Royal state visit to China begins Monday

KATHMANDU, Feb 23 (RSS) - Their Majesties King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah are leaving Kathmandu on Monday morning Feb 26 by special aircraft on a week-long state visit to the People’s Republic of China at the invitation of Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China.

Their Majesties will be accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Nirajan Bir Bikram Shah.

Chakra Prasad Bastola, Minister for Foreign Affairs, will also accompany Their Majesties, according to the Foreign Ministry.

On 26th Feb. Their Majesties will arrive in Haikou in Hainan Province of the People’s Republic of China. Later in the evening, Their Majesties will grace a dinner hosted in Their Majesties’ honour by the Governor of Hainan Province.

On 27th Feb. His Majesty the King will attend, as Guest of Honour of the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the inaugural ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia to be held in the city of Boao in Hainan Province. His Majesty will also meet the President of the People’s Republic of China in Boao. Their Majesties will leave Haikou on 28th Feb. and arrive in Beijing the same afternoon.

On 1st March, Their Majesties will be accorded a warm welcome at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China. later, a meeting of the two heads of state will take place in the Great Hall of the People. The President will host a state banquet in honour of Their Majesties the same evening.

On 2nd March, His Majesty will receive in audience top leaders of China. Their Majesties the King and Queen will grace a reception hosted in honour of Their Majesties by Rajeshwar Acharya, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China.

Their Majesties will leave Beijing for Shanghai the same day. Later in the evening, Their Majesties will grace a dinner hosted in Their Majesties’ honour by the Mayor of Shanghai. Their Majesties the King and Queen are scheduled to return to Kathmandu on the afternoon of March 4th.

Public holiday

As Their Majesties the King and Queen are leaving Kathmandu on a state visit of the People’s Republic of China on Feb. 26 and returning back home on March 4, public holidays have been announced on the two days throughout the country, according to the Home Ministry today.

EC deplores lack of political commitment

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KATHMANDU, Feb 23 - The Election Commission (EC) has accused lack of political commitment amongst the country’s leaders as one of the main reasons behind the distribution of erroneous voter’s identity cards, which it had issued to ensure free and fair elections.

In a report conducted to investigate the issuance of such identity cards, the Commission has also urged the government to be more politically committed rather depend too much on its administrative machinery.

"Even the report agrees to the fact that there were many errors on the distributed voters ID cards," Purushottam Sapkota, spokesman at the EC, told reporters today. "The errors were committed due to lack of political commitment."

According to Sapkota, EC has already requested in writing to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ram Chandra Poudel to initiate political commitment from the government.

EC had first adopted the system of voters identity cards, on trial basis, in Kathmandu-1, Sunsari-5 and Baitadi-1 constituencies during the 1996 by-elections. Later, it took in a policy to issue voters identity cards in all constituencies across the country after the trial was successful.

Since then, the EC has been fixing the election constituencies and has been preparing the voters’ list in various areas. The Home Ministry has been issuing and distributing the voters’ identity cards as per the EC’s legal policies.

However, a lot of negative news reports have been appearing in the recent months after many erroneous voters’ identity cards were distributed across the country. EC resorted to probe into the matter.

The report states that selection of inappropriate contractors to prepare the voters IDs, bad photo quality and specifications in inappropriate places as the drawbacks in the issuance of present IDs. There has also been lesser supply of IDs then the amount of photographs taken and lack of efforts to gather public initiation in taking the photos, it states.

Meanwhile, an all-party meeting held at the EC today has agreed to allot the same election constituencies for the general and local body elections.

Migrants send miseries instead of riches

By Bijaya Babu Khatri

KATHMANDU, Feb 23 - They sold their property to send their sons to foreign lands, all in the hope of finding a lucrative job. But months after parents say good-byes to their loved ones, there’s no word from the sons, raising fears of thier whereabouts.

