Defence Ministry's appeal

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KATHMANDU, Sept 7 – The Defense Ministry has condemned the recent move of the underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) and its sister organizations to motivate Royal Nepal Army personnel to join their violent campaign, and called on the underground outfit to immediately halt such activities.

Said a press release issued here late Friday by the Ministry, "The Ministry has taken serious note of the activities of the rebel party and its sister organization to provoke RNA personnel to join their violent campaign, threaten their family members to make sons and brothers in RNA quit their job. We urge them to immediately stop such activities…"

Stating that the problem is being resolved through talks, the ministry has called on the Maoists to exercise restraint and understand the gravity of the situation. The Ministry has also called on the general public in Kathmandu Valley to dial 100 and report about such incidents. Those living outside the Valley have been requested to inform the nearest police about such incidents

All-party meet against Maoist mass rally

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KATHMANDU, Sept 7 – The all-party meeting held today to discuss the on-going talks with the Maoist rebels has warned the rebels not to go ahead with their planned September 21 mass rally in Kathmandu as that would mean an end to the peace negotiations.

Senior leaders of most major political parties who attended today’s meeting held inside Singha Durbar, including from the governing Nepali Congress and the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), warned the rebel outfit of the untoward effect on the talks if the mass rally went ahead as planned. They also urged both the government and the rebels to stick to the agreements reached on the first round of peace talks.

"We have urged the Maoists to withdraw the gathering but if they continue with it then it would be considered as breaking the peace talks," warned former Deputy Prime Minister and top Nepali Congress leader Ram Chandra Poudel.

Poudel’s indications were towards the planned September 21 mass gathering when the rebels are said to be bringing hundreds of thousands of people. The government and other political parties fear that such a meeting in the capital city could take an ugly turn.

NC central member Arjun Narsingh K.C. said that most of the representatives who attended the all party meet called by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba raised the issue of the mass gathering.

He said there was a verbal agreement between them that this gathering should be postponed or controlled. He did not elaborate on what he meant by "controlled."

"The common voice was that there should be no use of force or pressure as agreed in the first meet," he said.

During the first round of peace talks held on August 30 at Godhavari, the two sides had agreed on refraining from use of any force or pressure that could hamper or alter the peace talks held to resolve the long standing problem.

Most of them agreed that the talks should be held at the earliest date without prolonging it and within the framework of the present Constitution.

"The meeting decided that the second round of talks should be held as soon as possible and the talks should continue in a conducive environment where there is no use of force or pressure," said Poudel..

"We stressed the need to conclude the peace talks soon and there should be no activities that could hamper the process," said Khadga Prasad Oli of the main opposition CPN-UML.

CPN-ML’s Bam Dev Gautam too agreed saying that the talks should be peaceful and at the soonest possible date.

"There should be a logical end to the talks and the more it is delayed it could create a complex security situation in the country," said Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Rabindra Nath Sharma. "The next talks should be result-oriented."

Participants stressed that the talks should be within the parameters of the present Constitution and there should be no compromise on the Constitutional Monarchy and Multi-party democracy achieved through the popular movement of 1990.

"There can be amendments in the Constitution but they have to be within the boundaries provided by the Constitution," said CPN-UML’s Bharat Mohan Adhikari. The Maoists have made it clear that they want a republican state, a new constitution and an interim government to see the change in the system. In the next round of meeting, the Maoists are expected to present a written agenda.

"We are yet to decide on the date but by Saturday it should be clear when and where it will be held," said Minister Bijaya Gachchedar, one of the government negotiators, when asked about the second round of talks.

ADB unsatisfied with anti-power theft Bill Delays loan disbursal for rural electrification

By Ujir Magar

SATDOBATO, Rolpa, Sept 7 – Just when the second round of government-Maoist talks is approaching near, both sides appear to be gearing up for a fire-fight in this rebel stronghold.

Since the infamous Holeri operation in mid-July, the Royal Nepal Army has set up two camps in this district – at Khumil-5 in Satdobato village and at Madichaur village. The camps have threatened the Maoist’s security. According to "Himal," Area Committee Member (ACM) of District Area No 9, the Maoists have been kept on high alert after the army camps were set up.

However, an army officer of Satdobato-based camp said the army was not for fighting with the rebels but to implement the government’s Integrated Security and Development Plan (ISDP). "But army is ready to act according to situations," he said.

