Their Majesties’ state visit to China from July 9

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): Their Majesties King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and Queen Komal Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah are leaving Kathmandu for Beijing on July 9, 2002 to pay a state visit to the People's Republic of China at the invitation of Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China.

Their Majesties will be accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Prearana Rajya Laxmi Devi Shah. Sharat Singh Bhandari, Minister for Health, will also accompany, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

On July 10, Their Majesties will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the great hall of the people in Beijing by Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China.

Later, a meeting of the two heads of state will take place in the great hall of the people. The President will host a state banquet in honour of Their Majesties the same evening.

While in Beijing, His Majesty will receive in audience senior leaders of China.

Their Majesties the King and Queen will grace a luncheon hosted in Their Majesties' honour by Rajeswar Acharya, Royal Nepalese Ambassador to the People's Republic of China.

Other programmes in Beijing include visits to science and technological centres.

On July ll, Their Majesties will leave Beijing for Dalian city, where they will grace a dinner hosted in their honour by the Governor of Liaoning Province. While in Dalian, they will visit a Tourism Promotion Centre and the Dalian Mounted Policewomen Training Base.

On July 13, His Majesty will visit the Three Gorges Project in Yichang, Hubei Province. Their Majesties will reach Shanghai the same evening.

On July 14, Their Majesties will grace a dinner hosted in Their Majesties' honour by the Mayor of Shanghai.

Other programmes in Shanghai include visits to the old city of Jhujiajiao as well as Pudong and the Urban Planning Exhibition Centre.

Their Majesties will leave Shanghai for Hong Kong on July 15 and are scheduled to return home on July 18, 2002.

‘Koirala failed to safeguard NC values’

Biratnagar, July 3 (RSS): General Secretary of the Nepali Congress and Minister for Home and Local Development Khum Bahadur Khadka has said that if the workers of the party unite with political determination and will power, we can be successful in strengthening the Nepali Congress organisation.

Addressing party workers in Morang today, Khadka pointed out the need to improve upon the weaknesses within oneself to remove the evils within the Nepali Congress.

Although the Koirala family had a paramount role in the political history and democratic movement of Nepal, Nepali Congress ex-president Girija Prasad Koirala could not free the Nepali Congress from familial affiliation and failed to safeguard democratic values and the ideals of the Nepali Congress. He discussed about the present situation of party workers of having to struggle for freeing the party from family shackles.

Minister Khadka made it clear that the emergency had to be enforced in the country in view of the woes and sensitivity of the security forces in order to guarantee law and order by resolving the Maoist problem which has become more complex.

No one can bring an end to democracy, he said, adding that the constitutional monarch is himself in favour of strengthening democracy.

NC joint general secretary and Minister for Water Resources Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar opined that the esteemed workers of the Nepali Congress have been uniting to protect their affiliation to democracy as well as NC values and norms by themselves struggling against humiliation and breaking the shackles of family pressure.

He alleged that although the Nepali Congress is a democratic party, the president of the former party dispensation Girija Prasad Koirala had meted out a hegemonistic attitude, neglected those holding differing views in the party and infringed upon the freedom of expression and failed to free the party from family slavery.

Stating that the prime ministerial system should be respected by all in a multiparty democracy, Gachchhadar alleged that although he gave a slogan of broader democratic alliance, ex-president Koirala only focused on the power game without trying to resolve intra party squabbles.

He called on the party workers not to be confused as Prime Minister and NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba will take along all indigenous people and nationalities with new programmes and ideas in the elections.

From the chair, Minister of State for Information and Communications Hari Narayan Chaudhari said 'we will succeed if all the self-esteemed and faithful workers of the NC go to the polls unitedly.'

Meanwhile, in Biratnagar Home and Local Development Minister Khadka went to the Eastern Regional Police Office and took stock of Maoist activities the and law and order situation in the Eastern Development Region, today.

On the occasion, he directed the security forces to guarantee law and order to the general public by resolving the Maoist problem.

He also pointed out the need to make the law and order situation strong and swift in view of the next elections, adding that the emergency was imposed in view of the sensitivity of the security forces.

Earlier, DIG of the Eastern Regional Police Office Rajendra Bahadur Singh, DIG of the Eastern Regional Armed Police Office Gopal Man Shakya and CDOs of Morang and Sunsari Dolakh Bahadur Gurung and Dilli Raj Joshi while informing extensively on the Maoist activities and law and order situation in the region, demanded vehicles and other materials.

Nepal, India police begin joint patrolling of border

By Our Correspondent

Bhairaba, July 3: The border police of Nepal and India have started joint patrolling of the border areas since Tuesday to control terrorism, criminal activities, trafficking of women and smuggling of drugs.

