‘Regional instrument’ to curb trafficking in women sought

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KATHMANDU, Jan 5:The Second South Asian Peoples’ (SAP) Summit has urged the South Asian countries to form a "regional instrument" to combat trafficking in women in the
region, said a press release issued here today.

The Summit has also demanded the South Asian countries to take trafficking as a state responsibility and to look at it from a human rights point of view.

"The countries lack a regional instrument to curb trafficking," said Sapana Malla Pradhan, a senior advocate at the Forum for Women, Law and Development. The SAARC is a positive step in creating a regional framework to look at the problem, Pradhan added.

The Summit has also identified the existing law insufficient to cope with the malady of women trafficking, said the release.

The South Asian countries have not been taking the problem of trafficking as the responsibility of state, said Rita Thapa of TEWA."It should be a major concern of the respective government ", Thapa added. Lack of assertion of human rights, incidents of subjugation of women and the patriarchal society have further deteriorated the situation of women trafficking, Thapa said.

Dr. James Mathews, who chaired the discussion session of the Summit today, called the countries to look the trafficking problem from human rights point of view.

Speaking at the same programme, Dr. James Arpurharaj, Executive Director of SAP urged the countries of the regional grouping to exchange their security challenges, and to honour their commitments made at different international conventions. He also sought the South Asian countries ban the use of illegal small arms.

"The South Asian governments should give full mandate to the SAARC Secretariat to draft and response a legally binding instrument to combat this threat," said Hemachandra Basappa, a delegate from India to the Summit.

Advocate Sudeep Gautum, taking part in the discussion, emphasised that the countries should amend their national laws on small arms.

RONAST gears up contacts with international institutes

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KATHMANDU, Jan 5:Talks are underway between the Royal Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (RONAST) and international science and technology institutes for exchanging scientists and scholars for the promotion of science and technology in Nepal with the focus on uplifting economy through the utilisation of natural resources.

In this case with the US insisting Nepal to make use of natural resources for lifting its economy, the assumptions of RONAST seem less shaky with donor money finally behind.

For now, RONAST has around 23 proposals in pipeline from international institutes of science and technology. Proposals especially from Italy have been approved and we hope the work will move forward rapidly, a top RONAST official said.

Taking stock of the reported arsenic contamination of water in Nepal’s Terai hinterland, Colorado University has agreed with RONAST recently for the exchange of US Geological Survey experts to study and identify the evidence of underground water poisoning in Terai. A similar arsenic contamination of underground water has claimed several lives in the recent years in Bangladesh.

Experts here said Terai is exposed to a potential health hazard as most people use hand-pumps to draw drinking water. However, no date has been finalised as to when the proposed study will begin.

Nepal, home to a staggering 5600 species of fauna has been identified as another area of scientific collaboration. In an MoU RONAST signed recently, foreign researchers have agreed upon to jointly identify conservation status, ecology, distribution and taxonomy of the flowering plants in Nepal.

"This would also help Nepal to claim Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in 20 percent of the flowering plants of medicinal values, largely neglected in Nepal despite their tremendous scope to earn foreign capital," said Dr Dayananda Bajracharya, Vice-Chancellor of RONAST. The due date for Nepal to claim IPR is 2005.

The project supported by Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation and TU’s Central Department of Botany are coming up with 10 volumes of books with details on each of the species of flowering plants to be submitted for claiming IPR status.

"The donors are showing positive signals for scientific collaboration," says Dr Bajracharya. "But, the research culture has yet to take its roots in Nepal in the absence of programme and counter-programme, though a majority of the MoU has been operational since July last year."

A number of institutes are confined merely to teaching rather than producing scientists and research scholars. There has been a very low success rate of the completion of Ph.D. programme. From the year 1990-98, only eight students were awarded degree by the Institute of Science and Technology. Added to it is a growing number of dropouts and acute shortage of young and fresh M.Sc students enrolling for the Ph.D. programme.

