Meet of SAARC heads of police
Nepal to propose SAARCPOL

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 26: Nepal will propose establishing a regional police organisation - SAARCPOL - at the SAARC Heads of Police Conference to be held in Kathmandu from Wednesday. Eighteen Police heads and their subordinates from the seven SAARC nations will take part in the two-day (August 28-29) conference.

"The proposed SAARCPOL, if it comes into being, will work as a regional police organisation of South Asia's seven member nations. It will function like the EUROPOL and the ASAEANPOL," said Inspector General of Police Pradeep Shumsher JB Rana at a press conference at the Police Headquarters this afternoon.

"Its structure and job responsibility will be discussed and ratified by the SAARC standing committee and SAARC summit. It will only look into crimes just like the INTERPOL. It cannot, however, talk or raise bilateral issues," Rana said.

Rana, who will chair the conference, said that the regional police organisation's concept would be proposed as per the request made by the INTERPOL. The 179-member INTERPOL has requested all the regional bodies to form their own regional police organisations. Its initiative to form regional police organisations has helped the EUROPOL and ASEANPOL to take shape.

"Apart from discussing the formation of the proposed regional police group, exchanging of information about criminal investigation and crime control in South Asia by forging better relations and understanding among the police organisations of the SAARC member states is the other objective of the conference."

The meeting of the 18 police representatives of the SAARC will hold discussions to seek regional cooperation in chalking out a common solution to terrorism, drugs and narcotics peddaling and trafficking of women and children for prostitution and other organsied crimes. These are the pressing regional problems afflicting the SAARC nations.

For monitoring regional terrorism and trafficking of drugs, two SAARC level desks - SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) and SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) - have already been established in Colombo.

"During the conference, analysis and progress made in implementing the recommendations made by the last three meetings of regional heads of police will also be discussed. The conference will make recommendations to the SAARC Standing Committee to chart out a future strategy."

All member states will appoint contact officers to exchange information on organised crime and activities related to drugs and narcotics trafficking. Besides, special emphasis will be put on exchanging expertise and training for police professionals of the member nations.

The meeting will be attended by Additional IGP M. Rafiqul Alam Khan and Assistant IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandeker (both from Bangladesh), and Colonel Wangdi Tshering, Lt. Colonel Kipcha Namagyel and Major Chimi Dorji, all from Bhutan.

Also taking part in the conference are DG, IB K.P. Singh IPS; DGP D.C. Bajpayee, IPS; DGP R.R. Prasad, IPS (India); Major Ibrahim Lateef (Maldives); IGP Pradeep Shumsher JB Rana, AIGP Anant Ram Bhattarai, AIGP Govinda Prasad Thapa, SSP Chuda Bahadur Thapa and SP Kuber Rana (Nepal); IGP Muhammad Akram and Charge d' Affaires Muhammad Saeed Khan (Pakistan); DIGP Chandra Fernando, SP Ashoka Galgarnawa and ASP Sunil Maligaspe (Sri Lanka).

Deuba holds talks with Belgium PM

RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug. 26: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had a meeting with Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium, at the Prime Minister's Office in Brussels this morning.

During the meeting, matters of bilateral relations and mutual cooperation were discussed, according to the Royal Nepalese Embassy in Brussels.

Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Belgium Narayan S. Thapa, chief secretary Keshavraj Rajbhandari, foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya and joint secretary Gyan Chandra Acharya were present on the occasion.

Earlier in the morning, a warm welcome was accorded to Prime Minister Deuba on his arrival at the Brussels International Airport by the Royal Nepalese Ambassador, senior officials of the Belgian Foreign Ministry, Embassy officials and the honorary Royal Nepalese consul in Antwerp.

Louis Michel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium, is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister this afternoon.

Bomb blast suspects held

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 26: The security forces have detained several suspects in connection with the explosion in a house at Lamathumke of Sitapaila VDC of Kathmandu on Sunday.

Two persons, including a hardcore militant of the terrorist group called Dinesh Shrestha, alias Prithvi, were killed when a powerful bomb they were assembling at the house rented from Biswonath Adhikary went off.

The Defence Ministry said that the security forces found Rs.76,844, US $7, Singapore $6 and Korean won 1,000 from the house.

