Network formed to end educational impasse

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:About a dozen organisations active in the field of human rights and education have taken a joint initiative to bring the government and pro-Maoist students to the negotiating table to put an end to the current uncertainty prevailing over academic activities in educational institutions.

In a meeting today, over 30 participants, including the representatives of human rights organisations, Nepal Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Nepalese Journalists, representatives from Private and Boarding Schools’ Organisations of Nepal, Guardians’ Association of Nepal, teachers’ organisations, and the students’ organisations, formed the "joint network" to hold consultations with the government and the Maoists, for a possible exit to the current strikes called by the rebel students’ union - All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (Revolutionary), ANNISU-R.

The meeting was called by the Human Rights Organisation of Nepal (HURON).

The meeting has selected Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Sudeed Pathak and Birendra Keshari Pokhrel as co-ordinators of the network. They will hold a meeting with Devi Prasad Ojha, the Minister of Education and Sports on tomorrow.

Among other things, the meeting decided to press for a dialogue between the government and the Maoist students, calling on the government to be serious towards the main demands of the Maoists and ANNISU-R to abandon their ‘method’ and seek a peaceful resolution of the problems, according to a press statement issued by HURON.

"We are meeting Devi Prasad Ojha, Minister of Education and Sports, tomorrow," said Sudeed Pathak, president of HURON.

The team is to first learn the official stance on the demands of the rebels and study how far could such demands, including the removal of "terrorist" tag be removed.

The network has been established today to hold consultations with the Maoist students both openly or secretly, whichever is appropriate and bring both the government and the ANNISU-R to the negotiating table to find a peaceful solution to the crisis underlying the education sector, Pathak said, after the meeting.

Meanwhile, schools, campuses and even the computer institutes were closed throughout the country on Thursday, the first day of the two-day nation-wide strikes on educational institutions imposed by ANNISU-R, a pro-Maoist students’ organisation.

The two-day nation-wide strikes is a part of the ‘indefinite strikes’ on educational institutions called by the Maoist revolutionary students in the Kathmandu Valley since Monday.

In a report received from our correspondent in Myagdi, most schools and campuses were closed even in the district headquarters, though a few of the students reported to the classes.

Similarly, in Taplejung’s Phungling, the Maoists’ strike has led to the total closure of educational institutions across the district. Eyewitnesses said the Maoist students went round the schools early morning on Thursday, threatening the authorities to keep them completely shut down until two days.

It has been learnt from the students that they were asked to observe their study leave by the school authorities until Monday.

"Teachers told us to come to the Campus only on Monday. I am bit puzzled why they gave us the leave," said Hari Prasad Poudel, a student of Pathivara Campus in Taplejung.

In Narayangadh, all the schools and campuses were closed. The district has around 200,000 students and over 600 schools.

However, in Gorkha, the district, which is rated as one of the Maoists hotbeds, schools were open throughout the day.

HM grants audience to Koirala

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:Just when the rift between political parties and the monarch was beginning to widen further, His Majesty King Gyanendra today received in audience Nepali Congress president Girija Prasad Koirala for about an hour at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace, sources said.

HM King held talks with Koirala for about an hour beginning 7 p.m. in the evening. All the details of the talks were not available. But the audience assumes significance in that it could lead to reconciliation between the political parties and the King and avert possible confrontations.

Speculations are rife in the political circle that the meeting could pave the way for reconciliation between the monarch and the parties any time soon – in fact, even before the CPN-UML’s mass meeting in the capital city, which is scheduled to be held on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, who is currently attending his party—Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)’s—national convention in Pokhara, is expected to cut-short his stay in Pokhara and return to the capital following today’s development.

The development comes just two days after an all-party meeting – minus Nepal Sadbhawana Party – unanimously decided to step up their peaceful agitation and campaign to protest against the king’s October 4 move and restore the achievements of the 1990 popular movement.

Let us work together, Thapa urges king and parties

By Yuvraj Acharya & Kulchandra Neupane

POKHARA, Dec 12:The third national convention of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) kicked off here today with the party chairman, Surya Bahadur Thapa, urging both the king and the political parties to come together and stop the situation from deteriorating further.

