Alleged sexual offenders ‘punished’

By Damakant Jayshi

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:All the 16 people found guilty for sexual abuses against Bhutanese women and girls in the refugee camps by a UNHCR probe team have been "punished" and are no longer working with the aid agencies.

This was revealed today by Millicent Mutuli, the press officer of the UNHCR, Nepal. "The partner agencies reported to us that by the last week, none of the accused are serving the agencies. Some have resigned, others have been dismissed," revealed Mutuli.

A three-member investigation team from Inspector General’s Office of the UNHCR had come across 18 specific cases of sexual violence against Bhutanese refugee women and girls in the camps between June 2001 and one month ago. The team had come on October 26 and left after 10 days. The other two accused are Nepal government employees: one policeman and the other an official of the Refugee Co-ordination Unit (RCU).

After an expose by The Kathmandu Post early this month on the "laxity" of the UNHCR in ignoring an INGO (Oxfam GB, Nepal) report that had pointed out at the sexual abuses in the camps, the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva recalled the then UNHCR country representative and the protection officer.

A seven-member team under a new Officer-in-Charge, UNHCR’s Nepal office, Abraham Abraham is in place now. In a press briefing a week after his arrival, Abraham said that the UNHCR would set up mechanisms to end sexual abuses and also bring the culprits to book.

Last Sunday, Jean-Marie Fakhourie, Director, Asia-Pacific Bureau, UNHCR visited Nepal to have a first-hand view of the overall refugee situation, especially that of the sexual abuse in the seven UNHCR-run camps in Jhapa and Morang districts.

Fakhourie met Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Home Minister during his three-day stay in the country and discussed the possible solutions to the protracted refugee imbroglio. Nepal and Bhutan are yet to agree on a common ground on the refugee problem.

"He (Fakhourie) met with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Home Minister and held discussions on search for broader solutions in bilateral negotiations," said press officer Mutuli. Fakhourie also met officials of the government and the UNHCR in Jhapa and Morang.

In the camps, Fakhourie took stock of the mechanism set in place by the UNHCR to curb sexual abuses.

Mutuli also revealed that all the 18 victims have been identified and are receiving counselling. She added that even other victims, not mentioned in the investigative team’s report, were welcome to take help of the counselling.

Coupled with the counselling, Mutuli added, an awareness programme is also under way. The victims and other refugees have three focal points to report the abuses: the UNHCR, the Bhutanese Refugee Women’s Forum (RWF) and the supervisor of Mother and Child Health Clinic (MCHC).

The press officer, however, said that due to inadequate staff, the UNHCR officials were not able to be present daily in each of the camps but hoped that soon there would be enough staff to visit each of the seven camps daily at a certain fixed time. "Right now we have the UNHCR officials visiting the camps twice a week."

Palace, not the ministry, to decide royal expenditures

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:An ordinance promulgated yesterday empowers the king to increase royal household expenditure and facilities by himself.

This promulgation of ordinance - Royal Household Expenditure Management (first amendment) Ordinance 2059 - on recommendation of the Council of Ministers last night alters the present arrangement in which the cabinet was responsible for looking into the royal household expenditures and facilities.

The new ordinance has given the king the authority, which was hitherto exercised by the government, since democracy was restored in 1990.

Though the 1974 Act was still in force, none of the post-1990 governments adhered to it. The money so earmarked for the royal household would be mentioned in the annual budget.

A former Finance Minister, requesting anonymity, said the cabinet started enjoying full power to allocate budget to the palace, on the basis of rationale of the demand of the palace, after the democracy was restored. He said that the palace used to fill up a demand form every year as done by other ministries and the Finance Ministry allocated the budget as required by the palace.

But yesterday’s ordinance not only re-activates the 1974 Act, but also makes modifications to it. The most important change is that a committee (Clause 18) empowered to make recommendations to increase royal household expenditures has been scrapped. The authority now rests solely with His Majesty, and his decision is final and will come into effect immediately after its publication in the national gazette.

The defunct committee included the Prime Minister, Chairman of Rajsabha Standing Committee, Chairman of Rastriya Panchayat, Finance Minister, Chief Secretary of the King and Finance Committee Chief of Rastriya Panchayat.

