Special rituals held to mark 13th day

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KATHMANDU, June 16 - The 13th day purification   rituals of His Late Majesty. King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Her Late Majesty Queen Aishwarya Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah and other members of the Royal Family were performed in accordance with Vedic traditions at the Narayanhity Royal Palace

Officials at the Palace said the 13th day purification rites of His Late Majesty King Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and His late Royal Highness Prince Nirajan was also performed today at the Palace.

Sets of bedding, dresses and other expensive objects were donated to priests as part of the traditional rituals, according to them.

His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, Her Majesty Queen Mother Ratna Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah and other members of the Royal Family attended the rituals, according to RSS, the sate-owned news agency.

UML takes probe report positively

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KATHMANDU, June 16 - Two days after the high powered committee came out with its report on the Narayanhity Royal palace carnage of June 1, the main opposition party CPN-UML said that the party has taken the report in a positive note, a press release issued by the party central office stated today.

According to the release, a meeting of the Standing Committee of the party after an extensive study of the probe committee’s report came up with the conclusion.

However, the main opposition party which has been demanding resignation of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala over his alleged involvement in the infamous Lauda Air Scandal since more than six months did not loose this opportunity to lash out at the "incompetence" of the government.

"The role of the government has been ineffective in all the ways regarding this tragic incident. The government remained as a helpless spectator and it seems like everyone else is trying to shy away from taking the responsibility of the incident. This type of attitude is very painful, grave and dangerous for any democratic system," the release stated.

The release also added that His Majesty the King, on the day the committee presented the report, had asked the government through the Prime Minister, to "work on the things mentioned on the report, if necessary, in accordance with the Constitution and the law and inform the citizens of the country the facts as soon as possible." According to which, the party demands that the government fulfil the responsibility given by the King.

The party also raised its concern over the security arrangement of the Royal Palace stating that the party’s attention was caught by the "flaws and weaknesses over the security arrangement of the Royal Palace" as mentioned in the report. UML has asked the government to give a serious thought over remodelling the security arrangements and traditional practices of the Royal Palace, making it more practical and in tune with present times.

The release also added that UML has taken the incident and the situation of the country very seriously keeping international global politics in mind and feels that the other parties should do the same.

Meanwhile, another Communist Party the Marxist, Leninist and Maoists (MALEMA) have stated that the party feels the report brought out by the committee has made the incident more "suspicious".

A press release, issued by the party, also states that the events after the carnage have increased the possibilities of the country being ruled by the autocratic force, and also increased the activities of the imperialists and expansionists. "Therefore the party feels that all the democratic forces should come together," adds the release.

At the same time National People’s Front also, issuing a press release, has said that the party denounces the arrests of the General Secretary of the party, Navaraj Subedi and cadre Bhim Bahadur Budhathoki, Mohan Subedi, Buddhi Prakash Pokhrel and Balkrishna Timilsina and demanded their immediate release.

It also states that the party members were arrested while trying to put forward the party’s view over the probe committee’s report at local Bhotahiti. The release also claims that the committee’s report has come as a cover up to hide the true facts of the incident.

I/NGOs call for political will to control girl trafficking

By Subas Risal

KATHMANDU, June 16 - There has been a remarkable growth in the number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social pressure groups campaigning to stop trafficking in women and girls in recent years, but lack of political will has hampered their efforts.

Activists and experts closely following the developments say that at least a dozen such organisations or groups are active nation-wide to stop girl trafficking, a social problem that has been staying around for centuries in remote and not-so-well-off parts of the country.

Such NGOs like the Maiti Nepal, WOREC, ABC-Nepal, and such INGOs like Planate Enfante, Save the Children US, UK and Norway have put considerable efforts in recent years to combat the problem. This has also helped instil awareness among the rural masses, especially the vulnerable groups.

But activists say, Nepal would have gone a long way in controlling the age-old social malaise had there been "indispensable political commitment from such leading parties as the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN-ML, RPP and so on.

"There is a total lack of political commitment or will to curb girl trafficking in Nepal," says Sunil Sainju, Programme Officer of Planate Enfante, a French INGO working to control trafficking in women. "Even the ruling and the main opposition parties have been found patronising girl traffickers. The nexus between the politicians and the traffickers is a major hurdle to combat this problem."

Another activist with the Maiti Nepal goes on to blame that the parliamentarians have always "trivialise the issue" and they have never raised the issue seriously. "To curb the problem," he says, "politicians of the trafficking-prone areas should stay alert."

And it is not that the politicians have stayed mum; they have at least paid lip service. Addressing a workshop on trafficking problem in the Capital in 1999, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala expressed his - and his party’s - "firm commitment and absolute determination" to combat the problem.

Activists, however, say that the commitment is far from implemented, as the problem is showing no signs of abating. According to them, trafficking in women and girls has not stopped from the hills and plains of Nepal. Instead it has seen a "double-digit growth" with markets ever-expanding; the market has now expanded from India’s Kolkata and Mumbai and Delhi to larger cities of the East Asia and the Gulf in the last one decade.

