Nepal slow to tap Chinese tourists

By Shree Ram Subedi

KATHMANDU, March 24 - Though China declared Nepal as its outbound destination some eight months ago, Nepal has still a long way to go to tap the immense market of outbound tourism stemming out from the burgeoning Chinese middle class.

The government’s icy response to the Chinese goodwill to accept Nepal as the first South Asian destination for its citizens is frustrating, say tourism entrepreneurs. As China’s outbound market is growing, they say, "every moment we delay will be only a lost opportunity for Nepali tourism."

Their frustration hit the bottom few weeks back when Nepal failed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the implementation plan for outbound travel by Chinese citizens to Nepal, during His Majesty the King’s recent visit to China.

Under Chinese laws, Chinese people can travel abroad only to the countries recognized by China as its outbound destinations. So far China has recognized only over a dozen of countries as outbound destinations for its citizens. And over 90 million Chinese traveled abroad during 1999.

However, things have begun to move lately. And the government officials are in "war-footing", by Nepali standards, to finalize the modality of the MoU to be signed between the concerned authorities.

"We are giving it a finishing touch," said Barun Shrestha, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

With this preparation at hand, now the government hopes to sign the MoU during ministerial level visit to China temporarily scheduled for second week of April. As Chinese Premier is expected to visit Nepal sometimes around May, concerned authorities of both countries are eager to sort out necessary measures by then.

Prepared by the government in consultation with the National Tourism Administration of People's Republic of China (CNTA), the draft MoU envisages various measures to facilitate the flow of the Chinese tourists.

According to the purposed plan, the Chinese side will delegate 65 travel agencies in China, authorized by CNTA to operate outbound travel by Chinese citizens.

Likewise the administrative departments in charge of tourism of both countries will encourage designated travel agencies to choose their respective business counterparts and sign tour contracts among themselves.

But the draft prohibits travel agencies in Nepal to recommend and sell any tourist programs that are against the laws, regulations and the ethnic customs of both countries. It also suggests Nepali travel agencies not to induce the Chinese tourists to engage on programs at their own cost.

Likewise the Nepalese side shall provide the Chinese side and Chinese travel agencies a list of licensed, credible shops and departments designated or recommended by the Nepalese side along with a price list of average cost per person/per day of Chinese tour groups.

There is also a provision of compliant hotline for Chinese tour groups.

And as per the Chinese request the outbound travel by Chinese citizens to Nepal should be conducted in the form of tour groups, each group should include at least 5 persons.

"This is a beginning only" says Xue Yaping, Director of proposed China National Tourism Office(CNTO) at Kathmandu. "Once we initiate business, problems can be solved with mutual understanding"

According to an official at Tourism Ministry, the ministerial level visit within the 2nd week of April will not just sign the MoU. But it will also finalize the necessary modalities.

Besides working out a modality of tourist operation, the government has recently agreed to permit China to open its overseas tourism promotion office, CNTO at Kathmandu. Though China applied to open such office some four years back, government remained indecisive so long - thanks largely to the protest of some section of tourist entrepreneurs. However, now there is a growing consensus among the entrepreneurs that Nepal should agree on "give and take" maxim of business deal.

Says Asok Pokharel, President, PATA-Nepal Chapter "Nepal must realize the tremendous opportunity of attracting high spending Chinese tourists and must not be conservative on it."

The government is already late, blamed Bhola Thapa, President of NATA adding that if every preparation is made within this April, it would still take next 6 months to bring Chinese groups to Nepal.

PM accused of receiving kickbacks 

By Binod Bhandari

BIRATNAGAR, March 24 - Leader of the main opposition in parliament Madhav Kumar Nepal today accused Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala of pocketing kickbacks in the infamous Lauda Air deal.

"Did the Prime Minister, who has declined to step down on the ground that the opposition have disrupted the House for over one-and-a-half months, receive commission legally while leasing Lauda Air jet?" Nepal questioned.

This is the first time that Nepal, the powerful General Secretary of main opposition CPN-UML, has publicly accused the prime minister of taking kickbacks from the controversial deal.

Nepal said that Koirala’s challenge to the opposition parties to follow the constitutional means to oust him from office had no justification as the PM himself had received commission illegally in the Lauda Air lease deal.

The CPN-UML leader was addressing a meet-the-press function in the PM’s home town Biratnagar.

"The person leading the country simply ignores the Constitution and constitutional bodies and then challenges the opposition to follow the constitutional procedures for his ouster," he said.

Nepal also announced that his party would take to the streets from Monday demanding the Prime Minister’s resignation as he did not step down in spite of the disruption of the parliament for a long time.

"We will stall the parliament even on Monday and generate opinion of the civil society against him," Nepal said.

Saying that the current stalemate in the parliament would automatically subside once the PM steps down, Nepal demanded that the PM should be brought into trial.

He also said that his party would consider some concession on PM’s trial provided that he stepped down, paving the way for the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in its fair investigation into Lauda Air "scam".

