SAARC broader alliance essential to thwart terrorism

RSS

KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: Minister for Physical Planning and Works Chiranjibi Wagle who is looking after the portfolios held by the Prime Minister has said that there is in need of a broader alliance and co-operation among police organisations to thwart terrorism which is extending its roots and branches not only in the Asian continent but throughout the world.

Inaugurating the third conference of police chiefs of SAARC member countries in the capital today, Minister Wagle said exchange of information among SAARC member countries is a must to quell terrorist activities.

Emphasising effective implementation of conventions on terrorism and drugs and human trafficking control endorsed by the third SAARC Summit, he said police organisations of the South Asia region have a catalytic role to play to arrest narcotic drugs and human trafficking.

His Majesty's Government has mobilised security forces in Nepal to subdue the Maoist terrorists, Minister Wagle said, adding that SAARC member countries should increase mutual co-operation in order to end terrorist activities in the region.

General secretary of the SAARC Secretariat Q. A. M. A. Rahim emphasised the need of allied action among police organisations of SAARC member countries to prevent and control criminal activities like terrorism and drugs and human trafficking.

He also hoped that the conference would come to productive conclusions in relation to defeating organised crime and other offences in South Asia.

Inspector General of Police Pradeep Shumsher J. B. R. said that the conference would chart out a worthwhile new course of action for the implementation of laws on terrorism control and security.
Additional IGP Govinda Prasad Thapa also expressed his views at the inaugural function.

Two injured as bomb explodes in Bishal Bazaar

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: A powerful bomb went off on the third floor of the busy Bishal Bazaar at about 11 in the morning, minutes after the shopping complex at New Road opened. Two persons were injured in the explosion.

The explosion shattered four window screens besides causing a crack on the walls. The shutters of a TV and a refrigerator store were also battered. Damage to the shopping complex by the pressure cooker bomb has been estimated at Rs. 150,000, police said. The damage done to the goods in the stores have not been worked out.

Immediately after the explosion, Royal Nepalese Army personnel arrived on the scene and cordoned off the area. There was panic as shutters in the busy street closed down and traffic was diverted through the narrow lane of R.B. Complex.

Bishal Bazaar sources said two persons were injured by broken glass. There might have been more injuries if the explosion had taken place during the busy hours. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, but Maoist terrorists are believed to be behind it. No arrests have been made so far, although the police did question a few suspects.

This is the second major explosion in the capital in the past four days. On Sunday, two Maoists were killed at Sitapaila while assembling a time bomb in a rented house.

The Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) in a press release has condemned the terrorist act at Bishal Bazaar as being undesirable, antisocial and inhumane. Such terrorist activities hamper internal and external trade as well as tourism, besides lowering the morale of the business community, it said.
The NCC has once again drawn the attention of the government to provide security to industrial and commercial organisations and institutions. It also called on the government to punish the culprits involved in unwanted destruction and vandalism.

CIAA files cases against 12 persons

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has filed cases at the Special Court, Kathmandu, against 12 individuals, including nine persons from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal Rastra Bank and Nepal Bank and three others, on the charge of graft involving hundreds of thousands of rupees from the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)'s accounts.

The CIAA has implicated the accused for involvement in corruption for withdrawing approximately Rs 5.2 million from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation's accounts at NRB on different dates within the months of Asar and Saun last year by using fake cheques from a new cheque book that the accused are said to have demanded with the bank by filling up a demand form and which the bank had made available.

According to CIAA, the accused had made demands for a new cheque book with the bank while 32 cheques were still remaining in the old cheque book.

The employees implicated in the case include Tulsi Prasad Parajuli, Durga Prasad Manandhar, Hiranya Niraula, Tirtha Kumari Manandhar, Suntali Lal Joshi, Bishnu Khanal, Champa Koirala, Bina Shrestha and Sarada Mishra while others implicated are Anirudra Thakur, Dinesh Shrestha and Parbati Rajbanshi.

Parties urge govt to lift emergency

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: A meeting of 10 political parties here today called upon the government to lift the state of emergency and reinstate civil rights in a bid to seek a way out of the present situation.