So is the case of Sher Bahadur Bishwokarma, 56, of Rapakot VDC, Syangja. He put his ancestral property as collateral with the village sahuji for a loan for Rs 60,000 to send his 24-year-old son Nara Bahadur to Saudi Arabia.

That was three years ago. Except for a letter soon after the young lad flew abroad, Sher Bahadur hasn’t heard from his son. Today, the father is prowling government offices in the capital to help him locate his son.

"I have lost my son," Sher Bahadur said with tears brimming in his eyes. "And since I could not repay the loan in time I lost my property to the sahuji who had given me the loan to send my son. I am not in a position to return home unless I know about my son."

Such sad tales are increasing becoming routine as more and more young Nepali labourers flock to the rich Gulf nations, often without adequate papers. Many go by legal methods, but an increasing number are being flown abroad by unscrupulous middlemen with the promise of non-existent jobs.

The Department of Labour and other foreign employment-related offices are now crowded with family members and relatives of those who have gone to Arabian countries for job. They complain to the officials of either their sons being lost, or not getting their salaries or paid as per their agreement. Physical disability, being jailed or not getting medical treatment during illness, are also regular complaints lodged by relatives back home on behalf of their loved ones abroad.

In most cases those who have gone to those countries not allowed by the government have suffered more from fraud and from such conditions than those who flee to the US or any other European countries.

High-level officials at the Department of Labour who visited Saudi Arabia a few days ago say that Nepali workers are living in a pathetic condition there. According to Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Transport Dev Ratna Tamrakar, 200 Nepali workers died in Saudia Arabia during the year 2000, and 14 In January 2001 alone.

The main reason behind the deaths of Nepali workers, according to the concerned people, could be adverse climate and hard work on deserts during day time. This apart, the agony of separation from family compounded with the fact that they do not get promised salaries and proper care during illness could also be the reason of death, officials say.

The bodies of those who die while working in desert areas far from the cities are left behind by their employers. That’s why it is difficult to know whether one is dead or alive.

With the objective of finding out the problems of Nepali workers in Arabian countries, a team of government officials led by Dammaru Ballabh Bhattarai, secretary at the ministry made a study tour of the countries from January 25 to February 3, 2001.

Bhattarai says that observing the sufferings and the agony of the Nepali workers, it seems that the reform activities carried out by the government in this sector is insufficient.

He said that Nepali workers who have gone there through unorganized way have been suffering more than those going there through organized channels. Due to difficulty in understanding the local language also, Nepali labourers have not been able to enjoy the facilities given by the laws, he added.

According to government statistics, around 100,000 Nepalis have gone to the Gulf through government permission, and an additional 70,000 via Mumbai and Delhi, taking advantage of open border with India. However, Nirmal Gurung, immediate president of Nepal Foreign Employment Entrepreneurs Association, puts the number at above 350,000.

Remittances from Nepali labourers abroad total about Rs 69 billion annually, government officials said.

Ex-ministers implicated in tree-felling contract

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KATHMANDU, Feb 23 – The Secretary at Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation (MoFSC), Rabi Bahadur Bista, today passed the buck on to the former ministers for the complications in the extension of tree-felling contract in Dadeldhura district, Far-Western Nepal.

Bista was explaining his role in the deal to the members of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today, which had summoned him and the Department of Forests (DoF) officials over the felling of trees along the road alignment area in Jogbuda-Daiji in Dadeldhura.

Secretary Bista was ambiguous as to why he overturned his previous decision and allowed an extension to contractor Ram Hari Sharma. Early this month, Bista had asked District Forest Office, Dadeldhura to allow contractor Sharma to fell the remaining 201 trees out of the total of 340 trees "left" by the contractor, who was sanctioned to cut a total of 2526 trees as per the contract worth Rs 3.2 million. Bista had also directed the DFO on November 29, 2000 to grant a three-month’s extension to enable the contractor to fell 139 trees.

However, the Secretary said that the then ministers were involved in the decision that he had conveyed. The ministers in question are Mahantha Thakur and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who held the charge of the ministry at his time of the second decision.

