Maoists must lay down arms: Indian envoy

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Aug 13 Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran today asked the Maoist rebels to lay down their arms and come to people to pave the way for a lasting peace in the country.

Talking to reporters at an interaction programme, organised by the Reporters’ Club, Ambassador Saran said, "India welcomes cease fire and resumption of peace process. "But the Maoists must abandon their reliance on violence," he said, urging them to return to people. "Only then will the peace process bring positive results."

On the occasion, he also strongly urged the rebels to cut off any link they have with the terrorist entities in India like People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC).

Ambassador Saran’s assertions, which come in the wake of Maoist’s visibly soft and appeasing approach towards India and strident hardline against the US, assume significance in the context of ‘global axis’ against terrorism.

He also made it clear that India was not in favour of any third party mediating in the peace process. "I do not think there is any necessity for a third party to play any role in this regard," he said. "Nepal has to take its own decision."

Insisting on the involvement of all political parties in the peace process, he said the parties have a critical role to play in this regard. "Constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy are the two constitutional pillars," he said. "Therefore, they should be working together to enhance the peace process."

Fielding reporters’ queries on Bhutanese refugees’ issue, he said that Nepal and Bhutan have to find a common solution to resolve the long-standing dispute. "India has excellent relation with both Nepal and Bhutan," he said.

He also said that any intervention from a third party would only spoil the repatriation process. "We are perhaps not giving enough credit to the both sides," he said. "Let’s not do anything that would backtrack the progress already made by the two countries."

"Of course, there are obligations from international organisations to be fulfilled. But let the repatriation process begin first," he added.

Drug importers call off strike

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KATHMANDU, Aug 13 The government and agitating drug importers today reached a breakthrough in talks, ending a week long protest that saw a complete halt in importing of foreign drugs into the country.

"We have called off the strike today as the government agreed on our major demands," said Paras Mani Baral, President of the Nepal Chemists and Druggists Association (NCDA), which was spearheading the strike. Baral said that the agitators would be resuming the drugs import and retail sales from tomorrow.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa, a senior government official and also a participant of the government’s talk team, informed that the government has agreed on all their demands apart from the customs tariff and VAT. The NCDA on last Thursday had decided to stop importing of foreign products into the country against the hike of 0.5 per cent on customs tariff and imposition of VAT on drugs sector. The NCDA later also decided to stop supplying the products to retail shops as a part of their protest to pressurise the government.

According to an accord reached today between the two parties, the government has decided to review its regulation of allowing only qualified pharmacists to open retail shops in urban areas. Apart from that, the government has also given an assurance to simplify the income tax procedures, informed Baral.

Likewise, much to the dislike of domestic drug importers, the government agreed to impose factory inspection charge of only US $ 1500 to Indian companies. India charges US $ 5,000, to a Nepali company exporting drugs to Indai.

"The government has succumbed to a pressure. The low inspection charge is against the government’s policy of safeguarding domestic companies," said Pradip Man Vaidya, President of Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON).

Maoists kill soldier, abduct another

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NUWAKOT, Aug 13 Despite pledging to continue the peace process with the government, rebel Maoists brutally killed a soldier of the Royal Nepal Army after abducting him from his home in Thangsing Village Development Committee on Monday, security sources said.

Sources said a group of armed Maoists on Monday abducted lance man Ram Bahadur Karki, stationed at Kakani to protect a repeater tower of the Nepal Telecommunication Corporation, from his home village in Thangsing VDC-2 and hacked him to death.

A team of the security personnel from the Chhauni based barrack in Kathmandu recovered Karki’s nearly beheaded body about 50-metre away from his home village, located about 10-km from the district headquarters.

Karki’s family had migrated to the Thangsing from Samudra Devi VDC about seven years ago. The slain soldier had gone to his home to observe the jani purnima.

Likewise, another group of Maoists abducted Saroj Tamang, a soldier associated with the Taradal Gan (barrack) and stationed at Devighat colony, from his home at Musuretol village of the Duipipal VDC six days ago. The status of Tamang is still not clear.

Bleak economy? I drive my new car! Howzat?

By Prem Khanal

KATHMADU, Aug 13 The economy is hardly growing, and people’s saving capacity is dwindling. These downtrends are reflected in last year’s record plunge in average saving in the post-1990 period. Yet the Kathmandu streets are flooded with brand new vehicles.

What is soaring up the consumers’ purchasing capacity of high-valued commodities, such as vehicles? The answer: Commercial banks’ new focus on consumer financing.

"More than 95 per cent of vehicle sales are financed through banks," said Kedar Lamichhane, General Manager of Continental Trading Enterprises, an authorised distributor of KIA motors.