A Defence Ministry said that the security forces killed two armed terrorists on Sunday during a search operation at Alladi of Doti district in far-western Nepal. The forces found some weapons, explosives and socket bombs from the site.

The forces also recovered two guns, spare parts of guns, bullets, photographs of terrorists, rice, biscuits, noddles, soap, matches, gum boots, kerosene and ball pens during their search operations at Halhale of Panchthar and Majhuwa of Ilam in eastern Nepal and in Darchula in far western Nepal, the Ministry said.

Also Sunday night, the security forces foiled attacks by the terrorists on police and army posts at Haripur, Lalbandi and some other areas in eastern terai, Nepal Television reported.
The terrorists had made concerted attacks using guns and explosives on those targets Sunday midnight. NTV said that the terrorists fled after the security forces retaliated.

Nepal-B'desh trade talks start

RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug. 26: The commerce secretary level meeting between Nepal and Bangladesh to enhance trade between the two countries began here today.

On the first day of the meeting, discussions on matters relating to trade and transit management and promotion of investment were held, said joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Pursottam Ojha.

Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Bhanu Prasad Acharya is representing Nepal in the two-day meeting while the Bangladeshi delegation is being led by commerce secretary of Bangladesh Suhail Ahmed.

Terrorists loot bank in Chandranigahapur

By Our Correspondent

CHANDRANIGAHAPUR, Aug. 26: Maoist terrorists looted Rs. 7.62 million and 12 pouches of gold and silver from a bank here Sunday night. The terrorists also carried out a simultaneous attack on an area police post nearby.

In the ensuing battle between the two sides that lasted almost two hours, a police constable, Mohan Prasad Shaha, was killed defending the police post. The Maoists severely damaged the police post by lobbing bombs.

In the attack at the branch office of Nepal Bank Limited, two guards - Narendra Bahadur Karki and Rajendra Singh - and a local resident Ram Gautam were badly injured. They have been airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment.

"Before attacking the police post and the bank, the Maoists had burnt tyres to create road blocks at different places of the Mahendra (East-West Highway) and the Birendra Highway leading to Gaur, the district headquarters," said Chief District Officer Narendra Raj Poudel. "At least two terrorists were killed during an exchange of fire between them and a reinforcement team of the army and police from Gaur."

Poudel said the security forces defused 6 socket bombs found at the site of the clash. Security has been tightened in the district, and additional security forces mobilised. Deputy Superintendent of Police of the District Police Office Parashuram Khatri said the forces have launched a massive hunt for the terrorists. Some suspects have already been arrested.

Workshop on rehabilitation opens

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 26: An inter-country workshop on Strengthening Rehabilitation Services in the South East Asia Region, in collaboration with the Nepal Association for the Welfare of the Blind (NAWB), began here today.

The five-day programme, organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), aims at strengthening cooperation, prevention, reservation and rehabilitation of the disabled by identifying them and giving them education and training.

A study 'A Situation Analysis of Disability in Nepal' has shown that about 371,442 people suffer from some form of disability, which is 1.63 per cent of the population.Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in a message, wished the programme all success and emphasised on providing various support to the disabled.

Inaugurating the function, Minister for Health Sharat Singh Bhandari said the government was committed to providing equal opportunity to the disabled.

Bhandari as chief guest at the programme said disability in Nepal was a result of poverty.

The government will amend a new bill according to the spirit of the 1981 international convention that ensures the rights of the disabled people by providing them with health care, education, awareness, nutrition, socio-economic support, employment and mental rehabilitation, added Bhandari. He also asked the NGOs to collaborate with the government in providing them these opportunities.

The study shows disability to be the highest in the mountains, followed by the hills. Analysis of the study indicates that disability is directly associated with poverty and further linked to mortality. In areas where health services are poor, chances of surviving accidents and severe illness are low.
During the programme, WHO Representatives in Nepal Dr. Klaus Wagner, presenting the global scenario of disability, expressed solidarity with humanity for integrating the social, medical and human rights.

Madan P. Upadhyay, Regional Advisor at WHO's South East Asia Regional Office on Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation, said that knowledge translated into wisdom would help empower our society.