Govt flatly rejects Maoists’ demand

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KATHMANDU, Sept 15 – The much-awaited government-Maoists dialogue virtually reached to a deadlock after the government flatly rejected the Maoists’ demands for a republican state and a new Constitution.

But both the sides agreed to sit down across the table again despite serious differences in the second round of talks held on Thursday and Friday.

In fact, Minister Bijay Kumar Gachchhedar admitted the serious differences today at a press conference. While replying to a question, Gachchhedar said, "Our stance in the talks could be interpreted either way. It could be taken as our rejection of their (two) demands or it can be interpreted as our preliminary opinion."

Although both the sides said that they were committed to the talks and that the third round would be held soon, it seems less likely that any concrete result would come out of the talks, given the public posturing of the two sides.

During different conferences held here today, the government and the Maoists’ negotiation teams stuck to their guns on the question of the republic and the formulation of a new Constitution.

Both the teams returned to the capital after the two-day talks at posh Tiger Tops resort in the Royal Bardiya National Park in West Nepal.

"We told the Maoists that we cannot accept their demands to rescind the present Constitution and completely disagree with their call for a republic," said Chiranjivi Wagle, Minister for Works and Physical Planning and the head of the government-negotiating team.

He also read out a detailed reply to the Maoists’ 23-point demands under three sections which they presented to the government during the second round of talks. Wagle said that the government has reiterated its request to the Maoists to drop their plan to hold their students’ and their own meetings in the capital on September 17 and 21 respectively.

Speaking about other demands of the Maoists, Wagle revealed that his team assured the rebels that they would implement their demands after due considerations.

As far as creating a conducive environment for the talks, Wagle said that they would make public, within a week, the whereabouts of the Maoists who are in police custody or said to be missing. The government would also release the Maoists from the custody as agreed upon earlier after following due procedures, added Wagle.

He also said that the government would make necessary amendments and improvements in the Public Safety Regulations (PSR) 2001. The Maoists had demanded its repeal. Reacting to the rebels’ call to disband the Armed Police Force, the Minister said that he had told the Maoists that it was not possible to do so. However, he reiterated the government’s assurance that the force would not be used against any political party.

On another contentious issue, the Integrated Security and Development Package (ISDP) under which the army has been deployed in Maoist-affected districts, Wagle said that the programme would automatically become invalid once the peace and security situation improves.

Maoists adamant on their stand

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KATHMANDU, Sept 15 – A day after the second round of government-Maoist talks, chief negotiator of the Maoists said that the Maoists are stuck to their earlier demands of an interim government, constitutional reform and a republican state.

"And if the present talks fail to meet these demands, we will again resort to our armed struggle," head of the Maoists negotiating team Krishan Bahadur Mahara told a crowded press conference here today.

But Mahara said that his party still prefers to end the present problem through a dialogue.

Since the people and the country want the peaceful resolution to the six-year-old "People’s war," we are positive towards solving the problem through the talks, Mahara said. "However, our main demands of an interim government, constitutional change and institutional development of a republican state remain as our ultimate goal."

Mahara also blamed the government side for not being responsible and serious about the peace talks. "We had already presented our demands on the table but the government is yet to respond to them."

The government is lingering these main issues, he said. "They are yet to make public the whereabouts of 72 of our detained comrades including Dandapani Neupane and have not released hundreds of our colleagues, including central committee member Matrika Yadav," Mahara further said.

He also demanded that the government immediately dismiss its Integrated Security and Development Plan and Public Security Act for the talks to yield positive results.

He once again reiterated his party’s demand to establish a republican state in the country. "The talks will yield positive results only if we discuss our political agenda," Mahara said, adding, "Nothing is going to be changed without the change in the present political system."

Mahara also said that their scheduled mass meet in the capital on September 21 would go ahead as planned. "The gathering is going to be organised under the framework of the present constitution, which in our view is outdated," he said. "We don’t want the government compel us to define their own constitution, by not letting us organise the mass meet."

But he assured that the meet will be peaceful and no untoward incident will happen.

Govt bans mass meet in capital

KATHMANDU, Sept 15 (PR) – The District Administration Office today announced a ban on public meetings, extortion and other activities detrimental to law and order situation in the capital city for a minimum of one month beginning today. The move came six days before the "peaceful mass meet" of the underground Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) in the city’s Open Air Theatre.

According to a press release issued here late Saturday, undersigned by the Chief District Office (CDO), the decision was made using the rights provisioned in the Local Administration Act 2028 (BS) Chapter 6 (3). "..acts like extortion, forceful use of houses, factories and schools and public vehicles and unconstitutional pamphleteering, sloganeering and holding mass meetings have been banned for a minimum of one month until further notification," the statement said.

