Task force formed to combat anthrax attack

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KATHMANDU, Nov 1 - As reports of anthrax attacks continue to scare people around the world, a meeting of representatives from different ministries and other responsible government bodies today discussed over potential anthrax attacks in Nepal and formed a high-level task force.

Minister of State for Science and Technology Bhakta Bahadur Balayar leads the task force, which is responsible for fighting the potential attack, maintaining preparedness in the postal services and instilling awareness among the masses.

Said Dr Mahendra Bahadur Bista, the Acting Director General of the Department of Health Services (DHS), who was present at the meeting said, "The task force will work as a watchdog and also prepare future policies to handle such bio-terrors, which have rocked various countries in a month time."

He added, "The government has foreseen the possibility of the extent of harm that could be caused by the anthrax. And the government is quite serious."

Secretaries of the Ministries of Health, Communication, Home, Agriculture, Science and Technology, Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST) experts, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the Postal Services Department, the Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division unanimously agreed to stay prepared before the anthrax terror actually shows up in the country.

Bista also said the meeting has decided to give authority to the police to take action whenever any suspicious item was found unclaimed anywhere. "The task force will make a guideline to combat anthrax attack and will work towards disseminating information through radio all over the county," he said.

The development came a day after the General Post Office started providing masks and gloves to its employees to prevent them from being infected through the postal mails and letters.

Meanwhile, the DHS has intensified tests in all the districts through its District Public Health Centres, and has also urged the heads to notify immediately to the central department if traces of anthrax are found anywhere. "We have set up three labs: National Public Health Laboratory, Central Veterinary Laboratory and Forensic Lab of RONAST to continue check-ups," Bista said.

He said that anybody who suspects himself of being infected by the deadly bacteria must have his/her blood samples checked up immediately. "If diagnosed in time, that is within a week or so, the possibility of saving the patient remains. It will be simple and easy," Bista added.

A circular issued by the DHS later on states that anthrax has not been traced in Nepal. Dr Shubh Narayan Mahato, the Deputy Director General of Department of Livestock Services, said anthrax is a "zoonotic disease" that can be transmitted from animals to human beings but the bacteria of anthrax cannot attack human beings so easily.

The bio-terror, believed to have been launched by terrorists on October 5, has so far claimed four lives in the United States and 15 others have been found infected elsewhere. Over the month, the terror has spread from the US to the Europe and Asia and now to South Asia.

Nepal, India begin work to simplify ID procedures for tourists

By Satyendra Timilsina

KATHMANDU, Nov 1 - The government has initiated consultations with the Indian government to simplify the existing immigration procedure to facilitate the inflow of Indian tourists into the country.

Concerned government officials informed The Kathmandu Post that the preliminary round of negotiations held recently with the concerned Indian officials were fruitful and both sides have felt the necessity to simplify the current immigration procedure.

"The recently held meeting of the joint working group that consists of government representatives from Nepal and India has agreed to simplify the current system and make it more flexible," said Umesh Mainali, the Director General at the Department of Immigration.

He, however, said that the final decision on the issue would be made in the upcoming Home Secretary level meeting, which is expected to be held in the Indian capital, New Delhi, sometime before Tihar festival.

The current provision requiring an authorised identification of the incoming Indian tourists by air was introduced in October last year. The arrivals of Indian tourists—who make up one third of the total tourists visiting Nepal—has declined massively after Nepalese who visit India by air also have to submit similar identification.

Tourism entrepreneurs also complain that the new provision has totally ignored the Indian visitors of age ranging from 10 to 18 years. And this has apparently discouraged young Indians from visiting Nepal. The entrepreneurs are demanding that the provision be reviewed. Existing provision doesn’t require any identification for the Indian tourist below 10 years of age.

"The easing of the immigration or identification procedure will go a long way in attracting more Indian tourists to Nepal," said Raju Bikram Shah, Residential Manager of the Everest Hotel. "Many Indian family have stopped coming to Nepal after the introduction of identification provision."

According to the officials, the recently concluded meeting also discussed the possibility of recognising the identity cards issued by schools or colleges, in addition to the four types of identity cards that are recognised currently.

The four acceptable identity cards include passport, voter’s identity card, and other identity cards issued by the Indian government or its state government. In addition, the identification issued by the Indian Embassy and other diplomatic offices are also acceptable, according to Mainali.

The component of Indian visitors on total tourists has significantly declined after the hijacking and has dipped to less than 24 per cent in recent months, down from over 33 per cent before the hijacking. The Indian tourist arrivals declined by over 31 per cent in the year 2000 as compared to figures for 1999.

Govt ready to discuss Maoist demands: Minister Wagle

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KATHMANDU, Nov 1 – As people continue to keep their fingers crossed for the third round of government-Maoist talks, the chief government negotiator and Minister for Physical Planning and Works, Chiranjibi Wagle, today said he has already held two rounds of informal talks with the Maoist negotiators after the second round of talks on September 13-14.

"Prior to the much-delayed third round of formal talks, I have already held two rounds of informal talks with the Maoist negotiators," revealed Wagle.

