Refugee joint verification team starts work

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KATHMANDU, Jan 24 - The Nepal-Bhutan joint verification team (JVT) on Wednesday held nearly four-hour long discussion on the process of identification of the Bhutanese refugees who are currently staying in camps in eastern Nepal. The meeting was held at local development training centre at Kalbalgudi, Jhapa.

Today’s discussion centered on the selection of the camp to begin the verification but could not reach an agreement. There are almost 100,000 refugees in the seven camps in Jhapa and Morang. While the Nepalese side wanted to start with Beldangi Camp (housing about 60,000 refugees), the Bhutanese side insisted on beginning the identification from the Golchhap camp that houses the least number of the refugees - 8,000. The JVT will again meet tomorrow to discuss the issue.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Gopendra Pandey, Spokesperson at the Home Ministry, said that the JVT will decide upon the process of verification after a meeting on Thursday. after which the joint team is likely to visit the camps.

It is only on Sunday that the JVT will decide the date to begin the verification process. According to a refugee leader, while Nepal was trying to speed up the process of verification, the Bhutanese side was trying to delay it. He said the Bhutanese team would first brief their King on the "progress" made during their visit and only then they would agree on the date to begin the verification. This has given rise to the fears that Bhutan will again put hurdles in reaching the ultimate goal of the repatriation of the refugees.

In the Tenth Ministerial Level Committee (MLC), held late last month, the two sides agreed to start the verification of the refugees with family as its basic unit. In case of individuals, the cut-off age is 25 years. The MLC had agreed upon to form a joint verification team comprising of equal number of members. It was also decided that the JVT would visit the camps by the end of this month.

Subsequently, both the governments formed a six-member side to be comprise the joint verification team. While Usha Nepal, Joint Secretary at the Home Ministry is leading the Nepalese team, Dr Sonam Tenzin, director at the Bhutanese Home Ministry is the head of Bhutanese side.

According to Gyan Chandra Acarya, Spokesperson at the Foreign Ministry, the JVT will also set up the logistics for their long stay in eastern Nepal during the verification process. On Wednesaday, the two sides initiated setting up their separate offices. While Nepalese side is contemplating setting its office in Birtamod, their counterparts are opening theirs in Damak.

Meanwhile, reports from Bhadrapur say that Tek Nath Rizal, Bhutanese human rights leader has become seriously ill and is likely to be flown to Kolkata (Calcutta) for treatment by the Bhutanese government. His wife, Kaushalya Rizal, who returned from Thimphu two days ago, told The Kathmandu Post over phone that Rizal had vomitted blood a few days before. Rizal also suffers from diabetese and high blood pressure.

5 dacoits killed near Pathlaiya

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HETAUDA, Jan 24 - At least five dacoits were killed in an encounter with police near Pathlaiya early Wednesday, police here said. Police opened fire on dacoits, who were blocking the busy East-West Highway with heavy logs in between the Pathlaiya and Nijgadh bazaars with the intention of looting night-bus. There were about 25 people barricading the highway.

The dead bodies were found in a nearby jungle where the looters fled after the police opened fire.

Among the dead, Bhibhikan Sahani Mallah, 30, from Ramnagar in Parsa district, has been identified, the others are yet to be named. Mallah was a much sought-after bandit who had been involved in several robberies.

Deputy Inspector General of Police in the Central Regional Police Office, Sahabir Thapa, said that a police team on patrol from the Nijgadh-based police post resorted to gunfire after the looters started shooting at the policemen.

Police also recovered two 12-bored guns, one home-made gun, one home-made pistol and seven cartridges from the dacoits. Police Inspector from the Nijgadh-based police station, Balaram Yadav, said that 29 rounds of bullets were fired at the bandits. Police cremated the dead bodies in Kalaiya today.

Three buses have been looted over the last four months at the same place where the bandits blocked the highway, police said. Police have been patrolling the highway from Pathlaiya to Nijgadh area following the incidents.

ADB extends assistance of US$ 141.6 m

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KATHMANDU, Jan 24 – Nepal and Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed an agreement under which ADB will provide a grant assistance of US $ 3.3 million (Rs 243 million) and a loan assistance totalling US $ 138.3 million (Rs 10.19 billion) for various development projects in the country.

The grant and loan assistance will be used to fund Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP), Crop Diversification Project (CDP) and the Corporate and Financial Governance Project (CFGP).

Three separate agreements to this effect were signed at the Ministry of Finance today. Dr Bimal Koirala, Finance Secretary and Rajat M Nag, Deputy Director of ADB, signed the agreements. Finance and Defence Minister Mahesh Acharya and President of ADB Tadao Chino were also present on the occasion. Chino is presently in the capital on a four-day visit.

