Prachanda orders cadres to halt extortion

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KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party - Maoists Prachanda today directed his party cadres to immediately stop extortion and ‘coercive’ donations.

In a statement issued today, Prachanda said no donation except the voluntary one should be accepted by the party.

He instructed his party cadres that this statement should be taken as a directive to stop the fund collection campaign, adding that this is being done in order to defeat attempts from interested quarters to vitiate the peace process and put the blame on the Maoists.

He said vested interests are already out to sabotage to peace process by planting false information in newspaper. Citing an example, he pointed out a newspaper report, carried on the front page, that claimed that the king and some prominent Maoists leaders had a meeting immediately after cease-fire.

"Our party has taken this false propaganda as a part of a conspiracy hatched by foreign reactionaries and those who don’t want peace, progress and success of the dialogue. We have been condemning and exposing this kind of motivated propaganda and at the same time we are committed to take this peace process in the interest of the country and its people," he said.

Prachanda, however, expressed surprise that major parliamentary parties like CPN-UML and Nepali Congress as well as their prominent leaders are being misled by that motivated propaganda.

He also clarified that the Maoists want all pro-people forces including political parties, intellectuals and ordinary people involvement through for a like round table conference, interim government and constituent assembly. "The behaviour of the political parties has brought their motive into question," he added.

Prachanda criticised the government for intersified patrolling and search operations being conducted by the security forces instead of contributing to building a credible and conducive atmosphere for peace dialogue after the truce. In fact, the government was expected to make the list of detainees public and initiate the proceeding for their release, he added.

"We appeal to all pro-people political forces, intellectuals and mass organisations to stand united against this king of conspiracies against the aspiration peace, freedom and progress of the Nepalis people," he said, adding that the Maoists are determined to defeat any moves to derail the truce and peace process. He made it clear that certain forces are active to defame Maoists through fake fund raising campaigns.

The Maoist decision to immediately suspend the fund raising campaign through use of force follows other positive decisions in the past after the truce in deference to the public pressure.

Besides calling off the proposed two-day country-wide strike on February 13 and 14, it had also withdrawn indefinite strike aimed at paralyzing educational institutes throughout the country.

Meanwhile, Amik Sherchan, president of the Peoples’ Front Nepal, claimed that the Maoist leaders would make themselves public within a week.

Speaking at a face to face programme in the capital today, Serchan said that Prachanda, the chairman of the Maoists told him on phone that they would come out in the open within a week. "Prachanda told me that Babu Ram Bhattarai and he would come to the public to settle all the confusion aired regarding the Maoists," Serchan said.

He also stressed that the Maoists have not backtracked from their demands of constituent assembly, interim government and round-table meeting. "But Prachanda assured me that he would in no way go against multi-party democracy and peoples’ sovereignty," Serchan said.

Bir Hospital becomes Nepal Academy of Medical Science

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KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : Bir Hospital, the oldest hospital in Nepal has been converted to Nepal Academy for Medical Science (NAMS), it was disclosed at a press meet today.

NAMS, in co-ordination with ten other major hospitals is to provide basic and higher training in different disciplines of medicine, to produce expert health personal within the country.

"As NAMS alone can’t provide training in all disciplines, it is to co-ordinate with other specialised hospitals," said Dr. Upendra Devkota, Minister of Health.

"Beginning this course will also help to reduce the problem of doctors refusing to serve in the remote areas," said Minister Devkota, adding, "To join this course a doctor must have at least a years experience in district hospitals."

In the initial phase training will be provided to around thirty doctors. "The specialisation course will reduce the number of MBBS doctors going abroad," said Dr. Manohar Lal Shrestha, Director of Bir Hospital.

"After conversion to NAMS the hospital will provide service from 9 to 5," said Dr. Shrestha. "Now the general people will be provided quality along with quantitative medical service."

Extradition of third country citizens ruled out

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KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : Nepal and India began joint-secretary level talks on an updated extradition treaty by taking up Nepal’s proposal of not extraditing citizens of third countries, said Nepali officials.

Dr. Madan Kumar Bhattarai, head of the Nepalese delegation and also spokesperson at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Kathmandu Post, "We have introduced the agenda in today’s meeting and the detailed discussions will begin from tomorrow."

The talks are aimed at updating the 1953 extradition treaty, which the two sides feel is outdated in view of the changing contexts since then, especially in the context of terrorism and new crimes. Besides economic crime, cyber offence and crime related to terrorism will be included in the new treaty.

Due to the increase, both in number and types of crimes, across the 1750-km open border between the two countries, Nepal and India have started initiatives to review the half-century old extradition treaty.

