Norway warns of stopping assistance
Will facilitate in peace process if invited

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KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : Norway today warned that it would be forced to stop its aid to Nepal if democratic process was not resumed, beginning with the elections to parliament and local bodies and also called for respect for human rights by the government as well as the Maoists.

Ingrid Ofstad, Norwegian Ambassador to Nepal, replying to a question at a talk programme today, said, "If democratic pillars like the parliament and the local bodies remain non-functional for long, and if human rights violations continue, then Norway might have to resort to stopping its aid to Nepal."

However, she also said that it was a difficult decision to take since the poor would be most affected by such an action but the option might be considered in the long run if there was no significant improvement in the current situation.

Ofstad added that Norway and other donor countries were continuously assessing the situation. She, however, declined to answer as to how long would Norway wait for the restoration of democratic process. In reply to yet another question, the ambassador revealed that her government wanted to see the resumption of the process soon, with the possible aid cut as a threat. Admitting that it was a sort of pressure on the government, she declined to use the term "pressure". "Democratic and peace processes should go hand in hand," she remarked.

Speaking about insurgency here, she emphatically pointed out that military action was no solution to the problem. "Peace process must also be initiated. Of course, security forces must safeguard law and order."

Ambassador Ofstad declined to reveal whether her government was involved in facilitating peace talks between the Nepal government and the Maoists. However, she said her government might step in if there was willingness on both the sides for that. Norway has facilitated the peace process between Sri Lanka and Tamil separatist group, LTTE.

Revealing that Norwegian investors were willing to invest in Nepal, she said the conditions were not appropriate right now for them to do business here. She added that expansion of co-operation in energy sector was being discussed by the two governments.

She pointed out that the lack of absence of any strong civil society and people’s pressure was responsible for no solution being found for insurgency. The ambassador added that it was still not known what is the agenda for change to facilitate the peace process." Condemning the use of children in conflict, she warned that such a practice would only prevent the building of trust that was necessary for the peace process.

Ofstad suggested a comprehensive cease-fire agreement as the first step towards peace. "This happened in the case of Sri Lanka. It was clearly agreed upon as to what each side could and could not do." Any dispute was handled by arbitration panel, she added.

Detailing the roots of the current crises, Ofstad pointed out at rampant corruption and the abuse of power by the authorities. "Also there is lack of service delivery outside the district headquarters and people in remote areas are outside the development process."

While lauding the efforts of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) in its anti-corruption drive, the ambassador said it would be prudent to target the system of corruption rather than individuals.

Thapa appointed acting APF chief

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KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : The Government has appointed Additional Inspector General of Armed Police Force (APF) Sahabir Thapa the acting APF Inspector General. The cabinet meeting had made the decision yesterday.

Home Secretary Tikadutta Niraula presented the insignia to newly appointed acting Inspector General of armed police Thapa at a special function organised at the Home Ministry today.

The cabinet came to the decision after suspected Maoists shot dead APF chief Krishna Mohan Shrestha along with his wife and bodyguard in the capital on Sunday.

Wishing all the success of Thapa as the new chief of the 15000- member paramilitary force, Home Secretary Niraula said the APF would not deviate from its commitment to quell the Maoists terror and translate the grief of IGP’s murder into strength.

Born in 1952 in Baitadi district, acting IGP Thapa joined police service as an Assistant Sub- Inspector of Police in 1973.

Thapa who holds a masters’ degree in commerce has gained police officers’ special training, commando course, crime investigation training, crime control training, management, security of distinguished personalities, general police administration and other training.

He had been transferred from general police to APF on two years ago. APF was created through an ordinance by the then government to quell the Maoist insurgency.

King holds talks with RPP leader Thapa

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KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : In what appears like a fresh initiatives for conciliation with the political parties, His Majesty King Gyanendra today held talks with Rastriya Prajatantra Party leader and former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa, triggering strong speculations that the count-down of 113-day-old Lokendra Bahadur Chand government has begun.

The meeting, which lasted for about an hour is believed to have revolved round the current political impasse and its possible way out.

Thapa’s meeting with the king comes a day after similar meeting with Nepali Congress (Democratic) leader and former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

According to sources, both the meetings took place at the initiative of the palace. More meetings with leaders of other political parties as well as representatives of various spheres of society are to follow.

Latest round of conciliatory attempt is a sequel to the Sunday’s assassination of the Armed Police Force (APF) Chief Krishna Mohan Shrestha in the capital, exposing claims of various ministers that dialogue with the Maoists was not far away.

An emergency meeting of the cabinet took place in the evening even as the Chand government faces charges of inefficiency and lack of seriousness.

Assassination of IGP Shrestha has sparked fear that even the capital and top personalities are unsafe, which in itself, is a proof that the present government is far from competent.

