PM Koirala fails to win priority status

Jospin held talks on Tuesday at the latter’s Matignon Palace offices here, but sources indicated that Nepal failed to convince the French to uncork priority development funds - Koirala’s stated aim before departing for a four-day official visit of France.

Though Koirala said the meeting with his host was "a satisfactory one," he did not elaborate. He remained tight-lipped when asked for further details. But sources within his entourage as well as French officials have both indicated that Nepal will not feature in the priority list of French aid recipient countries.

Meanwhile, the French news agency AFP, in a news dispatch from Paris, also said: "Koirala had met his French counterpart Lionel Jospin but apparently failed in a bid to have his country added to a list of priority French aid recipients."

Koirala, the first elected Nepali Prime Minister to visit France and the first government chief from the Himalayan kingdom to come in 151 years, made no statement on leaving Jospin’s Matignon palace, said AFP.

Later in the day, PM Koirala addressed the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) where he made a pitch on behalf of landlocked and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). He said such nations require special consideration to augment their resources and build institutional ability in order to bring them into mainstream of international development.

"Liberalization, free trade and globalization have created such a forceful wave that many countries have become vulnerable to the shocks of the international economy," he said. "Their capacity to withstand and respond to the swings of international situation is rather limited," he added. "Therefore, Nepal has called for a new financial architecture that could give due consideration to the plights of the developing countries..."

Fielding questions from reporters, PM Koirala, Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola and Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat made Nepal’s position clear on delicate issues like the Maoist insurgency, Bhutanese refugees and the cooperation among SAARC neighbours.

"We have been sending our peacekeeping forces under the umbrella of UN. But unfortunately, Nepal is facing a big challenge at its own backyard," Koirala said.

However, he explained the government is trying to hold dialogue with the rebels, as well as take development packages to the insurgency-hit areas. "We don’t know their demand," Koirala said. "Our door is always open for talks and we’re patiently waiting them to come to the table."

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Mahat, underlining French being one of the prominent tourists coming to Nepal every year expressed the necessity to extend the relations beyond tourism. "There are so many fields that France could lend its support to Nepal," he said. "France has been little shy of providing assistance beyond Francophone countries. However, we’re hopeful that the situation will improve in the coming days."

Foreign Minister Bastola, giving account of the Bhutanese refugee issue said the preparation to verify the identity of the refugees is on process following the 10th round of ministerial level talks with the Bhutanese delegates last December in Kathmandu.

DPM denies knowledge of ‘missing’ rebels

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KATHMANDU, March 7 – The country’s officiating Prime Minister does not know anything about the fate of a key "missing" rebel whose whereabouts, among others, has been demanded repeatedly by Maoist rebels.

The whereabouts of Dandapani Neupane is still shrouded in mystery. When The Kathmandu Post contacted Poudel in the Home Ministry, the country’s officiating Prime Minister had this to say: "I know nothing about Dandapani (Neupane)." The government released the names of 294 Maoist rebels on Tuesday. The Maoists have reportedly expressed fear that he has been killed.

The underground rebels have been demanding that the government should make public the whereabouts of Neupane, along with other key figures, as a pre-condition for talks.

Just around the time when Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister held a secret but unofficial talks with Rabindra Shrestha, central committee member of Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), the underground party had given a list of 73 rebels whose whereabouts they wanted the government to make public.

The list made public yesterday by DPM Poudel does not contain several names that the Maoists had mentioned in their list of 73 rebels. Neupane is one of them.

Replying to a question if the release of names is part of unofficial agreement between the government and the rebels, Poudel said, "There is no such thing."

The DPM also denied that yesterday’s development was influenced by the present political turmoil. The government, particularly Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala who is on official visit to France till Thursday, is facing a tough time in the parliament that has been disrupted by the opposition demanding the PM’s resignation for his alleged complicity in the infamous RNAC-Lauda Air deal.

Reacting to Neupane black-out and the DPM’s comment on it, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, prominent human rights activist who had previously brokered the first unofficial talk between DPM Poudel and Shrestha, expressed his surprise at Poudel’s comment.

"The name of Neupane, along with Matrika Yadav and Ishwori Dahal, is a much publicised figure, so how can he say he does not know his whereabouts?" questioned Tuladhar.