The Panchayat was overthrown in 1990 by a popular movement, and that is part of the reason why post-1990 governments rarely acknowledged the Act or its committee.

Government sources said that yesterday’s ordinance was promulgated after the cabinet decided to ask for its promulgation based on a proposal by Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand who also handles Royal Palace Affairs.

The government, however, says that changes to the Act was necessary, therefore the ordinance. "The structure was almost defunct since the new Constitution was promulgated in 1990 and most of the officials representing the recommendation committee required new definition under the new Constitution," a Cabinet Secretariat source told The Kathmandu Post.

The amendment in the Act through an ordinance has taken place within six months of the announcement of the current year’s budget that increased palace expenditure by 233.58 percent.

Ousted Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who also looked after the Finance Ministry had carried out a historic increment in the palace expenditure in spite of decrease in the number of royal family members.

The expenditure of the royal household was increased to Rs 387,900,000 from last year’s estimate of Rs116,285,000. The facility of the royal palace employees was increased along with the increment in the other government employees’ facilities.

The ordinance has also provided Rs 50,000 as yearly expenditure for the young Nava Yuvaraj (New Prince) born early this year to Crown Prince Paras and Crown Princess Himani.

Gun-wielding rebels threaten to kill senior official in broad daylight

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:In a brazen act of terror, two pro-Maoist activists threatened to kill a senior government official today during a programme organised by journalists to discuss the Maoist-called indefinite closure of educational institutions.

Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports, Yuba Raj Pandey, was threatened by the youths waving a revolver immediately after conclusion of the discussion programme organised by the Education Journalists’ Group (EJG) at its office in Anamnagar.

The incident, which occurred at 4 p.m., played out in front of about 50 persons who had come to listen and participate in the discussion. Witnessing the drama unfold were representatives of Private and Boarding School Organisations of Nepal (PABSON), teachers’ organisations, students’ organisations, journalists and official of the Ministry of Education.

"One of them put on a leather jacket and had revolver in his hand," said an office attendant of the EJG, who saw the assailants trying to push through the office building while he was rushing out to a photocopy shop for the press release.

The Maoist activists stormed into the discussion programme looking for Secretary of the Ministry, Chuman Singh Basnet. But since Pandey had arrived in place of Basnet, who was unable to attend the function, they threatened the joint secretary by pointing the gun against his abdomen mistaking him for Basnet.

"Aren’t you Chuman Singh Basnet who refuses to listen to our demands," they barked. Pandey said they were mistaken, after which the two assailants forcibly painted his face black and waved the gun at the other participants, warning them not to follow as they fled hurriedly. They fled chanting pro-Maoist slogans. Though unhurt in the incident, Pandey was visibly shaken.

Today’s incident comes just three days before an indefinite strike of all educational institutions, including public and private schools and campuses, called by the All Nepal National Independent Students’ Union (ANNISU), a Maoist-aligned students’ group. The group is pressing the government to fulfil its 16-point demand. The demand includes free education till class 10, abrogation of compulsory Sanskrit teaching in schools, and admission of all children of all government officials in public schools not private ones. The populist demands are just a cloak to terrorise educational institutions, many in Kathmandu believe.

Before the bizarre drama unfolded, the senior government official and other participants had just concluded their discussion on the threatened strike that has terrorised students, teachers and parents alike. The interaction concluded with an animated discussion as to how the schools and campuses could be open, but no solution was spelled out as each one presented a view different from the other.

Suprabhat Bhandary, president of Nepal Guardian Association, Biswa Prakash Sharma, president of Nepal Students Union, secretary of PABSON Sita Ram Maskey, Hari Thapa, vice-president of EJG, Bhakta Bahadur Gurung of All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), Madhav Adhikari, president of Nepal National Teachers’ Association (NNTA), and Keshab Bhattarai, president of Nepal Teachers’ Association (NTA), were among the speakers who debated on the issue. However, none of the speakers could outline a definite solution. Most urged the Ministry to initiate a dialogue with the rebel students group.

