33 killed in Dhading landslide
Rescue operations underway; toll could climb higher

By Sitaram Prasad Verma 

DHADINGBENSI, June 28 - At least 33 people, most of them from the same  community, were killed Tuesday night when a huge landslide caved in on a remote mountain settlement of Satyadevi village in northern Dhading district, reports said Thursday.

Of them, 28 people - three of them from the same family - were found buried under rubbles of a house, which was hit by the sudden mountainslide, while five others were swept away by the swollen Kalchet river, according to the police.

The details were sketchy, and officials said the toll could climb higher after more reports pour in from the remote village, which lies about 25 kilometres north of here, the district headquarters.

Police said quoting eyewitnesses that the victims were waiting for the torrential rains to subside inside Sukmaya Tamang’s house when the landslide hit the house all of a sudden. All of them were returning home after the day’s hard work in the paddy fields located on the banks of Kalchet river.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Dhading said that five people, who were also returning home from the day’s work in the Ropain field, went missing while crossing the flooded river on that fateful evening.

Locals recovered all 28 bodies from the debris while bodies of the five washed away by the river was found in the downstream area at Kintang Phedi Thursday.

After receiving information of the fatal incident, a rescue team led by Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hari Prasad Sapkota, Members of Parliament of Dhading 1 and 2 constituencies, Buddhiman Tamang and Ramnath Adhikari respectively, Chief District Officer (CDO), Anetra Prasad Sharma, and police officials visited the site by helicopter this morning.

CDO Sharma told The Kathmandu Post that the rescue team provided with Rs 238,000 to the bereaved families as immediate relief from the National Natural Disaster Relief Fund (NNDRF). Sharma said Rs 10,000 was provided to the relatives of each of the deceased and an additional amount of Rs 4,000 to those who were from the same family.

Lawmaker Tamang and Adhikari have expressed deep sorrow over the tragic demise of such a large number of people in a single natural disaster and expressed their heart-felt condolences to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, in the Capital, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel took stock of the natural disaster that occurred during the previous years and assessed the rescue operations carried out in the past.

According to a press release issued by Home Ministry spokesperson, the meeting also held discussions on the ways to minimize natural disasters likely to occur in the future. The meeting has decided to make all government agencies fully-prepared to cope with any impending natural disasters.

CDO Sharma have identified those perished in the natural disaster as Yojom Tamang, Maila Tamang, Kuiri Tamang, Chi Jom Tamang, Krishna Tamang, Deshimaya Tamang, Urba Tamang, Pinke Tamang, Dharmen Tamang and Sekya Tamang, Mala Lama Tamang, Chojon Tamang, Shambhu Tamang, Poijen Lamo Tamang, Maruwati Tamang, Garbe Tamang, Kake Tamang, Mayawati Tamang, Menchalmo Tamang, Urcha Lamo Tamang, Kasawati Tamang, Kanch Jon Tamang and Kami Lama Tamang.

Bomb explosion rocks Capital
One policeman injured

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, June 28 – In a high-voltage drama played out early today right in the heart of the capital, a sub-inspector of police was injured while trying to defuse one of the four bombs apparently placed there by Maoist rebels, creating terror and panic among the local residents and shop-owners.

This is the first time that the underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) had targeted any busy place which is crowded all the time. Their earlier attacks were targetted basically on the ministers, political leaders and policemen’s homes.

The bags containing crude home-made bombs were strung on a rope from pole to pole opposite Ganesh temple at Machhindra Bahal near Indrachowk, and were first detected around 6.30 a.m today. They might have passed unnoticed had it not been for a red banner with white letters in Nepali. The banner contained anti-King and anti-PM slogans, denouncement of the Public Security Regulation and lauding of the underground CPN (Maoist). In a separate paper strewn on the banner was the warning: Please do not touch this banner. There was also the skull and bone danger mark.

According to the locals, no one thought that the innocent-looking bags contained bombs. The local Jansewa Police Station was informed immediately and according to one of the locals the police team arrived at 6.45 a.m. The police first cordoned off the area on all the sides and called the bomb-defusal squad.

How the bombs were hung there was not clear. However, some of the local onlookers said that a group of people had hung the banner and the bombs on the pretext of fixing electric wire of a pole near one Roop Jyoti Kansakar’s house. They said the street lamp was first put out of order. Locals also said that the Maoists had taken out a rally last night.

