RSF worried over press situation in Nepal

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KATHMANDU, March 13 Head of Asia Pacific Desk of Reporters’ Sans Frontiers (RSF) Vincent Brossel said today that the situation of press freedom and security of the journalists during the state of emergency in Nepal is "critical".

RSF is a France-based organisation working for the rights of journalists throughout the world.

After having a "little bit tense" meeting with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday, Brossel came to a conclusion that the state is responsible for the abuse of rights by the security forces.

"Why the army has been involved in the arrest, interrogation and detention of some journalists, which is a complete violation of the law?" He asked.

He said the Prime Minister refused to comment on the arrest of Gopal Budhathoki, editor of Sanghu weekly, which "he took it easily."

Brossel is in Kathmandu to prepare a full report on the press freedom in Nepal at this moment.

RSF charged that the Maoists are responsible for the resumption of fighting. But, Brossel said, "We strongly protest the abuses of human rights standards and the violations of the principles of the Constitution."

Brossel, on behalf of RSF, demanded the release of 28 journalists and media collaborators currently detained in the country, if there is no strong evidence that they are directly involved in the Maoist action.

He pledged the government to organise some weekly press briefings including Army officials, to inform the press about the military operation. He also reminded the authority that the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, Middle East, Spain, Sri Lanka or Nepal could never be a good justification for human rights abuses.

‘Good journalism brings about positive changes in society’

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KATHMANDU, March 13 To commemorate the 92nd International Women’s Day, Sancharika Samuha today launched a book titled Mother- Sister- Daughter: Nepal’s Press on Women in the capital.

The book, which was released by Minister for Information and Communi-cations, Jaya Prakash Gupta, is a snapshot of the Nepali print media’s recent reportage of women- feature articles, news and opinion. Dr Arzu Deuba who reviewed the book said that stories in the book highlight the failure of implementation of laws relating to gender discrimination and women. "The stories tell us how the law and society has not been effective enough to protect women from the adversity that many Nepalese women face within the frameworks of both family and society," she said.

"Good journalism is one that can play a vital role to make positive changes in the society and this book has given me the impression that even men have written and addressed women issues sensitively," Deuba said.

The book divided into six chapters addresses issues like the society, culture, women’s health, discrimination, violence against women, empowerment and opinion.

At the same programme, award presentation of the winners of the Investigative Journalism Competition Girls’ Right and Social Responsibility (also organized by Sancharika Samuha) was held. Minister Gupta honoured the three winners with certificates and cash prizes. A three-member jury committee consisting of senior journalists Ram Krishna Regmi, P Kharel and Kamala Parajuli selected the winners.

Congratulating the winners, Minister Gupta said that they are soon going to present the Right to Information Bill at the House of Representatives. He also informed that for the first time in Nepal, the government has taken out postal stamps that carry social messages. "The two-rupee stamps that tell that most will now be message bound. They will carry the messages on untouchability and equality between the boy and the girl," he said.

Sancharika Samuha is a women communicator’s group, established in1996 by a group of women media professionals concerned by the lack of gender perspective in the media.

Essay-cum-painting contest ends

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LALITPUR, March 13 The essay and painting competition titled Agriculture in Mountainous Regions jointly organised by Spiny Babbler and Rotaract Club concluded here today.

Fifteen people were awarded for the best essay, states a press release issued here today.The competition targeted towards local residents, teachers and students was based on twenty different topics like seed plantation, germination, gardening, harvesting and marketing of the crops. The essays on each topic were presented with collages and sketches.

According to one organiser of the programme, Awas Piya, the location Thaiba was chosen as they too like the locals of mountainous areas suffer from problems related to agriculture.

‘Govt committed to Constitution amendment’

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KATHMANDU, March 13 Minister for Works and Physical Planning Chiranjibi Wagle told the Parliament today that the government was still firm on implementing the commitments made by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in the Parliament on February 23.

Minister Wagle reiterated the government’s stance after the opposition political parties pointed finger at the government motive behind delaying the introduction of a proposal to amend the present Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal.

Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the House of Representatives, Minister Wagle said, "There is no possibility of setback in the government’s commitment."

He also informed the House that government is doing homework to move the Constitution amendment procedures ahead. "The government has called for authentic views from all the political parties," said Wagle, adding, "The government wants to go ahead on the basis of collective views."

Meanwhile, Surendra Hamal, who recently resigned from the Council of Ministers, said that his resignation would pave the way for Prime Minister Deuba to oust other corrupt ministers closely aligned to him.

He alleged the CIAA of making its decision under pressure from senior cabinet colleague Gopal Man Shrestha, who also resigned from his post on the same case of alleged involvement in a bribery. "The CIAA should not be used as a tool for one’s political gain," Hamal added.

