Terror reigns, but people defy
Maoists attack ambulance, drinking water plant and physical infrastructures

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 24 : Maoists were further cornered and defied as most parts of the country limped back to near normalcy on the second day of the 5-day nationwide bandh called by the rebels. But the Maoists stepped up violence by targeting civilians, public transports as well as an ambulance and, physical infrastructures.

At least one suspected terrorist was blown apart when he tried to hurl a bomb at a transmitter near capital’s Sukhedhara on the Ring-Road. Another Maoist was captured red-handed while trying to plant bombs near Koteshwor. Defence Ministry sources said, at least, three others were rounded up from Dhobikhola, Kalimati and Hattigaunda area of the capital.

Rebels attacked and damaged a microbus near Jorpati and the government promptly paid the bus owner a sum of Rs 50,000 in compensation.

On a tip off, security personnel are believed to have raided the rented-house of elusive Ram Bahadur Thapa a.k.a. Badal, the main military brain of the underground outfit, in Kalimati area Tuesday night. The details of the raids are yet to be known. Badal’s photograph was recently obtained by the security agencies.

Official sources said at least three suspected terrorists —one each in Achham, Rolpa and Nuwakot –were killed by the security forces while two civilians were shot dead by the Maoists in Musikot, the district headquarters of Rukum.

In Kavre, the security forces discovered and defused explosives planted by the rebels on the road near Kavre Bhanjyang area. The security forces also recovered eight kilograms of explosives, 500 meters of fuse-wire, camera flash, pipes, buckets and 10 sets of detonators from there. Explosives and guns were also confiscated from different areas of Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha’s Barpak area and Kapilvastu’s Patana jungle area. Fourteen rifles, pressure-cooker bombs, combat dresses were also seized from Mangsima area of Sankhuwasabha.

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s house at Ruakhola in Dadeldhura district was set on fire by the Maoists. They also attacked and partly damaged a Red-Cross ambulance in Phedi area of Kaski district. Hijacking of four Red Cross ambulances for few hours by the rebels yesterday had attracted serious concern from the Amnesty International and the International Committee of Red Cross.

Ignoring appeals from major political parties and the international communities, Maoists continued to attack physical infrastructures in many parts of the country.

They completely destroyed a telecom exchange centre located in Rajapur of Bardiya catering to more than 150 subscribers. A 3-MW hydropower project, and a road project in Sankhuwasabha, besides the local Radio Nepal transmission station in Mahottari district also came under Maoist attack causing severe damages. The Radio Nepal transmission centre served nearly 3 million listeners in nine districts of the central and eastern region, according to Police Inspector Keshav Raj Basnet.

In another incident in Dang, rebels destroyed the warehouse of Bijauri Drinking Water Project depriving nearly 25,000 people of the area. Around 30,000 meters of polythene pipes have been completely destroyed in the attack, said Ishwor Pokharel, chairman of user’s group of the Beljhundi Drinking Water Project. He said the rebels also made off with 1,000 meters of metal pipes, 500 pieces of sockets and 20 kilograms of lead, which the rebels could use them for making crude bombs. The total extent of loss in the attack is estimated at around Rs 2.5 million.

Meanwhile, soldiers of the Royal Nepal Army airlifted a civilian, Nar Bahadur Basnet of Narethanti in Baglung, who was severely beaten up by the rebels, to Pokhara for treatment.

Reports from different parts of the country said vehicles including buses, taxis and private cars as well as a large number of motorbikes operated, and business resumed under assurance of protection from the government and security agencies. Although educational institutions, mainly schools, remained closed, government and private offices recorded nearly cent per cent attendance. More vehicles came in the streets frequently patrolled by security personnel.

Important business centres like Dharan, Itahari, Biratnagar, Lahan , Kakarvitta Bhadrapur Nepalgunj , Bhairahawa , Butwal , Tansen and Birgunj were fast moving towards normal activities, our correspondents said. In many places, cross-sections of society came together to hold anti-Maoist rallies. In Lalitpur an impressive procession of the local citizens, business community and human right leaders paraded the main thoroughfares.

