Congress Convention starts
Meet should create basis for unity, says Koirala

BY SUNIL K.C./NARAYAN UPADHYAYA

Pokhara, Jan. 19: President of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala said that with the amendment of the statute to elect 50 per cent of the party’s Central Working Committee members through direct and open election, the process of giving the leadership of the party to the younger generation has begun. This will allow the entry of many new young faces into the party’s leadership, he said.

"But the younger generation has failed to realise this," the Prime Minister told a mammoth gathering on the occasion of the inauguration of the party’s 10th General Convention at the Pokhara Stadium today. So, he asked the second generation of the party to be patient.

The change in the party’s presidential system of leadership was necessary because of the new challenges faced by the party and the country.

Koirala inaugurated the party’s General Convention today by lighting an oil-fed lamp amidst a gathering of almost 100,000 people, which included high-ranking leaders, convention delegates, Mahasamiti members, invitees, party workers and common people.

At the function, senior party leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai unfurled the party’s flag. Both the leaders, Premier Koirala and former prime minister Bhattarai, also released 10 pairs of pigeons as a symbol of peace. A helicopter also showered flower petals at the venue, at the dais were Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai, members of the Central Working Committee of the Nepali Congress, party’s district committee presidents, MPs, ministers, invitees which included foreign delegates and representatives from different political parties.

Addressing the inaugural function, Koirala said the General Convention of the Nepali Congress was taking place at a very crucial stage when the party and the country are facing numerous challenges from various sectors such as the Maoists. Citing the recent incident of communal violence, Koirala said, it was an attempt to hit at the very root of Nepal’s unity and harmony among its people rather than the Nepali Congress only.

He said because the Nepali Congress is a ruling party, the challenges before the party are numerous and varied. One of them is to make politics and the country’s administration corruption free and make it service-oriented, he said. He said the Convention should address this challenge.

He said: "As the real strength of the Nepali Congress lies in the rural areas, any attempt to divide and defeat the party will fail completely. The convention should find ways to uplift the majority of the people who are reeling under the vicious cycle of poverty."

He further said the convention should also deliberate on leading the country and create a basis for party unity and consensus among all the political parties who believe in democracy.

He expressed his firm belief that the party’s convention will be able to find a way out of the challenges faced by the party.

He said the NC has a challenge of concentrating all its energy and unifying all the parties and groups which are in favour of the multiparty system and the present constitution.

Earlier, a procession of the convention delegates, participants, party workers and supporters had started from the B.P. Chowk at Chipledhunga of Pokhara and converged into a mass meeting at the Stadium.

The Pokhara Stadium was colourfully decorated with flags of the Nepali Congress and its sister organisations all around the pitch. Almost every square foot of the ground and the parapet of the stadium was filled with participants and the people, who were eager to find out what new course the Nepali Congress was going to take after the General Convention.

Speaking at the inaugural function, party leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said the Nepali Congress should look back and evaluate its performances of the last 10 years. He said NC has been struggling for democracy since the day it was born.

"Now as democracy has been established in the country the party should work in a new way and the main purpose of the convention is to find way to make democracy vibrant and kicking," said Bhattarai.

Putting forth his opinion about the convention, Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel said that through the convention the Nepali Congress was practising democratic exercise within the party. He hoped that the convention would generate new belief and hope despite all the difficulties the party has had to face. "The first priority is to stabilise and strengthen democracy in the country," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives Taranath Ranabhat said the convention is a proclamation of acrusade against partisan differences, irregularities and instability. "The task of fulfilling the aspirations of the people lies on the Nepali Congress," said Ranabhat.

Likewise, General Secretary of the party Sushil Koirala said the main concern today is whether democracy has been weakened and instability has crept in the country’s political sector because of the irregularities and anomalies seen in the last ten years.

But, he said, he is not pessimistic, as this convention will strengthen democracy with a clear cut direction and directives to the Nepali Congress. He also asked all to decide independently and with clear conscience.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, a contestant for the party presidency, said the main problem facing the country today is the Maoist problem and that he has the formula to solve this problem if he is selected to the party’s top post. Riterating his views at a programmes in Pokhara yesterday, he said his victory would ease the burden of Koirala. He also said he would extend all possible support to Koirala to make him the most successful Prime Minister the country has ever seen. He also said if he is elected he would encompass and incorporate all the diverse views and opinions without any prejudice.

Meanwhile, Shailaja Acharya, another speaker at the inaugural function, said the Nepali Congress is facing an unusual situation and this convention should give new energy and new direction to the party.

She contradicted with Sher Bahadur Deuba’s claim that he could solve the party’s problems.

"Only if he had given an alternative and credible means to solve the country’s problems, all of us would have supported him," Acharya said.

She even hinted that it was during Deuba’s tenure as the head of the coalition government the anomalies like ‘Pajero culture’ and horse-trading of the MPs had started.

The controversy within the party is not for policy and ideology but of the norms and the values and for sharing of power. "If this convention cannot address these issues, the future of Nepali Congress could be at stake," said Acharya.