Commenting on the government’s ploy of showing recent arrest of long-held missing Maoist rebels, Tuladhar asserted that the government had detained the rebels unlawfully and was resorting to the tactic so that it could make public the names of the rebels. "Matrika Yadav has been in custody since March 25 last year but has been shown to be arrested this Monday." However, he added that the Maoists too should make public the identity of 130 people who are missing after being allegedly kidnapped by the Maoists.

When asked if the timing of the release of names was related to the hullabaloo in the parliament, Tuladhar declined to comment. "As a facilitator (of a newly-formed committee on to facilitate talks between the two sides), I am not in a position to make any critical remarks."

20 bighas of land to ex-Kamaiyas

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GULARIYA, March 7 - The Land Registration Committee, Bardiya (LRC) has issued Red Cards to 167 ex-Kamaiyas (bonded labourers). Chief of the Land Reforms Office and member of the LRC, Netra Bahadur Rawal, said that the Red Card holders will be provided 20 bighas of land within ten days.

The ex-Kamaiyas receiving the Red Cards were initially living in makeshift shelters in Manpurtapra, Bhimipur, Kherichandanpur, Rajapur, Nayagaon and Daulatpur VDCs.

Likewise, the LRC will also provide a total of 13 bighas of land to 194 Blue Card holding ex-Kamiayas, who have been residing in Mainapokhar, Padnaha and Pashupatinagar VDCs since their liberation from the semi-slavery system.

A source at the Land Reforms Office said that the so-called squatters and other people, especially in Manau and Golah VDCs have encroached upon more than 750 bighas of government land. The squatters barred a land measurement team from carrying out their jobs in the occupied government land, the source said.

The LRC said that 6,949 ex-Kamaiya families have been recorded so far from across the district.

Govt to intervene in service charge row

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KATHMANDU, March 7 - With just a week remaining before hotel employees begin their long-threatened strike over the demand for 10 percent service charge (TSC), the government is only now announcing plans to begin the task to bring the agitating employees and hotel owners on to the negotiating table.

The workers have already fixed March 15 as the starting day of their strike, which if it goes ahead, is certain to cripple the nation’s economy. At issue is the 10 percent TSC which the employees are demanding, but which the hotel owners say will drive them out of business.

The latest move by the government is an attempt to avert a possible closure of hotels yet again. Tourist standard hotels have already faced a daylong closure on December 11 last year, tarnishing the image of the tourism industry.

"The government will soon invite the two disputing parties to a negotiating table for resolving the differences over the TSC issue," said Omkar Shrestha, Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation. Minister Shrestha was speaking at a press conference, organized by the ministry to make public the recent report submitted by the Ligal Commission.

The Commission, formed over four months ago under the chairmanship of Prithivi Raj Ligal, vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) to carry out detailed study on TSC, had submitted its report to the government almost a month back.

Talks amongst the government, hoteliers and workers is likely to take place within the next few days, after the two disputing parties thoroughly studies the recommendations of the Ligal report. "Since the report is such that both disputing parties would not fully accede to it, the government will act as a facilitator and settle the dispute with active participation of the hoteliers and workers," said Shrestha.

Asked if the government should impose a decision, binding upon both hoteliers and workers, Shrestha said, "The government should logically and practically find a solution and not impose a decision. A long term solution can only be reached if workers and hoteliers themselves sort out the problem, with the government as a facilitator."

The Ligal report has not steadfastly endorsed or rejected the demand of the workers that 10 per cent service charge be levied on the customers and distributed among the employees. The "play-safe" report has urged to regularize and institutionalize the voluntary tips but has not said anything about the 10 per cent service charge.

Laws on domestic violence soon

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KATHMANDU, March 7 – On the eve of the 91st International Women’s Day, Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kamala Pant disclosed that the government has drafted a proposed law to curb domestic violence and girl trafficking.

Pant also said that the government was positively thinking about the concept of family court. She was speaking at a programme "A decade of restoration of democracy and women’s human rights" organized today by National Human Rights Commission.

Other speakers came down heavily on both the government and the opposition for their apathy in scrapping those discriminatory laws that deny the women their rights despite being guaranteed by the Constitution.

"No effort has been taken by the concerned government agencies to remove those traditional laws in Muluki Ain (the Civil Code) that violate women’s rights," said Shanta Thapaliya of Nepal Law Campus. "Despite the constitutional provision that the laws in conflict with the women’s rights will automatically cease to exist after a year, it has not yet happened." Thapliya added that even the Supreme Court has expressed its inability to overturn traditional customs that violate women’s rights in the excuse of causing social turmoil.

However, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Keshav Prasad Upadhyay, who spoke before Thapaliya, claimed that the Judiciary was more aware of women’s rights than in the past. In support of his claim, the Chief Justice mentioned some cases that had gone in favour of women.

Urmila Shrestha, Secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare revealed that the Ministry had prepared a list of those laws that conflict with women’s rights. "We have already forwarded the list to different ministries asking their suggestions to make suitable changes to those laws of their ministries that are discriminatory."

Advocate Sapana Pradhan Malla, while criticising the government’s inactivity in implementing even the existing laws that guarantee women their rights, did not spare the opposition either. "The opposition that has disrupted the parliament over the Lauda Air issue, has done little for the passage of Bill on women’s rights that has lingered for more than three years in the Legislature."

Govt recommends action against Birgunj mayor

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BIRGUNJ, March 7 - The Home Ministry has directed the Parsa District Administration Office (DAO) to file a case against Birgunj Sub-Metropolis Mayor Bimal Sribastav, who has come under fire for employing an Indian national at his office and recommending him a Nepali citizenship certificate.

In a letter sent to the Parsa DAO two months back, which was made public only today, the Home Ministry has acknowledged having send a file "to initiate actions against all those involved in recommending the Indian national a Nepali citizenship certificate".

Sribastav is alleged to have helped Chandra Shekhar Nayak of Maharastra, India, obtain a Nepali citizenship in 1989. Nayak was also provided with an employment at the municipality office. He worked there as an electrical engineer, until the issue came to the fore recently.

Sribastav had recommended Nayak as a son of Sadhu Ram Giri of Bagahi Village Development Committee (VDC)-9, Parsa. However, Nayak has been absconding ever since a petition was filed demanding action against those involved in providing the citizenship certificate.

Subsequently, the DAO summoned and inquired Mayor Sribastav about the incident, and reported that to the Ministry. Four months ago, the Ministry issued a circular demanding cancellation of Nayak’s citizenship and actions against those involved. If actions are initiated and found guilty, Sribastav could face a jail sentence of five years or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both.

World condemnation falls on deaf ears

By Rudra Prasad Sharma

KATHMANDU, March 7 – Stunned by the news that the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan are destroying the statues of Lord Buddha, millions of followers of Lord Buddha and peace loving people all over the world have condemned the insane act.

But the Taliban rulers, who seem determined to establish a medieval-type Islamic rule in Afghanistan have shown no sign of retreat from demolishing the statues of Lord Buddha in the Central Bamiyan province which include the tallest standing Buddha in the world.

Including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant, the US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the United Nations have heaped scores of condemnation as - "a tragedy,"…"a barbaric act"… and "crime against the humankind".

Yet, Taliban’s ambassador to Pakistan Abdul Salam Zaeef has been quoted as saying, " The destruction began Sunday and nearly one-fourth of the two statues have been destroyed".

Even the efforts by UNESCO, the UN specialized agency that oversees the works to preserve and protect the world cultural and heritage cites, to halt the destruction have failed.

Keshav Jha, former permanent delegate to UNESCO, says "As the Taliban government is not recognized by the United Nations, it has come as a problem in the way of UN taking actions against the Taliban"

With the pleas and condemnation of the world community falling on the deaf ears of the Talibans, the international law experts here say that it is time for the UN to convene a meeting of the Security Council to take up the issue.

"It is common heritage of humanity, common property of mankind therefore its demolition provides the UN with legitimate ground to call the meeting of the Security Council and intervene, if necessary." said Prof. Dr. Laxman Kumar Upadhayay, former Dean of Law Faculty, Tribhuvan University. No one has the right to destroy ancient relics even under national laws, he says.

Another international law expert, Prof. Dr. Shyam Kant Silwal, former Dean of Faculty of Law, Tribhuvan University said, "The UN should readily protect the statues at any cost …and by adopting all means."

If any of the permanent members take up the issue seriously, they can easily take it to the Security Council. They can present it as an " important question." Experts say, if the Security Council deems appropriate, many preventive and enforcement measures can be adopted to address the destruction.

Prof. Upadhayay also thinks that the issue is serious enough to attract the concerns of UN Security Council. " It’s up to the interest of the Super Powers, but there is enough ground for the issue to get a berth in the Security Council"

Prof. Silwal suggests even harsher measure against the Taliban. The Taliban should be boycotted by the world community according to the principle, " One against all, all against one".

