Army goes into action against rebels
Several rebels reported killed, hundreds trapped

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KATHMANDU, July 13 – The Royal Nepal Army (RNA) went into action today against Maoist rebels in the hills of western Nepal, surrounding hundreds of rebels in their hideout in Nuwa village of Rolpa district, high ranking government and army sources told The Kathmandu Post today.

The army action came early today as troops began searching for the 71 policemen who were abducted by Maoist guerrillas on a raid at the Holeri police post yesterday. Army officials in Kathmandu said that an RNA helicopter ferrying troops to the site was fired upon by the rebels, triggering a gun battle.

There have been reports of death on the Maoist side, but the reports remain unconfirmed.

Until late this evening, Defense Ministry sources maintained that the rebels have just been surrounded and that the army hasn’t yet started aggressive operation against the rebels. "But the main objective is to free the abducted policemen unharmed as well as the looted weapons," the source said.

However, police sources said that around 55-60 rebels could have been shot dead already, which the Defense sources denied.

This is the first time that the RNA has been engaged in a battle with the rebels who have been waging a violent people’s war in Nepal for last six years.

Highly placed military sources confirmed that the rebels first fired upon from treetops on an army MI-17 Russian helicopter that was on a surveillance mission over the Rolpa jungles where the abducted policemen were hidden by the rebels.

The chopper made a force landing at an army barrack in Pyuthan after it was slightly damaged in the incident. RNA is said to have immediately flung into action after that.

"The chopper is damaged," an officer said. Three soldiers in the chopper were injured, including the co-pilot Binayak Singh, a Second Lieutenant and a soldier who were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment later today. Sources said that Captain Singh has been hit on the thigh, the Second Lieutenant has been hit on the stomach and the soldier on his chest.

All three injured armymen have been admitted to the capital’s Birendra Army Hospital in Chhauni.

Army sources said that the soldiers who went to Nuwa village as a part of the search operation finally managed to surround "hundreds" of rebels in their hideouts. "The army is working to release the abducted policemen." Nuwa VDC is located 15 kosh (approx 35 km) southwest - around six hours walk - away from the district headquarters, Liwang.

"The army is strategically located, and more reinforcements have been flown from the capital…Things look like the surrounded rebels are looking for ways to negotiate with the army," a military source claimed.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Padam Kumar Acharya denied any knowledge over the incident when he was contacted in his office this evening. However, he confirmed that the RNA has been deployed for security reasons in seven districts as per the objective of the Integrated Security and Development Program.

The seven districts include Kalikot, Gorkha, Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan, Pyuthan and Jajarkot.

Sources within the Defence Ministry also confirmed that the government has already given full authority to the army to disarm the rebels in areas they have been already deployed.

"The army has been given the full authority to attack, counter attack or take any actions in terms of disarming the rebels," the source said. "The modality is also the same when retrieving the abducted policemen," the source added.

According to Sudarshan Risal and KP Ghimire, our district correspondent who visited the site of action, today’s event began as the Maoists, numbering around 1,500, were preparing for a public program in Nuwa village to celebrate their recent successful raids on police posts, including in Holeri. The program was scheduled to be held in a local school on a hilltop, and the rebels had invited all the villagers as well as reporters to attend. But before the program could begin, army intelligence and surveillance teams got wind of the program.

The Maoists then "apologetically" announced postponement of their program and asked the reporters to return immediately citing fierce gun battle, our correspondents said.

Military sources said that soldiers were then dispatched to the site and they immediately surrounded the hilltop from three strategically located sites, blocking off the exits. This occurred even before all the villagers could gather for the program, according to officers.

Maoists call for exchange of ‘PoWs’

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KATHMANDU, July 13 – Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) in a statement issued here today has asked for exchange of "prisoners of war" with the government.

The statement signed by the Party President Prachanda says, "We want to make it clear that we are ready to release about 80 prisoners of war under our control in exchange for the release of Maoists cadres at different jails in the country."

We also want initiatives from all the concerned towards this direction, says the statement. However, the statement does not say anything about today’s encounter with the army.

The statement, however, mentions: "Our party has a set principle of not attacking the army but we are always ready to retaliate them."

DPM Poudel resigns amid differences with PM

By Binaj Gurubacharya

KATHMANDU, July 13 - Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel today resigned over differences with his boss Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, further plunging Koirala into a crisis.

Amid the cheers from the rebel group within the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and a Parliament boycotted by a bulk of the opposition lawmakers, Poudel announced that he could no longer hold the job since the prime minister was refusing to give a way out of the present political situation.

"When I told the prime Minister to give a way out of the present crisis or else relieve me of my duties, he said it was the PM who needs to resign and not the DPM ... I was hopeful then and I waited but that did not come," Poudel told the Parliament. "So I decided not to wait too long and act right away."

After over 15 months of partnership, Poudel said he had developed differences with the Prime Minister over his resignation as sought by the opposition parties.

The opposition parties have been holding protests and threatens to continue stalling parliament like in the previous session unless Koirala resigns. The only way out they say is the resignation and they would not settle for anything less.