At the inaugural function, foreign invitees, which included Minister for Local Development of Bangladesh, Minister for Forest and Environment of Sri Lanka, Vice Chairman of the International Liaison Department of the Chinese Communist Party, Vice President of the Socialist Janata Party of India and former Secretary General of the Socialist International gave their best wishes for the success of the NC’s General Convention.

Similarly, leaders of different political parties-Jhalanath Khanal of CPN-UML, the main opposition party in the parliament, President of RPP Surya Bahadur Thapa, General Secretary of CPN-ML Bamdev Gautam and Vice President of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party Rameshwore Yadav also gave their best wishes for the success of the General Convention.

Arjun Narsingh K.C., Chief of NC’s foreign relation department read out the names of various leaders and individuals who sent their greetings to the NC for its 10th General Convention.

Coordinator of the main organising committee and the district president of the Congress in Kaski, Sukra Raj Sharma delivered a welcome speech, saying this convention is being held at the most testing time of the Nepali Congress. A one-minute silence was also observed at the inaugural function as a mark of honour to the martyrs who had laid their lives for democracy.

Meanwhile, the first closed door session of the convention has been postponed till tomorrow morning.

Koirala names 27 convention representatives

Pokhara, Jan. 19 (RSS): Nepali Congress president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has, in accordance with the constitution of the party, nominated 27 general convention representatives from among the active members of the party.

Under the constitution of the party, president Koirala is authorized to nominate a maximum of 30 such representatives.

The nominated members are Yogprasad Upadhyaya, Chiranjibi Rijal, Mrs Kashi Poudel, Mrs Sabitri Bogati, Surya Prasad Pradhan, Ram Bahadur Bista, Mrs Giriraj Kumari Prasain, Mrs Uma Adhikari and Hiradutta Bhatta.

Likewise, Tej Prasad Sitaula, Bekha Ratna Shakya, Pursottam Basnet, Khadga Bahadur Karki, Manahari Baral, Mrs Krishna Kumari Shrestha, Man Bahadur Biswokarma, Govinda Sharma Kandel, Mrs Bijaya Sharma, Mrs Uma Karki, Mrs Sharada Poudel, Mrs Anita Devkota, Mrs Parbati Rana, Mrs Mohammad Siddiki, Govinda Chaudhary, Anis Ansari, Tulasi Subba and Hasan Chaudhary are the other members nominated as the general convention representatives.

Over 140 lives lost to HIV/AIDS in Nepal

Kathmandu, Jan. 19 (RSS): HIV/AIDS has claimed 142 lives so far in Nepal, according to National AIDS and STD Control Centre.

The centre also reveals that presently 1,807 people, including 1,271 men and 536 women in the country have been affected by HIV virus, and the disease is in full blown stage in 455 of them.

The incidence of HIV came to light in the course of testing the blood samples of 182,180 people for HIV.

1063 of the men affected with HIV virus turned out to be clints of sex workers. Of the 536 HIV-infected women, 384 were sex workers, while 110 were house-wives.

Three of the AIDS patients were found to have contracted the killer disease through blood transfusion and 196 drug addicts were infected due to sharing of infected syringes.

The bulk of the HIV-infected men and women were in the age group of 20-29 years of age.

Nineteen children including 11 boys and 8 girls were found to have contracted the incurable disease due to prenatal transmission.

The year 2000 recorded the highest number of new HIV/AIDS infection in comparison to the past 10 years in Nepal. In the year, 1807 of the total sample tests of 182,180 were found infected with HIV while the number of HIV infection in 1990 was five in 8619 total sample tested.

Though the centre recorded a total of 1807 HIV infection in Nepal as of year 2000 the UNAIDS estimates that 33,532 people are living with HIV/AIDS in the country.

According to UNAIDS/WHO working group on global HIV/AIDS and STD surveillance, the number of HIV infection in Nepal including 32,606 adults, 10,373 women and 926 children.

The cumulative deaths due to HIV/AIDS in the country is 8,325 including 2,535 new death in 1999.

According to UNAIDS/WHO, the number of adults living with HIV/AIDS in Nepal has been steadily increasing over the past ten years. The number of HIV/AIDS infection was just above 20,000 in 1996 leading to a steady rise to near 35,000 in 1999.

The global summary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic as of December, 2000 provided by UNAIDS/WHO states that the total number of people living with HIV/AIDS is 36.1 million with 5.3 million newly infected in 2000.

1.4 million of the people living with HIV/AIDS are children below 15 years.

The total number of AIDS deaths since the beginning of the epidemic is 21.8 million including 17.5 million adults, 9 million women and 4.3 million children below 15 years.

‘Nepal home to rare monkeys’

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 19: Nature conservationists and environmentalists today showed their serious concern over habitat destruction and commercial hunting causing the extinction of rare animals like Assamese monkeys and many other life forms from the world.

Monkey specialist Dr. Mukesh Kumar Chalise at a programme organised by Nepal Federation of Environmental Journalists (NEFEJ) said that like rare and unique butterflies, birds and many other unique plants and animals Nepal was also home to rare Assamese monkey species.

From his decade-long study of monkeys, Chalise has discovered that Nepal is a place for different types of monkeys that are not found anywhere else in the world.