For Microbiology, Physics and Meteorology, enrollment rate of students are dismally low with one, three and two respectively, according to a study conducted by RONAST in 1999.

Calculated on the basis of TU Planning Division, per student investment made by the government is low for basic sciences compared to the per-capita investment on engineering, forestry and medicines.

During the year 1999, Rs 141 million was allocated for medicines while that for basic sciences, it was Rs 101 million. Investment in medical education is highest in the country while that of basic sciences is one of the lowest.

The Tribhuvan University is the single largest University producing 95 percent of the workforce in science and technology. In 1999 over 18000 science students were enrolled at the university, including the intermediate level. In a survey conducted by National Council for Science and Technology in 1995, there were around 8000 students completing M.Sc. and B.Sc. technical field. The number in the last five years has increased marginally from 8,000 to 10,000.

On an average, developing countries invest only 0.2 percent of their GNP in science and technology while the developed countries spend nearly ten times more.

A study says 100,000 scientists from Africa left the Continent to work in developed countries in the 1990s. It also says 60 percent scientists now working for some of the world’s best-established science and technology institutions come from developing countries.

A Pakistani-origin physicist and a Nobel laureate Abdus Salam, promoter of science and technology in developing countries puts the minimum requirement of scientific manpower in a developing country at one per 1000 people, in a science journal published recently.

While in many developed countries it is 10 out of 1000, for Nepal it is as dismal as 0.4 scientists per every 1000 people, lowest among the South Asian standards, which has jeopardised the speedy development of the country, experts said.

Call to renew commitments to people’s welfare

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KATHMANDU, Jan 5:South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) called the heads of state or government gathered here for the 11th SAARC summit to renew their commitments to promoting the welfare of the people of South Asia, particularly the poor and discarded.

"The conventions signed at the summit have to be critically reviewed," said Renu Rajbhandari, chairman of Women Rehabilitation Center (WOREC) while speaking at the interaction programme held here today. " SAARC governments should take effective and efficient steps to implement all the international conventions and covenants ratified by them such as CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women)," added Rajbhandari.

Likewise, addressing the programme, representative from Informal Service Sector (INSEC)—member of the alliance—said that governments of the region have a responsibility to ensure that all their citizens have basic rights to life and livelihood.

"It is the responsibility of the governments of member countries to provide their citizens with basic human rights," said Subodh Pyakurel General Secretary of INSEC.

SAAPE basically aims at creating the just societies within the region and planning for serious regional co-operation. The members of the alliance are the social workers, social movement leaders, leading academics and concerned citizens from six different member countries of SAARC -Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

HR bodies welcome SAARC conventions on child welfare

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KATHMANDU, Jan 5: SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia and the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution, signed today at the Eleventh SAARC Summit here drew wide approval from various South Asian child rights organisations.

Representatives from the SAARC nations working at various child rights organisations in their countries widely acclaimed the decision of the heads of the state to have endorsed the convention on preventing and combating trafficking in women and children for prostitution and on regional arrangements for the promotion of child welfare in South Asia.

"This is indeed a good beginning to SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child, agreed at the Male Summit," Mahamon Abdul Gayoom, President of the Republic of Maldives was quoted as saying in his address to the Summit today.

Over 140 participants representing SAARC nations at the 2nd World Congress against Commercial Exploitation of Children and Child Sexual Abuse adopted at Dhaka, on November 4 -6, 2001 had committed to applying "zero tolerance" against commercial sexual exploitation of children.

The representatives have similarly reaffirmed their commitment at the December 2001 Yokohama Congress held in Japan.

"They have done a wonderful job by signing the convention, now we want to see how these two conventions will be ratified by the respective governments of the region," said Mizanur Rahman, Executive Director of Resource Bangladesh, a pioneer child right organisation in Bangladesh long clamoring for the rights of the child in the region.

Speaking at a consultation meeting jointly organised by the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) and Save the Children Fund (SCF), South Asia and Central Asia Region at Kathmandu, Kalyananda Tiranagama, a lawyer from Sri Lanka said, "signing of the convention was a significant step forward for SAARC nations but we need to lobby for getting it ratified by our concerned parliaments as early as possible."