Much as other activists, Sapana Pradhan Malla, a noted women’s rights activist says that the country’s law enforcing mechanism is poor, and points out the need to strengthen the same. Nepal has enough laws—such as the Muluki Ain, and a separate law dealing with the issue of human trafficking—to discourage the ill trend.

She adds, "Parliamentarians should take the lead in their constituencies and work to instilling awareness among the communities there. And on the other hand, consultations between the central governments of Nepal and India and other countries should be there.

Sahana Pradhan, women’s rights activist and president of Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) said in 1999 that Nepal and India need to address the issue by working together. While the government officials claim that bilateral consultations has started in this direction, NGO activists say not much headway has been made.

According to NGO estimations, between 5,000-7,000 girls and women, mostly belonging to ethnic minorities, are trafficked mainly to India and other countries from Nepal every year. In India alone there are at least 200,000 Nepali women serving as commercial sex workers.

7 Nepali girls rescued from Delhi brothel

KATHMANDU, June 16 (PR)- Out of the ten minor girls rescued from a brothel in central Delhi on Thursday, seven were brought from different parts of Nepal and were to be forced into prostitution, The Delhi Age reported Saturday. The remaining three were from Mumbai, India.

"The girls are tight lipped to all our queries," the paper quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police Crime and Railways, MS Upadhye as saying. "The girls would perhaps disclose to the NGO workers how they were brought to the city and the entire saga of being forced into prostitution." The paper adds the girls, who were rescued in a surprise raid in GB Road, are believed to be in the age group of 15 to 16. "The age can be even less," a senior police officer was quoted as saying. The girls were scheduled to be produced in a special juvenile court on Saturday, according to the paper.

Intellectuals debate on the status of Dipendra

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KATHMANDU, June 16 – Since the report of the High Level Probe Committee made public Thursday draws a strong inference that the then Crown Prince Dipendra pulled the trigger and killed King Birendra and other family members, many have now questioned whether Dipendra’s name should actually remain in history records as the King.

The then Crown Prince Dipendra was declared King by the Royal Council on June 2, while he was in coma, following the June 1 Royal Palace massacre where he reportedly shot himself after shooting his parents and other Royalties.

"How can a murderer, who did not only kill his parents but the King and Queen, loved and respected most in modern Nepalese history by Nepali people, be recorded as the King of Nepal?" Ameer Khatiwada, a youth from Khumaltar, Lalitpur questions.

Bishal Dahal of New Baneshwor, Kathmandu also argues that His Late Majesty Dipendra’s name should not be recorded as the King for having committed regicide (and patricide). "Even if there are constitutional difficulties, he can be rejected of the title on the factual ground that he was not crowned and also was not enthroned," he said.

In the first place, the Royal Council should not have declared the then Crown Prince as King unless he was cleared off all the allegations that he killed late King Birendra and others, he argued further.

However, a senior constitutional lawyer argues that the Royal Council had no option but to declare the then Crown Prince as the King. "When the then King Birendra was declared dead, Dipendra was surviving and the Royal Council was right in giving him the benefit of doubt since it was not established by then that he had pulled the trigger himself."

Another lawyer, however, points out that even if the Royal Council had a clear proof that the then Crown Prince was the murderer, it still couldn’t prevent him from being the King. "The only ground on which the Council can deny the legitimate heir of the throne is after proving him physically and mentally unfit for the throne." Unfortunately, the Constitution does not deny throne to the heir on the charges any crime or murder may it be, he added.

The Constitution is even more silent on expunging one’s name as the King posthumously. " The Constitution doesn’t provide any space for the Royal Council to revert its own decision regarding the selection of the King…Neither does it provide any authority to it to obliterate one’s name as the King," said Govinda Prasad Upadhyay, former member of the Royal Council.

These constitutional difficulties to erase His Late Majesty Dipendra’s name as the King of Nepal from records come as good news to historians, who often advocate the recording of events "as it happens". "The history should be written as it happened and the truth is that then Crown Prince Dipendra was indeed declared King by the Royal Council — No one can change that," says a lecturer of history at the Tribhuvan University.

He further said, "We would do justice to History only if we clearly write that Crown Price Dipendra became the King for two days (while in coma) after killing his father and mother."

"He may remain as one of the greatest villains in the minds of many Nepalis right now…but he should also remain as the King in the records of history."

Another historian Dr Jagadish Chandra Regmi also says that many people have ascended to the throne after assassinating the King in the power game. "If we follow the Royal customs, we should accept His Late Majesty Dipendra as the King," said Regmi.

More and more switching to naturopathy

By Ghanashyam Ojha

KATHMANDU, June 16 - Kali Prasad Rijal, an eminent litterateur would most probably be still huddling up in his bed with severe backache had he not met Tara Bahadur Basnet, an acupressurist.

"He suggested me to try acupressure, and I am feeling better now," Rijal says proudly. "Naturopathy provided me that cure and relief, which none of the allopathic medicines, I had taken previously, gave me."

