Talks with Maoist heads soon: Deuba

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 22: Talks with the Maoist leaders to be held soon would be focused on calling for a cease-fire on both the sides as wished by the civil society and the political parties, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba said.

"Putting an end to the damage being caused to civilians and ending violence that has cost the lives of many security personnel, innocent citizens and the Maoists would be our priority agenda in the talks," Deuba said.

Deuba who is the Co-ordinator of the High Level Recommendation Committee for the Resolution of Maoist Problem said today that he had already responded to the letter of Maoist leader Prachanda in the line of holding peaceful talks.

"Now that we do not have any differences relating to the Maoist problem within the ruling party the path is clear for talks," he said.

He however ruled out the possibility of holding talks on displacing multiparty democracy and Constitutional Monarchy, both of which are included in the preamble of the Constitution of Nepal 1990.

The four year old Maoist insurgency has so far claimed 1366 lives among whom are security personnel, political workers, Maoist activists and innocent civilians.

The Maoists have been waging armed struggle against the establishment for a Republican state.

Deuba agreed that the Maoist problem was an outcome of rampant poverty, unemployment and unequal distribution of goods and services and said the government was ready to hold talks with the Maoists to address the social maladies.

He said that the role of all the political parties and the civil society was indispensable to resolve the Maoist problem.

Unless the perversions that have mounted during the past ten years of multiparty democracy were addressed talks alone would not bring panacea to the nation, said speakers at an interaction programme on "Maoist Problem: Resolution And Ways Of Improving Peace And Security.

Using the forum of the Foundation for Parliamentary Studies and Development, leader of the main opposition CPN(UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal said until there was conformity in viewing the Maoist problem within the ruling party it would be difficult to resolve the problem.

Nepal said the Maoist problem was the result of extreme discontent in the society regarding the pattern of governance of the successive governments over the years.

"Foreign powers have been increasingly prominent in Nepal and the government is becoming weak giving way to widespread dissatisfaction in the civil society," Nepal said.

He maintained that the present government had failed to protect the sovereignty of the country and referred to preparations by the Indian government to construct a project at Purnagiri of Pancheswore without consulting its Nepalese counterpart.

Nepal also made an apparent reference to the inundation of five Village Development Committees on the Nepalese side in Banke district owing to the construction of a dam by India in Laxmanpur, which he said had been done against international norms.

He charged the government of failing to stop the construction of dam and protecting the lives and properties of the people in Banke.

Nepal said the Maoist problem was a problem related with the political, social and economic problems.

Unless the government releases innocent people jailed on false charges and addresses the problems of the people at the grassroots level, talks alone would not help to resolve the problem, Nepal said.

Parliamentarians, human rights activists and members of the civil society unanimously voiced that the government should create an environment of trust and should first lay down its weapons in order to take the Maoists into confidence before holding the talks.

They also said that the government ought to have a clear stance on the Maoist issue before bracing for talks.

Chairman of the function and former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana said that the Maoist problem should be resolved through the full cooperation between the main oppositon party and the ruling party.

He said that the political leaders should forge consesus to resolve the Maoist problem before it was too late.

NC CWC meet focuses on talks with Maoists

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 22: The Nepali Congress Central Committee meeting continued for the second day today focussing on the proposed peace dialogue with Maoists and security situation in the country.

The meeting that began Tuesday to discuss the issues, including policies and strategies to resolve the Maoist problem, evaluation of the government activities within the last three months, inter-party relations, the newly presented budget estimates for the upcoming fiscal year and the party’s forthcoming tenth general convention, however, entirely centred on the Maoist problem.

"The meeting seriously discussed the proposed peace talks with the Maoists and the security situation in the country," party spokesperson Narahari Acharya told reporters at the end of the three-hour long meeting held at the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar.

Twenty-two of the members present at the meeting spoke on the topic today. After Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala tabled the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who heads the high level committee to recommend strategies for the resolution of the Maoist problem, informed the meeting on the development in the peace talks and the possible problems that may arise during the whole process.

Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi gave the details of the peace and security situation in the country.

Former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai asked all the members to move ahead towards the resolution of the problem by drawing a concrete conclusion through consensus.

"The discussions at the meeting are moving towards concrete conclusions for the peaceful resolution of the problems," Acharya said.

According to him, tomorrow’s meeting would be held at 7:30 in the morning at the same venue.

Four of the CC members — Shailaja Acharya, Khum Bahadur Khadka, Lila Koirala and Gopal Pahadi — abstained from today’s meeting.

Workshop on news writing organised

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 22: A workshop on news writing was held here at Nepal Press Institute office in the Media House.

The two-week workshop that focussed on understanding the value of news and effective way of news writing wound up on Thursday.

Senior media instructor from Britain Mr. Peter Saunders conducted the workshop. Topics like news concept, news sources, reporters’ role and construction of news stories were dealt with.

Director of the Berlin-based International Institute for Journalism (IIJ) Mr. Peter Prufert oversaw the workshop. IIJ was the co-organiser of the workshop with the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Nine media persons from the capital-based dailies, weeklies and magazines participated in the workshop coordinated by the Singapore-based Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC).

At the closing, Mr. Prufert who attended similar workshop in Nepal before, hoped this programme will be of help to enhance the professional skills of the participating journalists.

Award to curb electricity leakage

Kathmandu, June 22 (RSS): The House of Representatives at its meeting today discussed the appropriation heads concerning the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Taking part in the discussion, RPP’s Govinda Bikram Shaha presented a proposal stating that Rs 100 be reduced from the amount allocated for the ministry.

Mr Shaha said in an age of information, some districts of Nepal are not linked with communications, telephone towers in the Maoist-affected areas which are left damaged should be repaired and the news of opposition covered by Radio Nepal, NTV and Gorkhapatra is inadequate.

He also spoke of the need to expand telephone lines in Jajarkot, Rukum, Rolpa and Salyan districts and open regional and ilaka post offices.

CPN-UML’s Raghuji Pant and Nara Bahadur Budhathoki stressed the need to work out a long-term policy for the development of communications, make postal services reliable and effective by modernising it, provide ads to all newspapers, expand telephone lines, pay attention to the development of information technology and distribute telephone services based on V-Sat technology only on the recommendation of the district development committee.

Hom Nath Dahal and Ramesh Lekhak of NC noted that except a few, NTV’s programmes are not effective, Radio Nepal needs to be revamped, a bill on right to information should be brought in the ongoing session, NTV should be linked with satellite, special programmes should be devised for the promotion of mofussil journalism, expand telephone lines in Mahendranagar, and telephones based on Marts system should be provided in Chandani and Dodhara villages.

RPP’s Buddhiman Tamang and Netralal Shrestha remarked that there has been partiality in expansion of telephone, postal services should be taken to the nooks and corners of the country, ads should be provided to all newspapers in a judicious manner, Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal and NTV should be privatised and a clear national communication policy devised.

Nepal Sadbhawana Party’s Rajendra Mahato complained that very less budget has been allocated for development of information technology, there is no concrete programme to provide telephone services to some 2,385 VDCs and postal services are very slow.

CPN-UML’s Ram Chandra Yadav and Sherdhan Rai observed that Nepal is yet to make leaps in the field of information technology, VHF services should be provided in different VDCs of Siraha, media organisations are not impartial, Marts system based telephone lines provided in villages of Bhojpur constituency No. 2 and postal service should be made more effective.

NC’s Ramjanam Chaudhary and Narayan Prakash Saud said fund for hooking Nepal TV with a satellite is not enough, VHF telephone services should be provided in every VDC, Radio Nepal programmes should be made effective and songs and programmes should be broadcasted in ethnic languages also.

Lalbabu Pandit and Sushila Nepal of the CPN-UML spoke of the need to expand telephone services to neighbouring countries, make postal services more effective, lift political interference on media organisations, and remove indecent programmes from TV channels.

