HM felicitates Kumaratunga

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 4: His Majesty the King has extended sincere felicitations to Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, on the occasion of the Independence Commemoration Day of Sri Lanka.In a message, His Majesty has expressed best wishes for the President's personal health and happiness as well as for the progress and prosperity of the people of Sri Lanka.His Majesty also expressed confidence that the cordial and friendly relations between the two countries will grow further in the years to come.

His Majesty appoints

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 3: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, in his capacity as Chancellor of Tribhuvan University and on the recommendation of the committee constituted on January 14 under the chairmanship of the TU Pro-Chancellor and Minister for Education and Sports, has appointed Professor Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma as Vice-Chancellor of the University. This is stated in a notice published today by the Press Secretariat of His Majesty the King.

PM's address to the nation
Transform cease-fire into permanent peace: Chand

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb. 3: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has said a promising endeavour has begun for restoring lasting peace following the announcement of a cease-fire by the Maoists and the government.

In his address to the nation this evening, Prime Minister Chand said cooperation and understanding among all the political parties and civil society were essentials in transforming the present cease-fire into a permanent peace. "I am hopeful that the government will receive all cooperation from all the political parties and civil groups."

The Prime Minister said that the government was not mulling to remain at the helm of the nation's affair forever. "It is eager to transfer power to an elected government by fulfilling all its responsibilities," he said.

He reiterated that since the Maoists decided to announce a cease-fire, reciprocating the government's policy to end the Maoist problems through dialogue, the government has dropped the tag 'terrorist' on the Maoists. The government has also withdrawn red-corner notices issued against some Maoist leaders and rewards given to informers providing information leading to the arrest of the Maoist activists.

Prime Minister Chand, in his 12-minute speech, elaborated on the compulsions of history that force one to make major decisions. He urged all to forget past bitterness and differences to solve the existing problems in the larger interest of the nation.

"Time has come when a historical decision must be made in a nation's life. The exact time has come to take such decisions, forgetting our past bitterness. We should rise above individual, party and group interest, and give priority to the nation's immediate needs and long-term interest. Therefore, let our thoughts and action be guided by the Monarchial culture and the values attached to multiparty polity," he said.

Chand made it clear that differences and competitions are but natural components of democracy and asked that the Institution of Monarchy and the multiparty polity be the guiding force of all political activities. "We should make the Institution of Monarchy a symbol of national unity and our central meeting point to resolve all our differences through dialogue."

"We must turn to our glorious history to inspire our thoughts and actions to transform our lifestyles by committing ourselves to Constitutional Monarchy and a multi-party democratic system."

He said there was no doubt that multiparty system is the best system in the world, and no one should raise questions about it. Both His Majesty the King and the people's expectations and commitments, therefore, are centered on the system, though works were not undertaken as desired by the people in the 12 years of multiparty democracy. He pointed out that the government is busy institutionalising Constitutional Monarchy and multiparty democracy.

The government has taken the five Royal directives on running the state affairs as well as the emphasis given by His Majesty the King in the Royal address in Biratnagar on January 3 on making the national economy market-oriented, providing good administration and transparency and a corruption-free, law-abiding society as the national agenda, he added.

Chand's government was formed through a Royal Promulgation made in accordance with article 127 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal-2047.

During his televised speech, Chand further shed light on the government's achievements in a very short time. According to him, the government has already implemented its anti-corruption strategies to eradicate all kinds of corruption to give the people a sense of good governance.

The government has established a National Awareness Centre to implement its anti-corruption strategy effectively, and the government will cooperate with all constitutional bodies and government authorities involved in anti-corruption drives, Chand said.

With a view to bringing about broader economic reforms, the government has enacted and implemented "The Economic Reform Programmes, 2059." After its implementation, some indication of reforms in the economic front, as indicated by the increase of the World Bank's assistance from minimal to base level, has been noticed. "We are hopeful of encouraging bilateral and multilateral assistance from our donor agencies in the future," he said.