Addressing a huge gathering of party workers at the local stadium, former Prime Minister Thapa accused the parties and the king of directly or indirectly trying to defame each other.

RPP is presently at the crossroad and any wrong steps would lead the party towards a debacle, Thapa said, delving on the party’s stance on the king’s October 4 move to oust the elected government and appointment of his party colleague Lokendra Bahadur Chand as the Prime Minister.

Though Thapa hinted at some party workers rendering support for the king’s active role in politics, he clearly warned that his party would have no existence if it deviated from its earlier principles of constitutional monarchy and multiparty democracy. The first day of convention saw ‘serious’ controversy among the leadership over the issue of October 4 royal proclamation.

Thapa, who will be replaced by a second-generation leader on Saturday, said the party leadership has a hard time whether to choose a regressive line or to guide the party towards a democratic line. Dr Prakash Chandra Lohani, Pashupati SJB Rana and Rabindra Nath Sharma are in the fray for the covetted post of the party chairman. A total of 68 RPP leaders are contesting for 22 central committee seats, of which four seats are reserved for women candidates.

"RPP leaders would disappear from the political scene if they advocated the regressive forces," Thapa warned. "We have to prove that we are real democrats."

"We should not lose our credibility as the democrats that we earned during the last twelve years of democracy."

It is unfortunate to see an atmosphere of mistrust and confrontation between the king and the parties, Thapa said. "The king and the parties should give up their irrelevant stances, as the rigidity from both the sides would be harmful."

"Neither the king nor the political parties can solve the Maoist problem alone," Thapa further opined. "If an unity between the parties and the King was not formed to address the problem, the Maoists would further ruin the nation."

He also accused the parties and the King of concentrated to defame each other whether by themselves or by using "agents", Thapa said, while targeting at Prime Minister Chand, who was sitting near him, of being the agent of the King.

PM Chand, however, informed that there were positive indications on holding talks with the Maoists.

"Some sections of the society are making their efforts to bring the Maoists on the table," he said. "The seven year-long Maoist issue could not be solved in a day or two."

Though he supported the king’s move, accusing the political parties of causing the situation, Chand reiterated his commitment on safeguarding multiparty democracy, constitutional monarchy and fundamental rights of the people.

Chand even called upon the political parties to create an atmosphere for the parliamentary election at the earliest. "Let us come together and bale out the country from the brink of collapse," he said, adding that endeavours from all the parties, king and the civil society was a must for overcoming the present problems.

"Twelve years of democracy led to the present situation in the country," Chand said while justifying the King’s October 4 move. "All the doors were shut down when the King was recommended to activate the Article 127 of the constitution."

RPP spokesman Kamal Thapa too tried to justify the King’s move claiming it was "an output of twelve years of corrupt governance."

"Those, who are asking the King to correct his move, must correct themselves first," he said.

But Arjun Narsingh KC of Nepali Congress, Amar Raj Kaini of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and Sahana Pradhan of CPN-UML said the corrupt nature of some of the ministers should not be a pretext to end democracy and sovereignty that rests on the people. They stressed the need for joint endeavours from the king and the parties to overcome the present problems.

Rocca arrives, to discuss security issue, among others

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca, arrived tonight in the capital for her effective three-day visit during which she is expected to discuss security situation in the country, according to sources.

Rocca is likely to discuss security and development measures and ways to make them more effective. One area of concern for the Nepalese officials is non-utilisation of funds earmarked under the Integrated Security and Development Programme (ISDP).

Proper co-ordination between the security and development activities is something that could be the thrust of bilateral concerns.

Assistance to Nepal especially after the Maoist insurgency and violence have taken a serious turn, US is on the forefront in international initiative to providing support to the government to combat Maoist insurgency.

Mrs Rocca’s visit comes less than a month after the Maoists owned responsibility for the killing of two security personnel working in the US Embassy in the past six months.

During her visit, Rocca will meet His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, government officials and leaders of various political parties.

