Second Govt-Maoists talks inconclusive

By Kamal Panthi and J. Pandey

THAKURDWAR, Bardia, Sept 14 - The second round of peace talks between the Government and the Maoists ended late Friday without much achievements after the Maoists formally presented their proposal seeking a republic state, a new constitution and an interim government.

The government is expected to issue a statement on Saturday and are expected to announce if and when they would continue the peace talks during a third possible round again.

Sources said it could be early next week in the capital city. This, however, could not be independently verified.

The Maoist negotiators were expected to leave the Tiger Tops jungle resort around midnight or later and supporters had lined the road outside the venue.

The talks concluded after the government side told the Maoist negotiators that they had no mandate to agree with the proposals by the Maoists. The government side accused them of being too rigid despite earlier claims that it would be flexible.

The Maoists have maintained that the proposals they have presented are much flexible but the government side has made it clear that it had no mandate to agree with proposals such as scrapping of the Constitution, dissolution of the government and the Parliament and end to the Monarchy.

During the talks, the Maoists have proposed that since the traditional monarchy has already ended and the process of establishing a republic state had already begun, it was time to institutionalize the concept.

The government side instead has asked the Maoists to come under mainstream politics and once they do that most of their demands could be fulfilled.

The Maoists team led by Krishna Bahadur Mahara with Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and Agni Prasad Sapkota has also demanded that the Armed Police Force (APF), Integrated Security and Development Programme (ISDP), the Public Security Regulations and the Regional Administrators should all be dissolved and the whereabouts of all those detained by the administration be made public.

The government negotiators have assured them that they would make the whereabouts public and release the remaining Maoists who are still in custody. The Armed Police Force would not be used against the Maoists and if the situation returns to normal then the ISDP would automatically turn inactive. Also the government is positive in scrapping points out of the Public Security Regulations.

To add to that, 23 of the 40 demands presented by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, before they took up guerrilla warfare, have also been presented.

The request by the government to call off the conference of the ANNISU-Revolutionary planned on Sept. 17 and the mass gathering on Sept. 21 was denied by the Maoist negotiators, who insisted that these meets would be peaceful.

The government fears that since the activities of the Maoist followers in the days following the first talks on Aug. 30 showed that their leadership does not have full control, the mass gatherings in the capital city could go out of control despite the assurance by Maoists leadership.

The government is accusing the Maoists of extorting, physical abuse, forcing transporters, hotels and even private citizens to room, board and ferry their cadres and even raping of women and abuse of children.

The government team is led by Minister Chiranjivi Wagle has Ministers Mahesh Acharya and Bijaya Gachchhedar, Nepali Congress members Narhari Acharya and Chakra Prasad Bastola as members.

US requests Nepal to help in investigations

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 – The United States has asked Nepal government to help in the investigation of recent terrorist attacks on US if it has any information, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy Larry M Dinger told the media persons today.

The US request has come as a part of the international-level investigation on Tuesday’s terrorist strikes, which totally devastated the World Trade Center in New York and partially damaged the Pentagon in Washington.

Dinger said that he has received assurances from the Nepalese government of all possible support in this regard. "Obviously, we are keeping our ears and eyes open," replied Dinger, to a question whether the US has launched investigations in Nepal.

He reiterated his government’s resolve that the US would spare no efforts in eliminating terrorist activities from the world. When asked if the US would target only anti-US terrorist groups or all the terrorist groups, Dinger emphasised on the phrase "from all over the world".

Later Robert Kerr, chief of United States Information Service clarified, "Terrorists are terrorists. Today they target the US; tomorrow it will be another country. So we think a united effort is needed to wipe out terrorism from around the world."

The Charge d’Affaires refused to speculate on the possible US strike in Afghanistan at this moment. When asked about the possible alliance with India if Pakistan refuses to provide its air space as per the US request, Dinger declined to "go into the specifics at this moment."

He, however, said that the US would seek help from all the countries, which are concerned about terrorism and want to wipe it out. "South Asia experiences its own terrorist concepts and so the region is not unknown to terrorism," Dinger said, adding, "The US government has not yet divulged the concepts it is looking for and we are trying to work with everyone to eliminate terrorism."

Commenting on the backlash in the US on the Asians, the envoy said that they were safe in the US. "I am sure my government will encourage the Americans to respect the safety of ethnic Asians."

Dinger expressed his gratitude to the people and government of Nepal for their emotional support. "It was incredibly gratifying to see how the world has expressed its solidarity, particularly Nepal. People here are grieving as we are."

