China for new global political, economic order

By Yubaraj Ghimire

BOAO, Hainan, China, Feb 27 - The People’s Republic of China threw its weight and pledged solid backing to the Boao Forum For Asia with the President Jiang Zemin fully endorsing the idea behind the forum.

In his brief speech, but with a powerful content, President Jiang said "advocating the establishment of a fair and reasonable new international political and economic order, the Chinese government has all along attached importance to and supported multi-level and multi-channel dialogue and cooperation in various fields.

As China has been chosen to be the permanent venue for the Forum, the Chinese government will continue to support the Forum to ensure its sound development", the president said.

His Majesty King Birendra attended the inaugural ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia as the Guest of Honour with his presence warmly appreciated and noticed by the participants.

While President Jiang’s pledge ensured a powerful voice to the newly born Forum in the world platforms, the tone and move of the BFA was set by Dr Mohammad Mahathir, Malaysia’s Prime Minister for nearly two decades with the credit of making his country an example of economic prosperity.

His display of anger and bitterness towards western countries, mainly the United States of America, transgressing Malaysia and other countries’ sovereignty and interfering in their internal affairs, he said, called for solidarity among Asian nations.

"The international media and the foreign funded NGOs easily cross borders and often undermine national governments to the point where they would find themselves unable to govern, or be overthrown even," Dr Mahathir said. This, he added, should be seen along with the hegemonistic move of the West where few ‘currency traders" manipulation has resulted in collapse of economy of Asia in the past.

Once the international media and the NGOs have proved that independence does not mean freedom from foreign interference, domination or hegemony, the powerful countries felt free to ignore international niceties and interfere openly in the affairs of weak countries, he charged.

The Western Media had openly campaigned against Dr Mahathir and most of them predicted his defeat in the Malaysian general election last year, but he romped home with massive support for the fourth successive term.

The Malaysian Prime Minister also criticized the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund for not being effective in safeguarding the interest of poor nations. Warning that globalization will accelerate the pro-rich process, he said that the domestic banks and corporation will collapse and only a few international giant banks and multi-national corporations will be there in the world. "They will be so highly capitalized and powerful that the governments of the Third World countries will be totally dominated by them."

It was in this background, Dr Mahathir, who is one of the main brains behind the Boao Forum’s existence, said that Asians should study the possible danger ahead.

"If making available funds for loans is not productive, then the international community should just build needed infrastructure for the poor", he said, adding the existence of the Forum was an expression of Asian people’s right to think collectively about themselves and act.

Govt firm to protect natural heritage: Basnet

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GODAVARI, Lalitpur, Feb 27 - Conservationists and park experts from around South Asia region converged here today to chalk out strategies and a common frame of action plans to better protect the region’s threatened biodiversity in the new millenium.

During the four-day meet of the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), altogether 150 conservationists – among them park wardens, wildlife biologists, ecologists, government and non governmental organization representatives – are to review the current status of the protected area management and the Natural World Heritage Sites in the region.

They will also appraise the progress of implementation of the regional action plan, formulate recommendations for the fifth World Park Congress scheduled for 2003, and enhance the working relation between WCPA and IUCN (The World Conservation Union), said a press release issued today.

State Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation Shiva Kumar Basnet opened the WCPA workshop in this scenic resort village, south of Kathmandu, at a function here Tuesday morning.

Siliguri patients throng Biratnagar

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BIRATNAGAR, Feb 27 - A number of people from the North Bengal city of Siliguri have started to come here for treatment of various diseases after the mysterious disease broke out in Siliguri a few days ago.

Most of the hospitals and nursing homes in Siliguri have been closed in the wake of the unidentified disease that hit Siliguri and patients were forced to come to this eastern Terai city for fear of catching the disease, the patients said. In all, 38 people died of the mysterious disease in Siliguri by Monday.

A resident of Sukiya Pokhari in Darjeeling, Sangita Agrawal, said she had come to Biratnagar for her treatment because the hospitals had been shut in Siliguri and she was afraid that she might also fall victim to the mysterious disease if she went there.

Agrawal who is now undergoing treatment in Birat Nursing Home, said it was not only her but also many others who were coming to Nepal for treatment from the area fearing that they might be affected by the mysterious disease.

