Probe panel report unlikely to go public before Monday

By Utpal Raj Misra

KATHMANDU, June 12 - The high level probe committee report that is expected to be submitted to His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on Thursday is unlikely to be made public till next Monday.

According to high level government sources, the report, contrary to the public expectations, could be made public only on Monday.

"Most probably the report is not going to be made public before the ceremony marking the 13th day rituals of His Late Majesty King Birendra," said a government official. "Since the 13th day ceremony falls on Saturday and Sunday is a public holiday it is likely that the report will be made public only on Monday."

Meanwhile, according to another highly placed source, the committee in an effort to give final touch to its report is inquiring people whom late King Dipendra talked to over his mobile phone before the incident.

The committee is trying to gather information from the last 10 people with whom the late King had conversation before the incident, said the source. The contact addresses of these 10 people were obtained from the memory chip of the late King’s mobile phone.

Another source has confirmed that the investigation committee on Monday sent a letter to Pashupati Shumshere Rana, a leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party and a lawmaker, requesting him to present his daughter, Devyani Rana, before the committee for inquiry. Miss Rana, was one of the 10 people with whom late King Dipendra had conversation before the incident.

Devyani Rana, according to unverified reports, flew to New Delhi and then to Moscow after her name was dragged by media into the controversy over the June 1 Royal carnage. Lawmaker Rana could not be reached for comments when contacted.

There were also unverified reports that the Nepali Embassy in New Delhi had been requested by the committee to inquire about Devyani’s whereabouts and send her back to the country for inquiry. The Deputy Chief of Mission at the Royal Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi, Madan Kumar Bhattarai, however, expressed ignorance about such request. While the Nepali Ambassador to New Delhi, Bhek Bahadur Thapa could not be contacted.

The two-member committee comprising Cheif Justice Keshab Prasad Upadhyay and Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament Taranath Ranabhat on Monday reportedly sought information from Supriya Shah, who was also supposed to be close to late King Dipendra.

The committee is investigating the Royal massacre that claimed the lives of King Birendra and nine other Royalties and Royal relatives.

Negotiations with Lauda in limbo

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KATHMANDU, June 12 – Although the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) management is prepared to hold negotiations with Lauda Air (Austria), they cannot do so unless the government either replaces or replenishes the RNAC Board, a top official of the Corporation said today.

"We have exchanged correspondence with Lauda Air officials and we are ready to hold negotiations with them," said the official, adding, "but the problem is that a full Board has first to meet and select the team for the negotiations."

The official added that the management "was waiting for the formation of the new Board and this is expected in a day or two". Four of the five Board members who had approved the RNAC-Lauda deal are in police custody now, facing charges of irregularities in the Lauda jet lease deal.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed a case in the Patan Appellate Court against former civil aviation minister Tarini Datt Chataut, seven RNAC officials and two executives of Lauda Air (Austria and Italy).

Meanwhile, the Lauda case hearing resumed in the court today after a gap of 10 days. Most of the defence counsel argued in favour of dismissing the case. On Wednesday, the two-member Bench is most likely to reach the final verdict.

Life returns to normal after extended break

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KATHMANDU, June 12- Almost three decades after King Mahendra’s demise that saw a-ten-day long break, the break that followed the June 1 Royal carnage, has been the longest ever public holiday to go down into the annals of Nepali history.

However, life in the Capital has hobbled back to normalcy Tuesday the 12th day of the state mourning declared by the government.

All the government offices remained open throughout the day, Tuesday, with some remaining open beyond the official hours transacting several days’ pending businesses.

Bir Bahadur Rayamajhi, Executive Director of The Nepal Rastra Bank (The Central Bank) said the financial transactions went on the record today. The country’s premier financial institution had Herculean task clearing off record transactions that extend beyond the official working hours.

Similarly, cash-strapped people thronged to withdraw their money to various government and private banks. "Our pockets had virtually run dry for several days," said Sanjay Mishra, who was seen heading to withdraw his money.

As the offices and banks are to remain close again on Thursday, for King Dipendra’s 11th-day death ceremony, people were seen in a hurry to get their much-awaited works done today itself.

"The public holiday that concluded today was the longest ever in my lifetime," said Tek Bahadur Dange, Director of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB). He also added that the flow of tourists was considerably larger compared to normal days.