Various human rights groups and child rights activists from SAARC nations who have been holding discussions on the conventions here and eagerly looking forward to their endorsement by the heads of the state however, said that not all SAARC governments have ratified the worst form of child labour and bemoaned that a South Asian regional network of children was not included in the convention.

"Bangladesh is the only country to ratify optional protocol especially on child prostitution and child pornography," said Salma Ali of Bangladesh.

The participants proposed amendments to the Convention for the Rights of the Child (CRC), especially on broadening the definition of trafficking beyond prostitution and changing title to "Convention on Promotion of Child Well-being in South Asia."

KMC vehicles still run with old number plates

By Ranjan Rizal

KATHMANDU, Jan 5:Had they been the public or private vehicles, the traffic police would have already seized and dumped them inside the Baggikhana. But the Kathmandu Metropolis vehicles, bearing old number plates, are still making rounds in the capital though they were phased out two years ago.

The Department of Transport Management two years ago had issued a circular to change the patterns of vehicle number plates and almost all the vehicles plying on the streets of the Valley had changed into numeric symbol of the vehicle number plates.

But this rule is yet to apply for the KMC vehicles. The KMC is either defying the rules or the traffic police are not instructed to take action against them. Whatever may be the reason, there still are plenty of tractors and trucks which have not changed their number plates.

It is not just the problem of changing the pattern of number plates. Even the number plates of the KMC vehicles have been erased as they are not clear enough to read.

Number plates of these trucks cannot be seen as they are used to collect garbage and are covered by mud or other waste, says Purushottam Shakya, KMC’s mechanical engineer. "When we think of that covered number plates, we should either clean them everyday or need to paint them every three months." But Shakya’s claim does not match with what is seen on the road. The number plates of most of these trucks have rusted zinc plates and the numbers are erased.

Engineer Shakya denies of having KMC vehicle with the same old numbers. "We do not own any vehicles of such old pattern of numbers," claimed Shakya. "The vehicles with old-style number plates are on hire to collect the garbage."

According to Shakya, KMC has hired these vehicles due to the shortage and many of them are not owned by the KMC. But, according to a driver of the truck, with the number plate BA.A.KA 2962, the truck, which he is driving, is not hired but KMC owns it.

Deputy Superintendent of Police at the Valley Traffic Police Deepak Bahadur Shrestha said that it was a compulsory duty of every Nepali citizen to maintain the number plate as per the rules made by the government. "We may not have seen the plates of those vehicles due to the reason that those number plates are covered with mud or garbage," said Shrestha. "It is the irresponsibility on the part of KMC to ignore the rule, but we will check this matter seriously."

Five-Star detention and a missed opportunity

It was perhaps my sheer determination or stupidity that drove me to do a story which most might not even have thought of. All I wanted was to know at close hand what the South Asian leaders attending the 11th SAARC summit in Kathmandu preferred to eat, and how they carried out their daily routine. In the process I had an experience which surely will remain vivid in my memory for all days to come. Some looked at the incident as one which proved my journalistic instinct, while others called it a misdeed of a naive journo. But to me, Hotel Soaltee had a story, one which I was dying to write.

It was a Thursday morning. I wanted to enter Soaltee Hotel at any cost. I explored every possible way to gain entry but in vain. The security was tight. After all, the South Asian leaders were to spend their Kathmandu nights in the five-star hotel. Then a brainwave struck: I knew the person who supplied vegetables to the hotel, and that was it.

What I then did might astonish a lot of people. But to be true, I never realised the gravity of the issue, nor the consequences of such a spy act. I posed as the vegetable supplier and reached the Soaltee gate. It was around 1 pm. I simply told the machine gun-wielding army personnel that I wanted to enter the hotel to settle the money that the hotel owed me. I carried no cards and I identified myself as the vegetable supplier. Then they telephoned somebody inside the hotel, who gave me the go-ahead. After checking my body thoroughly, the security men let me in. The drama began.