Maoists bomb PM’s ancestral houses

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 24 : Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s two ancestral houses at Asigram in Dadeldhura district in far-west Nepal were set ablaze and bombed by Maoists on Tuesday night, according to the locals.

Seven Maoists first doused the 50-year old houses with petrol and then blasted a petrol bomb. The two houses, 16 km from district headquarters, Amargadhi, had been lying unoccupied for over a month since the Prime Minister’s two brothers had left the houses after giving most of the valuables and cattle to the villagers. However, a large quantity of foodgrains and some furniture stored there were damaged in the fire, said the Asigram VDC-5 Chairman Chetraj Bhatt.

Although the nearby houses escaped the fire, the villagers were too terrified to save the PM’s houses. Security forces who rushed there are conducting search operation in the area, according to the official sources. The destruction of the PM’s houses follows the recent attack on the houses of Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat and that of his brother Prakash Saran Mahat who is an advisor to the PM. Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka’s ancestral home had been destroyed in a major attack by the Maoists on April 13 in Dang.

Bush Admn asks Congress to give $ 20 million to Nepal

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, April 24 : Nepal is likely to get military assistance worth 20 million US dollars as President George W. Bush awaits Congressional approval to the plan.

Quoting US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, agencies reported from Washington D.C. that the Bush Administration has asked Congress to sanction 20 million US dollars in military and economic aid to Nepal to fight the Maoist insurgency.

"We are assessing Nepal’s needs and reviewing several options for military assistance to Nepal," Boucher was quoted as saying on Monday. "We’ve asked Congress for a supplemental appropriation of $20 million in foreign military financing for Nepal so that we can support more assistance."

A senior cabinet minister, requesting anonymity, said that the US envoy in Kathmandu had apprised him of the likely assistance.

The US move comes just three months after US Secretary of State Colin Powell, while on a visit to Nepal last January, promised to look into Nepal’s requests for assistance to fight the violent Maoist campaign. Heading the global war against terrorism, the Bush Administration is keen to assist nations fighting their own terror battles.

In Washington, Boucher added that the administration has been providing assistance directed toward immediate high-impact job creation programs and to improve living conditions of Nepalis in rural areas. The assistance, the US hopes, will wean away rural peasantry from the radical ideology of the Maoists. Boucher reiterated U.S. support for Nepal’s authorities "to safeguard its citizens against these guerrillas within the framework of its own Constitution."

In reply to a question, he said, "I don’t think you can operate on the assumption that the U.S. has to go everywhere to fight every terrorist. I would say at the same time though, you have to know that we are working very closely with the people in Nepal."

The move to get the Congress’ nod for the 20 m dollars assistance comes in the wake of the completion of the visit by a US team consisting of military officials, diplomats and technicians to Gorkha, Dang and other parts of west Nepal, considered Maoist strongholds. The team that returned to the capital from the field visit on Sunday is about to leave in a day or two. The team held discussions with local level leaders, government officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations.

Robert Kerr, the Director of the American Center in Kathmandu and press officer told The Kathmandu Post that the team "had a successful visit and had outstanding co-operation from the army. He added that the team understood the nature of the problem to help them determine the exact nature of the assistance to be given to Nepal. Kerr revealed that the ultimate assistance package would depend on the recommendations of the US team.

When asked when the "assistance" is likely to materialise, Kerr replied, "We will hope it happens quickly." Besides the team making recommendations to the US military commanders, he added, "we will also make recommendations".

When contacted, Minister of State for Home Devendra Raj Kandel told The Kathmandu Post that he could not tell the nature of the assistance but admitted that military hardware and automatic weapons were likely to be the part of the package. The Home Ministry has already issued notices for bids for two combat helicopters and one transport chopper for the police.

US court finds Gurung incompetent to stand trial

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 24 : A Nepali man arrested in Chicago last year on charges of concealing weapons while boarding a flight has been found incompetent to stand trial.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, Subash Gurung, who was arrested last year in November at the Chicago O’Hare International Airport while trying to board a domestic flight was found incompetent to stand trial by the federal district court.