However, it is yet to be seen whether and how, if indeed, the world community and the UN will act to prevent further demolition of the relics and contain the religious intolerance unleased by the Afghan regime.

Anti-Taliban rally in Capital

KATHMANDU, March 7 (PR)- To condemn the destruction of Buddhist statues at Bamiyan Province and other idols in Afghanistan under the decree of ruling fundamentalist Taliban, a protest rally was held in the capital today.

The destruction of over 2000 years old Buddhist artifacts by the Talibans has sent shock waves among the world community.

About 5000 people belonging to different Buddhist organisations and students from different schools participated in the rally, which started from the capital’s Basantapur Square and ended at Open Theatre. The rally was organized by the Dharmodaya Sabha, Nepal.

Acting Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister for Health, Ram Krishna Tamrakar and leaders of the main opposition party (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal and Bharat Mohan Adhikari also participated in the rally.

Joshi refuses to comment

KATHMANDU, March 7 (PR) - A day after the nation’s top constitutional anti-corruption body requested the Prime Minister for necessary action against the then Education Minister Govinda Raj Joshi over his involvement in the irregularities in the selection of teachers, Minister Joshi today refused to make any comments to this newspaper.

When asked by The Kathmandu Post at his office if he would like to react to the charges, Joshi, now Minister for Local Development and the third most powerful Minister in the present Cabinet, said: "We don’t give (comments) to Kantipur (The Kathmandu Post’s sister publication), don’t you know?"

Minister Joshi, who is also presently looking after the Foreign Affairs and Finance portfolios in the absence of the concerned Ministers, was all smiles when he made the comment.

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has charged Minister Joshi of excercising his rights wilfully in connection with the selection of primary, lower secondary and secondary school teachers in 1996/97 thereby creating confusion in the education sector and eroding the people’s faith in government functioning.

Meanwhile, Nepal National Teachers’ Association (NNTA) today once again called the government move as "against the essence of examination system" and has demanded that those accused guilty by CIAA be immediately punished. "The government should provide permanent status to the temporary teachers by investigating into the fake certificates. The National Teachers’ Service Commission should also be scraped and a new autonomous and powerful Commission should be formed to give continuity to such exams," the NNTA release adds.

Windmills could power nation's remote regions

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KATHMANDU, March 7 – What is the government to do when it cannot easily expand the power grid transmission lines through the country’s rugged terrain? The long-cherished dream to light up the country’s rural areas may come true, experts say, should the government work towards harnessing the alternative and renewable sources of energy.

One such energy source is wind energy.

Wind powered energy potential is very high in the mountainous northern parts of the country which are unlikely to be connected with the National Power Grid in foreseeable future, energy experts said here today, calling on the government to harness the vast green energy potential.

"It is indeed a very good news that wind energy potential is very high in those areas where the government is finding it difficult to expand the national electricity grid," Professor Dr Kedar Lal Shrestha, Advisor at the Ministry of Science and Technology said. He was referring to the rugged hills and snow-covered highlands of the country where electricity has not as yet reached.

He was speaking at the start of the National Workshop on Wind Energy here Wednesday, jointly organized by Ministry of Science and Technology, Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG)-Nepal, and International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The two-day workshop is expected to come up with a national wind energy action plan.

The idea, officials say, was envisioned in the Ninth Five Years Plan, which is running in its fourth year currently.

State Minister for Water Resources Benup Raj Prasai opened the meet, which was also addressed by National Planning Commission Chairman Rameshananda Baidya and Secretary at the Ministry of Science and Technology Poshan Nath Nepal.

Though endowed with a vast hydropower generation potential, hardly 15 percent of the country’s population of over 22 million—most of them living in urban areas—have access to electricity. Experts say immediate answers to the country’s remaining power-hungry populace are such alternative and renewable sources of energy as the wind energy, micro- mini- and picco-hydro plants and geo-thermal energy.

Dr Shrestha’s comments followed a presentation on wind resources in Nepal by Saraju K Baidya, a meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. According to Baidya, almost all the hilly and mountainous and even some plain areas of the country have wind energy potential of a kind or another.

"Places like Kagbeni and Thakmarpha (Mustang), Annapurna, Kanjironba, Langtang and Khumbu valleys and Parasi in the western Terai are some of the high wind blowing regions of the country where winds blow at the rates of between three to nine meters per second," Baidya said in his recent study report. "This shows that there is a vast potential. And there are other areas which are not yet explored."