It was at 9.20 am when the squad began the arduous task of defusing the bombs. Ten minutes later, one of the policemen pulled the second of the four bags down and handed it to Sub-Inspector Birendra Shrestha. When Shrestha kept the bag on the ground, the bomb inside it went off. He was not wearing any protective outfits. The SI sustained injuries on his nose, arms and knees and is undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital. The explosion also shattered the glass panes of Kansakar’s three-storied house.

The army-men arrived at 10.30 a.m., and using x-ray instruments to find the nature of the bombs defused the other three bombs with Pic Stick in a hastily dug hole at the spot. One of the army-men was helped into a bullet-proof gear and then with the help of rope and pulley, each of the bags were pulled and lowered into a hole dug nearby and defused one by one. A minor explosion was heard each time. Tyres and bricks were used to shield the hole. The last of the bombs was defused at 1 p.m.

While this operation was going on, the police had tough time in controlling huge crowds in the nearby three lanes of Keltole. Once the lathi-wielding policemen had to push and chase the crowd in one of the lanes causing a minor stampede. However, no one was injured. There were people on the surrounding rooftops who would not want to miss the action despite police asking them not to do so.

Though no one has taken the responsibility, it is widely believed that the underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) was responsible for hanging the bombs. This belief is because of the banner that had the name of the underground communist party that has been waging an armed struggle for the last six years. Police officials on the spot said it was the handiwork of the Maoists.

A group of local people who did not want to be named said that the Maoists were now increasing their activities in the heart of the capital that too boldly. Most of them also heavily criticized the Maoists for hanging the bombs in such a manner at a public place "that could have taken innocent lives".

18 die of snake bites in Kailali

Post Report

TIKAPUR, Kailali, June 28 - Death toll from snake bites has climbed to 18 in this far-western Terai district since the onset of this year’s monsoon June 3, officials said Thursday.

A couple from Dhanachaiya village of the eastern Pratappur VDC-4 died of snake bite on Wednesday night. The couple have been identified as Devi Prasad Neupane, 52 and his wife Bel Kasara Neupane, 45. A poisonous krait bit them while they were as sleep.

A local, Purna Prasad Koirala, said that they succumbed to the venom while undergoing traditional healing at their village. Koirala said the couple could not be taken to hospital as it had become too late.

Similarly, officials at the Seti zonal hospital in Dhangadhi, the district headquarters, said that of the total 17 cases of snake bite admitted at the hospital, four of them died as of Thursday.

Likewise, Tikapur-based Primary Health Centre said two people died of the snake bite on Wednesday.

Journos urge govt to scrap PSR-2001

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 28 - Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) today urged the government to scrap the recently formulated Public Security Regulation-2001 which has come under serious attack from various quarters.

"The Public Security Regulation-2001, which attempts to limit the democratic rights of the people is against the spirit of the Constitution," said Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) President Suresh Acharya.

"Our attention has been drawn from the formulation of such regulation which is an attempt to narrow down the press freedom," said Acharya. "The Press and Media feels that the government currently, in a step by step manner, is trying to curtail freedom of press and expression as guaranteed by the Constitution," Acharya added.

Acharya also condemned the government’s raid on Paru Offset Press on June 27 which has been printing "Dishabodh", a vernacular monthly newspaper.

Meanwhile, various legal experts today pointed out that the government’s recent formulation of the regulation is unconstitutional and requires to be scrapped.

Speaking at an interaction programme held at Nepal Bar Association (NBA), former Speaker and Senior Advocate Daman Nath Dhungana said that the Public Security Act-2046 BS based on which the Public Security Regulation-2001 is formulated is in itself unconstitutional.

High Level Committee report draws mixed reaction

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 28- Even as dozens of organizations related to education sector shared their optimistic flavor about the contents of report of the High Level Commission that was opened for criticism Thursday, Private and Boarding School Organizations Nepal (PABSON) pointed out a serious flaw in it.

Speaking at an interaction forum organized by the Education Journalists’ Group (EJG) at the capital, Bhoj Bahadur Shah, General Secretary of PABSON came down heavily against the report saying it had failed to address their even single recommendation.

"The report is silent on the future of private individual and groups who own more than 95 per cent of private schools out of their private income," he said adding that the report had gone contrary to their wishes.

The report had recommended the government that no private individual or group can open schools for profit motive. Even if they do, they have to operate for just cost-recovery. "It looks dubious whether the recommendation seeks the promotion of private sector or dismantle them," said a top educationist unwilling to reveal his name.

