Poverty alleviation core area for regional cooperation

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 2l: Prime Minister and current chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, SAARC, Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that the eradication of poverty, promotion of free trade area and social upliftment have been identified as core areas for regional cooperation in line with the principles and objective of SAARC.

Deuba, who was inaugurating the 23rd Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers here today, said these are the foundation stones upon which we have to create meaningful and substantive cooperation.

Remarking that an enhanced level of cooperation within the SAARC framework and shared feelings and understading would ensure peace and prosperity in the region and help realise its vast potential, he voiced appreciation for the complementary role played by the business commutity and civil society in expanding the areas of regional interactions.

Referring to enhancement of competitiveness and promotion of complementarity in the region as primary goals, he said they reinforce our economic strength against the adverse effects of globalisation which places a great demand on all of us to be bold enough to look beyond the present.
We should concentrate ourselves on doable programmes and on their effective implementation so that the results become tangible and meaningful, and we must make rapid progress to remain relevant and vibrant, he said.

SAARC has brought together a community of the largest number of people in the world within a cooperative framework, he said adding that the challenge today is to consolidate the positive gains made so far and make progress in areas where we lag behind.

As per the directives of the llth SAARC summit, Nepal has prepared concept papers including one on rationalisation and consolidation of the SAARC process, and there is a need to strengthen implementation and institutional capability and focus our activities on core ares of cooperation, he said.

Pointing out that terrorism has been the latest menace to the region and the world at large, he said the Council of Ministers may deliberate on the mechanism of strengthening implementation of the SAARC convention on suppression of terrorism and enhance the effectiveness of cooperation in line with the changing demands of the day.

Stressing that equally resolute steps in the social sector should complement economic cooperation measures as economic prosperity and social development are the twin pillars of cooperation, he recalled that the Kathmandu summit signed two important SAARC conventions on combating trafficking in women and children for prostitution, and on the rights and welfare of children.

The council may give directives for early implementation of the conventions with the necessary enabling legislation and an early conclusion of the proposed social charter, he observed and remarked that the proposed SAARC advocacy group of eminent women personalities would also compliment efforts in regional cooperation in the social sector.

The Prime Minister also said that as decided by the 11th summit, common positions have been evolved and presented at major international conferences since January this year, and a SAARC common position on agriculture was evolved on the sidelines of the fao regional meeting in Kathmandu and presented at the World Food Summit in Rome.

The SAARC common position on sustainable development will be present at the World Summit on Sustabable Development to be held next month in Johannesburg, he said.

Deuba said the llth summit had agreed to a long-term vision of a South Asian Economic Union in order to fulfill the shared aspirations of our peoples for a more prosperous South Asia through the acceleration of negotiations on the fourth round of SAPTA and the conclusion of the SAFTA treaty framework by the end of this year.

In view of our renewed commitments and pledges to enhance cooperation, we have to take decisive steps to make forward movement in this area, he said and urged the SAARC Council of Ministers to inject dynamism to achieve the already agreed goals.

Chairman of the 23rd session of the SAARC Council of Ministers and Minister for Health Sharat Singh Bhandari said the Council would review progress in implementation, adding that the Prime Minister's statement will set the tone of its discussions.

The SAARC Council of Ministers meets in between SAARC summit conferences.

At least 34 terrorists killed

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 21: In a major offensive carried out by the security forces yesterday, at least 30 terrorists were killed and 60 others injured when they attacked a Maoist hideout and training camp at Thawang of Rolpa in far-west Nepal.

The Defence Ministry said today that among the terrorists killed include the so-called area commander, trainers and guerrilla fighters. A solider was killed while three others were injured in the operation. The injured army men are undergoing treatment at a local health camp.

This is one of the biggest casualties the terrorists have suffered in the last two months. On June 13, at least 150 Maoists were killed when the army launched a major offensive against 2,000 Maoists who had attacked an army post at nearby Damachour, Salyan and fired at the army helicopter that had come to the rescue. At least seven soldiers were killed in the incident.

Two weeks earlier, just as many Maoists were killed when troops fired on hundreds of Maoists attacking an army post at Khara of Rukum. At least 20 soldiers were injured. Khara lies at the strategic junction between Rukum, Rolpa and Salyan -- the three districts most affected by the Maoist insurgency.

The Royal Nepalese Army says more than 3,100 terrorists may have died in the security operations since a state of emergency was announced on November 26 to end the seven-year-old Maoist insurgency. The army has confirmed the deaths of about 2,300 terrorists.

