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| Kathmandu, Friday January 03, 2003 Paush 19, 2059. |
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Decks cleared for historic
civic reception
By Gunaraj Luitel / Binod Bhandari / Bhim
Ghimire
BIRATNAGAR, Jan 2:Last minute preparations are
underway in this industrial hub in the eastern part of the country to felicitate His
Majesty King Gyanendra and Her Majesty Queen Komal. Their Majesties will grace a historic
civic reception at a colourful ceremony here tomorrow.
Meanwhile, officials disclosed that Their
Majesties would also visit on Saturday, Myanglung, the headquarters of Tehrathum district,
which was the scene of a devastating fire last month, which reduced the mountain hub to
cinders.
Their Majesties arrived in eastern Nepal today
on a special flight via Hile, Dhankuta, and are staying at an army barrack in Itahari of
neighbouring Sunsari district. Their Majesties will grace the civic reception at the
Shahid Stadium here, where the organisers are expecting hundreds of thousands of people
from across the eastern region.
"Their Majesties have arrived in eastern
region, and preparations for their welcome are almost complete," an unimpeachable
source in the Council of Ministers told The Kathmandu Post.
And, many people and local leaders of various
political parties here are particularly eager about the historic felicitation, because
sources in the government have hinted that the monarch would make a historic address,
which could help bridge the widening rift between the king and the political parties.
Meanwhile, the one-day strike called by the
underground Maoists started to show its effects in the region from today evening. The
rebels have deliberately called the strike tomorrow. However, security has been beefed up
throughout the region, and security forces had even rounded up suspected Maoists rebels.
"Security arrangements are fine," said
Jeewan Nepal, an official of the felicitation committee, told a press conference late
today. "Security persons have made sure that the guests are safe wherever they are
staying."
Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand, Chief of
the Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police and several high-ranking government
officials have also arrived in Biratnagar.
But the local party leaders said they are not
very enthusiastic about the visit of the ‘monarch who took away power of the people’.
"Congress workers will not back the monarch who has snatched people’s
rights," said Dilip Sapkota, the acting president of Nepali Congress, Morang.
"But we will not stop them. As far as we are concerned, we will not go (to the
stadium)."
Added Naresh Pokharel, secretary of CPN-UML,
Morang, "This programme has not made the people happy. If the king takes off his
crown and comes to deliver a public speech as a political party leader, then we will go to
listen to him. But if he is coming here to address the masses as a monarch, we won’t."
Meanwhile, security sources said that security
forces chased away about 150 Maoists rebels to Saptari and Udayapur districts from Sunsari
area, acting on a tip-off. The rebels were about to bomb the forest office, drinking water
reservoirs, and telecommunication offices today. Security sources said the Maoists crossed
the Koshi River as the security forces and troops pursued them from Sunsari. All
suspicious persons found loitering around the market places have been captured and
imprisoned.
The security forces also recaptured and
imprisoned many of those who had been released, after they surrendered before the district
administrations. In Biratnagar alone, over 700 suspected people were taken into custody.
In neighbouring Jhapa, more than 100 were arrested until late today, although there was
not any evidence whatsoever about their involvement in Maoists activities.
Chaturman Rajbanshi, a central member of the
underground Maoists’ shadow government, who hails from Jhapa, has also been taken
into custody, Sunchari, a local newspaper published from Siliguri, India, reported. He,
and the other Maoist cadres, are understood to have been lodged at the army barrack at
Char Ali, Jhapa.
On the eve of the civic felicitation programme,
the scene on the road and highway was uncommon. Dozens and dozens of people had teamed up
to clean up the roads, wash them and decorate them.
People are preparing to organise a special
Deepawali programme with colourful electric, candle and oil lamps. The organisers have
distributed traditional lamps to light up the streets and junctions in and around
Biratnagar.
Jeewan Nepal, said that over 150,000 colourful
caps would be distributed to the people. Portraits of the king and queen are also being
distributed to every shop in Biratnagar. Hotels and restaurants have been notified not to
charge high fees from the visitors during their stay, Nepal said. The event will be
broadcast live on the state-owned Radio Nepal and Nepal Television. Nepal Cable
Association, an organisation of cable distributors here, has similarly pledged to telecast
the show live.
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