As I walked calmly through the road leading to the hotel reception, a few more personnel questioned me, and I stuck to  the same answer each time. I entered the hotel building and once I passed the reception, I asked a few waiters the way to the kitchen. They hesitated a wee bit, but once I convinced them that I was in search of the Sales Manager, they directed me to the kitchen. I heaved a sigh of relief.

But again I was stopped twice by the security guards. I repeated the same Sales Manager story. They too were convinced. Finally I was there—inside the kitchen of Soaltee Crowne Plaza. I couldn’t believe myself.

I selected the kitchen because I thought it was the best place to get some inside dope on the daily lifestyle of the leaders.

There were two men working inside. Now I had to reveal my true identity and purpose as I had no other options. They got mighty furious. I tried my best to convince them, but didn’t succeed at all. They insisted that I leave. But one of them was kind enough to say that this was because they would be the ones to face the music from their bosses.

More than an hour had already passed in discussions with them. But as bad luck would have it, two army men suddenly barged in along with another man, and one of the army men asked me, "Do you know him?"

I, for the life of me, had never seen the person before, and I also had lost the wit to lie. I said, "No."

Then one of the army men rushed at me and caught hold of my neck and shouted, "He is the person who deals with your beans!"

Oh God! Was this the end of my brave journalist expedition? I gathered myself and said hurriedly, "Excuse me please, I’m a journalist."

I again explained why I was there. The army man glared at me in surprise and anger, and pulled away his hand from my neck. But he was so furious that he caught me by arm again and made me walk with him, almost dragging me.

And I was thrown inside a room!

Boom! The door was closed and locked from outside. I was completely devastated, and without a clue as to how long I will have to remain there.

But this was ofcourse a 5-star hotel room, great decor but no radio or television. Maybe the room was not meant for the guests. The telephone-line too was disconnected.

As I sat there worried, I never had the hope that anybody will come and rescue me anytime soon. But after what seemed like ages, the door was unlocked, and there came an army man with food—5-star dinner, in fact. As the night grew, I tried sleeping, but it took me till midnight to doze off on the mattress that was atleast 10-12 fold thicker than the one I sleep at home in.

Next day around 11 in the morning, more food came in—it was what they call brunch. Again it was an army man who served me. I think my ‘detention’ was kept a top secret even from the hotel management.

I had nothing to do cooped up in that room. But I was getting more than a little anxious as I had not told friends or relatives or even my office about my Mission. I was also feeling disappointed that I could not get my story.

At around 4 pm, an army man opened the door and called me out.

I followed him upto the main gate like an obedient disciple. Then the army man spoke: "You are living now only because you are a journalist. But mind this, don’t try to be a hero everywhere."

I just smiled and replied, "Thank you."

"Hey wait!" he called me and said almost in a whisper, but in an urgent tone, "Don’t tell anybody what you experienced!"

Then the journalist in me woke up again and I lied that I would not tell a soul about what happened to me.

Now here I am telling the whole world about my 5-Star detention. But if only my Mission Impossible had become possible...

Fishermen in troubled waters

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HETAUDA, Jan 5:Traditional fishermen earning their income through conventional method of fishing have been seriously affected after the poisoning of various small and big rivers in Makwanpur.

The traditional fishermen of the caste "Majhi" and "Danuwar", who use hook while fishing are now facing a serious crisis in continuing with their profession.

This is because a new trend of fishing has emerged among some of the local population who are using toxic substances, like Indosyphan, to kill the fish.These substances are being used in rivers like Karra, Rapti, Bakaiya, Manahari and Bhaise.