The Maoists are said to have about 3,000 to 4,000 hardcore fighters and about 10,000 to 15,000 militia members at their disposal. Most of the fighters are aged between 13 and 20. The army has so far recovered about 13 per cent of the arms and ammunition looted from various security units, banks and ordinary people.

Search operations by the security forces in Darchula, Baglung and Dadeldhura districts on Tuesday resulted in the death of four more terrorists. Mahadev Giri, who was killed at Oodi of Darchula, was a Royal Nepalese Army fugitive and the area commander of the terrorist group. One each was killed at Darling and Bhimgitte of Baglung, while two more, including the district committee member Punam Budhamagar and Padam Bahadur Thapa, were killed in Belapur of Dadeldhura district.

The Ministry said the security forces found five .303 rifles and magazines, explosives, socket bombs, Rs. 12,500 in cash, logistics, 200 quintals of rice, 10 sacks of dal, and 10 sacks of salt in Rolpa, Darchula, Baglung and Dadeldhura.

Most of the foodgrains had started to decompose after being buried for a long time in adverse weather conditions, the Ministry said.

The forces have also found 40 socket bombs during their search operation at Aakash of Ramechhap district on Sunday, the Ministry said.

'Terrorism has negative impact on South Asia'

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 21: Chairman of the SAARC Council of Ministers Sharat Singh Bhandari has said that terrorism, drug trafficking and organised criminal activities have had a negative impact on South Asia, pointing out the need for collective commitment among the SAARC member states for its elimination.

He made this remark while speaking at a dinner hosted in honour of the Foreign Ministers of SAARC countries who had come here to take part in the 23rd meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers today.

A lot can be done together within the parameters of the SAARC and changes brought about in the lives of the people of this region, he noted.

SAARC, from its very inception, has carried out various programmes aimed at reducing poverty which is widespread in South Asia, but the desired results have not been achieved due to the lack of effective implementation of such programmes, he remarked, adding that the current meeting has also laid emphasis on this fact.

He expressed the belief that nobody could do any harm if unity is forged against terrorism. There is no alternative other than joining hands to combat terrorism, he added.

In his reply speech, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Inamul Haq remarked that all the exercise would have no meaning until the commitments made in the past summit meetings are implemented.

He underlined the need to focus more on poverty alleviation.

The Ministers, the chiefs of constitutional bodies, the Secretary General of the SAARC, senior officials of His Majesty's Government and journalists were present on the occasion.

100 feared dead in Ramechhap landslide

By Our Correspondent

RAMECHHAP, Aug. 21: At least a hundred people are feared dead after a landslide, caused by torrential rains, swept through Bamti village in Ramechhap district, to the east of Kathmandu, early Wednesday morning.

The Home Ministry said it was unable to ascertain the extent of the damage because communications could not be established with remote Bamti, which lies 20 kilometres northeast of Manthali, the district headquarters.

The entire village is under debris after land slipped from above in the remote hills, said Chief District Officer Trilok Prasad Shrestha.

Dip Bahadur Basnet, a resident of Thapra area in the village, said via wireless telephone from Kinja that the whole of his ward was covered by a mound of mud, and many people were trapped inside.
"The site of the accident is in a difficult terrain, and bad weather has prevented us from starting a rescue," CDO Shrestha said. "A team comprising the Royal Nepal Army, medical personnel, Nepal Police and other organisations are waiting for the weather to improve before it can go there."

According to D.B. Basnet, who hails from the area and currently works in Manthali, there is a steep slope above the village adjoining Solukhumbu in the Everest region. The land could have given way and come down on Thapra. "It is difficult to say how many people have fallen victim as many villagers from the area frequent Kathmandu," Basnet said.

The Nepal Red Cross, citing its staff at Ramechhap, said at least 32 houses have been swept away and many more have been affected.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Niraj Shahi said that the rescue team was in full gear, but bad weather was forcing them to wait for a helicopter to fly in from Kathmandu.

The Ministry, in the meantime, said it was dispatching a team Thursday morning with necessary relief materials from Kathmandu. A Ministry statement said another joint team of the army and police had already left for the site from nearby Jiri on the Everest trail, a 6-hour trek.

Since mid-July, monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides have killed more than 450 people, while more than 175 are reported missing and feared dead.

PM to lead Nepalese team to Johannesburg

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 2l: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is leading a Nepalese delegation on 'World Summit on Sustainable Development' to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September, 2002.