Chief of the Nursing Home Dr Gyanendra Karki said the number of patients coming here from Siliguri area after the spread of the mysterious disease was increasing. He said that the nursing home did not admit patients coming from Siliguri area if they were found suffering from communicable diseases for fear of transmitting the mysterious disease to all the patients.

However, according to Dr R.S. Mandal of Koshi Zonal Hospital in Biratnagar, the hospital would be careful for the treatment of patients coming from Siliguri area. So far, no patients from that area had come to the Zonal Hospital.

Most of the patients coming from the vicinity of Siliguri were found visiting nursing homes in Biratnagar and the B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan.

Meanwhile, in Ilam, the Municipality has banned import of meat and fish from Siliguri as the disease is suspected to be linked with meat products.

A large number of boiler chicken meat is imported to Ilam from Siliguri every week.

The Municipality on Tuesday launched a awareness campaign telling the people not to consume meat and meat products imported from Siliguri. The local people have been cautioned by the news of the mysterious disease which has so far claimed 38 lives in Siliguri.

According to reports from neighbouring Darjeeling, the hill town too has been alarmed by the news of the disease. Most of the food supplies are transported to Darjeeling via Siliguri.

Hotel employees’ fresh protest programmes

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27- Tourism industry has entered into yet another round of uncertainty after Joint Central Action Committee (CAC) formed by two Major Hotel Unions announced Tuesday that they will close all the hotels from March 15 if their demand of implementing ten per cent service tax(TSC) is not fulfilled.

Though the Ligal Committee report, submitted to the government 3 weeks back has recommended optional "hospitality charge" in place of service charge, Union leaders are sticking to their stance of declaring "involuntary" service charge.

In a press conference organized by the CAC Tuesday to announce yet another phase of protest programme, Union leaders argued that they have been deceived by the government time and again in the name of negotiations and warned that they will no longer agree to wait further till the declaration on levying ten per cent service tax is made.

RNAC suffers Rs 80m loss

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27 - The Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation suffered a loss of over 80 million rupees due to the wide-body Lauda Air jet during the one and a half month period that it has been pressed into service. The Lauda jet was included into the RA fleet on December 1 last year.

According to the statistics provided by RNAC’s finance department to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Corporation earned a profit of over Rs 90 million in the Nepali month of Kartik (October-November), before the B-767 jet became a part of the RA’s international fleet.

The data shows that in the months of Mangsir (November-December) and Poush (December-January) the losses were over Rs 29 million and over Rs 120 million respectively.

Although the PAC had asked for the financial details upto mid-February, the RNAC provided the figures only upto mid-January. According to sources, the losses are mainly due to the reduction of flight hours of the other three planes after the Lauda jet was pressed into the service. The wide-body jet has been guaranteed a minimum of 300 flight hours per month.

JICA to help in quake disaster mitigation study

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27 - Keeping in mind that after the devastating earthquake in Gujrat, India a large-scale earthquake might occur in Nepal, government of Japan come forward to help Nepal in conducting a study on Earthquake Disaster Mitigation in the Kathmandu Valley.

This was told in a workshop jointly organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Department of Drug Control and Disaster Mitigation and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) here today.

Nepal lies on an earthquake-prone zone and has suffered with large-scale earthquakes. In 1934, an earthquake of magnitude 8.3 caused serious damage to 60 per cent of the buildings in Kathmandu Valley. According to earthquake records, the return period of a large-scale earthquake is about 25 years in this area, and consequently, it is foreseeable that the next large-scale earthquake might occur shortly.

According to a report presented during the workshop, Kathmandu Valley is in a delicate condition against earthquake disaster because of rapid population increase, unplanned development, and unconsolidated ground area. Once a large-scale earthquake occurs, Kathmandu will suffer immense damage to human/property, resulting in inability to function as capital of the country. It is foreseeable that the adverse influence of the earthquake will spread all over Nepal, and cause long-term stagnation of its development.

Karnali likely to face food shortage, disease

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27 - People in the remote districts of Karnali zone are once again bracing themselves against the shortage of food grains and possible outbreak of an epidemic, which usually erupts at this time of the year in the mid-western hilly districts.

Despite the government grant allotted to Karnali zone for transportation of food grains, the government decision has failed to provide adequate solution to the food shortage in the past years. Things are expected to go worse this year due to the Maoist insurgency that has recently rocked the district.

Though the government has been maintaining that there is no scarcity of food in Karnali this year, it has admitted there are problems storing food in the district headquarters due to security reasons.