These banks, obsessed with corporate financing until recently, have found a lucrative investment realm in housing and hire purchase. Despite poor economic growth, a section of the middle class has benefited from the last one decade of liberal economic policy and general openness in the country pushing the off-beat consumers up the economic ladder. And the commercial banks have smartly tapped this investment potential, making the middle class family’s dream of owning a car and house a virtual reality. Standard Chartered Bank Nepal (SCBN), the pioneer house in bringing in the consumer financing concept to Nepal, alone has been financing about two vehicles a day for the last three years. The bank has invested over a billion rupees in more than 1,700 vehicles in the said period. "And the demand is growing cent per cent every year," said Keepa Khaling, head of the secured lending at SCBN.

Another leading joint-venture bank, Himalayan Bank Ltd, has also been investing in consumer financing. It has already invested about Rs 120 million on some 350 vehicles.

Encouraged by the enthralling success of consumer financing in vehicles, SCBN has also launched a similar scheme for housing since last June. It has so far invested over Rs 340 million in over 330 housing schemes.

Along with growing investments, the recovery rate from the schemes is also excellent: Above 95 percent. Khaling says that a careful assessment of potential customers, including the verification of their claimed incomes and perfect surveillance of clients after investment is key to the excellent recovery rate.

The scheme, which has been targeted at high-income middle-class people with sustainable and verifiable incomes, has changed the dream of the people of this class. "The scheme has revealed that you don’t need years-long hard savings to have a car or a house if you have a good and regular income," Khaling adds.

Nepali hospitality tugs at Everester’s heart

By KOSMOS BISWOKARMA

MAYRHOHEN, Austria, Aug 13 More than two months after receiving an overwhelming felicitation in Kathmandu during the 50th anniversary celebration of the first ascent of Mount Everest, veteran mountaineer Reinhold Messner continues to play with the world’s tallest peak - but in a different form.

Despite being the first person to scale the 8,848 metre high Everest without oxygen, Messner has a distinguished record of climbing all the 8,000 metre-plus peaks in the world.

There are 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres and eight of them lie in the Nepali Himalayas. But nothing has mesmerised him more than Everest, which has prompted him from many years to go around the world and share his experience.

The latest string of his audio-visual presentation on Nanga Parbat (naked mountain), the term he fondly uses for the Himalayas, brought him to this small picturesque valley in Austria. With only 3,000 inhabitants, this resort valley about 500 kilometres west of capital Vienna, has the capacity of entertaining almost 10,000 tourists, making it one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Austria.

And about 300 tourists got a rare treat Tuesday night, interacting live with Messner who is very popular in the area as he lives just across the border in Italy.

Amidst a gathering of ticket-paying tourists at Europahaus at the centre of Mayhofen, 59-year-old Messner not only shed light on his achievements in the Himalayas, he also tried to explain the history of climbing in fluent Deutsche.

And whenever one talks about Everest or the Himalayas, Nepal obviously comes in to the limelight.

"Yes, this way I’m definitely promoting Nepal as well," Messner told The Kathmandu Post after an hour-long programme. Buoyed by the beauty and his affiliations with Nepal, Messner has many plans, which help promote Nepal in the world, especially in Europe.

Besides planning to establish Messner Mountain Museum by 2006 in Bozen of Italy, he is also planning a restaurant in his hometown, which will serve typical Nepali cuisine, which he loves a lot. Just how much he loves the cuisine was demonstrated when a Nepali family invited him for dinner.

Soon after his presentation was over, Messner took time off from his scheduled get-together to visit the house of Ram Bahadur Biswakarma, who has been living here for last 13 years. Despite being an Austrian by now, Biswakarma and his family, originally from Parbat district in west Nepal, welcomed the distinguished guests in a traditional Nepali way with typical red tika and a garland of marigolds.

Messner even got the opportunity to taste Nepal’s ‘national dish’ dal, bhat and tarkari, along with delicious momos.

It was no doubt a big surprise to meet such a big Nepali family here, said Messner referring to almost a dozen people, including children, present at Biswakarma’s house. And the food? "It’s really good," Messner commented after spending an hour with the family.

Ram is equally elated to have managed to invite Messner to his place and treat him Nepali food. "I’m definitely pleased that a respected person like him visited my house," said Ram who works as a cook in a local four-star hotel. And to everyone’s surprise, Messner asked Ram if he could find anyone who could cook Nepali food for him.

Like a Nepali proverb Ke khojchhas kano aankho (a blind getting an offer of eyesight), Ram quickly obliged promising him to fulfil his desire. But only time would tell whether Ram would join Messner or not.

Farmers urge govt not to sign UPOV

KATHMANDU, Aug 13 (PR)-

Local farmer rights activists today urged the government not to sign UPOV (Union for the Protection of New Plant Variety) agreement citing it is a "WTO plus" commitment that deprives farmers from their rights to save exchange and sell seeds.

"The government should walk out of accession process if developed countries force Nepal to commit to it," said Ratnakar Adhikari of South Asia Watch on Trade Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), addressing a press conference organised by National Alliance for Food Security-Nepal (NAFOS) here today.

Prem Dangal of All Nepal Peasants Association (ANPA) said that the government should stand firm to protect the interest of Nepali farmers. "The officials should issue white paper on how they are proceeding in WTO negotiations so as to convince farmers of having secured their rights," he said.