Claiming to have established battalion of Maoist force to possibly counter the army, Himal said, "We are not against the talks, but why did the government set up army camps in these places? Government’s intention is questionable."

After setting up the camps, the army has been providing free medical treatment to local villagers as part of the ISDP. This too has aroused Maoist suspicion. In the name of treatment, Himal said, "the RNA personnel are ferreting out our secrets through the general people. Since this is our stronghold district, increased army activities here is a challenge to our party."

However, the army officer said that the government had already pre-planned to set up those army camps. "After we came here, the people of this area have felt relieved. We are here to implement the ISDP and anybody who obstructs it will be our target."

Himal also claimed to have defeated the army in the Holeri operation. He also said the existing cease-fire is to make the ongoing talks a success. He also revealed that the Maoists are geared up to match the "enemies" preparedness. "It is obvious that the first fight with the army will be here. Since we are fighting for ideology, we are not afraid of the army," he said, adding, "the Holeri Operation occurred immediately after we set up the battalions."

The army, however, disputed Himal’s claim. It was just useless for the Maoists to say that they defeated the army in the Holeri Operation, which according to him, was very simple. "They should stop thinking the same way as they did about fighting with the police," the officer warned.

"What is the evidence in the Maoist’s saying that the people are with them?" the army officer asked. "About 30-40 people come to our clinics for treatment daily. How can one say the army are not close to the people?"

Even if the ongoing talks succeed, Himal said, "we are not going to hand over the arms and ammunitions to the government. Handing over of the arms is to destroy communist movement. We need it to counter any internal or external forces who come to fight with us."

The army, which is controlled by the Surkhet Battalion, now are busy in establishing rapport with the people. Maoists are seeing this act with suspicious eyes. The army officer also said that the army had no intention of confronting the Maoists but added that the RNA is ready to face the situation that would emerge after the talks.

Nepal still remains a safe haven for drug traffickers

By Seema A. Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Sept 7 - Police at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) have arrested three foreigners—a German, a British and a Malawi national - during the third week of August on charges of possessing heroine and hashish.

The arrests of three foreign nationals in a single week have brought to the fore another harsh reality about the country’s only international airport, officials closely following the developments at the TIA say. "The TIA is not only used by big-time traders who smuggle gold and American dollars but is also used by international drug traffickers," they said.

Sandwiched between the world’s two major narcotic drug manufacturing regions, the Golden Triangle of Burma, Laos and Thailand and the Golden Crescent of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan, the land of South Asia is considered as a major transit route for the smuggling of narcotics. And Nepal is no exception.

"The British was leaving for his country via Singapore when we arrested him. And we strongly suspect that the German and the Malawian too were leaving for their homes," said Hemanta Malla, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Narcotic Drug Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU) of the Nepal Police. "What is interesting is that all the three flew in here, then left for India and Pakistan and again flew in here on their way home."

Robinson Gordon William of UK, Bernhard Michael Walter of Germany and Austin Sipolo Enock of Malawi are currently in police custody at the District Police Office (DPO), Hanumandhoka. William, was arrested red-handed at the airport on August 17, when he was carrying nearly 3 kilograms of heroine. Similarly, Walter was found carrying over five kilograms of hashish on August 20 and Enock was arrested with 900 grams of heroine. The latter was travelling with a fake passport.

According to the data made available by the Department of Immigration, most of the 85 foreigners who were arrested on charges of possessing fake passports and visas last year, were found to be using TIA as a transit route to supply narcotics to foreign countries.

"Most of the people arrested with fake passports and visas were involved in drug trafficking or smuggling," an official at the Immigration Department told The Kathmandu Post, requesting anonymity. "Many of such criminals come from Pakistan, while others come from India and elsewhere."

According to other data of the narcotics unit, a total of 44 foreigners were found carrying narcotics in 2000. The number, however, continues to rise further this year. Until August 2001, over 20 foreigners have already been arrested with narcotics when they tried to pass through the airport’s green channel.

As per the Nepalese law, a criminal possessing, supplying or selling narcotics shall face a jail term of six months to 20 years or a fine of Rs. 500,000 to 2500,000 depending on the amount of drugs and a mode of crime.

While stating that there is a total lack of co-ordination between the officials stationed at the Tribhuvan International Airport, narcotics investigation officials say that the country needs much stricter laws to check drug trafficking. The narcotics unit has even recommended the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to pass a new regulation.