A new ‘Great Game’ in Central and South Asia

By Suman Pradhan

KATHMANDU, Sept 14 – Is history repeating itself? By the look of things, it certainly seems so. The terror strikes in New York City and Washington D.C. this week has put the United States on a path that is all set to take it into Afghanistan.

How it will end - if and when it begins at all - nobody knows. But one thing is certain: Afghanistan, its hard-line Taliban rulers and the mercurial reason for all this super power attention, Osama bin Laden, will now forever be in America’s gun-sights.

And along with it will be Pakistan, one of only three nations on earth to recognize the Taliban, who in turn protect bin Laden, who in turn is believed by US officials to be the mastermind behind the devastation in New York and Washington this week.

It so turns out, September 11 not only flattened lower Manhattan and shattered Fortress America’s sense of security, but has also turned upside down the power politics in South and Central Asia. This is why there is a distinct foreboding of history repeating itself.

Afghanistan has a way of drawing powerful countries within its borders, grinding them into a quagmire and then forcing them to retreat. This was what happened to the Soviet Union in the 1980s. A decade-long misadventure ended in ignominious defeat in 1989 when Soviet troops pulled out, hammered as they were by the Afghan mujaheddin who were backed, ironically, by the United States and Pakistan in a proxy war.

And a century ago, the mighty British Empire and Russia competed in a "Great Game" for power and influence in Afghanistan that defined the geopolitics of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth centuries.

Now America stands on the verge of intervention. By harboring bin Laden and refusing to extradite him, the Taliban has given the US powerful reasons to launch a military strike. The world’s most powerful nation has already begun marshalling a grand alliance against bin Laden, the Taliban and whosoever supports them.

The brunt of US diplomacy, as a result, is falling on Pakistan. US Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday called Pakistan a friend, and as such, expected the Pakistani government to provide support for its anti-bin Laden moves as a friend would. But make no mistake: the US is prepared to deal with Pakistan in totally opposite terms if the need arises. Powell has already publicly declared that the US would go after terrorist networks and "those who have harboured, supported and aided that network."

The New York Times today wrote: It also appeared clear that the use of force against identified terrorist cells in Pakistan might be contemplated, as a last resort. The Times quoted Barnett R. Rubin, a political scientist at New York University, as saying, "Pakistan can be a full partner, or a target, and it doesn’t really have a third option. There is no more being a friend of the United States and of Osama bin Laden."

Such thinking can only send South and Central Asian geopolitics in a tizzy. After decades of associations forced by the Cold War, new power alignments are emerging in the region. The process, which began with former US President Clinton’s visit to India in 1998, can only gather speed now.

India has already supported the US call against bin Laden and the Taliban, and has even offered its facilities and air space against any eventual US strike into Afghanistan. India, which often accuses the Afghan mujaheddin of fighting alongside militants in Kashmir, sees this as a historic opportunity to deal terrorism a crushing blow. A formal alliance with the US, Indian leaders calculate, can only be beneficial in this goal.

There could also be another more important reasoning. Indian leaders could only be happy to have the US on their side to counterbalance growing Chinese power in Asia. After all, former Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes, one may recall, bluntly said two years ago that China was India’s number one enemy.

In this emerging re-alignment, the one country other than Afghanistan which is truly in a fix is none other than Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf condemned the terrorist acts in the US in the strongest terms and vowed its support to the US government. But he hasn’t yet said anything on what the US wants to hear most: will Pakistan apply pressure on the Taliban to evict bin Laden?

Gen Musharraf may have his own domestic compulsions. If he supports the US bid, then he risks the wrath of the radical elements within his own country. If he doesn’t, the US could be breathing down his neck pretty soon. However, close Pakistan’s ties are with China, on this question of Islamic terrorism at least, the Chinese are apt to tread carefully because of their own compulsions in the Muslim dominated western province of Xinjiang.

The wild card on all this could be Russia. The country sees the Central Asian ex-Soviet republics north of Afghanistan as a buffer against growing Islamic fundamentalism. Russia already has its own radical Islamic problem in Chechnya where it is still mired in a vicious conflict.

The natural tendency of a liberal Russian leadership would be to aid the US anti-terrorism effort. But it may be a folly to think that Russian generals have forgotten the humiliation in Afghanistan which was wrought in no small measure by generous US support to the Afghan mujaheddin.

MPs demand arrest of accused in rape case

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 - Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties joined hand in parliament today to condemn the rape of a 12-year old girl in Nuwakot district last Sunday and demanded arrest of the Maoist cadre accused in the case.