CIAA inspects Ministers’ properties amid hitches

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KATHMANDU, Aug 13 The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today separately evaluated the immovable assets of three former ministers against whom the anti-graft constitutional body is carrying out investigations for the past few months.

According to CIAA sources, the officials inspected the homes, premises and interiors of former ministers Laxman Ghimire, Arjun Narsingh KC and Moti Prasad Pahadi at different times Wednesday.

"The CIAA teams have evaluated their property for the purpose of investigation based on the report of the Judicial Inquiry Commission on Property (JICP)," said the source. He, however, declined to disclose whether today’s evaluation matched with the JICP report or not.

KC was out of home when the CIAA team reached there early morning. "He has gone to Bangkok with the CPN-UML leader J N Khanal for a formal programme," said KC’s family sources. "The CIAA team thoroughly inspected the house and premises and returned after half an hour."

However, Ghimire was quite furious when the CIAA team arrived at his home at 5pm sharp. He flayed the CIAA for spreading false news of raiding his house from the early hours of the day though the team arrived only in the evening.

"I showed details of my house that I built in 1983, four years after the land was purchased," said Ghimire.

KC and Ghimire are central members of Nepali Congress whereas Pahadi is affiliated to NC (Democratic).

Meanwhile, Tara Raj Pandey, whose house was evaluated by the CIAA yesterday, assuming that it was the property of Nepali Congress leader Govinda Raj Joshi, today filed a writ at the Supreme Court demanding suspension of the CIAA actions.

Pandey accused the CIAA of forcefully entering his house without confirming the ownership and without proving Joshi’s ownership of the house in the past.

The writ petition filed by Pandey today demanded that the Court issue order for compensating him for CIAA’s "defamatory" action that tried to link his property baselessly with Joshi and his relatives. "I neither had any transaction of the house with Joshi nor do I know him personally," Pandey declared.

‘India ready to co-operate with Nepal to resolve inundation problem’

KATHMANDU, Aug 13 (PR) - Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran today stressed that inundation problems should be resolved through bilateral co-operation.

"This is not a problem vexed on Nepal by India," he said at an interaction programme held in the capital today.

Ambassador Saran’s comment comes in the wake of the second Nepal-India High Level Technical Committee (HLTC) meeting between the two countries on August 11 in Lucknow.

The meeting, intended at resolving the latest inundation problems following the construction of Laxmanpur and Rasiawal Khurd Lotan bunds by India, had ended without any conclusion.

"Let us look at the problem at its entirety," he said, reiterating the India’s stand that the areas along the India-Nepal border are the flood plains for many of these rivers, and it is inevitable that during strong monsoons, there is flooding in these areas.

He also told reporters about India’s readiness to co-operate with Nepal to ameliorate any problem, which affects both countries. "The problem would only be resolved if the both sides work together," he said. "I cannot see any other alternative to solve this problem

According to Nepali officials, the meeting fell through after the Indian side refused to acknowledge hydraulic data provided by Nepal regarding flood-affected areas, water level and measuring gage.

Meanwhile, in its press statement released today, the embassy has said that the problems can only be tackled effectively through co-ordinated action by concerned authorities in India and Nepal based on careful technical studies and scientific principles.

The Lucknow meeting ended with a decision to determine parameters of the inundated areas through mutual agreement by November 2003, the release says, adding that the committee would wind up the issue after fulfilling its mandate latest by March 2004 and submit its report to the Prime Ministers of Nepal and India.

Spilling beans of Mahakali Irrigation Project

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KATHMANDU, Aug 13 A writ petition was filed today at the Supreme Court demanding that the apex court issue an order to the government to make public the report of the probe committee on irregularities in the World Bank-supported Mahakali Irrigation Project.

In the writ filed by advocate Saroj Kumar Sharma, the Cabinet, Suryanath Upadhyay – the then secretary at the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) and now the incumbent chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) – and MoWR have been made the defendants.

"The report has not been made public to this day though it was prepared two years ago. Therefore, the court issue a certiorari to the government to make it public," the petitioner has demanded in the writ. He has also demanded for actions against those found guilty in the scam as revealed by the report prepared by a three-member committee two years ago. The committee headed by Dr. Bhola Chalise had indicated the involvement of the then MoWR secretary Upadhyay and other officials at the water resource ministry.

The petitioner has mentioned in the writ that despite findings made of irregularities in the second phase of the construction of the irrigation project, the report has not yet been implemented. Mentioning that the CIAA was taking determined actions against those in the list of the Judicial Commission on Investigation of Property (JCIP), he has argued, "It is biased and against the Constitution to implement the report of a commission and not to implement the report of another similar commission constituted under the same constitution."

The probe committee, which submitted its report to the then government in 2001, had discovered the involvement of the present CIAA chief and other officials at the MoWR in the scam, and had recommended actions against them.

Advocate Sharma has alleged in the writ that the report has remained concealed for two years, thus forcing the filing of the writ at the court for making it transparent to all concerned.