"Police from Nepal and India agreed to launch joint patrolling in the border areas to check criminal activities around the border," said Nav Raj Dhakal, Deputy Superintendent of Police of Rupandehi district.

Some criminal elements, taking advantage of the open border between the two countries, are involved in smuggling drugs, trafficking of women and committing other criminal activities, Dhakal added.

The two consecutive meetings of the security officers from Nepal and India held in Lumbini and Sunauli (India) last week had taken the decision, he informed.

The joint patrolling will keep records of persons renting houses, exchange information and make on the spot inspection of places that are prone to criminal activities, said Police-In-Charge of Belhiya police post Jagat Karki.

Similarly, Nepal-India Friendship Association here submitted a 17-point memorandum to district police chief of Belhiya R K Singha to control looting and vandalism at the Sunauli buspark.

"For some time, Nepalese workers have been looted of their earnings at the bus park while returning home from India. So the association seeks the security of the Nepalese workers from the Indian side," said the association's secretary Dr Shantu Kumar.

Six terrorists killed in Kailali, Bardiya army action

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, July 3: Six terrorists were killed in encounters with the security forces on Monday and Tuesday in Kailali and Bardiya districts.

During exchange of fire between the security forces and the terrorists at Ramshikharjhala area of Kailali Monday, four terrorists named Bagmati, Maya Chaudhary, Rupesh Chaudhary and Krishna Chaudhary were killed. The forces found five guns, explosives, socket bombs and other logistics from the places, the Defense Ministry said today.

A search operation carried out later found equipment used to set up ambushes, explosives, torchlights, and spare parts of guns.

In another encounter on Tuesday at Thakurdwara area of Bardiya, two terrorists were killed. The terrorists had been involved in setting up booby traps against the security forces in different parts of the district. The forces also found the weapons used by the terrorists, explosives, socket bombs and equipment used for setting up ambushes and logistics from the site.

The Ministry said that the condition of two victims, Anju Shrestha and Ranju Shrestha, who were wounded in the crossfire in Jarayotar of Bhojpur on Saturday, is improving at the Birendra Military Hospital. They were airlifted to Kathmandu by the Royal Nepalese Army for medical treatment.

On Tuesday, 48 activists of the terrorist group in Sindhupalchowk surrendered to the security forces, and in Ilam the locals have handed over five guns they collected to the security forces.

The Ministry said that the security forces have found a headless body in combat dress and two guns at the Tappuko jungle of the district. The headless corpse is presumed to be that of a high-level commander.

Students resort to arson after failing in English

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, July 3: Students of the English Department of Tribhuvan University at Kirtipur have set fire to several rooms of the Department after seeing their results.

A girl student of the Department, on condition of anonymity, said that the students were angry at the results of the M.A. Ist year examination.

The results of the Ist year were published Monday evening. Only 23 out of the about 500 students passed the exams. Even those who passed got poor marks with only 6 of them getting second division marks, which is below 60 per cent.

She said the students collected petrol from motorcycles of the students themselves and sprinkled them on the furniture and set them on fire. Several rooms and the furniture in them were damaged, but there was no damage to the library room and other documents as the fire engines put out the fire in time.

"The students then made speeches against the checking of the answer papers and against the teachers who teach poorly," she said.

The students' wrath had begun flaring up after the results of the Second Year students were published a few days earlier. In the result also, only 33 students out of the about 250 students had passed all of them with poor marks.

The students blame the teachers who hardly take classes at TU. Even those who do take classes are not serious about their teaching they say. "One teacher took only three classes in five months," they say.

Many teachers teach in private colleges where they teach well and are fully prepared. "A teacher of the English Department of TU is even the principal of a private college," a student said.

The students rue that many teachers remain with TU because it is where they get chances to go abroad for higher studies on scholarships. "Tribhuvan University has become an airport where teachers wait for their flights abroad," one student said.

'Micro-propagation could enhance productivity'

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, July 3: Nepal should accord priority to the industrialisation of agriculture for sustainable economic growth, said Dr. Ilan A., an agriculture expert from Israel here today. Sharing ideas with the Nepalese experts and agricultureal scientists, Dr Ilan said that revolutionary change could be introduced through micro-propagation technology transfer.

He further said that Nepal is yet to focus on agriculture and marketing of agricultural products. Dr. Ilan, while explaining his experiences on mirco-propagation technology transfer said that it could enhance agricultural productivity to a great extent.

Speaking at the function, Israeli ambassador to Nepal said that the technology would help Nepal boost its agricultural productivity.