A mid-term expenditure framework (MTEF), poverty alleviation strategy and poverty alleviation fund will be established very soon to effectively implement the Tenth Plan, that has made poverty reduction its main objective, Chand added.

The government has already launched immediate relief programmes for the people affected by poverty as well as by violence through income generating programmes such as by providing employment and creating opportunities for self-employment, he said.

Chand said the Public Service (Implementation, Monitoring and Inspection) Ordinance-2059 has come under force to monitor if public services provided to the people are impartial, swift and economical.
As per the provisions in the Local Self-Governance Act-2055, the government has already started programmes to devolve power to the District Development Committees in order to effectively execute the decentralisation process, he added.

Prime Minister Chand said that as per Nepal's foreign policy, important steps are being taken to make Nepal's relations with its neighbours and other friendly nations more close and strong through mutual understanding and cooperation.

Highlights of the PM's address

v Government confident of cooperation from all the political parties and civil groups to transform the present cease-fire into a permanent peace.

v All should forget past bitterness and rise above individual, party and group interest and give priority to the nation's immediate needs and long-term interest. Institution of Monarchy and Monarchial culture should be symbols for national unity and central meeting point to resolve all differences.

v There is no doubt that multi-party system is the best system in the world. No questions should be raised about it.

v Government has taken the five Royal directives to run the state as well as the emphasis given by His Majesty the King in the Royal address in Biratnagar on making the national economy market-oriented, providing good administration and transparency and a corruption-free law abiding society as the national agenda.

v Government has implemented anti-corruption strategies to eradicate all kinds of corruption to give the people a sense of good governance.

'AIDS growth shows bleak future'

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Feb. 3: A high-level conference of South Asia's leaders, policy makers and others began here today to accelerate the momentum against HIV/AIDS, portraying an alarming present and a frightful future of the infection in the region.

In 2001, South Asia had over 4 million people living with HIV/AIDS, an increase from 2 million in 1994, and the infection rate virtually galloping.

Silence and dilemma surrounding the infection; and denial and refusal are as much to be blamed for the spread of the virus as poverty, illiteracy, lack of education, gender inequality and lack of education.

Inaugurating the conference this morning, Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said that the rapid pace at which the fire of HIV/AIDS was engulfing our societies was indeed alarming and that needed to be checked in time.

"We, the member of the South Asian Region have committed ourselves along with the global community to ensure that the spread of HIV is halted and reversed by 2015," he said.
"This is, very much our shared problem and we need to work together to find joint solutions."
"It is high time that we protect our young people, particularly girls with an easy access to information and appliances they wish to use and protect themselves from HIV," Prime Minister Chand said.
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the UNICEF, said for a disaster is looming over the people of this region - and unless there is a quantum shift in our efforts to confront HIV/AIDS, the scale of that disaster will be truly staggering.

The ingredients for an HIV/AIDS-driven catastrophe, which range from poverty, illiteracy, gender inequities, trafficking and sexual exploitation of girls, high intravenous drug use, unsafe sex - and the lingering sense of denial that helps spread the disease by pretending it is not really in our amidst, are nonetheless present in South Asia, she said.

"This is the reality of South Asia: the tipping point has been reached, and the window of opportunity to act is closing rapidly." Yet, she said, there are increasing signs that governments have begun to grasp the nettle.

She said only education could empower young people with the knowledge that they need to protect themselves and their communities.

She cited six important challenges before the conference - leaders must break the silence that denies the existence of HIV/AIDS; ensure that every child, with special efforts on girls, goes to school; young people's right to information and services for HIV prevention; special needs of young people involved in sex work or use of intravenous drugs; to put an end to all forms of gender-discrimination; and mobilise all sectors of society in a stepped-up drive against HIV/AIDS - if the spread of the virus is stopped before South Asia's window of opportunity slams shut.

Dr. Nafis Sadek, special envoy of the UN Secretary General for HIV/AIDS in South Asia, said South Asia must be prepared to take risk as stakes are very high. But failure means a devastating outbreak, and the second outbreak could destroy the prospect of development in South Asia.