While some say the report suits dictatorial type of governance saying it had forced limitations on the number of text books on the children. "No one can set limit to the children’s capacity to learn, " parents voiced.

However, several others who gathered here hailed the report as pragmatic and realistic but said they were still doubtful whether or not the recommendations would be implemented.

Dr Man Prasad Wagle, member of the High Level Committee said highlighting the main points of the report saying education was to be made institutional and not individual and that education system is to be developed on the lines of long-term vision.

Match re-scheduled for Nepali cricket team

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 28 - The organisers of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy tournament has rescheduled the match programme for the Nepali cricket team, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) confirmed Thursday.

Earlier CAN, considering the lack of time that Nepal would get before taking to the field against Namibia in their opening match on June 28, had appealed to the tournament organisers to reschedule the programme. Nepal missed both of its practice matches, which were schedule for June 25 and 26 against Bermuda and Ireland respectively.

According to a CAN press release, the Nepali cricket team, due to leave for Toronto on June 23, could set off only on June 25 owing to the denial of visa to four of its players. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi denied visas to team captain Raju Khadka, Khush Gurung, Raj Kumar Pradhan and Birendra Bikram Shah. However, following ICC’s request to the Canadian Prime Minister’s office, the High Commission issued visas to the four reserved players through fast track, the press release adds.

According to the rescheduled programme, Nepal plays its second match against Gibraltar on July 1, which will be followed by matches against West Africa and Germany on July 3 and 5 respectively.

A total of 23 non-Test playing countries are vying for the top three spots in the tournament for the automatic qualification for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

Koirala’s record could undo his consensus bid

By Suman Pradhan

KATHMANDU, June 28 –  Judging by the reactions to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s 14-point national consensus agenda, the septuagenarian leader finally seems to have done something right.

After all, even the vehemently anti-Koirala Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) has refrained from attacking the PM’s agenda for its worth. If anything, UML leaders have issued cautious welcomes even as they try to spin that it was actually their agenda.

The same can be said of the UML’s estranged cousin – the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist). The third largest party, RPP, meanwhile, is too mired in its own internal squabbles to pose much of a threat to the Prime Minister. In any case, its leaders also claim that much of Koirala’s agenda was first thought out by RPP president Surya Bahadur Thapa.

From what can be read between the lines of the public statements of the opposition parties, the Prime Minister’s agenda, then, is a step in the right direction, or so they feel. But does it mean that the opposition will relent and allow Koirala a smooth sailing in the on-going budget session of parliament?

"The agenda as such is not bad, but whether or not it succeeds depends much on the modus operandi of both the government and opposition," says Prof. Lok Raj Baral, a political scientist. "At the operational level, they may not succeed."

At the moment, both the ruling and opposition sides are busy strategizing for the crucial budget session. While the Congress, as Koirala has called already, wants to forge national consensus – and thereby score political points – the opposition communists loathe to play into the hands of the ruling party.

That explains why despite all the positive tones emanating out of the opposition, they are still in their anti-Koirala mode. Witness the fresh call by UML leaders for Koirala’s resignation over the Lauda Air scandal – an issue that disrupted the last parliamentary session. Also, the UML hasn’t lost sight of its original goal of thwarting the key Royal ordinances on the Armed Police Force (APF) and regional administrators which were re-promulgated by the Late King Birendra in April and which must now be passed within 57 days. Even RPP legislators have banded together to thwart the APF ordinance.

The ordinances are certain to emerge as the key litmus test of government-opposition cooperation in this parliamentary session, and it is on this issue - on this one alone - that Koirala’s overall national consensus agenda will live or die. Most of the rest of the 14-point agenda is a no-brainer because both the Nepali Congress and the UML have come around to hold similar positions on many of them.

Property rights for daughters? Sure, say both. Pass the anti-corruption bills? Certainly. Strengthen the PM’s position? Of course. The sticking points could be Koirala’s urging all the political parties to call a moratorium on bandhs for 10 years. Communist leaders are certain to reject that, as they will the ordinance on the APF and the regional administrators.

Beefing up the PM’s authority is a significant issue, and Koirala’s claims that the PM’s position has been eroded in the last several years, points to an important shift in Congress thinking. It is true that the Prime Minister’s prerogative to dissolve parliament has been constricted by past Supreme Court rulings, notably by the 1995 verdict, but never has the Congress admitted that.