During the interaction, spokesperson Pandey had said that the schools would be run as usual and said that the Ministry was doing everything possible to regulate the hike in fee charged by several private-boarding schools across the country. He said the seventh amendment to the Education Act was just under implementation and had addressed the issue. When queried, he did not comment further as to whether the government was doing anything to put off the Maoists strikes.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued after the incident, the EJG condemned the act of the Maoist students. Similarly, Nepal Students’ Union (NSU) and PABSON in separate statements have called on the Maoist students to withdraw their demand. The NSU has strongly condemned the Maoist students for the explosion that took place at the Tribhuvan University (TU) today. It calls for stern actions against anyone trying to terrorise students and vandalise school properties.

Nepal to meet ‘Education for All’ by 2015

Bikas Sangraula

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:Though Nepal’s goal of achieving gender equality and 50 per cent adult literacy rate by the targeted year of 2015 might not be fulfilled, the country is on track to achieve basic Education for All children (EFA) by the stipulated time, said Y Kitamura, chief of the UNESCO’s Nepal office.

In order to achieve EFA goals by 2015, UNESCO is planning to launch two large-scale projects - Community Education Centre and Child Development and Education Project - in Nepal, Kitamura said while speaking at a discussion on the EFA here on Friday.

"Seven thematic groups have been formed, six to fulfil the stated EFA goals and one to fulfil the educational needs of indigenous people and minorities," he said.

The Ministry of Education and Sports and National Project Secretariat for UNESCO in Nepal organised a programme to discuss the present status of the goal set by the UNESCO.

The World Education Forum on EFA, held in Dakar, Senegal in April 2000 to review the achievements of EFA made note of the difficulties faced by countries like Nepal. Hence the forum adopted the Dakar Framework for Action (DFA) that lists six major EFA goals to be achieved by 2015.

But this goal of achieving the target has not been effective due to lack of proper implementation. "We have convened many meetings and prepared several brilliant plans. However, we always lacked implementation," said Khagendra Basnet, general secretary of the UNESCO Secretariat. "Unless we bring out our weaknesses on the discussion floor, we are not going to make any major breakthroughs."

Disparities relative to gender and social status are well known in Nepal. The average life expectancy at birth in Nepal is 59.5 years. However, the average person born in the urban area lives 71.1 years while the average person of the western mountain region lives only 41.6 years.

"These disparities are unacceptable from the human rights and development point of view," said Kitamura and added that the rate of return on investment on basic education is higher than the investment on secondary and higher education.

The concerned officials, however, claim that the EFA national action plan has already been drafted and it will be sent to the UNESCO headquarters within a month.

"Our goals will not be met unless we incorporate the development needs on common people in our plan," said Chuman Singh Basnet, secretary at the Ministry of Education and Sports.

"Our main goal at present is to mainstream the 42 per cent illiterate and 20 per cent children who are deprived of basic education," Basnet said. "We need targeted programmes that are more effective."

The officials even agreed that the investment on education has not been properly utilised.

"Fifty per cent of our investment on education is being wasted," said Shiva Raj Lohani, co-ordinator of child development thematic group. "Instead of increasing the investment, the focus should be on making the remaining 50 per cent useful." The investment on education sector in Nepal constitutes almost 12 per cent of the budget.

There is confusion while formulating policies for child development, Lohani said. "Child development does not involve education only, it also involves health and other parameters of sound development. Therefore, child development efforts need to be integrated."

Wheeling in the new year with a message of peace

By Shyam Bhatta

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:On January 4, peep out of your windows and take a good look at the streets for a unique cycle rally led by Pushkar Shah. For those not in the know, Shah is our very own desi ambassador of goodwill, who has already spread the message of peace, by cycling across 51 countries of the world.

The mercurial man had set off on his epic journey on August 1, 1998 and returned back here for Dashain this year. Fired by a zeal to spread the message of peace, he embarked on his arduous trip, carrying in his bag a mound of soil from Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the apostle of peace. A little of this sacred earth he gave to all he encountered on his path.

For someone who had wheeled nearly 81 thousand kilometres, it was a bit of a shock to find the spectre of violence looming large after he came back. This realisation propelled him to hold a peace rally.

The proposed rally has been sponsored by World Cyclist Foundation. So come January 4, the city will be all set to host this event for a noble cause, which will be flagged off from Birendra International Convention Centre.

