Preparations Complete

WITH preparations completed, the Far-Western Region eagerly awaits Their Majesties the King and Queen to arrive in Dhangadhi for a grand civic reception the people in the region are hosting in honour of the Royal Couple. Colourful welcome gates line up the roads and people from the neighbouring districts have already come to the district headquarters of Kailali to join in the civic reception for Their Majesties. The organising committee expects more than 100,000 people to attend the function, the first of its kind for the region after the accession to the throne by His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and second civic reception to the Royal Couple after the people of eastern region hosted a grand ceremony in Biratnagar in January this year. The mood of the people is upbeat and the pace of development works in the region has speeded up. His Majesty is scheduled to address the civic ceremony in Dhangadhi. Radio Nepal and Nepal Television will bring the ceremony live to the homes across the kingdom, where the general masses, who have always lived with Monarchial Culture as part of their lives, are expected to tune in for the live coverage of the function. Especially at a time when the nation is seeing hopes only now that a lasting peace will return, the address by His Majesty the King to the people of far-west bears more significance. The tradition in the Kingdom has been that whenever the nation and the people are in difficulties, it has been the Monarch, an irrevocable institution, to look up to for a way out. The guidance the Nepalese people have found forthcoming from His Majesty to lead the country on the path of progress ever since His Majesty's accession to the throne has been proof that Nepal's Monarchs have people and the nation at the core of their hearts. The traditional bond based on the Monarchs' love for the nation and the people and the reciprocal reverence the common people hold deep at heart for the Monarchy will further get stronger when the Far-West will have hosted the civic reception.

Peace For Prosperity

PRIME Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has said that as peace and political stability are the fundamental conditions for the economic and social development of the country, His Majesty's Government is sincerely and seriously making its efforts to restore peace. Inaugurating the 50th annual general meeting of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce in Kathmandu the other day, Prime Minister Chand called upon all political parties, members of civil society, business community and general people to extend their active cooperation in establishing permanent peace in the country. The conflict over the last seven years seriously affected the country's social and economic condition. More than 7,000 people lost their lives and national property worth billions of rupees was damaged. The atmosphere of insecurity and terror ruined national economy and brought the development activities to virtual standstill and shook investors' confidence. The tourism industry, which is the backbone of national economy, suffered the most. The global experiences have shown that violence can never bring about peace and prosperity. Development and prosperity are possible only in an environment of peace, stability and social understanding. Now the Maoists, who had been waging an armed insurgency for the last seven years, have realised this national need and importance of peace. As a result, the government and Maoists have declared cease-fire and agreed on a code of conduct for peace. In this way the peace process has been initiated and both the government and Maoists have shown commitment to the peace process. The formal peace talks are expected to begin in the near future. The country has already started experiencing progress in different sectors after the declaration of cease-fire. Business activities, stock trade and tourist business have started showing signs of revival. The peace process is the desire of the entire people of the country. However, certain elements are trying to create hurdles in the peace process. But the government is resolutely moving ahead for the permanent peace in the country, for which people from all walks of life have extended active support. Peace is the number one priority of the nation at present. Thus, there must be cooperation from all sectors to establish peace and stability in the country. For this, all political forces and others need to bury their political differences and work collectively for the restoration of peace in the country. Therein lies the interest of the nation and the people.