MWSP, the multi-billion rupees drinking water project for Kathmandu valley will get the largest share of 120 million dollars in the assistance. MWSP is one of the mega projects of Nepal with a total estimated cost of 464 million dollars. ADB is contributing 25.9 per cent of the total estimated cost in MWSP.

Another 7.3 million dollars will be used to implement CFGP. In addition, the technical grant assistance of 3.3 million dollars will also be used for the project. The total cost of the project stands at 13.3 million dollars, out of which the government will finance 2.7 million from its own resources. The main objective of the project is to contribute to higher and more equitable distribution of economic growth through a robust and efficient financial sector.

The remaining 11 million dollars would be used to implement CDP. The major objective of CDP is to reduce poverty in twelve districts of the Mid-Western and Far-Western Development Regions by increasing farmer’s income through the promotion of production and marketing of agricultural crops. The project will cover Achham, Baitadi, Dadeldhura, Darchula, Doti, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Banke, Bardiya, Dailekh, Dang and Surkhet districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Chino expressed his pleasure that ADB is taking a lead coordinating role among the donors in the planning and implementation of the Melamchi project. "The project will not only augment the water supply in Kathmandu but will also introduce important regulatory and institutional reforms that are critically need to ensure that the supply system is efficient and sustainable," he said.

Chino stressed that it is necessary to ensure adequate cost recovery from the service delivery through a rational tariff structure to minimize the level of subsidy. "High level of subsidy cannot be justified for the relatively better off population living in Kathmandu," he said. On the same occasion, Acharya appreciated ADB’s assistance in the form of concessional loans and technical grant assistance that has been instrumental in Nepal’s development efforts, particularly in the areas of agriculture development, infrastructure building and poverty reduction as well as in promoting good governance.

One die, four missing as boat capsizes

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TRIVENI, Nawalparasi, Jan 24 - One person died and at least four others were missing after a boat carrying 14 pilgrims overturned in Narayani River this afternoon.

The pilgrims met with the accident while they were crossing the river to reach Valmiki Ashram, after taking holy dip in the river. Prabhakar Pokharel, 56 of Gardi VDC-3, Chitwan died immediately after the accident, while nine persons including Pokharel’s wife and two daughters were rescued by local boatsmen.

The boatsmen said that the boat was overcrowded, and was carrying five persons more than its normal capacity.

The army men from Mahendra Dal Gadh, Kasara, along with the boatsmen, actively took part in the rescue operation. The army has arrested two Indian drivers of the boat in connection with the mishap.

The rescued persons are being treated at Butwal Zonal Hospital.

Govt rapped over FM news gag

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KATHMANDU, Jan 24 - The Parliamentary Communication and Development Committee (CDC) on Wednesday directed the government to refrain from making any attempt to control the privately run FM radio stations.

The direction from the committee comes at a time when the Ministry of Information and Telecommunication recently had issued a circular to the FM stations directing them to stop broadcasting news items.

"The government should not act with the intention of controlling these private FM stations," states the committee decision. "The committee directs the government that it should not have any intention of controlling over the programmes."

The Ministry’s decision barred the private sector FM stations to broadcast news collected on their own. The Ministry also directed these FM stations that they broadcast news with authenticity and should clearly state the source of these news.

The parliamentary committee had summoned the Minister for Information Jay Prakash Prasad Gupta and the Information Secretary Shree Ram Poudel. However, the minister didn’t attend the meeting.

Secretary Poudel who was present at the meeting after hearing the committee’s directive agreed that the private sector FM radio stations should not be muffled.

"There is absolutely no ground for disapproval here. Any government in any part of the world that has tried to control the media have been ousted," said Poudel.

He even stated that such directive were issued as per the Broadcasting Act and not with a motive to have a control over FM station but just to monitor the way these FM stations were operating.

Both the ruling Nepali Congress and the main opposition CPN-UML MPs questioned the rationale to control FM stations when the Information Ministry was unable to control "Ghatana ra Bichar" programme aired on state-run Radio Nepal.

It’s only five years and Nepalis have turned web crazy

By Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, Jan 24 - Nepal has gone web crazy. There are hundreds if not thousands of sites on Nepal and many of them are all home made.

There used to be time when the site - www.south-asia.com - was the only site managed and hosted by a Nepali company. Mercantile Communications first began the site in 1995. It contained news from The Kathmandu Post and other important information about the country. This was a revolutionary move that gave Nepali students and those working abroad a means to keep in touch with their homeland.

For potential visitors to Nepal, it was a way to browse through this interactive electronic catalogue, where information was practically just a click away and right at the users’ fingertips.