With contradictory statements from Bista and DoF officials (who maintained that the contract extension, for the second time, was against the norms and that there were no more tress left to be felled in the area mentioned in the first contract), PAC has decided to investigate the matter.

The district office said that in the area specified by the first extension given last year, "no more trees are left to be cut". It goes on to express its fear that the contractor would most likely to cut the trees in the areas beyond his contract limits. In that event, warned the forest office, if the decision of the Ministry and DoF is implemented, the involved top-level officers "should be liable to punishment". It adds that there is no possibility of following the secretary-level instruction to add another extension since the previous was a "one-time one".

In fact, district office recommended a field inspection by the Chief District Officer. However, ignoring the district forest office’s objections, the DoF has asked it to implement the order of November 29, allowing Sharma a free hand to cut the trees.

Urgent need of Enterprise Service Commission felt

By Kiran Bhandari

KATHMANDU, Feb 23 - Even after nine years, the recommendation of the Administration Reform Commission (ARC) under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to form "Enterprise Service Commission" to make Public Enterprises more legitimate is yet to be implemented.

Even the parliamentary State Management Committee (SMT) had directed to form such a commission, three years ago.

The intellects allege that the politicians are not allowing the formation of the commission fearing that they would lose their undue political influence in such enterprises.

"Neither the recommendation of the Prime Minister headed commission was taken into consideration nor the directive of the State Management Committee (SMC) of the parliament," said Administration Expert Dr Dwarika Nath Dhungel. He said that the commission was formed to keep check on Public Enterprises (PE) where even ministers would not have the influence to employ their men. Currently there are about 65,000 people employed in such enterprises.

Even the study by the Adam Smith Institute of the Ministry of Finance had cited political interference, such as employing and transferring officials every time when there is a change in government, as the main reason for over-staffing and loss making by about 40 public enterprises.

Dr Dhungel stresses that, it became possible to appoint even those people holding fake certificates into Public Enterprises after the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) authority to appoint employees for the PE was taken away.

The current constitution, unlike the constitution of 2019 (BS) of Nepal, has restricted the commission from such move.

SMC Chairman Hom Nath Dahal blames the government for ignoring the direction of the committee. Dahal is now involved in the investigation of employees with fake certificates. The committee in its report had recommended to establish an "autonomous commission" to end the unnecessary political interference in the Public Enterprises and pave the way for good governance.

"I will again draw the attention of the government to form such a commission and implement the committee’s directive," said Dahal.

The cabinet which should have shown initiative to implement the directives has not yet shown any interest. "I am not aware of any preparation regarding the implementation of the directives," says Lokendra Lal Rajbhandary, Spokesperson at the Cabinet Secretariat.

Such demand to end political interference in public enterprises, raised several times before, will help to discourage the existing culture of employing people even on the basis of fake certificates.

Currently there are 208 appeals pending with the Special Police Department and many in the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Investigation has been initiated against more than 80 employees of the Gorkhapatra Sansthan suspecting that they possess fake certificates.

SMC’s meeting on Thursday has formed a sub-committee under the Chairmanship of Gopal Man Shrestha to investigate the fake certificates among the government enterprises and other employees. The sub-committee will present its report within three weeks. "We will study what is necessary to eliminate such criminal activity of using fake certificates," said Mahendra Bahadur Pandey, member of the sub-committee.

Here comes Lhosar again

By Tashi D. Thinley

KATHMANDU, Feb 23 - The Tibetan community of Kathmandu is gearing up for Lhosar, the Tibetan New Year, which this year falls on Saturday.

As always during the festival, the more than 15,000 members of the Tibetan community in Kathmandu will be observing a festival of pomp and gaiety, of singing, dancing and merry-making, while hoping for more prosperity in the Year of the Iron Snake.

At Bouddha, the heart of the Tibetan settlement in the capital, the festivities are already underway. Shops have a clean polished look, and the monasteries are being thronged by devotees.