Six Nepali officials representing Foreign Ministry, Home Ministry and Ministry of Law are participating at the meeting with their counterparts, 8 Indian officials led by BA Roy, Joint Secretary of the Indian Foreign Ministry. Two officials from the Indian embassy in Kathmandu are also participating.

"Today we exchanged ideas," Dr. Bhattarai said, "Discussion on the treaty will begin from Monday".

In the draft of the new treaty, India has incorporated a provision that requires both countries to extradite a third country citizen. Like in the past, Nepal has rejected this proposal from the Indian side this time too, on the ground that this provision will erode Nepal’s friendly relations with other countries.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Narendra Bikram Shah told The Kathmandu Post that the new treaty would be finalised during this meeting if both the countries garner mutual understanding and cordiality. "We can finalise the treaty even at this meeting," Shah said.

Guilty for atrocities on Maoists to be tried by war crime tribunal: Pun

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KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : The official negotiator for the government-Maoist peace talks, Narayan Singh Pun today announced that those who have committed atrocities in dealing with the Maoists and ordinary people in exercise of the state authority would be sent to war crime tribunals once the peace talks was over.

Speaking at an interaction programme organised by the family members of disappeared persons in the capital today, Pun said, "The wrongdoers will be sent to war crime tribunals for necessary action after the peace process is completed." But he was silent about what treatment would be meted out to the perpetrators of crime, including murder, from the Maoist side.

Minister Pun also said that the framework of the dialogue and guidelines for settlement of the Maoist problem have already been prepared and that the government was not in confusion about the peace talks as the political parties have been trying to make out.

"We have prepared the framework of peace process, from pre-talks negotiations to the post-negotiations truth commission, to penalising the persons responsible for violation of human rights during the seven-year long conflict," said Minister Pun. "All the names of the persons disappeared by the states would be made public gradually once the records from the districts are received," Pun added.

He claimed that the latest cease-fire agreement between the government and the Maoists was a result of long exercise and was not an unexpected or sudden event. The minister said the cease-fire was declared after considering a situation where none of them could move forward with existing strategies. "Neither the government nor the Maoists could win the war through the use of weapons."

Ruling out any involvement of other political forces before the round table conference, he said further, "The political parties need some patience. The time will come for their involvement in the negotiation process."

The government was undergoing homework to set agenda to be presented during the round table conference and that both sides have already prepared a code of conducts to bring the present cease-fire to a positive conclusion.

Pun urged the political parties to co-operate with the peace process despite their differences on the October 4 royal move dismissing the Sher Bahadur Deuba government. "The party which will form the future government is the one that fully co-operates with the present peace process and shares the people’s will for lasting peace," Pun said.

Narahari Acharya, Central Working Committee member of Nepali Congress said there was a vital need to make the people a meeting point of the future talks to return the sovereignty to the people.

Shankar Pokharel, Central Committee member of CPN-UML urged the government and the Maoists to make public the moves surrounding the peace talks.

Satish Krishna Kharel, Nepal Bar Association Secretary and Krishna Pahadi, President of Human Rights and Peace Society urged the government and the Maoists to ensure basic human rights of the people through future talks.

Cigarettes, tobacco and gutkha: Leading cause of Oral Cancer among youth

By Perina Pathak

KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : Are you one of those connoisseurs of Pan Masala, Gutkha or chewing tobacco? Die-hard soukhin of supadi and cigarettes? Then think twice. Oral Cancer is dangerously on the rise in the country - in urban as well as rural areas.

Experts say Oral Cancer is increasingly becoming common among youth in Nepal, especially those between age 20 and 30. And what makes the prognosis even bleaker is the fact that more than 50 percent of urban and rural men use tobacco and lime at least once a day.

According to information made available by Globocan International Agency for Research on Cancer, which has been published in the latest edition of Journal of Nepal Dentist Association, Oral Cancer is one of the leading cancers in Nepal.

Elsewhere in the region, the disease is commonly seen in the age group of 40 to 49 years in females and 50 to 69 years in males.

But Nepal is the third country in South East Asia to have high prevalence of oral cancer, after Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Oral Cancer is number one cancer among Nepalese males. But it stands third among females after cervix and breast cancer.

Experts say that more than fifty percent of Oral Cancer patients have cancer at the site in oral mucosa, where the tobacco users held their tobacco quid.

The report also says that 90 percent of the Oral Cancer patients are tobacco - both in smoking and smokeless or chewing form - users. Other causes of the disease are excessive use of alcohol, beetle-nut, cigarette, chromic irritation, and trauma ulcer.