He analyzed the wind speed on the basis of meteorological data obtained from the 48 wind stations owned by the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

In Sri Lanka, according to Sunit Fernando of ITDG-Sri Lanka who address the gathering earlier, farmers have been generating up to 200 watts of electricity from a small windmill facing a speed of nine meter per second. Drop in speed of the wind also drops the power generation.

Wind energy technology was introduced in the southern neighbor in the 1990s, two decades after the need to promote the alternative and renewable sources of energy was underlined following the world wide oil crisis of 1970, according to him.

"Now, the technology has already gained popularity amongst Sri Lanka’s 40 percent powerless people, who do not have direct access to electricity," he said.

In Nepal, experts say, the potential is yet untapped barring one or two instances of failed wind energy mill projects like that at Kagbeni.

Congress member shot dead by Maoists

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GAIGHAT, March 7 - Maoist rebels shot dead today Kaluman Gurung, ruling Nepali Congress General Convention member and party’s former Khotang district secretary, at the party’s district office in Diktel, the district headquarters.

Talking on telephone, Chief District Officer in Khotang, Krishna Prasad Lamsal, said that the rebels opened fire at Gurung at noon whilst he was holding discussions with students about the election of Students’ Union scheduled for 15 March. Nepali Congress Khotang District Secretary, Jeevan Shrestha, said that Gurung died within half an hour of the Maoist shooting at the party office, located about 200m away from the district administration office.

Shrestha said that the rebels fled to Maoist stronghold Solma village after killing the NC Convention member.

Gurung’s relatives said that the rebels had been warning him of severe consequences from time and again.

Prachanda flays govt move

(Top) Maoist organized a mass meeting at Fakka, Dolkha earlier this week to celebrate Martyrs week. (Bottom) Maoist militia at a function organized to mark martyrs week.

KATHMANDU, March 7 (PR) – The chief of the underground Nepal Communist Party (Maoist), "Prachanda", today accused the government of trying to divert public opinion to save itself by misusing the talks mechanism when it is facing a tough time in parliament over the infamous Lauda Air deal.

"Prachanda" also criticized the government for making public the whereabouts of only three rebels from the list that they had given. The Maoist leader said that instead of releasing Matrika Yadav and Ishwori Dahal, the government has framed false charges against them. He also said that the government was not sincere for talks with them as it has formed the Armed Police Force and appointed regional administrators.

Issuing a press release today, "Prachanda" called upon the government to "create atmosphere for talks honestly and without any conspiracy".

Villagers stage sit-in for power supply

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KIRNETAR, Dolakha, March 7 - Hundreds of people of Dolakha and Ramechhap districts today staged a sit-in front of the Khimti-I hydro power plant and warned to block the natural flow of the Khimti River if their demands of electricity in their villages were not met.

Transportation movement along the road leading to the power plant came to a standstill as the power-hungry locals staged a sit-in just in front of the gate of power plant, demanding electricity in their villages and timely payment of the royalties to the Dolakha District Development Committee.

"Return us our water, give us the electricity you promised," the demonstrators shouted holding placards that read: "Make sure that you help us irrigate our farms; pay 10 per cent of your income."

Also, the demonstrators did not allow the Himal Power Limited (HPL) - the developer of the 60-plus megawatt installed capacity power plant - Advisor, Peter Harwood from entering the power plant premises. And the over 100 HPL staff remained trapped inside the power plant office all day Wednesday.

Inaugurated by His Majesty King Birendra on November 27, Khimti-I, Nepal’s first private sector power project, and the developers have been touting the project as the one helping the country get rid of its perennial problem of power outages or "load-shedding".

However, with the water flow in the Khimti river decreasing, the plant was contributing only 24 megawatts to the National Power Grid as of March 1, according to Nepal Electricity Authority that has been buying the Khimti-I power at a very expensive rate.

Although HPL was said to be working on to electrify the villages of Dolakha and Ramechhap districts that are located in and around the project site, locals had been complaining that neither the government nor HPL has looked into their key demand - electricity supply to their houses.

HPL also operates a 500-KW mini-hydro plant, the Jhankre plant, whereby 300 houses have been electrified. But locals here are demanding that all the 43 villages - 21 of Dolakha and 22 of Ramechhap, through which the 33 KV transmission line of the project passes - be electrified.