SAARC Secretary General QAMA Rahim said although the prevalence rate is still low in the region, it is known to have one of the most rapidly growing HIV/AIDS epidemics globally.

South Asia's HIV/AIDS situation is further aggravated by very high prevalence of tuberculosis in the region, he said. South Asia accounts for 38 per cent of the global TB burden, and it is estimated that 40 to 50 per cent of the adult population in South Asia is infected with TB bacillus. The epidemic of both TB and HIV is further complicated by yet another debilitating disease, that is poverty, he said.
Executive Director of UNAIDS Dr. Peter Piot said although HIV is still confined to the most vulnerable group of the population, but researches have shown that region is a risk of speaking into the general populace. "Until a medicine is found, education is the only vaccine available in the fight against HIV/AIDS," he said.

On behalf of the young people of South Asia, Ms. Deluckshi Navaratnam asked the leaders, politicians and the decision-makers to keep their promises, saying the young people need more and correct information and urgent access to services and to stop social stigmatization and discrimination.

The conference is participated by about 170 representatives from the seven SAARC countries plus Afghanistan; SAARC regional organisation, bilateral agencies, NGOs, UNICEF and other UN agencies, members of the civil society and media.

In the beginning of the opening of the conference, a five-minute documentary 'Nepal - Unheard Voices' was shown. The documentary is about a family affected by HIV/AIDS, where the children and their old grandmother are left to fend for themselves
when both the parents die of HIV/AIDS.

Media must not be misled, says Pandey

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Feb. 3: Minister for Information and Communications and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey today asked journalists not to be misled by political predictions being made by the party leaders.

"It is sad to note that some of today's broadsheet dailies have forgotten their ideal news format and have started putting analytical headlines like that of the weekly tabloids," Minister Pandey said in his inaugural address at a five-day training programme on "The Role of Media in the Promotion of Civil Society".

He said Nepal was making a leap forward in the field of media in South Asia, but it was a matter of shame that news reports in some dailies were having to be refuted every other day.

Minister Pandey noted that as the media develops so does its responsibilities towards the civil society. He expressed satisfaction over the development of the media sector during the past 12 years. "Journalistic writing must help strengthen social harmony and mutual existence," he said while addressing about 25 trainees and other journalists gathered at a function organised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ). The training is being organised with the help of the Embassy of Israel and the cooperation of Department of Information.

During the function Pandey also highlighted the longstanding ties between Nepal and Israel and hoped that Israel would continue to support its oldest friend in South Asia in the days to come.

"Israel's contribution to Nepal's agricultural and human resource development is tremendous. Its latest assistance to the floriculture sector will help Nepal export flowers worth Rs. 2 billion," he maintained.
Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Abraham Nir said that the media needed to be responsible to the state. "The media is the harbinger of peace and prosperity in any nation, it has an ever increasing role in the promotion of civil society," he said. Meanwhile, he also added that the media should think twice before disseminating news information that could have negative impact on the mass or in the smooth functioning of the state.

"Secret negotiations can sometimes yield better results for the nation and the civil society than if negotiations are held in media glare," he said.

President of Nepal Press Council Harihar Birahi said that the media could bring about both positive and negative changes in the society. "We should always be guided to bring about positive changes in the society which is a challenging task."

Welcoming the guests, central member of the NUJ, and general manager cum editor-in-chief of The Rising Nepal Lok Deep Thapa said the training would help journalists work for the promotion of civil society which was the ultimate aim of the media.

During the function, organisers told the press that after the end of the five-day training, which is being conducted by senior journalist and media professor Dr. Sandra Rubinstein, they would conduct a similar training programme in Pokhara from Falgun 2.

President of NUJ Tej Prakash Pandit chaired the function which was also addressed by director general at the Department of Information Dharanidhar Khatiwada, president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists Tara Nath Dahal, and NUJ vice president Govinda Adhikari.