US District Judge William J. Hibbler ruled on April 22 that Gurung will remain in a federal prison hospital at Rochester, Minnesota, for treatment. He could be tried again if he recovers. The newspaper said that the judge based his decision on the findings of two psychiatrists who examined Gurung.

Gurung, who faces a prison term or possible deportation, was arrested on November 3 last year at the airport while trying to board a flight to Omaha, Nebraska. Security officials found several knives, a stun gun and a can of pepper spray in his carry on luggage.

The Chicago Sun-Times added that the judge ordered attorneys to report back to the court on June 24 on what progress doctors are making in restoring Gurung’s competency.

Gurung’s arrest was the first high-profile case involving lax of US airport security after the horror of September 11, when 19 hijackers slipped through security at various US airports and took control of large jets full of passengers. They slammed the jets on the World Trade Centre Twin Towers in New York, and also on the Pentagon in Washington.

The apparent lack of airport security demonstrated by Gurung’s arrest helped convince America’s politicians to put airport security workers on the federal payrolls. Earlier, airport security was mostly contracted out to private companies.

Telecom tariffs hike soon

By Ram Sharan Sedhai

KATHMANDU, April 24 : Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has approved the long-pending tariff rebalancing proposal submitted by Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), which could soon lead to an increase in the minimum monthly telephone charge.

A five-member evaluation committee formed by NTA, the regulatory body of telecom services, has submitted its final report recently.

A highly placed official at the NTA preferring anonymity said that the rebalanced tariffs would be announced within a week. "The evaluation committee has submitted its recommendations to the NTA Board for final approval and board will meet within this week," said the source.

If approved, it will raise the rental, the minimum monthly charge for using a telephone connection, from Rs 150 to Rs 200 plus 10 per cent value added tax (VAT) in addition to the 10 per cent telephone service tax (TSC).

The new provision will make subscribers pay a minimum charge of Rs 242 per month as rental including VAT and TSC. However, the committee has also recommended to increase the number of free calls to 175 from the existing 100 calls free per month.

Similarly, the call duration has also been readjusted. The existing three-minute call during 8 a m to 6 p m will be reduced to two minutes, and the call duration between 6 a m to 8 a m and 6 p m to 10 p m will be of four minutes. And during wee hour that is between 10 p m to 6 a m will be extended to eight minutes. Earlier, the longest call duration was six minutes during off-hours. Despite all these changes, per call charge has been retained at Re 1.

The committee has also recommended removing three per cent service charge being levied on long distance domestic and international calls, said the source.

Likewise, it has also suggested bringing down the existing international call charges except for calls made to India and SAARC countries through terrestrial and satellite link. The existing call charge of Rs 120 per minute will be lowered to Rs 75 and the highest international call charge of Rs 150 per minute will be scaled down to Rs 90 per minute.

After the new provision comes into effect, callers can pay the charges of international calls based on pulse system. As per the new provision, 12 seconds are taken as one pulse.

With a view to bring uniformity in domestic long distance calls, the committee has suggested to reduce five categories of Subscribers’ Trunk Dialing (STD) to three categories and the international calls division will be brought down to four.

It has also recommended to make some changes in the charges of STD which will make the short distance trunk callers to pay a little more than the existing charge while the call charges of long distances will slightly come down. Currently, the NTC charges Rs 1.20 at the lowest and Rs 9.60 at the highest for STD.

The NTC had submitted the tariff rebalancing proposal some five months ago to the NTA. The NTC has long been asking the government to rebalance its tariffs so that it could slash international call charges and raise the charges of domestic calls.

Multiple entry visa for foreign businessmen

RSS

KATHMANDU, April 24 : HMG has decided to provide multiple entry visas valid for five years to foreigners coming to Nepal and buying products of the country for export or giving purchase orders for export, with the provision that they can stay for a maximum of 90 days at one time. Also, a decision has been taken for the Department of Immigration to issue such visas on request by the products association concerned and the recommendation of the Department of Commerce. Provision has also been made for visa renewal on the basis of the efficiency of the visa holder.