Dev Bhakta Shakya, chief of the Agriculture Enterprise Centre (AEC), said that micro-propagation technology would be very effective in enhancing production. "Nepal should introduce such technology for faster economic growth through agriculture. It should be our priority," he said. The programme was organised at the initiative of the AEC.

EU mission touched by refugees' plight

By Navin Singh Khadka

Kathmandu, July 3: Heads and deputies of five EU missions based here had a "touching experience" in the Bhutanese refugee camps in eastern Nepal today as they tried to "feel the pulse" of the Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese, now in exile for almost 12 years.

"We were touched by what we saw in the camps," said Rudiger Lemp, German Ambassador to Nepal, who was one of the three heads of EU missions here visiting the camps. "We were surrounded by thousands of refugee children who were waiting for us, holding banners."

Even as the refugees were living their lives, he said, they neither had a future nor career. "The sight posed a question: what life do they have ahead?"

The fact-finding mission, comprising of heads of Danish, French and German embassies and deputy chiefs of the European Union office and Dutch Development Agency (SNV), had face-to-face conversation with more than 20 refugees in four of the seven refugee camps.

A part from visiting Beldangi I, II and III camps in Jhapa district and Sanischare in Morang district, the EU team also met with officials of the UNHCR and other agencies involved in running the seven camps.

"The people we met showed us documents proving their point that they were from Bhutan," Lemp said. "Some of them were even members of the National Assembly in Bhutan. They are all eager to return to Bhutan."

The refugees, he said, submitted the visiting team with appeals asking the EU to influence Bhutan to solve the refugee crisis. "We told them that our missions are in Kathmandu so we cannot directly influence Bhutan. But we'll surely report back to our capitals."

When asked what the mission's impression was of the refugees' citizenship, Lemp said "We are not making any decisions now. But, this is the time to decide on the refugees' verification completed in one of the camps. Going by this speed, the verification of the refugees in the remaining camps could take seven to eight years."

All eyes are now fixed on Bhutan since it has neither come out with the result of the Khudunabari camp's refugee-verification it did together with Nepal nor has it confirmed the dates with the Foreign Ministry for the 12th round of ministerial level meeting.

The meet is supposed to provide a forum for both the sides to narrow down their deep running differences on who of the verified refugees should be repatriated. Nepal says the refugees, on the basis of verification, should be categorised as Bhutanese and non-Bhutanese while Bhutan maintains there should be four categories – bonafide Bhutanese, Bhutanese who emigrated, Bhutanese with criminal records and non-Bhutanese.

With Bhutan mum since the verification of the Khudunabari camp more than six months ago, the refugees and their associates have been intensively lobbying for international pressure to make the Dragon Kingdom move ahead with the issue.

The refugees claim Bhutan is in no mood to voluntarily allow the refugees back in their homeland since it had evicted them under its ethnic cleansing policy. They maintain that Thimpu had made them fill up voluntary migration forms at gunpoint before driving them out of its territory.

Bhutan denies that and has labeled the refugees as illegal economic migrants in its land.

The European Parliament in its latest resolution, brought out last month, has called upon both Nepal and Bhutan to speedily resolve the refugee crisis. The European body had made a similar call in 1996.

Four more political parties registered at EC

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): Only four additional political parties have been registered at the Election Commission (EC) as of today after it called for registration of new political parties in view of the general elections on November l3.

The 35-day deadline for registration notified by the Commission ends on July 9.

The new parties filing petitions for registration are the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist and Leninist), the Nepali Congress Party, Nepal Samata Party and the National Nepali Congress Party, said joint secretary at the Election Commission Tej Muni Bajracharya.

These parties will be given certificates once necessary investigations are made as per the existing laws after July 9.

Ninety eight political parties have already gotten recognition from the Election Commission.

Thirty five parties, including the ruling Nepali Congress, submitted amendments by the last day yesterday after the Election Commission gave a 15-day deadline for any amendments or changes in the parties since their original registration, he said.

The Commission is actively keeping detailed records of petitions for amendments, studying the applications emanating from the dispute in the Nepali Congress and also studying international precedents in this connection. It aims to resolve the problems as soon as possible taking into consideration the seriousness of the cases.

The activities of the Election Commission will be accelerated after the report of the election constituency delimitation commission comes in by the end of this month, Bajracharya further said.

Press Council seeks reality on journo Sen

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): President of Nepal Press Council Harihar Birahi has called upon the government to clarify forthwith the reality surrounding member of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Krishna Sen out of respect for the feelings and sensitivities of journalists.

In the statement, he has said that it has been one week since news reports of suspicion about his death, and the silence on the part of the government over this matter is causing anxiety.