The leaders also said that the Maoists should immediately announce a cease-fire and come to the negotiating table. "The meet calls on both the government and the Maoists to immediately initiate negotiations and resolve the ongoing conflict through dialogue," reads a statement issued after the meeting.

It said the meeting took decisions to protect the achievements of the Popular 1990 Movement that reinstated multi-party democracy and to further consolidate the power of the people.

The all-party meet also demanded that the government assure the people that the November polls would be held in a fair, free and impartial manner.

It also demanded that the controversy regarding which of the Nepali Congress factions is legitimate be settled as per the prevailing law and statute of the NC.

The press statement was signed by NC leader and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Bharat Mohan Adhikari of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist), Surya Bahadur Thapa of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Bharat Kumar Bimal of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, Amik Sherchan of the People's Front Nepal, Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar of the CPN-United, Lok Narayan Subedi of the CPN-Marxist, Sita Ram Tamang of the CPN-MLM, Narayan Man Bijukchhe of the Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and Sonam of the CPN-(Unity Centre Masal).

UN rapporteur to promote disabled's rights in Nepal

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: The UN Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development Bengt Lindqvist will visit Nepal from September 3 to 8 to create awareness about equal rights to the disabled in every aspect of life.

Lindqvist, himself a blind, was a former MP and cabinet minister in Sweden before being appointed as special UN rapporteur on disability.

"Providing equal opportunities to the disabled, creating awareness of their rights, defining the role of NGOs and creating pressure on all the social sectors for the rights of the disabled is the focus of his visit," said Lab Prasad Tripathi, Director at the Department of Education at a press meet today.

Tripathi said that the government, UN agencies and Handicap International are working together to make the visit a success.

The UN had, in 1993, adopted 22 UN standard rules for the standardisation and equalisation of the disabled. All organs of the government and social service organisation including NGOs should integrate their efforts to achieve these goals defined by the UN, he said.

Director General of the Department of Education Chuman Singh Basnet briefed the media about the achievements made in providing equal opportunities to the disabled in Nepal. Basnet said that the government was drafting a national action plan on disability with the aim to meet the UN commitment of "Education for All" by 2015.

He said that the Ministry had set up 228 resource centres in 46 districts to reach all the disabled in the country. A training camp has also been established in Dhankuta to provide skill-oriented training to the disabled. Braille texts have been distributed to all the blind students in the schools across the country, said Basnet.

The government has constituted a committee to design sign language under the Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University to provide higher education to the disabled. Only 3,000 symbols are available for the deaf and they are insufficient, he said.

President of National Federation of the Disabled-Nepal, Munishwor Panday called for maximising the benefit from the visit by such a high UN dignitary.

Nepal signed the "UN Standard Rules of the Equalisation of Opportunities for the Persons with Disability" in 1993, but it is ignorant about it, he commented. He further said that even the UN agencies were not aware of these rules.

Only 17 people with hearing impairment have passed the SLC examination in Nepal. And even they have been deprived of higher education due to lack of sign language and the teachers to teach them, he said.

One terrorist killed, ten surrender

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KATHMANDU, Aug. 28: One terrorist was killed in a clash between armed terrorists and the security forces in course of a search operation carried out by the latter at Janaknagar area of Bardia district on Tuesday.

According to the Defence Ministry, the terrorists had shot dead two unarmed police constables-Pahalman Tamang at the Fawakhola area of Taplejung and Narendra Bahadur Dhanuk at Jhimruk area of Pyuthan district on Tuesday.

The security forces have launched an extensive search for those involved in the murder of the two constables.

Condemning the inhumane act of the terrorists, the ministry in a statement has wished for eternal peace to the departed soul and prayed to almighty to provide the bereaved family members the fortitude to bear the tragic loss.

Meanwhile, the security forces recovered four sacks of rice from the Rejana area of Surkhet district and found one horse used by the terrorists for transporting foodgrains.

Also on Tuesday, 10 active members of the Maoist terrorist group in Kavrepalanchowk district surrendered to the security forces.