Five years later, a search for the word "Nepal" on popular search engines like Yahoo or Google would show thousands and thousands of web addresses. The over one dozen Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country and many web page designers have flooded the world wide web with sites on Nepal.

From sites like www.kantipuronline.com or www.nepalnews.com that offer serious reading like news, current events and features, to fun sites like www.thisiskathmandu.com or www.boyfriend.com.np, there are choices to fit any mood and occasion.

Domestic portals like www.nepalonline.org or www.nepalonline.net, offer seas of information on Nepal for people both at home and abroad. Be it about movies being screened at theatres in the capital city or the latest happenings in town, these portal have updates for the home users.

The news sites have been a boon to all home Internet users, giving them the luxury of accessing news and reading them in their own free time. With other types of electronic media like radio and television, one does not have to wait for the broadcast but can just tap the computer and get the latest news.

Travel sites like www.travel-nepal.com or www.nepal.com offer wide range of information to travelers, be it trekking, mountaineering or just a vacation in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Travel web sites in fact are the most popular ones, giving potential visitors easy access to information and even photographs of the mountains and other places of interest in Nepal that for years have made this Himalayan nation a popular vacation destination. Hotels and travel/trekking agents now have the chance to show off what they have to offer in an much cheaper and convenient way as the cost of both accessing and hosting web sites plunged over the past few years.

Web sites are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity these businesses now can not do without.

On the fun side of these sites, www.she.com.np or www.glamour.com.np offer information on the latest fashion, makeup tips, magazines, skincare tips and even perfumes available. www.boyfriend.com.np and soon www.girlfriend.com.np give Romeos and Juliets a platform to meet, chat and exchange their love stories or just send plain electronic greeting cards.

www.cards.com.np is our own local site that offer electronic greeting cards that can be sent via the Internet. From birthday cards, to new year’s cards or Valentine’s day cards or card to just say "I am sorry" for hurting someone’s feeling or just to say "I love you" - these electronic cards work wonders.

To order pizza right at your doorstep or movie tickets for a film with your favourite star, there is www.nepalshop.com, where users can book tickets or place an order for pizza and other commodities.

Other new ventures include www.yokeho.com or www.kegarne.com or www.cyberlearningnepal.com offering education on the Internet.

And now, International Technology and Telecom International (ITNTI) is coming up with free e-mail boxes for Nepalese users that the company will be launching during the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) Info Tech show that begins on Thursday.

"We will be offering over 100 domain names enabling users to get free e-mails," said Pradipna Gautam, web designer for ITNTI.

Email addresses like yourname@nepali.com.np or yourname@hacker.com.np or yourname@father.com.np there are over a 100 choices of free e-mail addresses available.

Already there are estimated 50,000 Internet and e-mail users in the country and more and more people are getting hooked to cyber world.

Workshop on improved injection safety held

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KATHMANDU, Jan 24 - Department of Health Service, Children’s Vaccine Programme at Path (CVPP) and General Welfare Pratisthan (GWP) jointly organised a workshop on Improving Injection Safety in Nepal today.

On the occasion a study paper was presented on perceptions about injections and private sector injection practices in central Nepal conducted by CVPP and GWP.

Speaking on the occasion, Scott Witter of CVPP and Mahesh Dev Bhattarai (GWP) pointed out the risk factor involved in use of unsafe injection, which could result in Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS infection.

The study conducted during March-July 2000, focused on group discussion, in-depth interviews, direct observation and the secret shopper in seven districts of Nepal’s central region.

Majorities of injections are used for antibiotics, vitamins and painkillers, which could be administered orally. The rampant uses of injections in rural areas are due to the lack of proper health education and awareness. In many cases, injections are perceived as the optimal form of care, a symbol of the best that medicine can offer and the most efficient and rapid way to achieve relief and recovery.

Due to the lack of proper disposal of medical waste including hypodermic needles and syringe, is a common practice putting the community at risk.

According to Dr S.K Subedi, about 40 million injections are administered in Nepal every year, which comes to about 110,000 daily. He added that the analysis is essential to find how safe and appropriate it is.

The study also revealed that, unqualified personnel and multiple use of non-sterile injection is a common practice of providing medical services there. In some cases it was found that medicine shops are buying the used syringes and sell it again after repackaging.

According to World Health Organisation report, there are about 12 billion injections are administered each year throughout the world out of which less than 5 per cent are for immunisation. More than 95 per cent of injections are administered for therapeutic purpose that could be avoided in most of the cases.

It is also disclosed that each year, because of the use of unsafe injections, between 8 and 16 million people are infected with Hepatitis B, between 2.3 and 4.7 million are infected with Hepatitis C and 80,000 and 160,000 get HIV/AIDS.