Once approved or passed by the parliament, the laws would not only control the narcotics trade but would also help contain high-level of corruption at the airport.

Nepalese youth continue to remain hooked to the drugs ranging from Afghan or Thai opium-made heroines and brown sugar to locally made hashish, marijuana and Indian intravenous drugs. And this unabated trade in narcotics in the clandestine markets of Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dharan has further aggravated the problem. An estimated Rs 50,000 Nepalese are drug addicts with more than 80 per cent of them school dropouts. And the number is growing alarmingly in the past few years along with the global trend.

Easy access and cost effective drugs, along with ever increasing illegal trade in drugs, have been cited as some of the major reasons behind the increasing number of drug addicts in Nepal.

Palace, India reject charges

KATHMANDU, Sept 7 (PR) – The Royal Palace and Indian Embassy today have both reacted strongly to charges leveled against them by former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.

"It is not the King’s job to mobilize the army. That job belongs to the National Defense Council," said a high level Palace official on condition of anonymity. "The King only acts after the recommendation of the Council so there is no truth in Koirala’s allegations that the monarchy did not cooperate."

The official also went on the offensive against Koirala, saying that while he was prime minister, Koirala never got the National Defense Council to give a written order to the army to go to Holeri in Rolpa district. "It seems Koirala is only playing to the local gallery, trying to outdo his critics by seeming to appear more revolutionary than they are."

Koirala yesterday accused both the Royal Palace and India for coddling up to the Maoists.

While he blamed the monarchy for refusing to allow the mobilization of the army against the Maoist rebels, he charged India for providing safe haven to top rebel leaders.

The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu too has denied Koirala’s charges. "The accusations (levelled by Koirala) are completely baseless," Manoj Bharati, the press officer of the Embassy, told The Kathmandu Post on Friday. He did not elaborate further. Koirala’s accusations have stirred a hornet’s nest in the country because of his status as not just an ex-Prime Minister but also the sitting president of the governing Nepali Congress Party.

Meanwhile, a senior officer of Royal Nepal Army told this paper that the army brass had not taken Koirala’s accusations lightly. "We did discuss his comments today at the highest levels and we are not satisfied. We have told the present Prime Minister about our concerns," he said.

Nepal, India agree to sort out border disputes

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KATHMANDU, Sept 7 - The 24th Nepal-India Joint Border Committee meet concluded here Friday with the two sides agreeing to sort out border disputes on the basis of mutual cooperation and to speed up the on-going works along the 1800-kilometer Nepal-India border.

According to a press release issued here Friday evening by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials from Nepal and India reviewed the progress report of the past border regulation works and decided on the field works, which will be carried out during this autumn season.

"Both sides have agreed to send their teams along the border soon after the arrival of favourable field season later this month," said the release signed by the Ministry Spokesman Gyan Chandra Acharya.

The officials have also agreed to assign the Chief District Officers and the District Magistrates to prepare detailed reports on the situation along the border after necessary inspections and hand over the same to the field teams before they set out for the works, the release added.

"Both sides have agreed to carry out maintenance works of the damaged border pillars on the basis of the reports submitted by their respective officials," it said.

Director General of Department of Survey, Babu Ram Acharya led the Nepalese delegation while the Indian side was led by Surveyor General of India, A.K. Ahuja.

Nepal and India need to look into border disputes in 53 different places along their 1,808-km border, according to Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, former director general of the Department of Survey. He says as much 110,550 bighas of land, an area equivalent to the size of Kathmandu plus Lalitpur districts, has been under dispute.

While 57,000 bighas is under dispute in the far-north western region’s strategic Kalapani area, where Indo-Tibetan border police have been stationed by India since the 1962 Sino-India war and land of thousands of bighas is disputed in other 52 border areas in 21 districts, according to him. Other key disputed areas along the Indo-Nepal border are, Susta region in Nawalparasi in central Terai and Antudanda area in Ilam in the far-east.

It could not be ascertained whether the disputes featured during the two-day meet or not.

Half a million girls in Nepal are deprived of education

By: Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, Sept 7 - At least 43 per cent of the 23.2 million people in Nepal are functionally illiterate with marked imbalance between rich and the poor, urban and rural and between male and female.