In fact, the tone of leaders like Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala towards the king also seems to have softened in the wake of worsening security situation. In a public function yesterday, Koirala emphasised that the king and the political parties should step up the process of conciliation.

RPP Chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana and NC (Democratic) President Sher Bahadur Deuba had held a meeting with CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal at the latter’s residence yesterday night, to discuss the worsened security situation of the country and possible joint efforts of the parties.

RPP Chief Rana’s request to Nepal was a sequel to the four-party meeting participated by NC, CPN-UML, Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party and People’s Front Nepal last week.

The meeting had decided to launch a joint protest programme against the king’s October 4 move, after CPN- UML’s general convention scheduled on 1-5 February, hinting at possible polarisation among the parties into pro and anti-king camps.

Govt mulling to declare cease-fire

KATHMANDU, Jan 28 (PR) - The meeting of the Council of Ministers, which lasted till late night today, carried out intense deliberations on holding peace talks with the outlawed Maoists, a cabinet source told The Kathmandu Post.

"There was heated discussion about declaring possible cease-fire," the source said, adding that the government has maintained contacts with the Maoist leadership. "The government had made contacts with the Maoist leadership and exercise is on for declaration of cease-fire from both the sides."

Today’s cabinet meeting also discussed the World Bank’s Country Assistance Strategy (CAS).

Bomb explodes in customs office

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KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : A powerful pressure cooker bomb went off today in the ladies toilet on the second floor of the Department of Customs Office, located at Tripureshwore, near the Royal Nepal Army Headquarters. The back portion of the four-storied building developed cracks and most of the glass windows were shattered. No one was injured in the blast that occurred at 1:30 pm.

The explosion, which police said was carried out by the Maoists, also demolished the wall adjacent to the toilet where the bomb was placed.

The Maoists have not claimed responsibility for the offence.

The mid-day explosion also shattered glasses of 25 windows and destroyed three doors. Besides, one photocopy machine was also broken. Shattered glass pieces were seen lying scattered all over the office and in the streets nearby.

Probe team recommends action against guilty NOC officials

By Milan Mani Sharma

KATHMANDU, Jan 28 : Lack of political commitment and involvement of higher officials in irregularities are at the root of near bankruptcy of the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), a five-member high level probe headed by former Supreme Court judge Top Bahadur Singh has revealed.

The probe team in its report has recommended the government, to investigate the property of its officials and take action against the guilty.

The committee, which submitted its report to Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand today, has further mentioned the price hike in kerosene and diesel as inevitable, if the government is to prevent liquidation of the corporation. "To help the poor, however, the government should introduce dual pricing for kerosene," the report adds.

Among other members of the probe team are Harendra Bahadur Shrestha, chairman of the Consumers’ Forum, and Rohani Thapaliya from independent circle.

The 89-page report containing a 69-point recommendation, further states that the leakage is massive in NOC and crosses well over Rs one billion. The administrative expense of the corporation is satisfactory, it cites.

Without specifying names and pin pointing any official, the report states that senior NOC officials in league with businessmen abused their authorities and involved in rampant corruption.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, a member of the committee said that the committee members encountered cases of massive corruption, through the preparation of false documents as well. "We unearthed incidents in which papers of NOC, customs and dealers showed import and supply of petroleum products, while it was not realised in reality," he said.

Likewise, the report discloses the involvement of NOC officials in petroleum trade and transportation business. "The very fact that officials appoint transporters on a personal basis instead of calling tenders, reveals of irregularities," said the source, adding that the overall distribution system of the NOC smells fishy.

The officials use discretionary power in the supply process, appointing dealers and exempting the handling and temperature losses, the report states, recommending the government to announce measures to curtail such discretionary authority.

However, the report remains silent on losses incurred through demurrage, the ocean charge, while importing the crude oil. "There is no record in NOC history when it has not paid demurrage to the Port Authority of India," he said, adding that the matter, as it is not in the hands of NOC, could not be probed further. The NOC has been paying about Rs 800 million annually for the purpose.

The source also said that the legal provision of sealing the tankers while importing petroleum too was not found effectively enforced. "Also, there is no system of checking whether the tanker going to India is empty," he said, adding that the adulteration mostly occurs between Raxaul and Amlekhgunj where 84 petrol pumps are situated.

The report even emphasises on the need to review the agreement signed between the NOC and Indian Oil Corporation (NOC), as some of the clauses are unfavourable and swelling the loss of the NOC. Furthermore, the report raises serious question over the sincerity of the government commitment while reviewing the price, as it triggers political war among government and oppositions. To do away with the problem, the report recommends the setting up of an independent price review committee comprising of experts.

Referring to the current crisis of NOC, the committee has recommended the government to hike prices of kerosene and diesel, bringing it on par with the customs price. It has also raised serious question over the government’s justification for providing subsidy on the product.