"It is not so easy to distribute food grains at the present at Karnali," said Minister of State for Industries, Commerce and Supply, Krishna Prasad Sitaula at the Rural Area Development Committee (RADC) meeting in the Upper House today. "But the government is still committed towards provide adequate supply of food grains there."

Also to brace up the possible scarcity of food, an all-party committee has been formed in all villages that can recommend additional supply of food to the District Food Management Committee. The concerned VDC Chairman can then collect the food grains directly from the Nepal Food Corporation(NFC)’s storage in Surkhet after he deposits money in advance there.

"But such a system is still a nuisance to the poorer mass," says a VDC Chairman. "The rich can afford to provide the money in advance for the food grains but what about the poor," said Gorakh Bahadur Bogati, a lawmaker from Humla.

Meanwhile, the NFC says that they have adequate supply of food grains in Surkhet but they have failed to maintain supply in the districts due to security reasons.

"We have enough supply at Surkhet. We are ready to provide the food grains to the VDC Chairman if he completes the necessary procedures," says Sanu Ratna Sthapit of NFC. "But it is difficult to provide food grains directly at the food depots in the villages due to security reasons."

"There are even no NFC employees stationed in such unsafe villages," Sthapit added.

Meanwhile, Minister Sitaula also admitted at the RADC today that transporting food grains to the rural areas has been tougher due to more than 2-300 per cent hike in shipping charges. "We have formed a committee to look into that and we’ll manage it according to the committee decision," he said.

"There is a large demand for food in all the five districts of Karnali and the government has to provide an additional grant of Rs. 60-70 million to fulfill that," Sitaula further said.

Sitaula also said that the government was studying on the possibility of transporting food grains to Karnali via the cheaper route from China through the Kodari Highway. He also said that the government was thinking of exporting apples from the mid-western districts on the vehicles that take-in food grains.

Members of the RADC, at today’s meeting, also accused the Royal Nepal Army and the Nepal Police of using up most of the food grains transported by the NFC to the rural villages. They also complained that government employees and teachers stationed in such areas were forced to pay up to 25 percent more for such food grains.

Carter concern over ex-Kamaiyas

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27 - Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States has expressed concern over the plight of former Kamaiyas (bonded labourers).

Abubacar Sultan of The Foremost, an US-based organisation informed this at a program organised here today by Martin Chautari.

Sultan said that he handed over a letter written by Carter and addressed to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel today. The letter expresses Carter’s concern over the Kamaya issue, Sultan said.

"Another letter will be delivered to His Majesty the King," said he.

The two US based organisations - The Forefront and The Carter Centre - also expressed their concerns over the issue at the program today.

Speaking at a program, "Kamaiya Rehabilitation: How is the International Community looking at it?" Sultan said that many local authorities in Nepal are ready and are in a position to take positive action to resettle former Kamaiyas on public land appropriate for this purpose. "However, the central government must give local government bodies clear instruction and authority to act immediately," he said.

"The DPM informed us that he has just assigned five officials from the Ministry of Land Reforms to go to the five districts where former Kamaiyas reside. These officials have been given full authority to register lands in the name of the former Kamaiyas.

"We understand that in June 2001, the Prime Minister will make a presentation at an International Labour Organisation in Geneva on the subject of forced labour." This is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the government’s will in ensuring that the former bonded labourers are rehabilitated and reintegrated as full citizens in Nepal, said Sultan.

ANWA demand equal property rights

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KATHMANDU, Feb 27- The All Nepal Women’s Association (ANWA) reiterated their demand for equal rights for women on parental property at a press conference today.

The press conference was organised by the women’s wing of the main opposition CPN-UML, a day before their 50th anniversary. The group also announced that it would organise different constructive activities after they complete their 50th year.

Among the demands, they focused on the removal of the provision in the law that says women can acquire parental property only after they reach the age of 35 and are unmarried till then. They demanded women should have every right to inherit parental property after they turn 16 as men do.

According to the President of the ANWA, Bidya Bhandari, widow of late Madan Bhandari, the survey which was conducted at a national level early this year on whether or not women should be given equal rights on parental property got positive response. She added that around 70 per cent of the women expressed the need of the rights to parental property.

She also slammed the present government for its apathy towards the concept of equal rights on parental property to women.

ANWA is going to organize various activities inside and outside the Parliament, such as handing over of the memorandum to PM, demonstration and sit-in.