Tibetans say, the Lhosar traditions began 400 years ago in Tibet during the reign of the first King Nyatri Tsenpo. Though much of the tradition remains the same, some things have begun to change in the way the exiled community celebrates the festival.

For instance, exiled Tibetans no more wear clothes woven from delicate Chinese silk these days during Lhosar as they did decades ago. Firstly, such expensive and authentic Chinese silk are not commonly available, and secondly it is a matter of the heart. "It is somewhat a rebellion against the customs of mainland China," says Tenzin Dolkar of Bouddha. "Tibetans here want to depict and present themselves differently from mainland Chinese."

Aside from the materials, even the design of the clothes Tibetans wear during Lhosar is changing. The "chupa" (bakhu) and the jewellery are reflective of the three different provinces of Tibet. Each from one’s own province wears his/her own attire and perform songs and dances of one’s province.

Another facet of Lhosar undergoing change is the gifts traditionally distributed among family and friends. Until a few years ago, Tibetans visited their relatives and loved ones with a tray of khabsey Tibetan cookies and chhyang (indigenous wines), as a token of gift. This year, like the Phuyang family, which has settled in Bouddha since 1959, many Tibetan families of Kathmandu have no plans to make the traditional khabsey. They are instead opting to deliver wine and bouquets to friends and family.

For those who can’t make the customary khabsey, the reason could be the busy lives of today. Making of a khabsey takes a whole day and a lot of labour. "Most of my family members are working people so we couldn’t make it for the lack of time and labour", said Tseringla, member of the Phuyang family.

The excitement is not only within the Tibetans but also the market in capital seems busy. Did you notice the recent hustle and bustle in New Road shops?" Owner of a clothes shop in New Road, Kumar Rijal says," Well, we can’t call it a boom but definitely there is a market out there. During Dasain and this time of Lhosar, people really do a lot of shopping. People even come from Darjeeling and to shop for clothes".

In a nutshell, Lhosar is the Dasain festival for the Tibetan community, though it also marks the beginning of the Tibetan New Year. But just as Hindus celebrate by putting on new clothes and visiting friends and relatives, Tibetans do the same during Lhosar.

Lhosar is also significant because, in the old days in Tibet, it was only during the festival that Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community, could be seen in flesh and blood. But now since he travels abroad and lives in exile in India , the Dalai Lama is more commonly seen and met by ordinary Tibetans.

Now in Dharamsala, India, during Lhosar, the Dalai Lama gives his blessing to citizens individually. The festival is marked in great fanfare with mass prayers and songs and dances of good luck and prosperity presented by various communities, school children and individual groups. For this reason Tibetans from different parts of the world flung to Dharmasala.

And for those who cannot get to Dharmasala for the blessing, there is always Bouddha where the monks recite prayers and the high priest of the Bouddhanath Stupa leads a procession carrying the Dalai Lama’s photo around the stupa.

26th Education Day marked

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KATHMANDU, Feb 23 - On the day the 26th Education Day was being marked throughout the country with various programmes, dalit students of Rajbiraj went door-to-door collecting donations while in other areas students pleaded for their right to education.

According to a report in Rajbiraj groups of dalit children went door to door collecting money in order to help the government provide free education. A sum of Rs 1600 collected by the students was later sent to the Prime Minister through the Chief District Officer.

The government has failed to provide free education to the students even after making a policy to provide free education to all the students till the secondary level.

According to reports at present more than sixty per cent of the children in Saptari district are unable to attend school due to poverty.

In Dang all the schools in the remote areas remained closed as the students from 10-12 private and 5-7 government schools, assembled by the District Education Office gathered in the premises of a school in the district headquarters to mark the 26th Education Day.

As the group of students, mostly boys, shouted slogans such as "No Education, No Development" and "Education without discipline is like flower without its fragnance" the dilapidated building of Saraswati Lower Secondary School it seemed was pleading for its repair.

Most of the schools in the Maoist affected district have remained closed since a few month after the Maoist launched a campaign to close all the schools not providing free education.