Bharat Kumar Shaha and Ram Chandra Tiwari of the Nepali Congress spoke of the need to give special emphasis on information technology, provide postal services at Bhagawanpur in Rupandehi, make mobile services easily available and expand Janakpur-Jayanagar telephone network.

CPN-UML’s Bir Bahadur Lama and Kamal Prakash Sunuwar noted that the budget is silent on rural telecommunications and salary of postmen should be raised.

NC’s Narayan Sharma Paudel and Hridayaram Thani said telephone exchange offices should be established in Ramnagar, Lothar and Gunjangarmadi in Chitwan district and telephone exchange lines should be increased to 700 in Surkhet and postal services should be made more reliable.

Meanwhile, taking special time at the House of Representatives today, various members of Parliament drew the attention of the Parliament towards current issues like floods and landslides, inundation caused by rivers, the labour movement, law and order situation, decentralization, etc.

On the occasion, CPN-UML’s Suresh Kumar Karki drew the attention of the Home Minister towards the rise in incidents of violence, terror and murder in Siraha and Saptari districts and implicating of the opposition supporters by the ruling side in different false cases.

Govinda Bahadur Shaha of Nepali Congress, referring to the obstruction in transportation service following damage caused by heavy rainfall to various section of the Singadhi-Sanfebagar road, demanded that the government take immediate emergency measures and run relief programmes in the affected areas.

MP Lilamani Pokhrel pointed out the need to construct embankment along the Garin, Kamala and Bagmati rivers in order to check soil erosion in Sindhuli district and take action against the policemen involved in beating two women in Kamalamai Municipality under the pretext of controlling liquor.

CPN-UML’s Lalbabu Pandit demanded that the case registered against four people in Darbesa VDC for not allowing their private land to be used as a road should be scrapped and that the government should give attention towards fulfilling the demand of the labourers of Biratnagar Jute Mills

Arjun Jung Bahadur Singh of Nepali Congress, stating that heavy downpour since the past week has highly affected and caused damage to 18 VDCs in Bajhang district, demanded that the district be declared a flood-affected district and special reconstruction programmes be launched in the district.

CPN-UML’s Sushila Nepal said attention should be given to fulfill the just demands of women employees under the women development division and renovate Lele-Chandanpur road and Bajrabarahi and Narayan Temple of Chapagaon.

Haribhakta Adhikari of Nepali Congress pointed out the need to constitute a high level price and quality monitoring committee in order to save consumers from being cheated due to adulterared and under weight products.

CPN-UML’s Kunta Sharma said the Prime Minister made promise in many places to exempt the loan taken by earthquake victims of 2045 B.S. but has not done so far.

Arjun Prasad Joshi of Nepali Congress drew the attention of the concerned body towards the one-sided decision taken by Parbat DDC in running development projects in the district.

CPN-UML’s Hem Narayan Yadav demanded impartial investigation into the incident of murder of ex-Siraha DDC chairman Chandra Narayan Yadav.

Rajendra Prasad Pandey, also of the same party accused the government of violating the local self-governance act in the distribution of revenues to the local bodies.

Recounting of votes in various places

Kathmandu, June 22 (RSS): The recounting of votes of the six polling booths of Laxmiswori Kumari, Thansingh ‘A’ , Mahendra Secondary School, Chhap, Ratmate, Sikre and Mahakali concluded at 5:00 this afternoon in connection with the recounting of votes of all the booths of constituency No. 1 of Nuwakot district.

In the recounting of votes of the Laxmiswori Kumari and Thansingh ‘A’ Mahendra Secondary School, the election symbol of sun polled 649, plough 1045 and tree 997, in which 11 of the sun, 20 of the plough, and eight of the tree are being taken notice of. Of them one of the twenty taken notice of the plough don’t have the signature of the election officer.

Similarly, in the recounting of Chhap and Ratmate booths, the sun received 822 votes, the plough 873, and the tree 837 of which 19 of the sun, 22 of the plough and nine of the tree have been taken notice of. Of them out of the 22 of the plough two were that of the sun.