And he is not the only one switching to naturopathy, after failing to get satisfactory results from allopathy, the modern and scientific method of treatment. These days hundreds of others too are switching to naturopathy, which they say, is affordable and side-effect-free.

For four years, Rijal, in his sixties, could not even go about doing his daily activities properly due to the pain. He visited "almost all the doctors" in the Valley, and spent about Rs 50-60,000. He was even told to undergo an operation, a suggestion he always refused to follow.

He had almost given up hope of taking to his feet again before one of his friends suggested him to meet Basnet. After letting his painful body to be pressed for about 15 times by the doctor, he felt as if he never had any problems.

Acupressure is a part of naturopathy, a natural way of treatment, according to which, patients are treated without applying any medicine, says Basnet, who runs a clinic at Teku in the Capital.

According to him, there are 14 meridian points in our body that produce electromagnetic power and keep our bodies fit. Any disorder in the meridian causes imbalance in the electromagnetic power, which is followed by problems in the entire body.

"We press those points and bring them in order so that power is reproduced and the patient gets relieved in no time", says Basnet.

Apart from Basnet, there are many natural clinics flourishing in the Capital. Dr T. N. Pathik, who has been providing similar service for the last ten years, says that naturopathy is the best of all methods to treat patients.

Pathik claims to be the first person to pioneer naturopathy in Nepal after Dr Kashi Raj who brought the method from India in 2029 B.S (1972 AD).

According to Pathik, the Universe is made up of five elements; wind, water, sky, fire and earth, known as Pancha Tatwa, and our bodies are also made up with these five elements. The naturopaths bring those five elements in accord with one’s body and treat the patients.

The problems, as he states, like asthma, high blood pressure, sinusitis, polio, ulcer, paralysis, diabetes, severe aches and even cancer can be treated through naturopathic treatment.

Pathik claims that naturopathy can treat any cases except for some that require major operations. "However, people first move around all the distinguished doctors, get impoverished and only then they resort to naturopathy", laments he. " People need to have faith on us", he adds.

Kosh Raj Neupane, Professor in Nepali Department T.U., was also suffering from severe pain in his whole body. He visited all renowned doctors in Kathmandu till his pocket was thick. None of the doctors, according to him, could identify what had actually happened to him. Tired and desperate, he finally went to Tara Bahadur who relieved him of his ailments only in fifteen days.

According to Dr Pathik, there are about 51 clinics providing service in the Capital including Patan and Bhaktapur.

Insurgency hampers dev works in Dang

By Ganesh Raj Acharya

DANG, June 16 - Not so long ago, this small town of Ghorahi in the inner-Terai region used to be the entry point to all the districts in the Rapti zone.

Locals at Tribhuvan Nagar, now popularly known as Ghorahi, still recall the days when thousands passed through the town each day.

But this once agriculturally booming town, however, has unfortunately come to a drastic pullover in development since the district has been experiencing the aftershocks of Maoist insurgency in the recent years.

"Three irrigation projects are presently in progress in Bagmare VDC with many other development works in the district at grass root level. However, despite the development works, the district is experiencing problems due to the Maoist insurgency," says Gehendra Giri, a lawmaker from Dang district.

Furthermore, besides the insurgency, alternative road leading upto Pyuthan district from Bhalubang, another Terai town in Dang, has stolen away the busy center status Ghorahi used to enjoy previously.

Elderly still recall, when buses blowed their horns in Ghorahi early morning — all destined to reach Pyuthan on time via the older route via Sisne Khola. However, yet the locals haven’t lost the hope that Ghorahi might still play an active role in the district.

"Economic activities may be slow here right now, but the district still continues to play a profound role on the national politics," says Rameshwor Sharma, a teacher in a local boarding school. "Even the local media is doing well though other development sectors are not functioning so well."

A government official points out the decreasing trend of court cases filed in the Maoist affected areas in the district. "There are even days when no cases are filed at all these days," the official says.

According to a shopkeeper in Tulsipur, the zonal headquarters of Rapti in Dang, the number of trucks plying upto Salyan has also dropped drastically since the impact of the Maoist rebels spread towards this Mid-Western district.

"Even the businesses are not doing well and people have refused to invest much since the Maoist rebels started arriving here," says the shopkeeper.

Moreover, unemployed youths from the hilly region have started to opt India for work as they have been constantly under pressure from both the government and the Maoists.

"The tendency of the locals migrating from the hills towards the headquarters was prevalent only in Rolpa district so far ...But the same is also started to be seen here now," says Balram Sharma, a social worker.

The problem has been of concern to many of the people here. So, all of them urge the government to act quickly, basically to maintain peace and sense of security to locals.

Kamala Sharma, a masters-level student from Dang, says: "Development works will go on here unhindered ...If the government provides security to investors, things will move ahead smoothly and even the unemployment problem might be solved in greater extent."

Lawmaker Giri agrees. "Some local development programs may be doing well. But the Maoist issue has to be tackled right at the national perspective soon," he says.