According to officials at the tourist visa section of The Immigration Department, as many as six hundred tourists were endorsed visa extension. "We have no time for lunch, not even for answering the nature’s call," one of the officials at the visa counter said.

Sources at the Ministry of Health and the District Administration Office in Kathmandu said the day passed off smoothly. The officials at the Citizenship section of the Kathmandu CDO office however said that the crowd was half compared to normal times, today.

The Gongabu Bus Park remained busy as usual. Narayan, a bus driver from Biratnagar said, " There is no noticeable change in the pattern of bus passengers’ mobility." He further adds, "I have not seen any changes on the frequency of buses leaving the bus-park."

Court rejects Govt request for lengthy detention

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KATHMANDU, June 12 -The government today presented editor of Kantipur Yubaraj Ghimire and Kantipur Publications executives before a special court, almost a week after their detention.

In the first court appearance, the government asked that the trio be remanded into judicial custody for 25 days so as to allow time to complete the necessary investigations and file a charge-sheet.

However, the three-judge bench of the Special Court refused to grant the 25-day extension. Instead, it ordered the government to file a charge-sheet "if required" by 9:30 a.m. Friday morning. Otherwise, the three - editor Yubaraj Ghimire, and Kantipur Publications managing director and director, Kailash Sirohiya and Binod Raj Gyawali respectively - would be allowed to walk free.

The ruling was made by Special Court Chairman Mohan Prasad Sitaula and members Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Jagannath Pathak - the three judges on the bench.

Chairman Sitaula, while passing the order, asked the government attorneys to start taking statement of the three media personnel immediately, since they have already spent nearly a week in detention.

Giving the order, judge Sitaula said that after the statements were taken, the police could even decide to release the three, and ask them to appear before the court on fixed dates.

Commenting soon after the judgement, one of the defense lawyers, Daman Nath Dhungana, the former Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, told the press, "This is a favourable ruling... the government side should have come to the court after taking statements of the defendants."

The delay in recording the statements by the government side is clearly being seen as a tactic to extend their detention. But Dhungana said that with the court’s ruling, "there is no room for any further delay."

Soon after, the three Kantipur executives were rushed to the government attorney’s office to record their statements. However, only editor Ghimire’s statement could be recorded today. The remaining two will follow tomorrow.

Emerging from the marathon statement-recording session, editor Ghimire said: "Practice of journalism worldwide is basically to inform the reader, and that is what we did."

The three were arrested by the government on June 6 on charges of sedition after an opinion article by Maoist leader Dr Baburam Bhattarai was published that day in the newspaper. They have all been lodged at the Hanumandhoka Police Station.

Earlier at the Special Court, arguing from the defendants side Senior Advocate Daman Nath Dhungana said the government had committed errors in the arrest. He said that before going to the court, it should have clearly mentioned the laws under which the arrests were made. No such laws were quoted in the arrest warrants.

Advocates Radheshyam Adhikari and Ramkrishna Nirala, also representing defendants, stressed that there was no need to extend the remand period as the charge is not clear it does not mention the reason for their arrest.

Meanwhile, Second Secretary of the American Embassy, G. Donovan, made it a point to sit out through whole proceedings at the Special Court today. Talking to The Kathmandu Post, he said, "Our embassy has discussed this case with high level Nepalese government officials. We believe that free press is essential for vibrant democracy. In the past decade, Nepalese Press has become more independent in its reporting, and we welcome this as its encouraging development."

Expressing concern over the case he added, "We will continue to follow this case very closely."

Meanwhile, Kantipur Publications lawyers said they are still considering filing a writ of habeas corpus in the Supreme Court.

Federation of Nepalese Journalists - Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts branch today organised a rally that went around the city protesting the detention of the three media personnel demanding their immediate release.

‘Maoists recruiting child soldiers’

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KATHMANDU, June 12 - Children as young as 14-year-old are recruited, sometimes involuntarily, by the underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) against their commitment not to do so, says a report issued here today.

A report "Global report on Child Soldiers 2001" released here today says, "the recruitment of children is not yet a widespread problem but the symptoms are present." The report was made public by the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers, a group of child rights activists.