The latest figures compiled by the Central Bureau of Statistics reveal that Nepal’s literacy rate stands at 57.6 per cent (6 years and above) with wide disparity in the enrollment ratio for boys and girls and between urban and the rural.

According to Stewart McNab, Representative of UNICEF Kathmandu, nearly half a million girls in Nepal of school-going age do not get the opportunity to attend schools. "In Nepal, UNICEF is particularly concerned about the situation of girls as they do not have the same opportunity as boys to attend school," he added.

He further said that UNICEF is working here in Nepal for the realization of child rights-the right to survival and development.

Though Nepalese democracy has become a decade-old, the social incentives generated by the system have not been adequate to eliminate major social issues such as illiteracy, which has reflected in a marked difference over literacy rate between male and female of over 13 per cent.

There are now close to 875 million illiterate people in the world, according to the UNESCO. "The rewards of literacy are unavailable to hundreds of millions of people due to increasing poverty, " Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO, said today in a message on the occasion of International Literacy Day.

"UNESCO calls upon people and governments everywhere to give increased and sustained support to the drive for literacy for all," Matsuura added.

The National Report on "Follow-up to the World Summit for Children," compiled by the National Planning Commission, show a marked difference not only among the regions but also between male and female enrollment in Nepal with the girls’ Net Enrollment Ratio (NER) standing at 20 per cent lower than the boys.This report was submitted to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan recently for the special session of the General Assembly, as the follow-up to the World Summit for Children in September 2001.The report further cites the reasons behind not being able to achieve the target were geographical condition, gender-related discriminatory practices keeping girls at home, poverty and low quality of education, among others.

Even as the government and its partners began Basic and Primary Education (BPEP) Programme in 1992 in 40 districts, the Mid West and Far West regions show lowest net enrollments and also the greatest disparity between boys and girls’ enrollment.

The Nepal government’s approach to reduce this disparity didn’t pay off and it has still over 40 per cent of its population to be educated before 2015 as promised by the government before the Dakar conference.Bidhyanath Koirala, education expert, said that the target is attainable should the government show commitments and honesty on policies it made before.

The National Multiple Indicator Survey show that the latest adult literacy stands at just 30 per cent which is still relatively low in Nepal compared to the other countries in the region.

Satya Bahadur Shrestha, director of Non-Formal Education Center (NFE), informed that the government is launching various literacy programmes, both formal and non-formal, to bridge the gap between female and male literacy rate.

And now Maoist militia turns to revolt

By J Pandey

SONPUR, Banke Sept 7 - For the first time since the Maoists waged "People’s War" six years ago, around 300 People’s Militiamen revolted against its leadership accusing the latter of fostering "feudal culture within the party and looting innocent people."

The revolt has unmasked the Maoist posture at a time when the Maoists and the government are sitting across the negotiating table to resolve the six-year-old violent insurgency.

A Maoist source said that four area leaders including the area in-charge comrade Yug have fled their village after their grass-root level cadre revolted against them this week.

The party leadership was assigned to expand Maoist organisational base in three western village development committees. The source said that they resorted to revolt against their leaders after they deviated from the party’s declared policies, principles and discipline.

The members of the "People’s Militia" said that they had to revolt against them after area local leaders such as Mophiyuddin Khan, his brother Nuruddin and Parama Nanda Sharma extorted money from poor people and tortured them without any cause.

"We asked the leaders to stop such extortion and looting for the last six months. But they did not listen to our requests," a militiaman told The Kathmandu Post requesting anonymity.

The Maoist cadre, who deserted the party, disclosed all the Maoist wrong doings in front of the villagers organising a public meeting here, Sunday.

The grass-root level cadre declared their revolt against the local leaders shortly after the high level Maoist leaders disclosed at a meeting in Nepalgunj stating that the party had no plans of collecting donation from the people. Majority of the people in this locality are poor and cannot afford to give donations to the party.

The cadre revolting against the leadership also disclosed that the leaders committed sexual exploitation of three women of the area. The women were warned of taking their lives in case they filed a complaint to the police.

It was also disclosed in the meeting that the Maoist leaders also severely beat up 20 youths on charges of defying their orders and looted Rs. 700,000 in cash from the villagers.