"We run our family by selling fish but the new trend of fishing has totally disturbed our daily lives and we have started to look for other alternatives," says Ram Das Majhi, 70, of Chitwan VDC said. But he added that looking for a new profession is tough because they have no other skills.Chief of Hetauda Hospital, Dr.Girish Upadhaya, says if "such fish" are consumed, the locals are sure to catch some disease or the other. He exhorts the fishermen to avoid the "new method". Head of District Veterinary Office, Dr Khadga Singh, says the whole ecosystem of the area is under threat, and there have been cases of deaths of animals after drinking water from the poisoned rivers. He says Indosyphan is a strong poison and can destroy all marine life.

Advocate B.K.Maharjan says that though the Amphibians Protection Act came into place in 2017 to stop the use of toxic substances in river waters, it has still not been well implemented. As yet, the District Administration Office records show only one person apprehended under the Act.

Two rebels killed, several arrested

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KATHMANDU, Jan 5:At least two terrorists have been killed and 22 including 16 suspects have been arrested in seperate operations by the security forces in various parts of the kingdom on Friday, a press statement issued today by the Ministry of Defence states.

According to the release, a terrorist named Ganga Pun alias Pahad was killed in Dakhakwadi area of Pyuthan district. Pun was the area commander of the Maoists. Similarly another terrorist named Karna Bahadur Gharti was killed in Duwing area of Rolpa district.

Meanwhile, the security forces have arrested six terrorists from Ringaon area of Dhading district and seized six guns, explosives, and some chemicals.

Likewise, the security forces arrested 16 suspects including four from Dubichaur Gulmi, two from Birendranagar Chitwan, one each from Kapurkot of Salyan and Shivalaya of Parbat, two from Thechambu of Taplejung, one from Ratemate in Syangja, two each from Makaidada, Lamjung and Jogbuda of Dadeldhura and one from Palpa.

The security forces also seized one 303 rifle, bombs, explosives, combat dress and some terrorist documents from Kerung area of Solukhumbu district.

The Defence Ministry statement also states that two active members of the Maoists surrendered along with their weapons to the security forces in Rolpa. It is also reported
that a peace rally denouncing terrorism was organised in Rolpa on Friday. More than 500 people are reported to have participated in the rally.

Another report from our Hetauda Correspondent states that three top local leaders of the Maoists of Makwanpur and Parsa districts have been arrested in Hetauda on Friday. According to District Superintendent of Police Prem Bahadur Gurung, Jaggannath Nepal of Parsa, CP Ghimire thought to be in charge of Maoists in Makwanpur district and Pralad Lamichhane have been arrested.

According to Chief District Officer of Parsa, 226 Maoists have so far surrendered to the district administration.

Despite the successful operations conducted by the security forces the Maoists rebels still are going ahead with their activities in some parts of the country. Our correspondent from Myagdi reports that a group of Maoists murdered a local cadre of the Nepali Congress party. Sher Bahadur Sherchan, from Ward no 3, Darwang VDC was shot dead by the rebels at around 8 pm Friday. Sherchan had returned to his village from Kathmandu the same day. The Maoists had a few days back abducted Rudra Roka, from a nearby village.

Meanwhile, in Dang, a 40-year-old man was killed caught in crossfire. Chet Bahadur Giri Kuwar was killed in spot as he was shot in the head, during exchange of fire between the army and the Maoists. Kuwar a rikshaw puller at Tribhuvan municipality originally hailed from Tulasipur.

There was exchange of fire between the rebels and the security forces after the Maoists started firing at around 8:30 pm Friday. The army had immediately retaliated and the exchange of fire lasted for more than two hours. The security forces have not sustained any damage.

Police recover arms, ammunition

KAVREPALANCHOWK, Jan 5: A police team led by DSP Jaya Bahadur Chand has in course of the ‘cordon and search’ campaign in Kavre district recovered a large scale of arms and ammunition from the empty house of Upendra Dhital in Baluwa VDC-8, some 20 KM east of the district headquarters, Dhulikhel.

The arms and ammunitions found hidden inside the underground water tank comprised 8 home-made guns, two socket bombs, one computer, five kgs of gun powder, 8 police helmet, pressure cooker, G.I. pipe, VHF telephone set, telephone antenna, police dress and terrorist documents.