"Monkeys are found normally from an altitude of 600 to 1800 meters from the sea level. But in Nepal there are evidences of monkeys surviving below 600 meters and also above 1800 meters, Dr. Chalise said.

He also said that from feeding trends too, there could be rare monkeys in Nepal since some monkeys here have been consuming plants which do not contain protein.

"Although there are varieties of animals, we have not been able to identify and protect these endangered living beings which can add to our evidence of unique bio-diversity," Dr. Chalise said.

From the study, Dr. Chalise has found three species of monkey — red, pahare and langur monkeys in Nepal. According to him, Nepal may be the only place where these monkeys are surviving.

There are 441 red monkeys in Pashupati, 450 in Swoyambhu, 38 in Tripureshwor, 96 in Sankhu, 38 in Nilbarahi, 30 in Balthali, 47 in Matindanda of Palpa, and 20 in Langtang, according to Dr. Chalise.

Likewise, Dr. Chalise has found 12 pahare monkeys in Helambu, 33 in Melung, 30 in Rimche, 10 in Dahalphendi, and 5 in Ghattekulo. Similarly, there are 29 langur monkeys in Dovan, 36 in Rimche and 36 in Bridim.

"Since monkeys are very useful animals from scientific point of view and for environmental reasons they should protected," chairman of American Society of Primatology Conservation said.

Though Nepal occupies only 0.03 per cent of the total land of the world, it is home to 2.2 per cent of the total flowering plants found in the world, 4.2 per cent of the butterflies, 2.2 per cent of fish, 8.5 per cent of the birds and 4.2 per cent of the mammals.

Anti-polio drops to be administered today

Kathmandu, Jan. 19 (RSS): Anti-polio drops is to be administered to some 3.9 million children below five across the country in the second phase of the fifth national immunization day tomorrow.

The first dose was administered in the first phase of the programme on Dec. 9 last year.

The programme is being organised in Nepal for the past four years as part of the global campaign to wipe out polio from the world.

As it is essential to immunise all children below five years of age in order to eradicate polio disease and as repeated administration of polio drops would do no harm, all parents have been requested to administer polio drops to their children.

The immunisation programme is said to cost around 170 million rupees, Rs 8.485 million of which is to be met by His Majesty’s Government and the remaining with the assistance in cash and kind from the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, C.D.C. Atlanta, Rotary International, Government of Japan and Government of South Korea.

Under the fourth national immunisation day programme, polio vaccine was given to around 95 per cent of children below five years of age in the country.

To ensure greater success of the immunisation day programme this year, various additional committees have been constituted at the local level, which will despatch search teams the day after the immunization to find out if any children have been missed out.

In 1998, 350,000 new polio cases were recorded in the world which led to the organising of various polio eradication programmes throughout the world. This resulted in a decline in the number to 6659 in 1999.

The World Health Organisation has aimed to free the world from polio after 2010.

Polio is still a big health problem in Asia and Africa, and India alone accounts for 80 per cent of the polio cases in the world. In this context, Nepal is still prone to the disease.

South Asian countries Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Maldives have already become polio-free countries.

Majority of girls know of trafficking: Study

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Jan. 19: The findings of a research study titled "Trafficking in Nepal: Field Research" conducted among 1,269 adolescent girls ranging between 14-19 show that 72 per cent of them have heard about trafficking in women and girls. Girls are bound to be the victims of trafficking as the traffickers entrap them, give false promises of marriage and job opportunities, the research findings say.

The research study was conducted in six Village Development Committees (VDCs), two each in three districts— Jhapa, Parsa and Palpa. It was jointly conducted by the Asia Foundation, Kathmandu (AF/K), and the Population Council (Horizons), New Delhi, from March to June last year.

Speaking at a one-day dissemination seminar on the key findings, organised here today, Nick Langton, representative of the AF/K, said that the studies indicate that more in-depth researches and effective intervention programmes have to be launched besides promoting the rights of women and children.

At the programme organised here today to present the findings of the research, conceptual issues were highlighted by Dr. Celine Costello Daly, Programme Associate of Population Council/Horizons, who had worked as a facilitator to conduct the field research.

Dr. Jyoti Sanghera, who was also involved in preparing the report "Trafficking in Nepal: Policy Analysis", said that policy lapses have also contributed to trafficking in girls and women in Nepal.

Findings of another research on "Trafficking in Nepal: Intervention Models" were presented by Dr. Catrin Evans and Ms. Pankaja Bhattarai.

The research highlighted innovative intervention approaches being applied to fight trafficking, identify programme gaps and provide guidelines for the development and implementation of relevant policies and programmes.

The research findings also found that social stigmatisation regarding trafficking and HIV/AIDS in the rural parts of the country was quite high.

On the occasion, the representatives of the government, donor organisations, NGOs and INGOs were present.

It dwelt on the fact that concerted efforts need to be made to combat trafficking in women and girls. Although no thorough study has been conducted so far to pinpoint the exact number of Nepalese women and girls in the sex trade in the Indian brothels, NGOs believe that the number stands at around 200,000. And between 5,000-7,000 girls are said to be trafficked to India every year.