘prescription’ heal tourism industry?

By Shree Ram Subedi

KATHMANDU, Feb 18 - Following the submission of the report on service charge row, the ice between the two warring parties has finally shown a compromising crack but whether it will lead to peace in the hotel industry remains to be seen.

The prescriptions of the report will under go an acid-taste tomorrow (Monday) when the hotel workers sit with the government for negotiations.

Both the two disputing parties - hoteliers and employees- see the report, submitted by a high level commission led by Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Prithibi Raj Ligal, as a document of their line of thinking. No wonder. The "play-safe" report has tried hard to avoid being pinned to be favouring the either sides. That was the best we could do, said an expert involved on preparing the report. "Government must take confidence of both the parties."

Yet, there is a real anxiety on both sides regarding how it will be interpreted when the two sides sit again, probably under government mediation, to discuss the nitty-gritty of implementing the report.

The workers want to see the report being translated into specific per cent of mandatory service charge on customers, which the hoteliers want to avoid.

After studying the report, members of Central Action Committee (CAC), formed jointly last August by the two major hotel unions, agreed that the government has "principally" accepted their demand for levying service charge.

"Still our main demand is to clearly fix the percentage of mandatory service charge," said Mr. Bishnu Lamsal, member secretary of CAC. "We are waiting the negotiations with the government scheduled for Monday with the government," he added.

Madhav Om Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) says, " The report has accommodated the sentiments of both sides." However, he made it clear point-blank that the hoteliers would not agree on the concept of mandatory service charge. Neither are they in favour of fixing the service charge rate.

Does this mean there is a crisis in the making again ? Is the hotel industry once again embarking upon the self-destructive path of shutdown ? Going by the mood of the two sides, it is unlikely. That is where the success of report lies, say experts.

The 33-page report has deliberately avoided the word service charge and has instead used "hospitality charge" that will be voluntary for the customers and will go to Hospitality Fund.

A Labour Relations Committee - the body comprising hoteliers and workers - will oversee the fund and its distribution among the workers.

The resources collected in the Fund will be spent in three broader areas - 20 per cent for breakage charge, 30 per cent for Human Resources Development and 50 per cent for welfare works and additional remuneration.

In the context of non-uniformity on "tips" and "service charge" internationally, the report has emphasized on the need of adopting ‘fixed wage system’ so as to ensure permanent income to the workers.

Likewise, the report has urged the need of adopting measures to discourage "lockouts" and "strikes" taking into consideration the sensitivity of tourism industry.

It has further emphasized on the need to reviewing present labour laws and making it more ‘Labour and Investor’ friendly. Both the disputing parties have been raising the issue since long.

TSC has featured as one of the longest stand-off in the hotel industry. The dispute dragged the two sides eye-to-eye resulting into one-day hotel shut down on December 11.

The row was yet another blow to the already languishing hotel industry. Tourist arrival via air, that comprised 86 per cent of total arrival, witnessed nose-dived by 11 per cent in 2000.

The slothful government intervened to mediate a solution between the two adamant parties lately. With the report at hand, the government expects to broker a lasting solution when it sits with the workers tomorrow. But it will be possible only if the partisan workers sit at the negotiating table burying their political hatchets for the betterment of the tourism industry.

Ghisingh back in Darjeeling, bandh postponed

By C B Dahal

SILLIGURI, West Bengal, India, Feb 18- Despite calling for an indefinite strike throughout the scenic Darjeeling hills of north-eastern India in protest against the attack on local leader Subash Ghisingh, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Ghisingh’s political group which governs Darjeeling district, called off the strike Sunday to ease the hardships on the local populace.

However, GNLF leaders said the indefinite bandh, which began from February 11, has not been called off but merely postponed till a later date. "The bandh is postponed, and not lifted, with an ultimatum to the police that those behind the attack on our leader Subhas Ghisingh last week should be arrested within 30 days from Monday," said I N Pradhan, president of GNLF Kurseong branch.

He also added that the GNLF would decide its future course of action, and might revive the bandh call, if the police failed to nab those involved in the attack on Ghisingh near Kurseong on February 10. Five people died in the attack, including Ghisingh’s bodyguards and one of the attackers.

Meanwhile, Ghisingh, the charismatic GNLF leader and the man who virtually runs the Darjeeling district through his party’s total control of the Darjeeling district Hill Council, returned to his home in Darjeeling today amid heavy guard. He had been recuperating in a private nursing home here at Silliguri, West Bengal since the attack.

To everybody’s relief, the first thing he did on reaching the home turf was to consult his GNLF colleagues and postpone the indefinite strike for a month. He had been speculating the move keeping in view the board exams starting next week, while convalescing at Silliguri. The doctor discharged Ghisingh after removing stitches.

Ghisingh sympathizers allege that the attack was carried out by Kalimpong based ally-turned-foe and Gorkha Liberation Organization (GLO) leader Chhatrey Subba. He had earlier threatened Ghisingh of ‘dire consequences’ for letting down the call for a separate Gorkha state by trailing as an appendage to the West Bengal government. The disgruntlement seems to have seeped even to the All Gorkha Students Union, student wing of the GNLF.

The violent struggle for a separate Gorkha state within the Indian Union originally called by the GNLF, was later toned down after the Indian government and the state of West Bengal ( of which Darjeeling is a party) agreed in the late 1980s to form the Hill Council, an autonomous body responsible for Darjeeling’s development. In the election since, the GNLF captured most of the seats to the Hill Council.

Since the attack on Ghisingh, a number of people including the police and the state administration believe that the ambush was carried out with such precision planning that it possibly could not have been done by a local militant force without the active help of some larger outfit. The speculated groups includes militants from Assam, Nagaland and even from Kashmir as well as some traditionally hostile anti-Indian forces.

It is also reported that the Indian police suspects the Naxalite Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), which allegedly maintains hideouts in Nepal’s terai plains, of having taken part in the Saturday ambush on Ghisingh convoy at Chilaunidara, Kurseong.

Police investigating the attack on Ghisingh have been trying to tie all possible loose ends. The mobile phone recovered from the killed attacker - earlier said to be R B Singh from Nagaland but now identified as Kamal Thapa of Manakamna in Kalimpong - has helped in the immediate arrest of five of the militant-group involved in the planning, spotting and executing the attack on Ghisingh. The arrested include Dimple Dewan - wife of contractor Vijai Rai, the link between the mastermind and the executors of the ambush — Kumar Chhetri, Shyam Thapa, Vijay Chhetri and Om Raj Kothwal. Three mobile phones and Dimple’s fixed phone have been sealed for detailed investigation.

All the five arrested are being questioned by sleuths of the Indian Crime Investigation Department (CID), Intelligence Bureau and the Central Subsidiary Intelligence Branch, for all possible links to known militant outfits operating in India and Nepal. Kotwal, an ex-armyman and a known car-highjacker-cum-drug-dealer from Doda district in Kashmir, who had settled in Darjeeling since 1992, is suspected to be a major link.

A team of Indian investigators has also visited Chandragarhi, Jhapa, to hunt for the militants who are reportedly taking shelter at MCC hideouts there. The team is being aided by Nepali counterparts.

A magician from Belgium (R) displays his skills to the street children of Bal Bhojan at Makhan on Sunday.