This is the first time that such a large haul of arms and ammunition has been recovered following the declaration of state of emergency in the country, said CDO Himnath Dawadi.

Chief District Officer (CDO) of Bajura, Janardhan Adhikari, said the APF personnel were called back to the headquarters because they were less in number to provide security to the airport which is located at the distance of about 30 kilometres from the headquarters.

He also revealed that the information has already been sent to the Home Ministry to deploy additional security reinforcement. "Flights could be resumed after the Ministry sends additional reinforcement," CDO Adhikari said.

On the other hand, RNAC officials said they would resume flights only after the administration ensures full security. "If the administration is to provide security, RNAC shall immediately resume the flights," said CP Sharma, in-charge of Nepalgunj-based RNAC’s Sales and Reservation Department.

RNAC had been operating flights from Bajura to Nepalgunj thrice a week.

Bardiya Kamaiyas wait fors food, shelter

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GULARIA, Jan 5:The Kamaiyas have been liberated, but the former bonded labourers are now facing a tough time seeking food and shelter, especially in Bardia district.

The Bardia Kamaiyas are now making a beeline to the District Land Registration Office, not only for the promised pieces of land but also for food grains.

District authorities attribute the delay in distribution of land to the delay in deciding on the land divisions. However, an official at the Land Measurement Office says work on dividing the lands for the rehabilitation of Kamaiyas, is over. As for the food, he says the matter rested with the Land Registration Office.

The Kamaiyas are supposed to be granted food grains under the Work for Food scheme of the government. But as yet, the full quota has not been doled out as the Local Development Ministry is yet to approve of the scheme. The District Development Committee has received 600 metric tonnes of rice, of which it has distributed only 35 metric tonnes.

Bardia has a Kamaiya population of over 6000.

Locals demand not to demolish constructions

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HETAUDA, Jan 5:A joint meet of political workers, industrialists, merchants and local representatives of Hetauda on Friday demanded the government not to demolish the roadside constructions in the main bazaar of the town as part of a renovation plan.

The meet sought a ban on all sorts of construction work in the region. It also proposed that the road passing through Hetauda be upgraded into a highway.

This was in reaction to a notice issued by the Division Road Office at Pathkaya earlier in the week, which ordered the demolition of all constructions that encroach the Mahendra and Tribhuvan highways. The office had given a week’s deadline to follow the order. The notice also warned that force will be used if the order was not carried through.

Gokul Lamsal, Deputy Chairman of Amlekhgung VDC-8, informed that the villagers in the VDC have already started demolishing their huts and other constructions fearing untoward action from the Division Road Office.

However, an all-party meet chaired by the Mayor of Hetauda Municipality, Dormani Poudel, on Thursday had appealed that
the renovation plan for the town be cancelled since the constructions in the municipality were carried
out before the enforcement of Road Act 2031.

Humla food depots running empty

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SIMIKOT, HUMLA, Jan 5:The remote Himalayan district Humla is likely to face an acute food shortage later this winter because of this year’s drought in the region. Already since a month, two food depots in the northern part of the district have been running empty.

Citing the reasons of increasing demand for food and the impending possibility of a crisis, the District Food Management Committee has been demanding a quota of 16000 quintals of food grains for the district, says the president of the Committee and the chairman of the district, Jeevan Bahadur Shahi.

The government had decided to grant a subsidised quota of 4800 quintals of food grains to the depot at the district headquarters of Simikot, and 6300 quintals of grains for the rest of the depots in the district. But the Simikot depot till date has only received 3300 quintals.

Chief of the branch office of Nepal Food Corporation, Shankar Shapkota states that the District Food Management Committee has decided to request the central office of Nepal Food Corporation
to transfer the stock of Sharkaghat depot to the district headquarters, Simikot, and that of the Shreenagae depot to the Kolti depot at Bajura to prevent the possible food crisis. He also informed that the headquarters-based branch office has enough stock and that a request has been made to deliver the prescribed quota of food to the region as soon as the bad weather subsides.