Likewise, in the recounting of votes of the Sikre and Mahakali polling booths, the sun polled 887votes, the tree 646 and the plough 714. Of them, 24 of the sun, eight of the tree and 15 of the plough have been taken notice of.

According to the record till this evening, recounting of 20,581 votes from the six polling booths was completed today and four booths counted on Tuesday.

Of them, 156 votes of the sun and 171 of the plough have been taken notice of .

The recounting of votes of the Kakani and Sunkhani polling booths is underway.

The recounting is being carried out at the Appellate Court Patan as per the decision of the Election Special Court to recount the votes of all the booths in constituency No. 1 of Nuwakot district.

The constituency has 14 polling booths. The recounting of the remaining booths will be conducted tomorrow.

‘Necon plane crash due to humane error’

Kathmandu, June 22 (RSS): Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Tarini Datta Chataut today made public the report prepared by the commission constituted to investigate the Necon Air aircraft crash on September 5, 1999.

The aircraft crashed after hitting a telephone tower at Ramkot of Kathmandu while flying in from Pokhara.

Fifteen persons including 10 passengers, five crewmen and one air hostess were killed in the accident.

The report states that the crash was caused from humane error of the pilot and not due to technical snag in the aircraft.

Minister Chataut said the Ministry of Tourism has broken the practice of not making public the reports prepared by commissions constituted to investigate accidents.

Nepal promoted in UK

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, June 22: Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) organised a destination presentation programme exclusively for the incentive buyers and conference organisers in the United Kingdom recently.

‘Night in Nepal’ organised in collaboration with London based Royal Nepalese Embassy, Nepal Incentive and Convention Association (NICA) and Qatar Airways was attended by about 50 convention holders and incentive buyers in the UK and five local media.

Addressing the function, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to UK Dr. Singha Bahadur Basnyat highlighted the friendly ties between Nepal and UK which date back to over 200 years and said that Nepal was a suitable place for investment in water-resources and tourism, among others.

Dwelling on the tourism promotion initiative taken by the Nepalese Embassy in UK, Basnyat expressed his commitment towards destination promotion in future and invited the incentive buyers to promote Nepal in an aggressive way.

NTB’s Marketing and Promotion Director Tek Bahadur Dangi said that Nepal was a unique travel destination with diverse attractions ranging from the sub-tropical jungles with one-horned rhino, elephants and Royal Bengal Tiger in the south to snow leopards and musk deer in the north. "Nepal is a centre and pioneering destination for adventure activities like mountaineering, trekking, rafting, jungle-safari, mountain-flights, bungi-jumping."

"Nepal is also a living cultural museum with various ethnic groups and their living cultural traditions where renowned world-heritage sites including Lumbini – the birthplace of Lord Buddha is located," an NTB press release stated Dangi as saying. "Nepal is recently emerging as a convention destination with world-class facilities for regional and global level conventions and incentives."

Dangi’s presentation was followed by a short multi-media show with highlights on Nepal as a travel destination with convention and incentive specialities, the press release said.

Qatar Airways’ regional manager for Europe and North America Mohamed Salehi said that Nepal needed to be promoted as an all— season destination. He promised that Qatar Airways would always support NTB initiatives to promote Nepal. Qatar Airways also made a short presentation.

The function also featured the lucky draw of a free trip to Nepal for a British couple. The free air-ticket to Nepal was sponsored by Qatar Airways while the participating Nepalese companies would jointly sponsor six nights and seven days accommodation.

Qatar Airways also provided free passage to all the Nepalese participants at the function who are also scheduled to participate in M & IT show, Olympia, London, from 21-22 June.

The Nepalese participants of the event were Subodh Thapa and Bhagirath Singh of Fulbari Resort & Spa, Subodh SJB Rana of Marco-Polo Travels, Bijaya Amatya of Yeti Travels, Sangita Shrestha Einhaus of Kathmandu Travels & Tours, Pitambar Guragai and Lal K. R. Bajracharya of Gaida Wildlife Camp, Walid Soubara of Qatar Airways and Punam Ghimire of NICA.