'Shun remours'
Deuba asks Maoists to cancel Tundikhel rallies

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept. 4: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has asked the underground CPN-Maoist to cancel its mass meetings that are scheduled to be held at Tundikhel (open-air theater) on September 17 and 21 respectively.

Premier Deuba said that the upcoming second round of government-Maoist talks could be hampered if the Maoists continued their activities like mass meetings, extortion, forceful collection of donation and taking of the public vehicles, which were against their commitments with the government during the first round of peace-talks.

The government and the Maoist representatives had formally sat for the first time last week to resolve the six-year-long Maoist insurgency.

Premier Deuba also requested the people not to run after the rumours and misinformation regarding the Maoist issue.

Speaking at a function organised by the Ex-Parliamentarians’ Club here today, Prime Minister Deuba further said that the government had a copy of the commitment of the Maoists to stop their aggressive activities. "These kinds of acts only saddens the peace-loving Nepalese people," he added.

Deuba aslo reiterated that the government was committed to resolve the Maoist problem through dialogue and would leave no stones unturned in this regard.

Also speaking at the programme, former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai noted that the world had already bade farewell to politics of the arms and added that there was no alternative to democracy.

Stating that the trial and complete implementation of the present Constitution of the country was yet to be seen, Bhattarai said they would have to wait for al least thirty years for amendments in the Constitution.

Speaker Traranath Ranabhat said that it was the responsibility of the State to inform the people about the recently held peace talks between the government and the Maoists. "The government had to inform the public about what were the agenda of talks and the stand points of both the parties. But it is sad to note that it did not do so," he said.

Chairman of National Assembly Dr. Mohammad Mohsin said that if the negotiators of government-Maoist talks focused on the peoples’ problems, the peace-talks would succeed.

Leader of main opposition party CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal said that they themselves were to be blamed for the emergence of the Maoist problem in the country.

Saying that there would be no compromise in the nationality and democracy, Nepal urged all the political parties and civil societies to move ahead by rising above narrow-mindedness and petty interest.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Paudel, Nepali Congress General Secretary Sushil Koirala, former Speaker Daman Nath Dhungana, former chairman of National Assembly Beni Bahadur Karki and CPN-ML leader Radhakrishna Mainali had also expressed their views at the function chaired by the Club president Ramhari Joshi.

WHO regional meet for E. Asia in Yangon

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Sept. 4: The 54th session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee for East Asia opened at Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar yesterday.

According to a press statement issued today by the WHO, the session opens floor for discussing WHO's health related activities in the East Asian region and its corporate strategy and strategic programme budget.

Speakers during the inaugural function said that in the face of the health challenges, particularly in the area of communicable diseases, close collaboration among the countries of the South East Asia Region was essential. The member states in the WHO's South East Asia region include Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Regional director for WHO South-East Asia Region, Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei, said that a major policy thrust of WHO and Member Countries is the emphasis on the importance of placing health as an integral part of sustainable development. He said that this is vital to ensure that the centrality of health in sustained economic growth and poverty reduction is recognised andacted upon, stated the release.

Overall, Dr. Uton said, that there has been considerable improvement in the health situation in the countries of the Region, as seen in the reduced mortality and morbidity, particularly that caused by communicable diseases, the release said.

Some of these succeses include the significant progress achieved by the polio programme; in TB control, the DOTS strategy was likely to get nationwide coverage in the countries by 2005, and leprosy elimination targets too are likely to be reached soon.

A major challenge in the Region is the spread of HIV/AIDS. Political commitment must be strengthened and inter sectoral collaborative efforts fostered to stem the spread of this disease. 'Dr. Uton added that to broaden our efforts, it is crucial for Heads of State from countries of the Region to address this critical issue. In a reference to the Global AIDS and Health Fund, Dr. Uton said that the Regional Heads of State must find ways to articulate the concerns of Asia with regard to its vulnerability to HIV/AIDS and the potential for epidemics, the release stated.

Speaking about Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement, Dr. Uton said that this has the potential to affect the affordability and accessibility of essential medicines including traditional medicines. Health ministries must work in concert with ministries of commerce, trade and industries to protect public health needs.

In her address to the inaugural session, read in her absence by the WHO Regiional Director for South-East Asia, Dr. Uton Muchtar Rafei, WHO Director-General, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, said, "As health professionals, we all face enormous challenges. People's expectations are greater than ever.

We must answer the needs of the people we serve. For their well being is our responsibility; their suffering and ill health is our failure.

She said we need to increase resources for health and ensure that they bring benefits for all. At several recent international for a like the World Helath Assembly, the UN Special Session on HIV/AIDS and the G8 Summit, commitments have been made to increase resources for global health, the release said.

Dr. Brundtland commended the progress achieved in countries of South-East Asia Region, eg. in polio eradication. She voiced her concern bout the spread of HIV/AIDS. She said that although most of the attention has been focused on Africa, according to estimates, She said that although most of the attention has been focused on Africa, according to estimates, more than five million people in the South-East Asia Region are living with HIV. It would take extra ordinary and courageous response to scale up our response to this unprecedented health crisis, she added. The Director-General said that WHO sees the need for this fund to live up to its name and be a global fund. This means that it should bring benefits to people in need within all regions, including the South East Region.