Kathmandu brick kilns pose risks to children's health

By Bhimsen Thapaliya

KATHMANDU, Feb. 3: Brick kilns in the Kathmandu Valley, many of which operate without pollution reduction mechanisms, are posing health risks to school children.

A study has shown that children from a school in the vicinity of a polluting brick kiln suffered from critical respiratory problems as against another school situated fairly away from the kilns. This finding is reported in the freshly published Himalayan Journal of Sciences by A. K. Raut of Clean Energy Nepal (CEN).

"The kilns are having adverse impact on the health of the local people, particularly young children", the research paper states taking stock of the smoke-belching kilns of the capital valley.

A health check-up was conducted by CEN and Pro Public in two schools in Lalitpur district south of Kathmandu downtown. One of the schools was located just next to a brick kiln at Tikathali while another was chosen from Lamatar which has no kilns in the immediate surrounding.

In the former school, the doctors found more than 50 per cent of the children suffering from respiratory problems. However, in the latter, the children with respiratory complaints were only about 4 per cent.
More than 100 kids in each school were tested for respiratory diseases. The researchers also tried to build a link between student absenteeism and respiratory troubles. In the school near the kiln, a student was absent on average for 3.6 days a month while the absence rate in the latter school was 1.9 days, the study revealed. However, the report does not say if the absenteeism had anything to do with respiratory ailments.

Smoke from brick kilns have been blamed for the degrading air quality in Kathmandu with the concentration of polluting particles being several times higher than the guidelines set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), says the report.

Brick kilns not only produce the highest polluting particles among all the responsible sources but also generate particles measuring less than 10 microns. The air polluting particles of this size pose more threats to human health as they can easily enter the respiratory system.

A study conducted by the World Bank found that the share of brick kilns in the valley's air pollution was 28 per cent while that of domestic fuel burning was 25 per cent, cement factory 17 per cent, vehicle emission 12 per cent and road dust 9 per cent. The study estimated that dust particles in the air cause 18,863 cases of asthma and 4,847 cases of bronchitis in Kathmandu children every year.
For the last few years, Kathmandu Valley has been facing serious air pollution problems. The number of people with respiratory problems along with pollution is rising every year, says the Himalayan Journal of Sciences article.

Besides causing public health hazards especially in children who have to stay long hours in classrooms without proper ventilation, brick kilns also contribute to poor visibility. The kilns are concentrated around Tribhuvan International Airport and along the southern approach route of the aircraft. Pilots have complained of problems they face while approaching the airport, the environmental report says.

There are more than 125 brick kilns in the valley, about 90 per cent of which use baking methods called Bull's Trench technology that does not have pollution checking mechanisms.

The number of kilns varies seasonally, with many of them operating even illegally. There are only a few kilns using the cleaner brick baking methods known as the Clamp or Hoffman kiln. Due to its bad environmental record, the Bull's Trench kilns have been banned in India.

Kilns are also responsible for the degrading fertility of farmlands. Studies have revealed that essential crop nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are very low in the fields used by the brick kilns. Farmers, after harvesting the summer paddy crop, lease out the land to brick kilns.

A study conducted by CEN in collaboration with ENPHO and Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness in Lalitpur's Tikathali found that the top soil used by brick kilns has left a negative impact on soil fertility and consequently on crop output.

The government has recently taken steps to check kiln caused pollution. Registration of Bull's Trench technology has been banned. Positively, kiln operators are switching to cleaner options, the report says.

'Kantipur news wrong, misleading'

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 3: Describing the news relating to the Prime Minister published in today's edition of Kantipur Daily as ill-intended, untrue and misleading, the Prime Minister's Private Secretariat has refuted the news.

In a press statement here today, the secretariat has made it clear that the Prime Minister was fully aware of the developments leading to the cease-fire and that they were carried out at the direction and involvement of the Prime Minister.

Dissemination of such misleading and baseless news to give wrong information to the public is a model of yellow journalism, adds the statement.