"Why take stern legal action against the 78-year-old PM? We want to lessen his (PM’s) burden," Nepal said.

He also claimed that the present government was the most corrupt one in the history and vowed that the opposition would not allow the parliament to function unless the PM was relieved from his chair.

Nepal reiterated that the PM’s threat of snap polls was basically aimed at the dissident faction of his Nepali Congress and added that PM was attempting to conceal his misdeeds by opting for the mid-term elections.

Mopping-up scheme to eradicate polio

BHADRAPUR, March 24 (RSS) - His Majesty’s Government is going to initiate the mopping-up programme in 23 districts of the kingdom with the objective of eradicating the crippling disease polio from the country.

Under the mopping-up programme children below five years will be fed polio drops at the doorstep in these districts.

Nepal is still one of the countries in the world where polio cases are still found. In view of this fact, the government has been conducting regular immunization programmes while the Five-year National Immunization Day was observed last year alone. Although these two immunization programmes were largely successful, suspected symptoms of poliomyelitis were still seen in some children in a few districts necessitating the mopping-up programme under which children are administered polio drops at their homes with door-to-door visits.

The government has selected Jhapa, Morang, Saptari, Siraha, Sunsari, Bara, Dhanusha, Chitwan, Parsa, Rautahat, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Kapilbastu, Nawalparasi, Rupandehi, Banke, Bardiya, Dang, Kailali, Kanchanpur, Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts for the mopping up immunization programme.

The mopping-up programme is being launched in districts where new polio cases have been identified, districts which have common border with other districts where polio cases are prevalent, the districts facing heavy migration and mass movement of people, districts with poor health and sanitation conditions, densely populated districts and districts which are slack in the search for new cases or are out of the coverage of the regular immunization programmes.

The mopping up programme will be conducted on April 7 and around first week of May.

A total of 822 teams have been formed, 1,644 volunteers selected and 180 supervisors and 31 district supervisors assigned for the programme. The teams will make door-to-door visits and administer polio drops to children below five years of age in all the villages and towns in the district.

The teams will also keep special vigilance at bus parks, Nepal-India border transit points, factories and industries, tea estates, the street children, indigenous community children and jails.

The district health office has been organizing various programmes like publicity and awareness seminars, ilaka level training and training for supervisors, VDC office-bearers and volunteers for this purpose.

Eighty-nine per cent of the children below five years of age in the district were covered by the immunization programme held in fiscal year 2000/2001.

Meanwhile, a familiarization seminar was organized here recently with the objective of making the mopping-up programme successful in Jhapa district. Chairman of the District Development Committee (DDC) Arjun Rai presided over the seminar.

Ghode Jatra

KATHMANDU, March 24 (RSS) - His Majesty the King graced the feu-de-joie or Ghode Jatra programme organized by the Royal Nepal Army at Royal Nepal Army Pavilion Tundikhel today.

His Majesty presented prizes to Captains Jagat Bahadur Bhattarai and Arbind K.C. for their best performance in musical ride, and Captain Uttam Bogati for his outstanding performance in show jump. His Majesty was accompanied by Her Majesty the Queen. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and other members of the Royal family were also present on the occasion.

Koili Devi ill

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 24 – Singer, lyricist and composer Koili Devi Mathema, better known for being the country’s first woman to record a devotional song for Radio Nepal, has been taken "critically ill" at the Capital’s Teaching Hospital (TUTH) due to heart complications.

Seventy-year-old Koili Devi, had suffered from a heart attack on Friday and her heartbeat had gone unstable since then. Though Koili Devi was immediately rushed to Bir Hospital, she was later referred to TUTH where a heart surgery was performed on her today.

According to doctors attending her, a permanent battery will be installed to bring Koili Devi’s heartbeat to normal tomorrow. She is presently under constant vigilance at the Intensive Care Unit in TUTH.

Meanwhile, a Music Trust opened in the name of Koili Devi has accused Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala of neglecting her deteriorating health conditions. "The government has showed indifference even towards a report submitted to PM Koirala on Koili Devi’s worsening health," states a press release signed by Pradip Bhattarai, Secretary of the Trust. She had been living single in the Capital’s Lagan Tole ever since the death of her husband, Sakar Man Mathema, some two years ago.

Koili Devi, who originally hails from Makwanpur has served for more than 50 years in Radio Nepal as a singer, lyricist and composer.

GS set to lease religious land

By Razen Manandhar

KATHMANDU, March 24 - Guthi Sansthan (GS), the Trusts Corporation, is all set to lease four plots of land, that has religious and archaeological importance, for commercial purposes in the Kathmandu Valley.

GS decided on March 6 to lease three plots of land at Pakanajol and one of Siphal inviting through a public notice for private individuals or firms to apply for setting up structure for commercial purposes.

Saroj Thapaliya, engineer at GS, said that it is leasing the land to generate income from these plots of land that so far were going to waste.