Some genetic factors, nutritional deficiency and lack of adequate oral health awareness are the other causes of Oral Cancer.

"There is high presence of carcinogen and nicotine in these tobacco products, which is the main cause of oral cancer," said Dr. Prasant Shrestha of the National Centre for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the National Dental Hospital.

According to him, the rural population is six times more likely to suffer from Oral Cancer than the urban.

"The main causes for this are illiteracy, poverty, limited access to health care facilities, lack of awareness and proper diagnosis and treatment," he added.

The treatment of oral cancer is very much expensive. So, preventive measures are a must, say experts. "The most useful preventive method is regular use of tooth brush," said Dr. Bhattarai. "And understandably, those who do not want it, they should stay away from tobacco and other harmful stuff."

Oral Cancer is treated in three ways: through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. "Surgery is the best medium because almost all cancer patient come after they reach the third stage," said Dr. Shrestha.

According to him, lesions - small injuries inside mouth - tend to transform into cancer during a due course of time. "So, if is possible of early detection and treatment of oral lesions then the incidence of oral cancer can be reduced," said Dr. Shrestha.

Dentists - and obviously dental hospitals - can be of great help for Oral Cancer patients. But the sad reality is that there are only around 250 dentist in Nepal. Which, experts say, is another major stumbling block in ensuring the much-needed care and support to those suffering from Oral Cancer.

From next year it is estimated that the number will increase. "Then onwards possibly between 150 to 200 dentists are estimated to graduate every year from three colleges of Nepal and outside Nepal," said Neil Pande, General Secretary of Nepal Dentist Association.

But even then, like other paramedics, dentists have the tendency to prefer to stay in Kathmandu. This is the main reason why the remote parts of the country are more affected, say experts.

BNDP wants aid clubbed with refugee repatriation

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KATHMANDU, Feb 16 : Bhutan National Democratic Party (BNDP) on Sunday, demanded that donor countries and agencies club assistance with resolution of the protracted Bhutanese refugee crisis. The call comes in the run-up to the Bhutan Aid Group meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on February 18 and 19.

R B Basnet, President of the BNDP also referred to the concerns raised at the 2000 Thimpu meeting of the donors. The meeting had, among other things, stressed the need to sort out the refugee crisis by identifying "a durable solution." However, the Druk regime had not taken any positive steps.

"BNDP urges all donor countries and aid agencies to ensure that commitment of assistance is made conditional to speedy resolution of the refugee problems and protection of human rights in Bhutan," BNDP president R B Basnet told reporters in the capital on Sunday.

The party has also issued a call to India since she is not only the largest donor with annual assistance running over Rs.8 billion but also an influential nation in the region, to help sort out the refugee imbroglio which has worsened into a humanitarian crisis.

"India has moral responsibility to help find a lasting solution," Basnet further said, adding, "Should the renewed bilateralism fail to deliver any results, Bhutanese political parties would be left to group together and launch a satyagraha movement".

He also reiterated the party’s long-standing demand that all bonafide Bhutanese nationals should be repatriated. This coincides with speculations that the Druk regime may take back only a small percentage of the refugees. He also demanded that citizenship status must be guaranteed prior to repatriation and that UN agencies like UNHCR should oversee the entire exercise.

Basnet also dwelt at length on the need to involve international community in the monitoring of human rights situation in Bhutan, in the absence of any institutional guarantee. Moreover, he has also suggested that the Druk regime must initiate dialogue with parties in exile, grant clemency to their leaders, ensure cultural, linguistic and religious pluralism and protection of the landed properties of those who had fled the country.

While Basnet sounded cautious on the latest round of Nepal-Bhutan talks, a refugee activist Rakesh Chhetri flayed the same saying, "It is ploy to win over the donors for the time being. It should have been held after the Geneva meeting."

Since the Druk regime has been systematically usurping the landed properties and homesteads of all those who were thrown out of the country after 1990 and handing over the same to others within Bhutan, BNDP leaders have strongly demanded that the government must refrain from such nefarious activities.

Additional demands include paying out compensation to all who lost moveable and immovable assets and reinstatement of civil servants who had to flee Bhutan on political grounds.

Meanwhile a report from Damak in Jhapa said children of the refugees from all the seven camps initiated a five-day agitation to impress upon donor countries and agencies to club assistance with resolution of the refugee crisis. They have demanded that the Druk regime be given one-year time to sort out the festering crisis, which goes back to 1990.

The demands put up by them include categorisation into two groups as against four, repatriating the verified refugees from Khudnabari camp and immediate resumption of the verification process. Thousands of children participated in the demonstration rally.