This is Rocca’s third visit to the Himalayan Kingdom. She visited last year when Sher Bahadur Deuba was the Prime Minister. At that time, she had said she came to "understand the dynamics of the regional geo-politics". She had delivered President George Bush’s letter to PM Deuba in which the President had expressed his country’s "continued support to protect democracy in Nepal".

The Assistant Secretary of State came to Nepal again in January this year during Secretary of State Colin Powell’s visit. Powell had expressed the US support to Nepal in its fight against every form of "terrorism".

During her previous two visits, Nepal had urged the US to increase the superpower’s investment in Nepal and also allow the Nepali ready-made garments quota and duty free access to American markets. Both Powell and Rocca had then assured that they would discuss the issue with the US Congress, which has to approve of any such measure.

US Embassy rebuts ‘false’ press claims, says SDU operations transparent

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:The U S Embassy has said that its Surveillance Detection Unit (SDU) is part of an initiative following the bombings of two US Embassies in East Africa few years ago in which hundreds died or were injured.

Strongly refuting a story which appeared in Nepal Magazine (Dec 2-15 issue), the U S Embassy release issued today said that the SDU has been instituted in almost all its diplomatic facilities in order to detect pre-operational (planning stage) surveillance. "In conjunction with host country security, the efforts of our SDUs have thwarted terrorist attacks against us in a number of locations throughout the world, saving many innocent lives".

"The article makes patently false statements that are reckless and irresponsible about the Embassy’s security arrangements. These statements further endanger the lives of our security personnel, two of whom already have been brutally murdered".

"Plain-clothes guards, all of whom are Nepalis, staff the SDU in Kathmandu. They perform discreet observation and reporting of surveillance activities directed against US personnel and facilities. These efforts are purely defensive in nature, and not directed against any particular person or organisation ",it said adding that it was not engaged in spying or telephone tapping as suggested in the magazine article. "The embassy

Nepal crush Qatar by 146 runs to enter super league

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:A gallant century by Sarad Veswakar guided Nepal to a convincing 146-run victory over Qatar in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today in the U-15 Asia Cup. The win also guarantees Nepal a seat in the tournament’s super league.

Nepal defeated Singapore by eight wickets on Saturday followed by an equally impressive seven-wicket win over Kuwait on Tuesday.

Veswakar, putting in a classic batting display, dazzled Sharjah Stadium scoring 106 runs off 102 balls with the help of 13 boundaries, to help the team post a mammoth total of 291-6 in the stipulated 40 overs. He was later declared man of the match.

And Nepali team captain Raj Shrestha (3-37) and Deepak Shrestha (3-31) spearheaded the bowling attack to wrap up Qatar innings for 145 in 27.3 overs.

Having registered three wins in as many outings and a place in the super league with a game in hand, the Nepali national team coach Roy Dias could not have asked more from his boys.

"I’m extremely pleased with the team’s performance," said the proud Sri Lankan coach, giving his comment to The Kathmandu Post on telephone from Sharjah. "Sarad played a magnificent knock and Sunil Jain and Bantu Bataju also shone with the bat to lead the late charge."

Nepal did not have the very best of start, though. Opener Mahesh Kumar Chhetri fell cheaply at two with only seven runs on the board.

But Veswakar alongwith with Pawan Das (47), shared a century partnership adding 121 runs for the second wicket.

Qatar tried to pull a string back as Qamar Sadiq picked a couple of quick wickets trapping Paras Khadka (12) and Ravi Thapa (0) leg before in quick succession. But Veswakar held on to the crease like a rock to add 99 runs for the fifth wicket with Sunil Jain, who made 51 runs in 40 balls, hitting a six and six fours.

Bantu Bataju, who replaced Jain, lit up the stadium with his blitzkrieg batting. He made an unbeaten 35 runs in only eight deliveries, with the help of three sixes and four fours.

Chasing 292 runs, openers Fahad Alvi (12) and Khalid Azeem (10) took Qatar to 30 runs. But both of them fell at the same score. Bataju forced Alvi to hole out a catch to Ravi Khadka and Deepak Shrestha captured the first of his three wickets as he clean bowled Azeem.