Cyclists will pass through Koteshwor, Bhaktapur and back to Koteshwor before they pedal past Bal Kumari, Patan Durbar Square, Lagankhel, Jawalakhel, Kupondol, Tripureshwor, Kalimati, Kalanki, Swoyambhu, Balaju, Shorakhutte, Thamel, Durbar Marg, Sahid Gate and New Road, before culminating their trip at Basantapur.

Shah had a stormy past. He lost his father, who worked in Assam Rifles of India, at the hands of the Bodo rebels. He had come to Kathmandu for higher education but was soon engulfed in the movement for the restoration of democracy in 1989. He was rounded up by the police a number of times and also received a bullet wound on his hand.

He was inspired to go on a world cycle tour for peace after the successful movement for the restoration of democracy. In fact, he did not budge an inch even after his friends in Charikot, his home district, poked fun at him, even passing snide remarks about his mental state.

He claims that even though the journey was at times very arduous, he never lost heart while cycling around so many nations. "I went without food at times, faced chances of getting stabbed and robbed and had to beg for food at times. But in between all that quite a few marriage proposals also came through. But whenever I thought of Nepal, tears used to roll down my cheeks," he told The Kathmandu Post.

Interestingly, Nepali missions abroad were more a source of hardship for him rather than any help. While he took up a utility job in Japan for a month, he undertook hawking garments in Havana.

But help came from none other than Sir Edmund Hillary while in New Zealand. He had lost his cycle but the conquerer of Mt Everest got a new one for him as a "token of love for Nepalis and Nepal." " I am inspired by him," Shah said.

"We are looking for peace.... Happiness has become elusive.... Men have become enemies of men. Aspirations have died out.... Let us not waste much time in imbibing that violence and terror can’t herald peace, " reads the press statement issued by him.

At the end, what Shah has realised that the entire world is a family, since all the nations share the same earth, sun, moon, stars and the sky above. "The entire world is a home and all the people, members of the same family."

Shah has one more ambition, though. He wants to have flags of all the nations atop Mount Everest some day. Since he has left out some nations this time around, he expects to go back once again.

" This should spread the name of Nepal in all nooks and corners of the world. Let us all join the peace march. We have the right to live in peace. Let us not allow happiness to go away from us," said Shah.

Bomb blast in TU premises

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:Suspected Maoists set off a bomb in the Economic Administration Section of the central office of the Tribhuvan University (TU) early Friday.

The counter of this section has been damaged in the explosion that took place at 5:45 a.m.. The glasses of the windows of the office have been broken. The section is just beneath the office of the Vice-Chancellor of TU.

Police investigating the incident said that the bomb suspects entered the office from the Western open place of the office.

Issuing a press statement, Nabin Prakash Jung Shah, Vice-Chancellor of the University, has condemned the incident saying the explosion have disheartened the TU family. Meanwhile, the Nepali Congress Party has also condemned the incident, demanding the government to ensure security in educational institutions, stated a press release.

Maoist attacks leave locals groping in the dark

By Arjun Bhandari

JHIMRUK, Pyuthan, Nov 29:Since the Maoist rebels have systematically destroyed hydropower plants in the Western and Mid-Western Regions, this has left thousands of households groping in the darkness while industries are paralysed, leaving the economy in shambles.

With the power from Kaligandaki Hydropower Project and two privately built plants – Khimti and Bhotekosi - connecting to the national power grid, officials at the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state power monopoly, had hoped uninterrupted supply of power during the peak hours. But the Maoist attacks in the power sector (plants, transmission lines and sub-stations) have forced NEA to introduce load-shedding during peak hours in dry season.

Power supply to the Mid-and Far-Western Regions has been paralysed since the rebels dismantled a 132 KV transmission line of the national power grid at Bhalubang on November 11, the first day of the three-day Nepal bandh (general strike), called by the rebel outfits. Major industrial towns such as Lamki, Tikapur, Satti in Kailali and Rajapur area in Bardiya district have been deprived of electricity since the rebels destroyed the Lamki-based sub-station about seven months ago.

The 12 Megawatts Jhimruk Hydropower Project in Pyuthan and 5.1 Megawatts Andhikhola Hydropower Project in Syangja, both built by the Butwal Power Company (BPC), have been badly damaged after the Maoists attacked them on April 1 and April 26 respectively.