King visits Basantapur

KATHMANDU, Sept 15 (PR)– His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev visited the Basantapur Durbar today.

The purpose of the visit was to oversee the preparations that are being undertaken for renovation of the Durbar.

Authorities had earlier warned that the Durbar would collapse if renovation works were not immediately initiated.

His Majesty King Gyanendra then had ordered to carry out a survey for refurbishing the Durbar.

King Gyanendra also visited Akash Bhairab temple at Indrachowk today.

British adventurer to set yet another record on Everest

By Bhaskar Sharma

KATHMANDU, Sept 15 – For any common man, crossing the mighty Himalayan range in a hot air balloon from Tibet to Nepal may sound a wacky idea. But this is exactly what David Hempleman-Adams, a noted 45-year old British explorer, is trying to do.

No one has so far attempted the feat alone. It was back in 1991 that the first successful balloon flight across the Himalayas was undertaken. Two balloons had then flown from Nepal to Tibet with a total four people – Chris Dewhurst and Leo Dickinson in one, and Andy Elson and Eric Jones in the other balloon.

The risk surrounding the flight had so far failed to lure adventurers to attempt the unusual feat alone. And it was only last year that David, a veteran explorer, decided to undertake the gruelling ordeal.

David is presently in Tibet acclimatising himself and preparing for his record trip. Belgian meteorologist Luc Trullemans, who predicted the weather for the first balloonist to successfully fly around the globe, has anticipated the weather to be fair from September 20 till October end.

"The preparations are almost over. He hopes to get the Chinese permission soon for his record trip," Sue Clarke told The Kathmandu Post Friday. Clarke is David’s press associate and is presently in Kathmandu.

Despite the preparations, Clarke informed that the Chinese government is yet to grant permission for the record take-off. The British Embassy is working on it, and David hopes that the permission will be granted soon.

And if the feat is accomplished, it will be the first ever such solo flight that any man has undertaken. And the challenges are enormous. Especially because of all the bizarre and adverse conditions that David will have to face in accomplishing his feat.

Flying the balloon, adjusting the burners, watching out for unpredictable winds, keeping an eye on the rate of climb and altitude, and plotting course on map all at the same time can be very challenging.

And of course, rising to an altitude from where David can clearly cross the tallest peaks of the world from over Nepal is, no doubt, a daunting task – which a commoner cannot imagine.

What comes as the greatest danger is the turbulent air currents in the vicinity of the Everest. David will need to reach at least six thousand feet above the highest point to avoid crashing against the jagged mountains, in case of being swept out of control by the strong winds.

Also, temperature at that height can go over minus 60 degrees, and that would literally freeze the exposed parts of his skin. In all, should anything go wrong at the mountains, at that height, escaping alive would be sheer luck.

However, this is not the first time that David has tried such feats. His name is already recorded in the books of Guinness World Records. It was on 1st June 2000 that David became the first man to solo pilot a balloon to the North Pole. And on 13th February 2001 Guinness World Records recognised David’s achievement.

He is now placed in the history record books as the first person to complete the explorers’ Grand Slam, a challenge which has seen him conquer the North and the South Magnetic Poles, and the highest mountain of each of the seven continents.

He has climbed all seven continental peaks including the Everest (Nepal), Mt. Vinson (Antartica), Aconcagua (Argentina), Carstenz Pyramid (Indonesia), Elbrus (Russia), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and Mt. McKinley (Alaska).

The veteran explorer is also a recipient of numerous awards for his contribution to geography and one for his bravery. And if David makes through latest task that he has set upon successfully, perhaps he would set a record that would be hard to break for any other individual.

David is set to fly in a balloon that stands at over 100 feet high that has a maximum take off weight of 2.7 tons. Dates will be fixed once the Chinese authorities grant permission for the flight and the launch will be made from Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. Only a survival kit and communications equipment will accompany David during his flight over the Great Himalayas.

‘200 out of 240 dentists based in Kathmandu Valley’

By Tashi Dolma Thinley

KATHMANDU, Sept 15 – Dozens of dentists on Saturday formed groups and volunteered themselves for the service of hundreds of patients having oral problems in the Valley to mark the first Oral Health Day. The event coincided with the 11th anniversary of the Nepal Dental Association (NDA).

The dentists of almost all the 48 private clinics of the Valley conducted free dental camps and awareness programmes in many parts of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Patan and Banepa. Seminars, education and training programmes were also organized as part of the Oral Health Day celebrations.