Visa procedures for the foreign importers buying Nepalese products for export and giving export orders will be simplified, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has stated.

HMG believes that this provision introduced after taking into consideration the suggestions of foreign importers and Nepalese entrepreneurs and the export potential, will have a positive impact on the export of Nepalese products.

HM appointment

KATHMANDU, April 24 (RSS) - His Majesty the King has, in accordance with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990, appointed permanent representative at the permanent mission of Nepal to the United Nations Murari Raj Sharma as Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Venezuela also. This is stated in a notice issued today by the Principal Press Secretariat of His Majesty the King.

PM directives

KATHMANDU, April 24 (RSS) - A meeting of officials of security bodies which was held today at the Prime Minister’s Office, Singha Durbar under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba reviewed the security arrangements made to thwart the so-called Nepal bandh. In this connection, the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements as more vehicles plied on the roads today as compared to yesterday and no big untoward incident took place.

NHRC urge

KATHMANDU, April 24 (RSS) - The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) stated yesterday that in stopping an ambulance at the Mauvakhola stream near the Mugling-Gajuri portion of Prithvi Highway, the Maoists have acted against international norms and revealed their brutal and terrorist mind-set.

Cheque hand over

KATHMANDU, April 24 (RSS) - General Manager of the Nepal Drinking Water Supply Corporation Kaushal Nath Bhattarai handed over a cheque of Rs 676,649.53 deducted from the monthly salary of employees of the Corporation’s head office and other offices under it for contributing to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba here today.

Large scale bungling in disbursement of medical allowance

By Yuvraj Acharya

KATHMANDU, April 24 : Even as governments down the years have been preaching budgetary austerity, the exchequer is, however, being duped of millions of rupees in the form of medical allowances to government employees every year.

Apart from recipients themselves seeing to it that the money received is not recorded, the irregularity has been attributed to inaccurate accounts maintained by the concerned office.

Civil Service Regulation entitles government employees upto a fixed amount as medical allowances during the service period.

While the gazetted officers are entitled to a lump sum allowance equivalent to twelve-month salary, senior non-gazetted and junior non-gazetted civil servants are entitled to an amount equivalent to 18-month salary. Lowest rung employees are entitled to claim allowance equivalent to 21-month salary.

All those who have not fully claimed the allowance are allowed to claim the same at the time of retirement. However, the retirees go on to claim full payment just in the event they have seen to it that whatever they claimed earlier is not recorded.

The irregularities, meanwhile, seem to be arising out of inherent flaws in the governing regulation, which is silent on possible punishment just in case any concerned officer fails to submit details to the Department of Civil Personnel Records (Nijamati Kitabkhana) , which maintains the record in such cases.

Meanwhile, commenting on the trend an Under Secretary at the Ministry of General Administration anonymously said, "Smart people are taking undue advantage of the lapses in the governing regulation."

Sources claim the fraud is taking place even during the current fiscal year. The government had earmarked Rs.380 million for medical allowances, out of which Rs.150 million is as good as lost since the payment being made is not being accounted for. The word is neither the recipients nor the concerned office keep an account of the money paid out as medical allowance.

"The mandatory format suggested under Civil Service Regulations has not yet been revised, which leaves enough room for discrepancies in the payment," officials say. The most common malpractice is recipients themselves handle the papers with obvious motive to destroy them.

The fact that the money is still going down the drain this year too becomes evident from what Sushil Ghimire, Director, Department of Civil Personnel Records, said, " We have received far less claims compared to last although it is true that much of the budget has been exhausted. Nearly Rs.150 million goes down the drain every year, with concerned offices overlooking payments made."

As Ghimire further told The Kathmandu Post, last year saw all the government offices combined forwarding barely half of the claims paid out. In fact, the Department of Civil Personnel Records had received claims adding up to merely half of the total expenses towards medical allowance, which was Rs.36 million.

Moreover, also going scot-free are government medical practitioners, who do not mind writing out prescription for cash whenever any one approaches them in this connection just because the same is not implemented.