"The Maoists leadership is trying to protect this alleged instead of taking action against him," said CPN-UML’s Khadga Prasad Oli. "If this is the type of people who are in the so-called people’s government then if they do grab on to power what would the situation be like?"

Oli was demanding immediate arrest of a Maoist cadre, identified as Kaile Giri, who allegedly raped the girl at Haldekali VDC when the hapless girl and her friend were returning home after collecting grass. The minor’s friend, pounced upon by another Maoist, was lucky to escape.

Giri is an official of the so-called "people’s government" that the Maoists had declared in the district. Later, the poor girl and her family members were threatened by a group of Maoists with dire consequences if they reported the matter to the police.

"Since the Maoist party itself is trying to protect this culprit the whole party should be held accountable and blame for this crime," said N.P. Saud of the ruling Nepali Congress. "I urge the government to take immediate action in the case."

Saud’s party colleague Ramesh Lekhak, who is also the NC whip, said the accused in this case should not be spared from punishment for the crime committed.

Sabitri Bogati of the CPN-UML too said condemned the incident and said it was just not one cadre raping a girl but the entire Maoist party’s rapping the Nepalis.

The girl is undergoing treatment in the TU Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj. She was brought there on Monday.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Chitralekha Yadav, who was chairing today’s session, ruled that the government provide full details and the Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka be present soon to brief the House about the incident.

The lawmakers also demanded that the government provide details of the ongoing second round of peace talks between the government and the Maoists in Bardiya and cautioned the Maoists against continuation of violating the agreement between the government and them.

The two sides had agreed to cease all activities that could disrupt the peace talks but the government is accusing the Maoist of continuing to hold armed rally, extortion and even rape and abuse.

"If the talks fail, then it would be the Maoists, who will be responsible. The government backed by the party has been fully cooperating," said NC’s Baldev Majgaiya.

"The people in various places have begun to retaliate the Maoists actions and they should understand this and correct their ways," said Saud.

CPN-UML’s Oli said the Maoists have been involved in activities that are provocative and they need to immediately cease such actions.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who also hold the portfolio as the Minister of Land Reforms and Management today presented a proposal to pass on the controversial Bill to make fifth amendment to the Land Reforms Act.

The proposal was accepted and the Bill would now go to the parliamentary National Resources Committee. The committee members include Rastriya Prajatantra Party’s Pashupati Sumshere Rana, who has been leading the protests against the government’s proposed land reforms.

"Majority of the amendment proposals on this Bill has come from the ruling NC which proves that this Bill is not right and it is unconstitutional," said Rana before boycotting the House. Nepal Sadbhawana Party too walked out of the House protesting the Bill.

Landslides continue to block highways

By Birodh Pandey

KATHMANDU, Sept 14 - At least 62 landslides of various degrees have hit the mid-hill highways and major roads in different parts of the country this monsoon.

The most infamous one the Krishnabhir along the Prithvi Highway, alone accounted for 18 times, according to a data provided by the Department of Roads (DoR).

The landslides at Krishnabhir not only blocked the major highway many times, it also brought forth the issue of Nepal’s road conditions. The catastrophic natural havoc gives birth to the cyclic path each year where new landslides are born adding to the already volatile situation created by the older ones.

The first landslide at Krishnabhir, a year ago, blocked the highway for 10 days, bringing vehicles to a complete halt. The problem at Krishnabhir is intense, as it is now a mass of moving soil setting a stage for a further havoc on the national highway, linking Kathmandu to the outlying parts of the country.

Environmentalist and geologist agree on the fact that enough attention had not been paid on the geological stability factor of the slopes during the construction of these highways.

Geological experts claim that there is an urgent need for a change on agricultural practices in the sloppy land along the highways and stop mining activities, which have left the soil debilitating further.

Government has now made Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study mandatory prior to the construction of roads in Nepal. Though this provision remained for decades, the roads were built in haphazard manner in the quest for economic development and the consequences were dire - periodic landslides with the break of monsoon.

"Landslides are much greater problem than ongoing political issues," says Dr. Shree Govinda Shah, a senior environmentalist.

"Roads are no doubt prime infrastructure for development but they have to be built as per the geographical conditions of the country, carrying out environmental impact and its assessment," adds Dr. Shah.

Annual cropping system should be replaced by perennial cropping system, which has deep roots and can bind the soil together, according to Dr. Shah.

According to Dr. Roshan Bajracharya, soil and water conservation expert, mountain area of Nepal is young and needs much attention and should be studied before implementing any construction activities.