Dental health has also been included in the category of primary health care in the 10th National Five Year Plan. And a three-day "Workshop on Development of Strategic Plan for Oral Health in Nepal" entered its second day today. The meet is due to close Sunday.

The workshop will develop a national oral health policy, which will be systematic and effective and will also seek to develop a policy so as to make dental services available in every nook and cranny of Nepal. But for that, says Dr Praveen Mishra, senior Orthodontist and President of NDA, "An Oral Health Division under the Ministry of Health is a must and that is our strong demand".

Presently there are more than 200 dentists registered at the National Medical Council, out of them 18 dentists work at various government-run hospitals and clinics across the country. There are altogether 48 private dental care centers operated by licensed dentists, of which 37 are in the Valley.

Experts are especially concerned that there is no separate oral health division under the Ministry of Health to look after the oral health policy, legislation and governing bodies. Says Dr Manik Bajracharya, Dental consultant at the Bir Hospital, "Oral health services have always been a low priority sector of the government as compared to other health services. On the other, involvement of private sector and NGOs still appear to be at a limited scale."

Adds Dr Mishra, "The Ministry of Health has always looked down oral health plans as a small component of the overall general health. And Nepal is the only country where this sector has been ignored…The government is silent and the dentists are occupied with their private clinics."

The sour truth, say doctors, is that private dental practices, dental hospitals and colleges, NGOs and INGOs are doing much better than the government run ones in providing quality dental services to the public. It is not that the government stayed completely mute. Throughout the year this year, however, the Ministry of Health, conducted "Oral health Awareness Programme".

Dental doctors from foreign countries too have made contributions. They have been organizing free dental service camps in remote rural areas. Dr Robert Yee, Director of Oral Health Program of the United Mission to Nepal says "out of the total number of dentists in Nepal, 99 per cent work in the Valley itself, and only 40 dentists work in the remaining 72 districts".

With only 40 doctors available to look after hundreds of thousands of patients in the 72 districts, it is no surprise, then, that the people in remote and rural areas largely depend on the 800,000 local traditional healers providing relief of dental pain through spiritual means.

According to Dr Yee, the scene of dental health in Nepal is "deteriorating and the awareness scale is too narrow". Dental decay problem has doubled in 10 years and oral cancer has grown to be the most common cancer in men.

"There is a great deal of problem just due to lack of awareness which we can solve with simple measures like giving fluoridated water to children and using of fluoridated toothpaste", says Dr Yee.

Maoists put much pressure on petrol pumps

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CHITWAN, Sept 15 – Petrol Pumps in the Chitwan district have been asked to provide at least fifteen thousand litres of diesel to transporters for carrying Maoist supporters to the Kathmandu valley.

Petrol Pump owners here said that the Maoist supporters categorized petrol pumps of the district into four groups. Depending upon the size of the pumps they demanded 1200 litres, 800 litres, 700 litres and 400 litres of diesel respectively. However, the petrol pumps agreed to provide half of what was initially demanded, according to a source at the Chitwan Petrol Pump Association. "An understanding to this effect was reached between petrol pumps and Maoists last Wednesday," he said.

The demand comes to ensure adequate participation of the Maoist supporters at two different programmes planned to be held in Kathmandu on September 17th and 21st. All Nepal National Independent Student Union – Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), a student wing of the Maoist, is the main organizer of the programmes. While ANNISU-R celebrates its 15th National Convention on September 17th, it has planned a mass meet for September 21, in which they have claimed to bring three to four hundred thousand supporters.

Locals protest against police indifference

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BIRGUNJ, Sept 15 - Sirsia Khalwatol, Parsa remained tense the entire day after locals protested against the police indifference towards taking action against the perpetrators of the incident who forced to consume faeces to the 60 years widow.

Manturia Devi Turihin, a sixty-years-old widow of Sirsia Khalwatol VDC was forced to eat faeces by a group of locals including the ward chairman accusing her of being a witch on August 15.

The local Jagriti Bikas Manch was enraged as the police showed no interest in arresting the accused even though they filed the case in the local police station on September 5. The women activists had to intervene when the influential people of the village tried to force the victim Turihin to the agreement with the assailants on Saturday.

It was believed that Turihin was accused of being a witch as Ramdhari Raut Kankar’s wife, who was suffering from Hysteria screamed " Turihin is a witch" while she was undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Speaking to The Kathmandu Post, Anju Shrestha, President of the Manch said that there is no point in compromising with such criminals. " People like them should be punished so that others will learn lesson from this incident," she said.

"How can I compromise with them who forced me to eat faeces and physically abused me accusing me of being a witch" says the victim Turihin. "They even threatened me that they would prohibit me from staying in the village."