Stating that unless the reality surrounding the matter is made public authoritatively, there will be uncertainty and anguish, NPC chairman Harihar Birahi said it was deplorable to create an atmosphere of suspicion, mistrust and uncertainty at a time when there should have been cordial and cooperative relations between the press and the government and when the country is passing through a critical stage.

Maoists should give up terrorist acts: NSP leader

Rajbiraj, July 3 (RSS): Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) has stressed the need for the Election Commission to take into consideration the geographical and cultural conditions, population and communal unity while delineating the election constituencies.

This view was expressed by acting NSP president Badri Prasad Mandal at a press conference organised here today.

Mandal said that the genuine sentiments of the people of the Terai region cannot be fulfilled as these factors had been neglected by the Election Commission while delineating the election constituencies and there was no representation of the Terai people in the Election Commission.

Stating that the Maoists should give up terrorist activities and carry out works to gain the confidence of the people by joining the national mainstream of politics, Mandal said that the people should not be terrorised with guns.

Expressing the view that the elections cannot be conducted in a fair and peaceful manner because of the present political situation in the country, the NSP acting president said that his party believes that fear among the people could be ended through reinstatement of the Parliament.

Mandal said that dissolution of the Parliament was improper, ill-intended and an act of cowardice.

Nominations to TU Council

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): His Majesty the King has, in his capacity as Chancellor of Tribhuvan University (TU), nominated various persons to the TU Council, in accordance with the TU Act 2049.

According to the TU Information Section, those nominated are Ashok Koirala, Prof. Dr. Ramman Shrestha and Mrs Yangkila Sherpa from among the MPs, Vice-Chancellor of the Purbanchal University Toran Bahadur Karki to the one vacancy from among vice-chancellors, and Dr. Mahendra Prasad from among former TU vice-chancellors.

Likewise, president of Nepal University Teachers Association (NUTA) Khagendra Prasad Bhattarai, Prof. Dr. Dibya Dev Bhatta and Prof. Dr. Shiva Prasad Dhaubhadel from among noted scholars or distinguished persons, Harihar Birahi from among journalists and Bal Krishna Shrestha and Mohan Gopal Khetan from among industrialists, businessmen and donors have also been nominated.

Investiture ceremony

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): The Paradesh Sewa Padak and cash prizes awarded by His Majesty the King to the Royal Nepalese Army personnel of the third, fourth and fifth batches of the first contingent of the Devidatta Battalion which returned from Sierra Leone after completing its peace-keeping mission was presented by Field Marshal Nir Shumsher J. B. Rana at an investiture ceremony here today.

Altogether 408 army officers, junior commissioned officers and others ranks received the medals and cash prizes today.

Chief of Army Staff General Prajjwal Shumsher J.B. Rana and other high ranking officers of the Royal Nepalese Army were present at the investiture ceremony.

Former MPs Meet on Deuba

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): A delegation of former MPs called on Prime Minister and President of the Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba at the latter's office at Singha Durbar today and suggested that the Nepali Congress should be further strenghthened and face each and every challenge firmly.

The delegation comprised Mahendra Kumar Mishra, Jeevan Prem Shrestha, Dr. Dhruva Sharma, Basanta Kumar Gurung, Brahma Narayan Chaudhari, Dwarika Pradhan, Chhabi Devkota, Dilli Prasad Sitaula, Akbar Bahadur Singh, Krishna Kumar Joshi, Keshav Bahadur Chanda, Shusheela Sharma, Shilu Pyari Karmacharya, Hari Prasad Nepal, Homraj Dahal, Debraj Joshi, Rudra Mani Bhandari, Ratna Bahadur Bishwakarma, Mani Lama, Bishwanath Agrawal and Gambheer Jung Karki.

Media operation sub-committee meeting held

Kathmandu, July 3 (RSS): Media operation and information dissemination sub-committee formed under the convenorship of Information and Communications Secretary Mukunda Sharma Poudel met at the Ministry of Information and Communications today.

The meeting was participated in by the heads of government media and representatives from the National Security Council and the Department of Information.

On the occasion, Secretary Poudel underlined the need for the mass media to contribute to the dissemination of positive messages and information.

Chairman and General Manager of National News Agency (RSS) Purusottam Dahal referred to the need of a concrete policy in order to muster public opinion against terrorism and said that if the role of mass media is defined within the security perception, factual information can be disseminated in a smooth manner.

General Manager and Editor-In-Chief of Gorakhapatra Sansthan Kishore Nepal expressed the view that the government should delegate power and provide logistic support to the government media.

Executive Director of Radio Nepal Shailendra Raj Sharma informed that various efforts are underway to bring into light the achievements made following the enforcement of the state of emergency in the country.