While needy people do not obtain subsidy and are compelled to pay higher prices, the wrongdoers are making the most out of the facility, the report argues. "Nonetheless, to address the problem of the poor, dual price should be introduced," it states.

The committee has recommended for providing 10 litres of subsidised kerosene to a family through coupons, which the local bodies should issue, on the basis of poverty prevalent in any given area. The report also recommends the government to float NOC’s shares to the public and secure transparency in the state-owned monopolist, in the import of petroleum products. It states that the corporation should not be privatised immediately.

Second graders of Arun School in far away Dingla long for Sabina

By Surendra Phuyal & Sharad Adhikari

DINGLA, Bhojpur, Jan 28 : Seven-year-old Alisha Shrestha, who dwells in this mountain hub with white-painted houses and tin roofs, does not feel like going to school these days. And she is not the only one.

"We are scared of the Maoists and the army men, who carry guns and move around," Alisha said quietly, as she along with her five-year-old sister, Ashika, waited for dinner that the kids’ mother was preparing in the adjacent room.

"They open fire, hit bullets," adds Ashika.

And there is a very strong reason: a seven-year-old girl, who was dressing up before going to school fell prey to a powerful explosion at about 9:30 a.m. Monday, January 13.

The explosive was hurled by government forces, raiding a Maoist mass-meeting venue. And security officials in Tumlingtar in the nearby Sankhuwasava district admit that the high explosive was targeted at the rebels who were fleeing.

(Dingla, which lies about 600-km east of the capital, ironically, is widely acclaimed for the country’s second school - Shadananda Pathasala, which was set up nearly 130 years ago by Balguru Shadananda.)

Sabina Khawas, the second grader who was a playmate of Alisha, died minutes after the explosive mis-landed and went off in the middle of the Khawas’ homeyard. Also injured in the incident were Sabina’s sister Nirmala (third-grader), and aunts Sharmila and Pramila (both ninth graders).

Local villagers rushed the injured to the nearby Tumlingtar airport. From there, they were airlifted to Biratnagar for medical treatment. Bhawesh Khawas, brother of the girls who miraculously escaped unharmed, said Monday that while Sharmila and Pramila were discharged, Nirmala was "still serious" at the Koshi Zone Hospital.

"There were 45 students in standard two before January 13," said Arjun Bhattarai, Sabina’s class teacher at the Arun Secondary School. "Now there are only 44 left."

When the government forces pursued the armed rebels, Sabina’s 50-year-old grandma, Kumari, was giving food to her children inside the house, which is famous in the neighbourhood for its orange trees full of ripe fruits.

"But suddenly something exploded with a loud bang," Sabina’s grandma, Kumari Khawas, 50, recounted the horror, her index finger pointing at the big hole created the explosion. "I heard the girls crying - painfully shouting mareni amaa."

Guru Prasad Rai, the Principal of the Arun School where the girls study, said that the entire village of about 5,000 people was terrified that morning when the Armed Police Force (APF) members raided the mass meeting venue at the nearby open ground locals call Tundikhel.

Acting on intelligence reports, the APF officials stationed at nearby Tumlingtar airport had dispatched forces towards the Maoists’ mass-meeting venue. Well over 200 armed rebels had gathered at the venue, according to one APF official, who did not want to be quoted by name.

"First, they (the rebels) opened fire at us. We were climbing up the hill," he said. "That compelled us to use our high explosives. Then they started running towards the nearby forest. We fired three or four explosives in all. And all down below - towards the forest"

The Khawas’ earthen houses with thatched roofs are perched on a slope at the edge of the forest which has saal and chilaune trees.

"The fighting broke out just when our students were coming towards the school. So everyone was quite terrified," Rai said, recalling the terror of that fateful Monday morning.

Earlier in the morning, eyewitnesses said, two armed rebels came to the school and forcibly took away a harmonium and a guitar. And after the rebels fled the village, the security forces came again looking for the rebels and, in the process, intimidated everyone out there. "Students are scared to come to school after the incident," Rai added. "The attendance is at its lowest these days."

On a wall at the heart of Dingla Bazaar, there is a public notice put by the ‘A company of the Maoists’ Sollu-Salleri Smriti 6th Battalion’ which reads: "The ... wild security forces have killed the girl, and have accused us of using them as ‘human shield’, which is wrong." It also claims that the rebels did not face any losses whatsoever as reported by the state media.

But at the Arun School, Alisha, Nabina and other girls continue to long for their ‘dear Sabina’. "We used to play hide-and-seek and other games together," says Nabina G.C., another playmate of Sabina. "But Sabina is no more with us."

(With inputs from Shyam Niraula in Khandbari)