R. B. Karki, director at BPC in Kathmandu, said that property worth Rs. 240 million – physical damage worth Rs. 140 million and revenue worth Rs. 100 million - was damaged when the rebels destroyed the main control panel of the Jhimruk Power Plant. He said that it would take at least about 15 months to bring the spare parts from Norway, the country from where the essential electric parts were manufactured. Karki said that the Norwegian government has pledged about Rs. 200 million for the restoration of the plant but added that the matter has to be settled at the policy level.

He said property worth Rs. 18.2 million – physical damage amounting worth Rs. 10 million and total revenue Rs. 8.2 million – was damaged or lost in the Andhikhola Hydel Project.

The rebels not only destroyed the powerhouse and a crane, they also set fire to vehicles and warehouse, looted computers, foodstuff, sleeping bags and kitchen utensils. Asish Subedi, acting chief of the Jhimruk Project, said they were told to get out of their quarters before destroying the eight years old plant. "They finished everything within less than one and half hours," he said.

When asked about local people’s reaction over the destruction of the power plant, Subedi said the consumers were sad but were helpless to protest the rebels. "The locals said of the rebels that they (rebels) did not intend to do so much damage to the powerhouse," he quoted the locals as saying. But the rebels, who attacked the project twice, spared a 7,500-litre diesel tank, thinking that it would engulf an entire village, located close by the project. The Jhimruk Power Plant used to provide electricity to around 4,000 households in the area. Now, electricity to these households has been supplied from the national power grid.

A contingent of Royal Nepal Army was stationed about five kilometres away from the powerhouse site but they turned up at the site four days after the incident. The army personnel would have thought that the rebels would not attack it again thinking that the rebels had already caused substantial damage to the plant.

Project officials said had the army arrived next day of the attack, the rebels would not have come again and ransacked the office property. Even after the attack, the army personnel were seen guarding the project premises but set out for "patrolling" by the setting of the sun.

Gopal Joshi, site in-charge of Andhikhola Plant, said around 25,000 households in Syangja, Palpa and Gulmi districts were forced to live in dark for about one month. Local-level industries virtually came to a standstill after the Andhikhola plant was destroyed. Sun Maya Gurung of Galyang, who runs a furniture industry, said that she had no other option than to lay off her nine workers due to the shortage of power in the area. "I closed down my industry for more than one and half months," Gurung said.

During an interview, some locals said that the rebels attacked the Andhikhola plant, which came into operation in 1990, after the officials refused to meet the demand of extortion. However, Joshi denied it.

"We have revived the system temporarily which could fail at any time," said Joshi, "The spare parts we have used are not that reliable but are functioning somehow till the date."

Locals at Galyang, the project site, quoted the rebels saying that it was their mistake to target the powerhouse rather than the office. "The attack at the powerhouse was a symbolic challenge to the government," a local, who asked not to be named, quoted the rebels as saying.

Judicial remand of eight officials extended

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:The Special Court on Friday extended the judicial custody of Arjun Thapa and Umesh Regmi for 20 days effective from November 29. Similarly, the judicial remand of other six government officials was extended for 15 days.

The government officials, whose houses were raided four months back, were presented at the Court for the fifth time.

The court decision was taken by a three-member bench of judges Top Bahadur Magar, Damodar Prasad Sharma and Bhupa Dhoj Adhikary.

The six officials who are under 15 days of remand are Sharad Kanta Adhikary, Iswor Pokharel, Dola Raj Sharma, Agni Karki, Devi Prasad Bhandary and Sherjung Dhoj Karki.

UML leader quits party post

RSS

KATHMANDU, Nov 29:Member of the CPN-UML central foreign relations department Hiranya Lal Shrestha has resigned from his post, dissociating himself from all levels of the party.

In his resignation letter to the acting general secretary of the party, Shrestha has stated the party had treated him in a prejudiced manner from time to time.

He has stated that the party general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal has neglected his suggestion that the foreign powers should not be invited in Nepal’s internal affairs and that because of this view held by him, he was not included in important missions and delegations except to Bhutan, despite assigning him to the party’s Asia desk.