Locals fear that these four plots of land too could meet similar fate faced by another such land leased out by GS.

A 193-year-old Shiva temple and its surrounding 14 anaas area opposite of Paknajol Sorhakhutte Pati, that was leased by GS is now being used as storage for kerosene and cooking gas by Durga Devi Amatya who pays "minimal rent" to GS.

This has blocked the devotees from visiting the temple. Worse, a semi underground tank has been built and the temple has turned into a warehouse.

The temple was constructed around 1807 by a government officer, Bhotu Pande, who played an important role in Nepal-Tibet-China war. Historical documents state that he constructed a Shiva Linga, Mahadev temple, pond, platform, road, rest-house surrounding a temple, and his own statue in that area. He had allocated around 70 ropanis of land for continuation of rituals in the temple and its renovation.

However, the whole area has been occupied by residential houses these days. There was a pond some 15 years ago on which the squatters have built private houses. A part of the pond was "donated" to Lekhnath Sahitya Sadan. Now, the area is used as a bus park.

Besides, a water spout is being covered by piles of garbage and plastic bottles and the path to the spout is blocked by kerosene containers. Ward police office and several private houses have been built between the two temple areas.

Ram Bir Manandhar, chairman of Ward No 16 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, said that the ward office has been trying to rescue the temple from the kerosene oil seller for years but GS has been supporting the lease and Department of Archaeology is not taking any action. "This can one day cause a big damage to the archaeological site," he said.

"Guthi Samsthan is meant to protect the monuments, not to destroy them. While it is not protecting the leased area, it is again trying to make money out of the land that has cultural value for the local people," he said. "This tradition of destroying our culture by leasing the land for commercial purpose should be stopped."

He added that such areas should be used as open space, either as widened roads or gardens or parks for the growing population of the metropolis.

Department of Archaeology presented a report to then Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture in May 8, 2000, after the minister’s instruction to survey the area, following the ward office’s memorandum to the prime minister and the minister, to evacuate the temple premises.

An officer of Department of Archaeology said it wrote several times to GS to conserve the monument site but it never reacted.

DOTS, the only answer to TB patient

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 24 - Direct Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) alone is a cure for the world’s leading curable infectious killer disease that kills 8,000 to 11,000 people a year in Nepal, the health officials said while observing the World TB Day here Saturday.

The function was jointly organized by Ministry of Health, WHO, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Norwegian Aid (NORAD), International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (IUATLD), SAARC TB Center, and various other agencies, the slogan adopted for the year runs, "To cure TB patient, DOTS is the answer."

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Dirgha Singh Bam, Director, National TB Center said after the implementation of DOTS programme in all the 75 districts of the country, the total number of people that die of tuberculosis a year in Nepal has come down to 8,000 from 18,000 in 1996. "Nepal is the only country nearing the world target of 70 per cent of TB control," Bam said.

Despite the availability of cheap drugs that cost just around US $15 to cure a patient, tuberculosis is still a major public health hazard in Nepal. According to Nepal Anti-TB Association statistics, 45 per cent of the total population in Nepal is infected, with 44, 000 new cases of TB recorded annually.

The health officials said the unholy alliance of HIV and TB, cross border issues, implementation of DOTS in hard to access areas, and migration have remained the greatest challenges before the nation to eliminate the disease completely.

Inaugurating the function, Tirtha Ram Dangol, Minister of State for Health said that health and education are indispensable requirements of humankind and individuals should strive for good health and longitivity of life along with striving for democracy and human rights.

Dr Ananda Mohan Das of WHO, Nepal revealed that WHO had recently agreed to provide Nepal with a 5.4 million project. "On this day, we should renew our commitment to do our utmost for those who are still not treated," he said, adding that the biggest challenge before the WHO is to reach those 15 per cent of the remaining population.

At the conclusion, Durga Prasad Manandhar, Secretary at the Ministry of Health read out the message calling to make a shared commitment towards the elimination of tuberculosis.

Dr Topfer arrives in capital

Post Report

KATHMANDU, March 24 - Dr Klaus Topfer, Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and Director of United Nations Organisation Office in Nairobi, arrived here in the capital today.

Dr. Topfer, who is on a four-day official visit, was received at the VIP bay in Tribhuvan International Airport by Dr. Govind Raj Bhatta, Secretary at the Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE). UNDP Resident Representative Dr. Henning Karcher was also present on the occasion.

During his visit, Dr.Topfer is slated to pay a courtesy call to Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Population of Environment Minister Siddha Raj Ojha, Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola, Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat and Forest and Soil Conservation Minister Prakash Koirala.

He is also slated to hold bilateral talks with the Nepalese officials on the environmental situation and discuss future environmental projects in Nepal.

UNEP is a world-wide organization looking after environment programmes under the United Nations system. With its headquarters in Kenya, Nairobi, the organisation was established in 1972.

A press statement issued here by MOPE states that Dr. Topfer’s visit will hopefully strengthen relations between UNEP and Nepal.