Wagle added that both the sides sat for the first round of informal talks that was also participated by facilitators of the government-Maoist talks, Padma Ratna Tuladhar and Daman Nath Dhungana. The second informal round was held between Wagle and chief Maoist negotiator Krishna Bahadur Mahara.

On October 16, the government released Matrika Prasad Yadav, Maoist Central Committee member and another Maoist leader, Ajab Lal Yadav, whose release the Maoists had set as one of the prime conditions prior to the third round of talks. But even after their release the Maoists further came with harder stance, like releasing of all the Maoists.

Talking to journalists at the annual tea-party organised by the ruling Nepali Congress Party in the capital, Wagle said, "The government has left no stone unturned to make the talks a success and I am convinced that the Maoist problem will be resolved only through dialogue. The government is even ready to discuss on each of the Maoist demands."

Wagle also said the government has already released about 300 Maoists after the beginning of the peace talks that started on August 30 in the Godavari Resort. "We also released all 97 Maoist workers who were held in connection with the Maoists’ September 21 mass meet that was earlier slated to be held in the capital’s Open Air Theatre." Later, the meet was postponed after the government imposed ban on public meets for a month.

He also said he had given a list of the civilians and policemen held captive by the Maoists, before the Dashain festival. "The number we gave to the Maoists was 200 and they have released some of them afterwards," Wagle said.

At the same function, another government negotiator, Narahari Acharya remarked that the third round of talks would not be decisive. However, he hinted that there could be more rounds of dialogue.

Meanwhile, our Biratnagar-based correspondent reports that Dhungana, one of the facilitators, suggested that there should not be any problem to form another constitutional assembly if that helped solved the problem. The formation of the assembly is one of three major demands put forth by the Maoists.

Dhungana also chastised the two sides for their lack of preparation for the talks. "Both the sides have no explicit frameworks from where to begin the dialogue and where to end it," said Dhungana, who also is one of the makers of the present Constitution.

Though the peace talks has made no constitutional breakthrough, at least it has helped to silence the guns for the last three months and paved the way for exchanging the prisoners held by the both, Dhungana added.

Maoists abduct former MP, DDC chief

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JUMLA, Nov 1- Underground Maoist rebels on Wednesday abducted Jumla District Development Committee chairman, a former lawmaker and a DDC member from a village of Garjyang Kot Village Development Committee, about 15 km east of the district headquarters.

Those to be abducted by the rebels include former lawmaker Dilli Bahadur Mahat, DDC chairman Tirtha Bahadur Budha and DDC member Dhirendra Raj Giri.

Around 25 armed rebels abducted the three senior cadres of the main opposition CPN-UML, while taking part in a wedding ceremony at Dewalgaon of the VDC.

A Maoist source said that the abducted people were moved toward a remote Budari village which lies about six hours trek from the VDC.

Maoist leader Comrade Parbat told The Kathmandu Post over telephone from Tatopani that the three people were held by them "to investigate on corruption charges committed by the DDC chairman and a VDC chairman." He claimed that they were well-behaved.Meanwhile, issuing a press statement from the capital today, the CPN-UML condemned the Maoists for abducting their party activists and demanded their immediate release.

Minister Bastola doubts refugee breakthrough

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KATHMANDU, Nov 1 – Former Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola today expressed scepticism over achieving any significant breakthrough in the Nepal-Bhutan Secretary-level talks on the Bhutanese refugees which is beginning from Tuesday.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, the former minister, during whose tenure breakthrough in the formation of Joint Verification Team (JVT) was clinched, said that the two countries have been steadfastly maintaining their long-held positions on the categorisation of the refugees languishing in the seven camps in eastern Nepal.

While Nepal has been insisting on the two categories, Bhutan has been citing an earlier agreement between the two countries that had settled on four categories. The other two are "Bhutanese who emigrated willingly" and "Bhutanese with criminal records".

"I don’t see how the two sides can harmonise their positions on the differences on the categorisation of the refugees," said Bastola, who heads the governing Nepali Congress’ cell on Foreign Affairs.

However, Michel Dupoizat, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sounded optimistic when asked for his comments on the proposed three-day talks in Kathmandu, scheduled to begin on November 6.

"I am optimistic about the progress during the talks," said Dupoizat, adding, "Or else why are the Bhutanese willing to hold dialogue?" Dupoizat added that there was "willingness" on the part of the two countries to reach an amicable solution to the long-festering refugee imbroglio.

The UNHCR representative suggested that Nepal and Bhutan explore the possibility of reaching a consensus on the contentious third category – "Bhutanese who emigrated willingly". Commenting on the discord between the countries on categorisation, Dupoizat remarked that it was difficult for the two sides to publicly admit that they had made any mistake on the issue.

He also said that UNHCR was willing and ready to play any role in solving the decade-long refugee impasse if the two countries sought its co-operation.

Army deployed to foil Maoist attack

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NUWAKOT, Nov 1 - The local administration on Wednesday deployed a contingent of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) at Betini Village Development Committee after the underground Maoist militia vandalised the house of the VDC Chairman, Harishchandra Tamang.

A group of around 70 armed Maoists demolished Harishchandra’s two-storey house at the VDC-5. But Tamang was away to the capital when the Maoists broke into his house and demolished it. Eye-witnesses said that Tamang’s family members escaped from their house after the rebels stormed into it.