Draft bill on commission for women discussed

Kathmandu, Sept. 4 (RSS): A consultative meeting was held here today to refine the bill drafted to establish a national commission for women as part of the eight-point programme recently announced by His Majesty's Government.

The preamble of the draft bill states that the bill has been designed to establish an independent and autonomous national commission for women with the objective of empowering women and ensuring gender equality and equal participation of women in the country's development, while protecting and promoting the constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights of women.

The draft bill has defined women's rights as rights guaranteed for women by the constitution and other relevant laws, the rights provided for by international treaties and agreements ratified by Nepal, women's right to live in freedom and gender equality.

As provided for in the draft bill, His Majesty's Government will appoint a chairperson of the commission from among noted woman social workers or intellectuals dedicated to women's rights and well-being. a recommendations committee headed by the Prime Minister will appoint the commission's chairperson and members.

The commission will protect the rights and well-being of women, revise the existing laws concerning women's rights and present recommendations for effective implementation of such laws, follow up on whether the women-related provisions in the guiding principles of state are implemented and provide necessary inputs for reports on women related international treaties or agreements to be submitted by the government.

It will also encourage and coordinate the activities of NGOs working for women's rights and well-being and monitor such activities, provide suggestions to the National Planning Commission for formulating a national policy on women and pressure the sectors concerned to generate productive employment opportunities for women.

Likewise, the commission will have powers to inspect or help others inspect jails, correction centres and rehabilitation centres which have women inmates and provide immediate relief to women victims of sexual exploitation, domestic violence, child marriage, polygamy and other crimes.

Participants at the meeting analysed the draft bill from the social, political, economic and policy perspectives and presented various suggestions for its refinement.

They stressed the need to appoint a woman who has made outstanding contribution to the pro-democracy movement as the commission's chairperson, provide financial and other autonomy to the commission and fix 40 years as the age bar for commission members.

Deputy speaker Chitralekha Yadav, ex-minister of state Kamala Pant, MPs, planners, the HMG chief secretary, the officiating secretary at the Ministry of Women and Children, NGO representatives and social workers took part in the meeting organised jointly by the gender mainstreaming programme, the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and UNDP.

National Planning Commission member Dr Nirmal Kumar Pandey presided.

'Maoists should shun totalitarian character'

Kathmandu, Sept. 4 (RSS): General secretary of the CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that if one side deceives the other during the Government-Maoists talks, the consequences will be disastrous for the country.

Speaking at the "people's representatives training programme" hosted by the Village Development Committees (VDCs) Federation, Kathmandu, here today, general secretary Nepal said that the Maoists should shun totalitarian character and instead win the hearts of the people.

He emphasised the need for the entire leftist, patriotic and democratic forces to protect the achievement of 1990.

Stating that the country cannot be pulled out of crisis without amending the constitution, general secretary Nepal pointed out the need to exert pressure on the government for bringing about political and socio-economic changes.

MP Ishwar Pokharel alleged that attempts were being made to curtail the rights of the people through the integrated internal security and development package and said that the people's representatives should be able to select the development projects and the constitution amended to cover the point about local bodies.

Former MP Krishna Gopal Shrestha, chairman of Kathmandu district development committee Sanu Kumar Shrestha, general secretary of the municipalities association of Nepal Bidur Prasad Mainali and various other speakers also expressed their views at the function presided over by president of VDCs Federation, Kathmandu, Bal Krishna Shrestha.

Sunkoshi, Kamala diversions on top priority: Minister

Parliament Building, Singhadurbar, Sept. 4 (RSS): Minister for Water Resources Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar has said His Majesty's Government has given top priority to the construction of Sunkoshi and Kamala diversions and talks are underway with India about this.

Gachchhadar, while responding to verbal questions of MPs at the National Assembly meeting today, noted that though the government has given priority to the Babai Irrigation Project since 2045/46 BS, the project has not been completed for lack of enough budget and the government is making efforts to complete the project by collecting foreign assistance.

With Rs 30 million allocated in the last fiscal year, infrastructures have been prepared for the Rukta Irrigation Project in Banke district and construction works will take off with Rs 40 million allocated this year, said the Water Resources Minister, adding that every effort will be made to ensure that there will be no irregularities.

Stating that the third phase feasibility study of the Mahakali Irrigation Project to be built at Dodhara-Chandani as per the Mahakali Treaty has been completed and talks are being held with the World Bank about this, he said talks have already been initiated with India about the submerging of 16 or 17 VDCs by the dam constructed by India in Rupandehi district.

A technical team of the Water Resources Ministry has already completed its on-site inspection report and detailed information will be provided once the committee presents its report within one or two days, he further said.

Those asking questions were CPN (UML) MPs Mrs Goma Devkota, Mrs Gaura Koirala, Mohan Bahadur Bam and Devendra Ghimire and Ganga Dutta Joshi of the Nepali Congress.