"Present series of landslides are the results of blasting carried out during the maintenance of the highway," claims Bajracharya.

Though mining 50 metres from the highway is banned, various companies are allowed to carry on their works, which have further added to the fragile condition of roads, according to Babu Raja Aryal, senior mining engineer at the Department of Mines and Geology.

"We set the appropriate place for mining but contractors start quarrying in different places," says Aryal. "It’s the responsibility of concerned DDC to monitor the illegal mining and help stop landslides in the highways."

"Bioengineering is more effective than the civil methods and the DoR is moving ahead to adopt it", says Suresh Kumar Regmi, senior engineer at the Department. "About 95 per cent of the landslides are caused by natural reasons and rest by human activities," he says.

Dr. Mohan Wagle, Director at the Department of Soil and Watershed Conservation, pointed out that District Development Committee starts road construction before understanding the physical condition of the hill," says Dr. Wagle. "We only try to solve the problem after the landslides start hitting the roads."

Even the government has directed Department of Agriculture to begin the perennial cropping system in the hills along the highways, according to Bhairab Raj Kaini, Deputy Director General at the Department of Agriculture. "This will obviously reduce the chances of landslides on the highways."

Huge peace rally held in capital

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 - "Stop killing and getting killed, Live and Let live" read thousands of placards as the procession of tens of thousands of people marched along the major streets of the capital today advocating peace.

Unlike the majority of rallies seen by the capital in recent times this one was unique, not only in terms of large participation but also in the quality and serenity of the great mass. This rally gave a sense of relief, a reason to sigh and a sense of hope to all the city dwellers engulfed by a common feeling of lack of security and tired of numerous violent incidents in the country.

Moreover, the fact which was overwhelming was that no one had been coaxed or pressurised to participate in the rally. The practice so common in the country especially among the political parties while organising a rally was avoided, still the participation was spontaneous and people from every walk of life were there.

The message was clear that people want peace that they are fed up with violence going on in the country in the name of so called politics and different ideologies.

Numerous teachers, students and their guardians, representatives of various religious organisations, large and small business houses and several other organisations, development agencies and humanitarian organisations willingly participated in this silent rally for peace.

The silent mass holding banners and placards advocating peace started from Basantapur Square at 3 in the afternoon after Sudeep Pathak, a human right activist and co-ordinator of the rally lit a candle. The rally went along the streets in the heart of the capital before coming to an end at the very place from where it had started.

According to Bhawani Prasad Pokhrel, secretary of People’s Solidarity For Peace Campaign (PSOPEC) an NGO formed to help maintain peace in the country also one of the organising institutions, said that over 300 different institutions participated in the rally.

"All Human Rights Organisations, all organisations affiliated to Nepal Teachers’ Association, Nepal Teacher’s Organisation and PABSON, more than 40 organisations affiliated to Viswo Hindu Mahasangh, Jamia Masjid and all industries affiliated to Hotel Association of Nepal, Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Nepal Chambers of Commerce participated in the rally," said Pokhrel.

"It is really amazing that all these people came here on their own, it shows to what extent the people of this country want peace", said a hotel entrepreneur participating in the rally.

Similar rallies were held in 65 different districts all over the country today say the organisers. "Today the people have shown that the majority of them want peace and stability in the country and we all pray their wish will be fulfilled," said a volunteer walking along with the mass.

Koirala to form massive democratic alliance

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 – President of Nepali Congress (NC) Girija Prasad Koirala said that he has received consensus in principle from all political parties to form a ‘Massive Democratic Alliance’, and is going to call an all -party joint meet shortly to nurture a go-ahead for its implementation.

" We all political parties who believe in the Constitution and monarchy have agreed in principle to form ‘ a democratic alliance’ to get rid the country of violence and insecurity", NC President Koirala said.

Koirala last week declared a "Comprehensive National Unity Campaign" among all political parties at a programme on September 9 in Syangja to save the country from Maoists violence.

He made this remark while sipping over a cup of tea after having had addressed a programme entitled Democratic Socialism and Education organised by the teacher-wing close to his party, Nepal Teachers Organisation (NTO), Kathmandu district.

"Now we are in a process to call an all-party meet shortly to collect a go-ahead for its implementation", said Koirala.

When asked to comment on his recent charge against the Royal Palace and India for backing the Maoists, he declined. The former Prime Minister had on September 6 blamed the Palace and India for coddling the Maoists Movement, which immediately promoted the Royal Palace and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu to clarify the blame.