Pradip Kumar Gyawali of the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) drew attention of the government towards the Mangalsen incident. "The government has not paid enough attention in reconstructing Mangalsen," said Gyawali. "Government has failed to assure its presence there and hence has further encouraged the Maoists," he alleged.

Ram Bahadur Bista, an MP representing Achham district, spoke on a similar line demanding proper compensation to the affected people in the Achham mayhem and called the government to increase military strength in Mangalsen, the district headquarters.

In the biggest ever Maoist attacks, almost 150 people, mostly security personnel, were killed in Mangalsen and Sanfebagar of Achham district on February 17.

Mainali calls for cadres’ meet on March 16

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KATHMANDU, March 13 The Communist Party of Nepal-Marxist Leninist (CPN-ML) today said that it is bringing its cadres across the country in the capital on March 16 for a national cadres’ meet.

"Our cadres from more than 50 districts will be in the capital to attend the National Cadres’ Meet on Saturday," said the co-ordinator of the Central Co-ordination Committee of CPN-ML Chandra Prakash Mainali, at a press conference today.

The party which broke away from the main opposition party CPN-UML four years ago was left by the majority of its leaders last month to join the CPN-UML. Mainali and other leaders are devotedly attached to the party at present.

He also said that the party was ready to join hands with other left parties with close and similar ideology to it for ‘a greater democratic alliance’ of left parties in the country.

Mainali also demanded the government to take the issue of Constituent Assembly for referendum.

Constitution amendment deemed necessary to wipe out anomalies

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KATHMANDU, March 13 At a time when the discussion on Constitution amendment is going on both inside and outside the Parliament, leaders of two opposition parties, including the main opposition, today justified their parties move to Constitutional amendment.

They also demanded the government to register the amendment draft in the ongoing session of Parliament.

Following the demand of the opposition parties, the spokesperson of the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) said that NC had already urged the Prime Minister to register the amendment draft in the 21st session of Parliament.

They were speaking at a face to face programme, organised by the Reporters’ Club Nepal, in the capital on Wednesday.

Our party was in favour of Constitutional reform for the last one year to wipe out loopholes in the existing 1990 Constituion, said Bharat Mohan Adhikari, the Chief Whip of the main opposition. Adhikari is also the coordinator of the CPN-UML Constitution Amendment Committee.

"Our party has been favouring the amendment since the country needs a radical political, social and economic reforms in the country and for it the amendment is a must," said Adhikari clarifying his party’s long stance for the amendment.

Adhikari said even to make the Public Service Commission a strong body, and to guarantee the rights, obligations of local bodies and their access to resources, his party has stuck to the stance of the Constitution amendment.

"The amendment is the only means of political, social and economic reforms in the country," Adhikari told the gathering of journalists at the programme.

Kamal Thapa, the spokesperson of the Nepal Prajatantra Party, said that the proposed amendment is not going to be introduced to fulfill any vested interest of a particular party. He also revealed six issues behind his party’s support to amendment.

Thapa said that the amendment was necessary for fair election, to wipe out social discrimination and exploitation, to solve the citizenship problem, to give greater autonomy to local bodies, to reserve places for indigenous, Dalit, and other lower people in the society in different fields and to change the local election system.

"For these reasons, the four parties few weeks ago agreed to forge a national consensus in the country," Thapa said referring to the agreement between the leaders of the four national parties at the residence of party president Surya Bahadur Thapa.

Speaking at the same programme, Arjun Narsingh K.C., the spokesperson of NC, said that his party had already urged the Prime Minister to register the amendment in this session of Parliament.

The NC central member also said that his party was doing homework for the amendment and would soon outline areas for amendment.

Responding to a query of journalists on his party’s signing campaign to topple the Deuba-government, K. C. said that the discussion was going on inside his party circle and would reach a conclusion within a few days.

Disagreeing with the leaders of the national political parties on the amendment issue, Nilambar Acharya, a former minister in the interim government after the restoration of democracy, which formulated the existing Constitution, said that it was not the right time for Constitutional amendment. "The amendment should not be made at a time when people do not have fundamental rights".

Meanwhile, Dipta Prakash Shah, a royal nominee at the Upper House, speaking in the Parliament said that King’s consent was inevitable for Constitutional amendment.

"The Constitution does not allow amendment without pre-consultation with the King," Shah said quoting Article 27.3 of the Constitution.

MBNP comes to standstill due to Maoist attacks

By Shyam Niraula

KHANDBARI, Sankhuwasabha, March 13 All activities of the Makalu-Barun National Park (MBNP) have come to a standstill after Maoist rebels set its headquarters on fire at Seduwa village about a month ago.