Faizal Noor played Nepali bowlers with some degree of authority to top score with 35 runs to take Qatar to 107-5 before being run out. Qatar innings took a downward spiral thereafter, losing the next five wickets for 38 runs. Irfan Siddiqui was the other successful Nepali bowler with two wickets.

Nepal, which boasts of 15 points from three matches, has guaranteed for itself a place in the super league, regardless of the result of its last league encounter with Malaysia on Friday.

"We will give chance to some of the reserve players against Malaysia," Roy Dias said. "But we will still go for a win."

The top two non-Test playing teams from two groups will take on the might of Asian heavyweights - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh - for the coveted Asia Cup. The super league phase begins from Sunday.

UN pledges continued support for nature conservation

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:The United Nation’s Resident Representative to Nepal, Dr Henning Karcher, today lauded the conservation efforts put forth by Nepal, and pledged UN’s continued support to Nepal’s participatory conservation approaches.

He also announced that the UNDP would support the government’s ambitious and long-term landscape-level conservation project covering two national parks and a wildlife reserve in the country’s western Terai. UNDP has already pledged financial assistance worth more than five million dollars for the project.

"Nepal’s firm commitment to conservation is exemplary for the rest of the world that can be realised from the fact that Nepal has established an extensive network of protected areas covering more than 18 percent of its land surface," Karcher said.

He was speaking at the launching of the national level Buffer Zone Forum of the wardens and chairpersons of 12 of Nepal’s national parks and wildlife reserves in the capital Thursday. Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Badri Narayan Basnet formally launched the BZF, which is said to be the common forum of people living in the parks’ impacted areas and conservation officials.

Park wardens and community leaders representing various buffer zones from around the country gathered at the meet. The BZF, officials said, was being launched in an effort to network and streamline various user groups and user communities and Buffer Zone Management Committees of the different parks and reserves as well as the park/reserve management.

Recalling UNDP’s past conservation efforts such as the Park and People Programme, Karcher hoped that the facets of the Buffer Zone Programme would ultimately fit into the larger framework of landscape level biodiversity conservation initiated by the government.

"UNDP once again is committed to support this initiative in collaboration with GEF (Global Environment Facility), WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and SNV (of the Netherlands government)," he added.

Following the fourth amendment to the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 a few years ago, the government, so far, has declared six buffer zones at Royal Chitwan, Royal Bardia, Langtang, Shey Phoksundo, Makalu Barun and Sagarmath National Parks.

The formation of buffer zones in other parks and reserves are said to be underway.

"It is an effort to bring together people living near the parks and ensure continued communication and co-operation among people living in various buffer zones and conservation officials and workers," said Dr Swayambhu Man Amatya, the Director General of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC).

"Also it is an effort to minimise conflict between the park and the people and better manage our natural resources."

In their remarks, Minister Basnet and Secretary at the Ministry Chandi Shrestha highlighted the government conservation priorities and on-going programmes and expressed hope that the efforts would also help reduce the incidence of poverty in the country.

Promoters caused near-collapse of Lumbini Bank

By Prem Khanal

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:Defying the Commercial Bank Act and directives of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), some of the former-founding directors of Lumbini Bank Limited (LBL) including the executive director have taken huge amounts in loans, pushing the bank to the verge of collapse.

According to documents unearthed by The Kathmandu Post, the directors of the bank, prior to the NRB’s intervention some eight months back, have taken over Rs 492 million of loan from the bank, grossly violating the existing banking rules and regulations.

Apart from the loans, the directors have also made huge amount of unaccounted expenditures in the name of business promotion, junkets and other unnecessary expenses to decorate its head office and other branch offices.

A high-level source informed that the directors still have to pay around Rs 450 million and the collateral against the loan covers only 30 per cent of the total loans sanctioned.

As per the documents, Suresh Bahadur Malla, proprietor of Malla Press and former Executive Chairman of the bank, Amatya Group, Gopal Sunder Kakshapati associated to Nanglo Group, Subarna Krishan Shrestha of Mangal Kalash Housing, Ananda Kumar Gorkhali of Hetauda Investment and Trading are among the top borrowers of the bank.