The former Prime Minister, addressing a gathering of teachers, asked all the teachers to give hands, irrespective of their demands and problems, to gain peace and security back in the country. "People want peace right now, nothing but peace and security. Now our utmost priority must be to provide peace and security to the people who want nothing but peace" said the NC President.

Lawmakers Tirtha Man Dangol, Sukra Raj Sharma and NC central member Arjun Nar Singh K.C. spoke in favour of a need to change the present education policy as it is not suitable to the changed present context of the country.

Meanwhile, teachers, speaking at the programme, criticised the government for not fulfilling their demands submitted time and again in the past. They also complained that they are in a trap between the government and the Maoists-students in the recent days. They said that they have to face Maoist students’ demand on the one hand while they have to obey government’s order not to abide by the Maoists demand.

They also said that the present education does not follow socialism as visioned by Biseshwor Prasad Koirala as it is creating a gap between the rich and the poor.

Those speaking at the programme were: Bishnu Prasad Adhikari, Vice-President of NTO, Mohan Gyawali, secretary of NTO and Laxmi Kishwor Subedi President of NTO, Kathmandu district.

UN racism meet fruitful

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 - Despite much of the conference on Racial Discrimination held in Durban, South Africa focused on the Middle-East, delegates representing the government at the meet today claimed that it ended up fruitfully .

"Although the focus was on Middle-East, we were able to expose the social evils of the country in an international level," said Bijul Kumar Bishwokarma, one of the delegates and member of Upper House, at the press conference organized by the Committee for the Upliftment of the Deprived Communities.

He further added, "This is the third conference but it was the first time we received the information about the conference. During the Panchayat regime, discussions, outside the country, on social evils that are known to exist within were prohibited. But after the restoration of democracy, the country saw lots of changes and information that the conference is part of it. This can be considered as one of the positive aspects of the Multi-Party democracy."

Dalit and Human rights activists joined hands to press for the inclusion of caste discrimination and the practice of untouchability largely prevalent in the Nepalese society, on the agenda of the UN conference in Durban on racial discrimination but could not succeed.

"We did demand the inclusion of caste disparity on the agenda and we were not successful but we had a chance to expose other forms of discrimination like gender." said Prof. Man Bahadur Bishwokarma, a noted Dalit activist. He also said that, exposing different forms of discrimination in the international forum

can help in mitigating such disparities. "This was the first experience of the government to expose different forms of discriminations in an international level. This made the participants of other countries know about the situation of Nepal," said Bishwokarma.

The Prime Minister, almost a month ago, announced prohibition of any kind of social discriminations based on caste, prohibition of entry into public places including places of worship or the practice of untouchability as crimes punishable by law. He also assured to table that a Bill on constituting the Dalit Commission in the near future.

People belonged to the Dalit community have been accusing the government for the inaction to prevent the social injustice against them. They are claiming that the people belonging to the so-called upper castes have been oppressing them.

Eventhough, the Practice of untoucability is prevalent in the rural society, urban areas are also not far behind. For instance, the Chamar’s-traditional community which carries carcasses- were ostracized by the people of so-called upper caste in Lahan, Siraha district, when they refused to dispose off dead bodies of the animals

‘Govt attorney gets less than Rs 200 per case’

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KATHMANDU, Sept 14 – A private lawyer charges at least 5,000 rupees for pleading a single case but the government lawyer pleading the same case gets less than two hundred rupees, said a senior official at the Attorney General’s office, today.

If the total number of cases divides the total budget received by the Attorney General’s office, the ratio stands 560 rupees per case. But they do not get paid as per the case. Instead, they get the government salary, which comes around less than 200 rupees per case, the official said.

This is mentioned in the annual report submitted on Tuesday by Attorney General Badri Bahadur Karki to the government.

"This is why the government loses most of the cases," says joint attorney Narendra Prasad Pathak. "Overload of works and lack of resources are some of the causes behind the poor performance of the government attorneys."

The report shows that the government attorneys all over the country disposed 29,445 cases last year, spending Rs. 25.5 million on salary and other allowances to the attorneys. Out of these cases, government won in 8,279 cases only.

The report states, there were altogether 10,562 cases of crime during the fiscal year, which numbered 58 more than the previous year’s. Altogether 658 people were pardoned from different jails during the fiscal year.

The report has also suggested different measures to improve the present legal system. The major recommendations include the formation of a high-level task force on criminal justice, which has already been formed. It also suggests for a separate judicial police force to assist the judiciary. Another major recommendation is the formation of a criminology institute to study the reasons behind the crimes in the society.