"We also demanded them that they reveal the accounts of the money collected from the villagers," an infuriated Maoist cadre said, "But the leaders warned us of physical assaults,"

Locals said that Moyuddin family, which is involved in Maoist activities, was notorious in the area. The cadre revolting against the local leaders declared that they would "take their lives" for the crimes they committed in the name of the party.

A high level Maoist source, however, claimed that the persons deserting the party were not the organised party members but had joined the party on their own.

The Militia members also called upon the villagers to stand by them to defend the "looters."

A high level Maoist source said that the revolt that began from the rural area of this plain district could be counterproductive to the party itself.

Hoodlum opens fire at traffic police

KATHMANDU, Sept 7 (PR) - A police head constable sustained a bullet injury when one of the unidentified persons in a group of six travelling towards Koteshwor on a taxi with registration number Ba Aa Ja 4347 shot him at his leg during traffic checking Friday evening.

The gang, however, managed to escape immediately and remained absconding. The driver of the taxi, however, reported the police on the incident immediately.

Padam Prasad Bajagain, police head constable was rushed to the hospital, a police source at Kalimati office informed. The incident happened near Bishnumati bridge at around seven in the evening while the traffic checking was going on, according to the police source.

MPs flay Maoists’ activities

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KATHMANDU, Sept 7 – Lawmakers of both the ruling and the main opposition parties raised their concern in the parliament over the unabated terrorising activities of the Maoists despite the cease-fire declaration and the talks process.

"The Maoists are trying a clever word play by saying that they would cease the militant activities," said former Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, "but their all other aggressive activities have continued unabated."

Speaking in the House of Representatives, the former DPM also accused the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) of breaching the cease-fire agreement by continuing to loot the guns. Owners of schools, hotels, houses alike have been terrorised by the Maoists asking the hapless citizens for food, shelter and money.

"Whose interests are they serving? Are they aware that the parents are sending their wards outside the country which is causing a capital flight?" asked Poudel.

Poudel also denied the charge made by the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal that Nepali Congress was instigating the Maoists against the UML. "We have never done that. We have never even thought of that."

He called upon all the parties to unite against the "onslaught" of the Maoists who he said have systematically targetted the men from their political rivals.

Pradip Gyawali of UML accused the rebels of using the talks with the government as a strategic ploy to consolidate their position. "We must first clear out whether the Maoists are honest in their commitment towards the talks with the government."

Gyawali also accused the Maoists of institutionalising corruption. "They are demanding Rs 500,000 to one million rupees from the VDC funds. Is this not institutionalising corruption?"

Nepal defends UML call for interim govt

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KATHMANDU, Sept 7 – The leader of the main opposition party CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal today said that the party had brought forward the proposal to form a joint interim government because the party was concerned about the present situation of the country.

Defending allegations raised from various quarters that the UML had brought out the proposal as it was in a hurry to get into the government, Nepal clarified that the party was in no hurry but thought that formation of an interim government was the only way out of the political crisis the country was facing at present.

Addressing his own party cadres at the UML Central Office in the Capital the opposition leader said, " UML is ready to form a government if necessary but it is not desperate. It is more concerned about the country."

Once again the general secretary lambasted the Maoists for their recent anti-UML activities and giving examples of Philippines, Cambodia and Burma he said that the communist revolution has failed where the communists have gone extreme.

At the same time speaking about unification process with its splinter CPN-ML, he said that the UML initially did not regard ML as a political party as a political strategy to fight the last general elections, but now things were different. "How can we ignore the third largest party in the country?" He questioned his cadres.

Nepal even went to the extent of saying that if any leader or group opposed the idea of ML joining its "mother party" then they could leave or rather would be made to leave the party.

Hinting at the growing disgruntlement within the party about the ML’s merger with the UML, Nepal said that "post 6th general convention (of UML) attitude" was returning in some of the members of the party and that the party was ready to deal with it. The splinter group (ML) had separated itself from the party following conflict on certain issues in the party’s 6th general convention some four years ago.

Meanwhile, speaking earlier at the second national convention of the Confederation of Nepalese Professionals Nepal made it clear that the UML was in favour of sweeping socio-economic reforms and that the party would jointly work with the recently formed alliance of the 10 left parties regarding the land reforms issue.

"The Nepali Congress government is scared to implement the land ceiling and reforms programme but the UML will raise its voice and fight for revolutionary land reforms programmes together with the 10 left parties with which it has committed to work together," Nepal said.