Locals said that the armed rebels encircled the village from all sides after the villagers killed Bir Bahadur Tamang, who was the vice-chairman of Maoist-declared village level committee, a parallel body of the VDC, on Sunday.

Chief District Officer of the district, Modraj Dotel, said a contingent of around 50 army personnel was deployed, as decided by the district security council, at the VDC to ensure security of the locals, who turned to be hostile to the rebels.

Maoist rebels have held the VDC Chairman Harishchandra responsible for the murder of their cadre, whom the rebels have declared a martyr. Locals said the deceased threatened them with their lives time and again and resorted to extortion money and looting arms in the locality. In a mass meeting held at the VDC a couple of days ago the rebels vowed to revenge against those responsible for the murder of their cadre.

Locals said that more than a dozen locals have already fled their home for the capital for fear of impending Maoist retaliation or exchange of fire between the police and Maoists.

Hunt begins for man-eater

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NAWALPARASI, Nov 1 – A team of sharp-shooters and accompanying elephants have arrived at Bardaghat village to hunt down the man-eating tiger which has so far claimed six lives.

The team includes two sharpshooters deputed by the Royal Chitwan National Park and eight other experts as well as four elephants. The tiger is said to have escaped from the park and is now roaming in the jungles and villages of Nawalparasi.

The park officials say that the tiger is reportedly present in the eastern side of Bardaghat in the Daunne hill in Nawalparasi district. The assigned sharpshooters have camped near the Area Forest Office in Bardaghat to capture or kill the man-eater, according to the officials.

The hunt could be easier since the specific tiger has an electronic collar around its neck, making it easier to track it down. The transmitter was fitted earlier before the tiger turned man-eater, say officials.

The Ranger of the Forest Office of Bardaghat, Rajendra Singh, told The Kathmandu Post that instructions have been given to the assigned sharpshooters to dart the tiger if possible or otherwise shoot to kill.

The victims of the tiger fell prey when they had gone to the jungles either to collect firewood, cut grass or collect bambooshoots. The locals have not been visiting the jungles after the incident has taken place.

Diesel sales slump signals slowing economy

By Prem Khanal

KATHMANDU, Nov 1 – The Nepal Oil  Corporation says demand for diesel and aviation fuel has slumped for the first time in many years, an indication of the slowing down economy.

According to NOC data, the total sale of diesel, one of the major industrial input, fell by 1.61 per cent during the first quarter of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last year.

"Since demand for diesel is positively correlated with the industrial activities, this is an indication of the slumping economic activities in recent months," says Madan Raj Sharma, executive director of NOC.

According to an estimate, over 80 per cent of the total national demand of diesel is consumed in transportation which depends on the domestic economic and industrial activities.

There are already indications that the business transactions of trucks and other public transportation have slipped to a record low. "The overall transportation business has dipped by around 40 per cent as compared to the last year," Bishnu Siwakoti, a former general secretary of Federation of Nepalese Transporters, said.

The situation is also almost same for buses. Passengers of not just the short-route buses but also those from the long-routes are reported to have declined in recent months. Even during the Dashain, the greatest festival of Nepal when people travel to their hometowns, the transportation business remained sluggish.

"In past year, we used to have intense passenger pressure for around 15 days during Dashain, however this time such pressure lasted for only three days," says Siwakoti. The continued closure or shifting out of labour-intensive industries from Kathmandu Valley like carpet and ready-made garments is one of the main reasons for the dwindling number of bus passengers.

Similarly, NOC figures show the demand of aviation fuel has also dwindled by 14.5 per cent to 12,578 kiloliters from 14,703 kiloliters in the same quarter, mainly due to the poor performance of the tourism sector.

However, despite the decline in the diesel consumption, the total sales of petroleum products, during the same period recorded a nominal increase of 3 per cent to 197,585 kiloliters from 191,844 kiloliters last year, propelled mainly by the soar in demand of kerosene and cooking gas.

According to data made available by the NOC, the sale of petrol during the period increased by 3.86 per cent to 15,432 kiloliter from 14,885 kiloliters recorded during the like period last year.

Along with the consumption, the import of petrol has also increased by over 13 per cent to 15,780 kiloliters from 13,953 kiloliters of last year. The main cause of such soar is the rapid increase in the number of private cars and motorbikes.

During the period, the total sale of kerosene, the prime cooking fuel for majority of the middle class households, recorded a surge of almost 7 per cent and remained at 87,943 kiloliters from 82,266 kiloliters last year.

The continuing shift of rural households towards the use of kerosene form traditional firewood combined with illegal outflows towards India due to the price difference are the causes of such soar.

Similarly, a remarkable surge in the consumption of liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was also witnessed during the period. The sale of LPG has gone up by over 13 per cent to touch 10,851 tons from 9,575 tons of last year.

The growing popularity of LPG use by upper middle class households along with the soaring numbers of gas-powered vehicles is the cause of such increase. The sale of furnace oil has also registered a robust growth of over 27 per cent to 4,091 kiloliters from 3,206 kiloliters recorded last year.