Koirala and his government is alleged of having been involved in financial irregularities while leasing a jetliner for the state-run Royal Nepal Airlines from Austria’s Lauda Air. The then Minister for Civil Aviation, Tarini Dutta Chataut, have been charged of corruption by the court and some airline officials already been locked behind bars.

Koirala had promised to resign after presenting the 14-point agenda on the first day of the present Session and announced that he would step down once there was a consensus reached on his proposal among the government and opposition. Koirala later backed out saying it was his prerogative to decide on when to resign and the opposition needs to have patience.

"When the proposal was put on the floor, an atmosphere of trust and understanding was beginning to be built but the situation had changed and for the worse," he said.

Poudel claimed that he had repeatedly proposed with the Prime Minister to gather a national consensus among all the democratic forces to fight the anti-democratic elements.

"Maybe I could not convince him and he neither showed an alternative nor did he even try to convince me with his programs," he said.

Poudel, who is also the Home Minister in charge of the police force and the internal security of the country, has been under fire for the deteriorating law and order situation.

Maoist rebels in the past few days have intensified their offensive and attacked police stations and series of bomb blasts. On Thursday, they captured at least 70 policemen and killed two of them. A week back, the rebels attacked three police stations killing total 41 policemen.

"Using the army and the police is not enough but rather we need to opt for a political solution for which a political consensus is a must," he said. "For that we need to find it right here in the Parliament and there is still time."

He said that the political parties need to rise above party interest and all the pro-democratic forces who fought during the 1990 movement to join hands and fight once again.

"At a time when we need to unit and face these elements we are busy confronting each other," he said.

"Since I was not able to improve the situation, it would be most inappropriate for me to continue in my position as the Deputy Prime and Home Minister so I have decided to resign," Poudel told the House of Representatives.

House adopts Accounts Bill

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KATHMANDU, July 13 – The Parliament today approved the Accounts Bill with a majority vote amid boycott by the main opposition CPN-UML and other smaller leftist parties.

Though the voting was boycotted by CPN-UML followed by lawmakers from the National People’s Front(NPF), United People’s Front (UPF) and Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party(NWPP), the opposition bench occupied by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and (Nepal Sadbawana Party NSP) voted against the Bill.

The presence of lawmakers from these two parties in the opposition bench prevented the Bill from falling in a limbo. Voting would not have been possible if all the opposition parties had boycotted and left the House.

"We cannot take part in voting on a budget presented by the government led by a corrupt Prime Minister so we are boycotting the voting process," CPN-UML’s Rajendra Pandey said before he led all the lawmakers out of the House.

The endorsing of the Accounts Bill would now allow the government to borrow and spend from the state treasury until the House endorses the full fiscal budget after debate and discussion by category and ministries in the next few weeks.

Had the Bill not been endorsed, the government and the administration would not have been able to function when the new fiscal year begin on Monday. Failure of the Bill in the House, would have meant all the government and administration to be shut down with the exception of emergency services.

After this, the House will begin to discuss and debate the budget estimates for the fiscal year 2001-2002 by the category of each Ministry under the Appropriation Bill.

Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat defending the budget estimate said that the collection of revenue had slowed down only in the past couple of months but before that the revenue collection was better than projected.

"The budget is not unrealistic in terms of revenue, expected foreign grants and loans neither are the proposals ambitious as claimed by the opposition members," said Mahat.

He said that there was not 10.34 percent of the whole budget allocated for the security forces which is just a little higher that the 8.4 percent about four years ago. The opposition lawmakers had alleged that the government had increased spending for security that was unaffordable by a country like Nepal.

On the allegations that the budget for the Royal family had been increased, Minister Mahat said there has not been any increment in the allowance of the Royal family members but the increment was of the staff and workers whose wages had been increased along with other government workers last year that had only been adjusted this year.

India to deploy army along Indo-Nepal border

By Gopal Devkota

RAXAUL, India, July 13 - Union Government of India has decided to deploy its paramilitary force along the Nepal-India border beginning July 20 to control the cross border crimes, said Indian officials.

"The main objective of deploying the paramilitary force is to control various forms of across-the-border crimes and illegal supply of arms," said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Shushuil Kumar Thakur, Chief of the Office of Sub-Divisional Police Office in Raxaul.

Sources said the Indian government has already deployed its army along the major western parts of the Nepal-India border. Indian side is planning to mobilise its force from Balmikinagar of Nawalparasi district in the west to Jogbani in the east along the Nepal-India border.

Recently the final survey was completed to deploy the force along the 240-km long border starting from Balmikinagar to Kisangunj.

Thakur added that the decision to mobilise the paramilitary force along the border was taken by the Union government.

DSP Thakur said the Special Services Bureau (SSB)- India’s third strongest armed-force - will be stationed at a distance of five kilometres of the Nepal-India porous border with the strength of up to 40 army men in each post. He added that the force would be of a permanent nature. SSB has been also deployed to control internal conflict in eastern Indian States and the India-Bhutan border.

He said that a special contingent of the SSB to be operated under the command of Senior Superintendent of Police would be deployed at the Raxaul-Birgunj customs as "most of the across-the-border crimes takes place through this area."