Heads of state and government of many countries are expected to participate in the meeting. The summit, inter alia, will review the implementation of agenda 21 of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The summit as a whole will discuss all aspects of economic growth, social development and enviroment protection. Central issues of discussion are water and sanitation, energy, capacity building, agricultural productivity, bio-diversity and human health.

While emphasising the importance of sustainable development for the developing countries in general and least developed countries in particular, Nepal will actively participate on all core areas of discussion in the summit.

Nepal will also participate in the round table discussion in the summit. The Prime Minister, as the chairperson of SAARC, will also highlight the SAARC common position on sustainable development in the SAARC region.

On 25 August, Prime Minister Deuba will leave Kathmandu and will reach Brussels the next day. During his stay in Brussels, the Prime Minister will meet Ramano Prodi, President of the Commision of the European Communities and Chris Patten, Commissioner of the EU.

Prime Minister Deuba will also meet some other leaders in Belgium.

On 29 August, he will leave Brussels for London and will reach Johannesburg on 1 September.

Prime Minister Deuba will be accompanied by Minister for Population and Environment P.L.Singh, Dr. Narayan Khadka, Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission, the chief secretary, secretaries and some high officials of His Majesty's Government.

Prime Minister Deuba will return to Kathmandu on 5 September.

'Ratify SAARC convention on girls trafficking'

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 21: The Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) has demanded that the 23rd session of the SAARC Ministerial meeting that began today ratify the SAARC convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution. The convention was adopted during the 11th SAARC Summit held in Kathmandu in January this year.

President of the forum Sapana Malla today urged all SAARC member countries to ratify the convention and demanded that a committee be constituted to review and amend the weak points in the convention.

"Nepal should take the lead to ratify the convention as it is chairing the SAARC for a year, " she said at a press meet held in the capital Wednesday.

She said that uniform laws as well as mutual consensus among the SAARC countries were essential to effectively implement the convention. "Punishment alone should not be the aim of the law. It
should address issues of rehabilitation and compensation to the victims."

The convention is one of the agendas of this ministerial meeting. She also called on respective governments to constitute a strong and permanent monitoring body. "Building state capacity is also essential to implement the convention successfully,"she said.

She said that the very word trafficking needed a full and complete definition.

SAARC ministers for anti-terrorism measures

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 21: The 23rd session of the SAARC Council of Ministers that began today started reviewing the progress made in implementing the decisions taken at the 11th SAARC Summit held in Kathmandu earlier this year.

Participated by seven foreign ministers of the SAARC member countries and chaired by Minister of Health and Chairman of the SAARC Council of Ministers Sharat Singh Bhandari, the meeting held discussions on 22 agendas submitted to it by the SAARC Standing Committee.

According to Joint Secretary at the Foreign Ministry Pushkar Man Singh Rajbhandari, all the ministers at the meeting talked about the stringent measures necessary to suppress terrorism. " No bilateral issue on terrorism took place during today's meeting."

The ministers appreciated the SAARC Secretary General's report that pointed out ways to strengthen the SAARC process. "Since this is the first time that a Secretary General has prepared an analytical report to strengthen the SAARC, the meeting appreciated it," Rajbhandari said.

They also considered reports prepared by the second meeting of the SAARC Ministers of Information held in Pakistan and the SAARC meetings of Agriculture Ministers and Environment Ministers held in Thimpu.
The Secretary General's report on poverty alleviation in the SAARC region and promoting children's welfare were discussed and deliberated on. The meeting also considered the creation of the SAARC Social Charter. Nepal will be hosting a meeting of experts in November this year on this.

Rajbhandari said that the meeting instituted the SAARC Award of US$ 8,000. Nepal had presented a concept paper on it. A US$ 2,00,000 has been established for this purpose. The theme for this year's award is 'Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine.'

Earlier, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, while inaugurating the meeting, asked the seven foreign ministers of the SAARC to work towards eradicating poverty, promoting the free trade area and for social upliftment, which have been identified as the core areas for regional cooperation.

He said that the meeting might deliberate on the mechanism to strengthen the implementation of the SAARC Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. The convention was signed some 15 years ago.

Prime Minister Deuba, the presiding chairperson of the SAARC, said that he would present a SAARC common position on sustainable development at the World Summit on Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg next month.

On economic cooperation, he hoped that after the fourth round of SAPTA, the SAFTA treaty framework would take effect after its conclusion by year-end. "We have to take decisive steps to make forward movement in this area," he said.