The national park is worldwide famous for bio-diversity because of its unusually varied geographical setting that begins from 450 metres to 8,463 metres high Mt. Makalu above the sea level.

Ten VDCs of the northern part of Sankhuwasabha district and two VDCs of the neighbouring district of Solukhumbu occupying around 1,500 square kilometres of area were converted into the national park 10 years ago to protect the bio-diversity of the region. The park is located close to the Sagarmatha national park.

The park officials said that the rebel Maoists had already destroyed four other site offices, paralysing all the park activities. One of the officials said that the property destroyed by the rebels were yet to be assessed.

The park, jointly developed by a US non-governmental organisation—Woodland Mountain Institute—and the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation, was handed over to the government about two years ago. The park office has been shifted to the district headquarters of Khandbari for security reasons.

Officiating Chief of the MBNP, Bishnu Prasad Thapaliya, said his field staff could not be mobilised in rural parts for fear of their lives. He said that they could not carry out any researches in the park since the beginning of the Maoist insurgency in 1996.

Innovative squatters take exemplary initiatives

By Shyam Sundar Sashi

DHANUSHA, March 13 30 squatter families at Gamahariya area of Sapahi VDC-4 of Dhanusha district, took an initiative and set up a primary school in the area, sharing all economical burdens among themselves. Now a total of sixty students from the community are benefiting from the school, said a source at the school.

"The school building is simple and is devoid of basic infrastructures like a black board, desks, benches and other necessary materials, however, we have somehow managed and the effort is at imparting basic informal education to our children," said Indrajeet Sada, a local youth working as a voluntary teacher at the school.

The school, named "Ganeshman Nava Durga Primary School," was established at the active initiation of a women committee named ‘Dhudhani Mahila Pokhar (DMP),’ constituted within the area in 1998. The women’s group is also actively involved in carrying out various development works covering areas in the sectors of health and income generating programmes.

‘Women Credit-Saving Programme’ is another exemplary programme run by these innovative women of DMP, having implemented a scheme of collecting rupees ten a week, the group has now raised a total sum of Rupees 30,249 as informed by Tateri Devi, the Chairperson of DMP.

As per a laid down agenda of DMP, it meets every week to discuss on issues pertaining to social, economical, educational and sanitation aspects of the area. With the initiation of DMP, a fishery is running in the area and it also has bright perspectives for vegetable farming.

However, a sordid fact is that the squatters, with a population of around 300 families in the area, are staying on rented land. "After all, we are paying rent to our landlord regularly and if we are provided with land ownership certificates by the government, this would make us respectable citizens of the nation," said Tateri Devi.

Villagers on verge of evacuation due to mysterious fire 

By Narayan Sharma

NAWALPARASI, March 13 The villagers in the south-western region of Nawalparasi district are considering abandoning their village after mysterious incidents of fire since the last two months.

The people in Parsa of Thulo Khairenitawa Village Development Committee (VDC)-6 have experienced the sudden fires in various parts of the village. The fire suddenly starts out of nowhere, said locals. People are afraid of what destruction the fire could do in the summers.

"The first such fire started in the house of ward chairperson Motiwar Yadav on the morning of January 13," said Ram Nandan Singh, chairperson of the VDC. " villagers extinguished the fire, but it started again in other place after a few days."

Since then, seeing flames of fire in the village have become common, according to the villagers. "We thought it was the result of God’s anger on us and did puja, but this was in vain," said Singh.

The fire has already burnt down 14 huts and 4 cattle-sheds, according to Singh. "The fire starts by itself, and sometimes is extinguished by itself," said Singh. "We are dumbfounded with these strange incidents."

The fires always start in empty houses so the villagers are making sure that someone always remains in the house, said Singh.

The villagers also brought a shaman from India. "He said that the village is haunted by a witch and that he can kill the witch," said Singh. "But he asked for permission to kill the witch on stamp-paper, which I declined."

The locals are demanding a scientific observation of the incidents. "We are demanding a scientific analysis but no one is serious about it," said Ram Byas Yadav, a member of District Development Committee (DDC).

Kailash Thakur, the chief of Palhi Campus, visited the village on Wednesday. "I saw the fire on dry land and people ready with buckets of water to put off it," said Thakur after returning from the inspection.

"The flames start a little above than the land surface," said Bishnu Raj Kusum, the Chief District Officer (CDO) after his visit to the village. "The incident is indeed strange."

"A scientific study of these incidents should be done so that the people can be free of fear," said Kusum.