About six months ago, Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes, addressing a gathering at Nawada University had stated that the situation had arisen to deploy army along the Nepal-India border to curb various forms of crimes. Thakur claimed that the Indian army mobilisation would also help Nepal fight terrorism and smuggling. He also said that there has been positive impact on the frontier Indian towns following the Royal Nepal Army mobilisation along its customs points three months ago.

"Army deployment along the border is beneficial for both the countries, especially to control illegal arms deals and other forms of smuggling through the open border," DSP Thakur said.

Asked to comment on the Indian move, Chief District Officer in Parsa, Dolakh Bahadur Gurung, denied having any formal information about it.

Unique posthumous donation for social cause

By Tashi D Thinley

KATHMANDU, July 13 - More and more people in Nepal are opening up their minds, coming out of the rigid society and redefining everything for the cause of those that are living and one of such persons created history today posthumously.

Senior Advocate Krishna Prasad Pant passed away Thursday evening. But unlike the other Hindus, the corpse was not cremated according to the Hindu rituals. Instead it was taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital as he had donated his corpse to the hospital for academic research.

As such he became the first Nepali to donate his body posthumously for research.

Pant, 69 was suffering from diabetes for long. He was admitted to the Birendra Army Hospital, Chhauni, for a couple of days with a kidney ailment, where he eventually succumbed to the disease at 6 p.m Thursday.

The corpse was handed over to the Executive Director of the TUTH, Mahendra Kumar Nepal and then taken in by the Anatomy Department of TUTH where they embalmed it to preserve it for the academic purposes.

Says Prof. Trilok Pati Thapa, head of TUTH Anatomy Department, "In basic medical science, medical students have to dissect human bodies for two years and so late Pant’s donation is a very moving act for he realised the importance in the making of a future doctor".

Normally TUTH uses the unclaimed corpses for dissecting which are handed over to the Anatomy Department by the hospital after the police clearance. And this is the first time a body is willingly donated for a good social cause.

According to Narayan Pant, a relative and colleague of late Pant, the deceased had decided to donate his body to the medical science just one and half months before his death. "He was a man of principle, very revolutionary...," he recalls.

Late Pant’s donation of his body definitely comes as a touching significance to the society, who broke all social barriers and norms for the benefit of the society.

"His sons and daughter, along with other family members accepted what their father had done as a decision taken to serve the social cause even after the death, " said Narayan Pant.

Pant had been practising legal profession since 1962 and in 1977 he became a senior advocate. In 1979, he became minister for Foreign Affairs, Law and Justice. He had also been a President of Nepal Bar Association. Late Pant was awarded the Gorkha Dakshin Bahu III. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.

He will be remembered for his outstanding contributions in the historical court cases on national issues like Tanakpur, Dasdhunga and work permit for the foreigners.

Nepal reiterates call for PM’s resignation

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KATHMANDU, July 13 – The leader of the main opposition, Madhav Kumar Nepal today reiterated that Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s resignation was mandatory before the opposition to support the government on any issue.

Nepal, was talking to the journalists in a face to face program held in the capital today.

On being told that the Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel had resigned from his post, Nepal said it was a good thing that finally a person in a responsible position had taken some responsibility over the events crippling the country. "If it is true then the Prime Minister will come under more pressure to resign," he said.

He even warned the Prime Minister saying that if his resignation did not come soon then the coming days would not be easy for smooth functioning of the Parliament. However, he refrained from mentioning if UML would obstruct this session too as it did in the last session.

Nepal even accused Prime Minister Koirala of being a liar, saying that the Prime Minister had promised that he would quit if the UML agreed to support the government on his 17 point agenda for development. "But he retracted his words, he did not talk about the 18th point which mentioned that he had to resign for all other points to be accepted," Nepal said.

Nepal added that the Nepalis had enough of one party rule and that it was high time to break the monopoly of Congress and Koirala and form "a real parliamentary government."

The General Secretary, also lashed out at the Maoists saying that they too were not trustworthy as they also retracted from their earlier stand. "First they were the ones to talked about the National government and now they are saying that they want to declare Nepal a republic and have rejected all ideas of all party meet."

He added that at the present context everyone had to obey the Constitutional Monarchy as long as it serves the interest of the nation. "This is a vital time and all the nationalist forces should join hands and work for the country."

When drawn attention that the Prime Minister had the option to go for a mid-term polls apart from quitting and that he had done the same before, Nepal said that UML was ready and would not shy away from anything.

Lightning kills 3 in Rolpa

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ROLPA, July 13 - At least three members of a family at remote Himalgaon village of Talabang VDC-3 were killed after being hit by thunderbolt on Monday, according to Man Singh Dangi, a District Development Committee member.

The village is located about 35 km west of Libang, the district headquarters.

Those killed have been identified as Suntala Gharti, 40, her daughter Nausari, 9, and her daughter-in-law Dhankali, 19. All of them died on the spot when their house caught a fire after being struck by the thunderbolt. Two buffaloes were also killed in the incident.

Details of property damaged by the natural disaster is yet to be assessed and no relief team has reached there so far. Dil Bahadur Gharti, the husband of deceased Suntali, was saved as he was out of the house when the lightning struck.