Cataract surgery now possible in 10 minutes

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug 21: Good news for cataract patients. They no longer need to undergo lengthy surgery to regain their sight. After an operation lasting just ten minutes, the patients can see, and a day after, patients can carry out normal activities. All this thanks to new medical technology.

This surgical technique is known as 'Phaeco-emulsification', in which the cataract is pierced and broken into small pieces, which are then taken out. A lens, which costs Rs. 9,000, is then inserted through the hole. Unlike other lenses, these can be folded.

Cataract, a major cause of blindness especially in old age, can be cured only by operating. Seventy-eight per cent of the blindness in Nepal is caused by cataract.

Nepal Eye Hospital (NEH) has just introduced this latest technology for cataract patients with the help of Israeli doctors who are currently in the capital for a few days.

The NEH in association with Nepal Opthalmic Society and MASHAV Cooperation, Israel organised a weeklong practical training and demonstration for Nepalese eye surgeons that ended today.

Professor Dr. Dov Weinberger, Dr. Moshe Lusky and engineer Slomi had carried out the operations at the NEH. Forty-eight cataract patients underwent this new surgical process. Dr. Weinberger had donated 100 lenses to the hospital. Fifty lenses were provided to the patients free of cost.

"Although this surgery is already in practice in the developed countries, we want to popularise it among the Nepalese patients," said Dr. Banshi Krishna Malla, medical director, NEH.

Dr. Malla said that Israel had provided sophisticated medical equipment to the hospital for the purpose. The Israeli surgeons trained three Nepalese doctors during the weeklong demonstration.
Dr. Malla said that the hospital would now provide training to eye experts across the country so that they too can conduct the operation using this latest technology. He thanked the Israeli ambassador to Nepal Avraham Nir for taking the initiative to invite the Israeli doctors. Israeli envoy Nir said that this cooperation would boost the medical ties between the two countries.

Dr. Weinberger and his team had visited Nepal some years back, and had operated on cataracts using this technique. "But when we left Nepal, this practice could not continue in the absence of trained manpower and equipment," he said. "We are now here to meet that requirement."

During the visit, engineer Slomi repaired medical equipment, which had broken down at the NEH and the Tilaganga Eye Hospital.

The NEH, the oldest eye hospital in the non-governmental sector, began cataract operations 15 years ago with the help of American doctors. At that time, patients after undergoing the operation had to wear thick glasses. Two years later, the US government had provided artificial lenses, each costing about $10 to $25. Today most of the cataract operations are done by fitting intra ocular lens in place of the eye lens, which has gone opaque. The lens is produced in Nepal.

Nepal has committed to meet the 'Vision 2020: The Right to Sight,' goal in which every Nepalese will be fully capable of facing any kind of eye disease. Nepal has also committed itself to wiping out blindness among children by 2005.

The NEH has launched the C.M.E. programme together with demonstration and training on Phaeco-emulsification to update and upgrade knowledge about important eye diseases like Glaucoma, Vitro-retinal and other ocular problems.

Janai Purnima today

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 22: The 'Tagadhari' or those who wear the 'Janai' (sacred thread) on their bodies change their sacred thread after having a haircut and a bath on the occasion of 'Janai Purnima,' also known as 'Rishi Tarpani' today.

This festival observed by the Hindus, especially of the Shaiva sect, on the full moon day of August is also popularly known as "Gunhu Punhi" in the Newar community.

According to time honoured tradition, the people receive the Rakshya Bandhan thread which is tied around the wrist. The yellow thread is purified by the chanting of mantras by Brahmins as a symbol of protection from fear and disease. They also observe the occasion as 'Kwati Purnima'.

Kwati, a soup prepared from nine different beans is a special delicacy added to the Nepali menu today.

The 'Kulabarna Tantra' Tantrik test says that the soup is highly nutritious and keeps diseases at bay.
In the Terai region, sisters tie an attractive 'Rakhi' around the wrists of their brothers wishing them long life and propsperity.

Today, thousands of devotees worship Lord Shiva at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu and at Kumbheswor in Lalitpur and take holy dips in ponds and lakes.

Religious fairs are held at Gosaikund, an alpine area in Rasuwa district, and at Dansangu Triveni in Jumla district to observe the festival with offerings of worship to Lord Shiva.

A big religious fair takes place at the Gosaikund Lake and pilgrims come from far away places to take a holy dip in this lake and other lakes nearby.