Analysing the global status of children, the report says, "more than half a million children are recruited into government forces and armed groups in more than 87 countries. And at least 300,000 of these children are actively fighting in 41 countries."

According to the report, the recruitment of children in the armed force is not far behind than the recruitment in underground Communist Party of Nepal, (Maoists). The government does not officially recruit under-18 but some enters the armed force through irregular means, the report says.

The members of the Steering Committee of the Coalition are Amnesty International, Defence For Children International, Human Rights Watch, Jesuit Refugee Service, Quaker United Nations Office-Geneva, Radda Barnen for the International Save the Children Alliance, International Federation Terre des Hommes and World Vision International, several regional NGOs from Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Dr Shahi unlikely to be court-martialed

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KATHMANDU, June 12 - The question as to whether or not Army Captain Dr Rajiv Shahi, the eyewitness to the Royal Palace massacre who went public with his graphic accounts, will be prosecuted still hangs in a balance.

Military sources today confirmed that Captain Dr Shahi has not yet been court-martialed but has only been "under questioning." "There is least chance of court-martial in Dr Shahi’s case, they added."

The sources, however, denied reports that Brigadier General Dr Durga Lal Joshy, chief at the Birendra Army Hospital, is also being prosecuted for allowing Dr Shahi to organize the press conference at the hospital.

During a hastily organized press briefing, Captain Dr Shahi had gone on record saying it was a "very very intoxicated" Crown Prince Dipendra who shot his entire family that fateful night. He had said that the then Crown Prince had not only fired indiscriminately from automatic rifles but also dashed repeatedly in and out of the large drawing room where the weekly dinner was taking place. His graphic accounts came even before the probe committee formed to look into the matter had started its work.

Meanwhile, according to his family sources, Captain Dr Shahi is already planning to quit his job. Captain Dr Rajiv, who is presently a medical student at the Capital’s Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, is married to Princess Pooja Shahi, the daughter of former Prince Dhirendra who also succumbed to bullet wounds received during the Palace carnage.

Leaders attack Foreign media

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KATHMANDU, June 12 - Leaders of various political parties today criticised the foreign media for their "inaccurate and malicious" reporting on the Narayanhiti Palace massacre and the events following the carnage.

"They did not only report inaccurately but they also overlooked the sentiments of the Nepali people", said the leaders.

Former Foreign Affairs Minister and the spokesperson of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Kamal Thapa at a face to face program organised in the Capital today lambasted the international media for "reporting without understanding the sentiments and sensitiveness of the Nepali people, the socio-dynamic complexities of Nepali society and the sensitiveness concerning the Nepali media."

The program was also attended by foreign media representatives.

Thapa referring to the reports printed and aired in recent days by the international and specially the Indian media regarding the Royal Palace massacre, requested to go for more hard facts rather than making "irresponsible reporting, " which hurts Nepali sentiments

He went to the extent of warning the Indian media saying, "if the Indian media failed to restrain themselves then it could affect the bilateral relations between the two countries in the long run."

Speaking on the same occasion Jhal Nath Khanal asked who fed the international media on the Royal carnage while the local media was kept in dark.

"Which was the source that fed the international media with the initial reports? This has become a subject for investigation," he said.

Khanal also lambasted Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel for making "irresponsible initial statements" over the incident.

Nightlife limping back to normal despite fear

By Tashi D Thinley

KATHMANDU, June 12 - The zing has vanished from the once humming and noisy atmosphere of the city’s most crowded areas like Durbar Marg and Thamel in the Capital. And, it might take sometime before the old spark becomes visible again.

The June 1 massacre at the Royal Palace has not only taken away the life of the beloved Royals, but has also killed the spirit of most of the Royal places in Kathmandu like Durbar Marg (King’s Way) and Thamel.

The lively restaurants, joints, discos and pubs normally lit up with crowd of people have a gloomy look nowadays. Since last week the silence is deafening. At 10 p.m. when the action is supposed to begin, it echoes with a graveyard silence, with not a soul in sight. And, those few who do dare take to the streets have to brave a numerous police checks.

The Durbar Marg parking lot, where cars and motorbikes vied for space till late into the night, now bear a deserted look right after the seven O’clock gong. According to the parking fee collectors at Durbar Marg pay parking area, the area becomes deserted by nine p.m. Popular restaurants like the Nanglo Pub and Cafe, Wimpy’s and others which usually remained open till 10 at night, now close at 8.30 p.m.