The UML, which was at the receiving end of that verdict however has always maintained that the court rulings have taken the stick away from the Prime Minister’s hands. Was Koirala hinting to the same sort of thinking when he called to strengthen the PM’s position? If so, the UML can only be supportive of that.

But doubts remain about Koirala’s intentions simply because of his record. The Congress supremo has never tired of clinging to the Prime Minister’s chair, and in fact has used all tactic at his disposal to oust rivals repeatedly and become Prime Minister himself. With this history, does his explanation that he was only trying to strengthen the PM’s position (by refusing to quit) hold any water?

According to Prof Baral, the Congress is as responsible as the opposition communists and the Royal Palace in helping to erode the authority of the Prime Minister in these 11 years of democracy. And by that reasoning, Koirala, as the longest-serving Prime Minister and Congress supremo must share much of the blame for the erosion of authority which he now so decries.

In the final analysis, then, Koirala’s 14-point agenda for national consensus may have won some plaudits, but questions from the past will continue to cast doubt on his present intentions.

PM steadfast on 14 point agenda

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 28 – Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala today reiterated his commitment to take the 14-point agenda, proposed by him during the first day of the parliament session, to a logical conclusion.

During the almost four hours Nepali Congress (NC) Parliamentary Party (PP) meet at the PM’s residence, Baluwatar, Koirala said that he had already talked to representatives of various parties informally before he tabled the proposal.

Koirala, as in the past, has been seeking consensus from other political parties to throw their support behind his new agenda.

"I am working for the interest of the people and the solution I have proposed is not just for some individual or organization but for the entire 20 million people, constitutional monarchy and democracy," Koirala said.

On the first day of the Session on Monday, Prime Minister Koirala called on all political forces to forge national consensus on several major issues. Topping his 14-point agenda was his call to remove ambiguity over the power of the PM and finding constitutional and legal solutions to conflicts in the nation. Also high on his priority list was his call to fashion a minimum policy-level understanding to make the relations between the government and the opposition transparent and better managed.

The Prime Minister also laid stress on all-party commitment on the government’s security and development package and their agreement to the necessary joint programs. He also proposed a ban on the strikes and bandhs for 10 years for which he asked the parties’ support declaring the next decade as a decade of economic reconstruction.

"Giving the right suggestions to the leaders and party workers is our primary duty. Taking the PM’s proposal to a logical end like he suggested is the only way out of the present situation for safeguarding of the nation, party and the multiparty democracy," Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel told reporters after the meeting.

Former Prime Minister and Koirala’s opponent in the party Sher Bahadur Deuba too said that Koirala’s proposal should be implement but at the same time reiterated his stance that Koirala should resign.

"I am not going to force the Prime Minister to resign but there should be an appropriate solution to the present situation," Deuba said. He said that if the current parliamentary Session was to be stalled like the last one, the only remaining alternate would be mid-term polls, which was not possible. "We need to seek an early resolution to the situation and move ahead taking all the parties into confidence," he said.

There were also concerns raised by some members over tabling the agenda without first discussing it in the party accusing Koirala of bypassing the party.

During his speech to the members, he also said that NC was not trying to split smaller parties like Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), NC in the beginning had reached into an agreement with RPP for the National Assembly election.

RPP later changed their mind and joined hands with the main opposition CPN-UML plunging RPP into confusion and differences between the leaders in the party.

Dishabodh condemns police raid

Post Report

KATHMANDU, June 28 - Dishabodh Monthly today condemned the police attack on the press where the monthly is published.

"This is an attack on democracy itself not only on freedom of press ," a release issued by the magazine states today.

Around 25 policemen in civil dresses raided Paru Printing Press at Dillibazar Wednesday evening and seized around 600 copies of the magazine.

The policemen first asked the whereabouts of the printed magazines. Then they took away the whole lot, saying that they would bring back them the next day, it says.

The release, signed by the editor Dirgharaj Paudyal says that the government is increasing attack on press by bringing in the "black law" of the Panchayati system and trying to snatch away people’s right to express. It adds, "No pen will be weakened by such suppression, rather, it will become stronger than ever."

Meanwhile, a monthly from Hetauda, Janamukhi, also criticized the government’s step to camp down the freedom of press.

"This step of entering press premises, abusing and threatening the staff is against the mandate of the people’s movement of 1990. The government of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has come to don Marichman’s attire," it states.

Marichman Singh was the prime minister of Nepal during the people’s movement of 1990.

It urges the people to join hands to fight against this step came as it is an indication by the government to bring back autocracy again.