The documents show that the loan amounts of some of the promoters are far higher than their investment in the bank, which is a regional bank headquartered in Chitwan. The source claimed that the promoters didn’t invest a paisa from their own source while establishing the Kathmandu Banking Office by upgrading the paid-up capital of the bank. "Besides some nominal seed investments, almost all the investments in the bank were made from the loans they took from the same bank," claims the source.

Amatya Group, a leading business house mainly associated with brewery, hotel and automobile businesses, has share investment of Rs 50 million in the bank whereas the total loan exposure of the group, alone from the Lumbini Bank, is over Rs 200 million. But bank sources said that Amatya group has been paying its interest dues regularly.

When asked about the huge loans, Daman Bahadur Amatya, former founding director, said, "the total loan exposure of the group is less than the amount pointed in the document and the amount has come down as the group is continuously repaying the loans and interest."

Suma Enterprises, one of the business firms of Suresh Malla, has total outstanding loans amounting to Rs 76.2 million. When contacted, Malla strongly denied all the charges and said, "I haven’t taken any loans violating the existing banking rules and regulations". He also claimed that the investment made over Amatya Group is safe, as it is a very reliable party.

In the like manner, various companies associated with Subarna Krishna Shrestha has taken a total loan of Rs 80 million while the loan exposures of Gorkhali and Prakash Shrestha of Machan Wildlife have taken loans of Rs 60 million and Rs 40 million respectively.

Even after the NRB’s direction to the bank management not to issue any new loans to the directors and promoters and recover the loans from the group, the bank released a pre-shipment loan of Rs 80 million to the Amatya Group. And, against the standard banking practice, the group renewed the pre-shipment loans several times. Amatya, however, denied the charge.

Similarly, the source said that then Executive Chairman Malla deposited Rs 25 million at International Finance and Leasing Company and took personal loans from the finance company by providing the deposit as collateral. Malla, however, said that he has been having financial deal with the company prior to the deposit and he never took loans by pitting it as collator.

The documents also reveal that the promoters have taken over Rs 2.5 million for the purpose of business promotion and despite several requests made by the management, the advance has not been cleared yet. Similarly, the responsibility of decorating the rented Kathmandu Banking Office was given to Kakshapati, and he still has to clear the advance worth around Rs 30 million taken from the bank for the purpose.

The monthly rent of the office, which belongs to one of the promoters, was also approved at a very high rate. "The monthly rent of the house has been fixed at Rs 550,000 with annual increment of 10 per cent and the amount is very high compared to the existing rates of the area," said the source.

Prior to the central bank’s intervention, some of the directors had strongly protested the borrowing by directors. Former director and CEO of Lalitpur Finance Company Ravi Krishna Shrestha, who also strongly opposed the move, conceded that some of the directors were involved in violating rules and regulation for personal benefits. "We are hopeful that the financial condition of the bank would be improved after the intervention of NRB," he said.

B&B Hospital refutes allegations

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Dec 12:The B & B Hospital today refuted the allegations made by the relatives and family of Narottam Singh Adhikari, who died in the hospital on December 3. The Adhikari family had earlier accused eight of its doctors of negligence, leading to the eventual death of Narottam Singh.

Adhikari, who was Gaidakot branch manager of Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB), breathed his last, after he was admitted for treatment in the hospital on October 11. He had met an accident after a truck hit him twice and was rushed to the capital for treatment.

Sources at the hospital said that the deceased was kept at in the ICU for 24 days and had been given the best of treatment and care. "What others are overlooking is the fact that the deceased was a case of serious accident that resulted in massive injury leading to complications of infection", said Dr Ashok Banskota who had done the surgery.

"Due to the patient’s serious condition, we had his brother sign the official letter that maintains the relative’s knowledge of the risk involved in the surgery", he added. The doctors stick to the fact that the deceased died of septicemia, an infection and severe damage of the skin.

The family of the deceased has filed a case against a team of doctors in B & B and has also demanded compensation.

On the other hand, the hospital administration said that the deceased party has left a bill of Rs 256,000 unpaid. But now doctors at the hospital say keeping all such records, they are all set to fight the case. Dr Babukaji Shrestha, hinting that somebody is behind this controversy, says, "The case is biased but we are going to fight".