Likewise, Maheshwor Rai, a roadside cigarette vendor, who did brisk business till one o’clock in the morning, now has to pack up by 7.30 in the evening. Reading a follow up news regarding the massacre, he says, "See, the situation is like this in whole of the country, people are afraid of some kind of repercussions, so they don’t hang around late like before".

However, now things do seem to look brighter. Nightlife in Kathmandu seeks to be limping back to normal despite lingering fear.

The Durbar Marg located Nanglo restaurant has stated to remain open till 10 p.m., though with fewer patrons. Iros Bajracharya, the Nanglo restaurant manager says, "The crowd is definitely thin in the evenings".

The bloodshed at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace has sent a shiver of shock, grief, turmoil and confusion among the general masses. It has been more than a week since the incident took place but many are yet to come to terms with the tragedy that befell on the Royal Family and the Nation.

One cannot gauze how much the riots and the bandhs have helped to assertion the truth, but it certainly has created a lot of fear, suspicion and hostility in the country. Schools have re-opened but the parents are still hesitant to send their children to school.

Shanti Sherchan, a mother of two, says, "Our country has just seen the worst that has ever happened in the history of Nepal, but the bandhs and riots is not going to bring back what has been lost. The truth will come out if it has to. So, why let the country be held on ransom and fear."

A group of young entrepreneurs endorsing Sherchan says, "What happened is really sad, but now we need to move forward and live a normal life".

UML rejects Rawal’s resignation

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KATHMANDU, June 12 – The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) on Monday refused to accept the resignation of former civil aviation minister and party’s Central Committee member Bhim Bahadur Rawal, who has been implicated in the controversial China South West Airlines (CSWA) deal.

A three-member committee under party leader Bharat Mohan Adhikari absolved Rawal of any wrong-doing in the deal.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had implicated Rawal for alleged corruption in the RNAC-CSWA deal. Rawal, who was the civil aviation minister during the fourth renewal of the aircraft, had cleared the necessary foreign exchange for the lease deal. That was the first time, the RNAC entered a deal with the CSWA for the B-757 jet.

The previous three deals were of shorter duration not exceeding 60 days. There are also reports of kickbacks worth 300 US dollars per flight hour. The PAC, however, could not reach a final decision on the kickbacks. Besides Rawal, the PAC had also implicated former civil aviation minister Tarini Datt Chataut for approving the ninth renewal of the lease deal with the CSWA. The PAC has termed both the deals – the fourth and the ninth – corrupt, malafide and against the interests of the RNAC.

At that time, the UML had criticised the PAC verdict. But on Monday, the UML Central Committee, while rejecting Rawal’s resignation, was all praise for the PAC. It expressed its respect and commitment for the parliamentary committee’s decisions.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Subhash Nemwang, the Chairman of the (PAC) clarified that "he was absent at the time of the decision". When asked to comment if the UML decision would harm the reputation of the PAC, Nemwang replied in the negative.

Protect nationalism : Shailaja

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KATHMANDU, June 12 – Senior Nepali Congress leader Shailaja Acharya has said that the mainstream nationalist force has become weak following the death of Their Majesties the King and Queen.

The ruling Nepali Congress leader and former deputy prime minister Acharya expressed this view in a press statement issued here today.

"I appeal all my Nepali Congress friends to remain cautious to bear the responsibility of protecting the nation and democracy at the present circumstances," said Acharya in the press release.

She further added that external force has become strong at a time when the Royal force and people’s nationalist forces have become fragile following the Royal massacre on June 1.

Acharya said that the national identity could fall in danger when Royal force that can provide stability to the nation and the Nepali Congress party fighting for national liberation movement is in a weak position.

"The demand of an interim and national government put forward by other political parties, including the Maoists, should be viewed in present context," outspoken Acharya said in the statement, adding that the 1990’s Constitution and the monarchy itself is in crisis.

She said that NC leader BP Koirala’s historic statement that the King and his neck are tied together has become more meaningful in this volatile political atmosphere. The first democratically elected Prime Minister Koirala had made this statement some 25 years ago when he returned Nepal from India in self-exile.