HM expresses condolence

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has said that the untimely deaths of former Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Krishna Mohan Shrestha, his wife Nudup and Sub-inspector Surya Bahadur Regmi by the bullets of unidentified gunmen have pained not only the bodies related to national security, but also all nationalists and common citizens.In a message of condolence to the Armed Police Force, His Majesty the King said that there is no doubt that the murders, no matter who did it, were the worst examples of irresponsibility, the height of terrorist activity, and utter insensitivity of human values and a violation of human rights.His Majesty, in the message, said that in the death of IGP Shrestha, the country has lost a true servant who could have given able leadership in the security sector."While the Armed Police Force must bear the grave loss, the Force must remain even more active, dedicated and responsible in the service of the country and countrymen," the message read.

The message further said, if the whole rank and file of the Force can transform its motto 'Committed to Peace and Security' into action, it would be a real tribute to its late chief.His Majesty the King also wished for the eternal peace of the departed souls.The Royal message was read out at a memorial to mark the 13th day of the deaths of late IGP, his wife and Sub-inspector Regmi organised by the Armed Police Force.At the memorial, acting IGP Shahabir Thapa said that the message from His Majesty the King has infused courage, fortitude and dedication to all the personnel of the Armed Police Force to remain even more dedicated to the Crown, country and countrymen.Acting IGP Thapa also expressed gratitude and gratefulness to all governmental and non-governmental organisations, diplomatic missions, political parties and others for their support and fraternity in this hour of grief.At the memorial ceremony, garlands were offered to the photos of late Thapa, his wife and Regmi.Memorials were also organised in all the barracks of the Armed Police Force in other parts of the country.

Nepal, Bhutan agree on roadmap for refugee categorisation

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb 6: Nepal and Bhutan have agreed to undertake the catagorisation process of the already verified Bhutanese refugees in Thimpu from February 24. A Joint Verification Team (JVT) had verified about 12,000 Bhutanese refugees living at Khudunabari, one of the seven UNHCR-administered refugee camps in eastern Nepal.

This was decided at the 12th ministerial level meeting that concluded here today. The last ministerial meeting was held 17 month ago in August 2001. Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees of Nepalese origin have been living in refugee camps in Nepal for more than a decade.

Nepal and Bhutan had earlier agreed to categorise the Bhutanese refugees into four groups.
They also said that the work of verifying the other refugees would also resume as soon as possible.
"We have agreed to hold the next Ministerial Joint Committee meeting from 24 March this year in Thimpu, which will prepare a roadmap to find an early and lasting solution to the decade-long Bhutanese refugee crisis," said Nepal's Foreign Minister Narendra Bikram Shah presenting a joint press statement.

"We prepared a roadmap to forward the verification process. I am very optimistic about the results of the next ministerial meeting to be held in Thimpu," said minister Shah.

"Both sides have agreed to go ahead. We will talk about repatriation and resettlement of the Bhutanese refugees for a durable and ultimate solution," said the Bhutanese counterpart, Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley.

Thinley said the repatriation was something that should be discussed by taking earlier matters into account. "We must dwell on the matter that contribute to moving forward."

He said that they were for a speedy conclusion of the problem. "We will do this by considering the feelings and sentiments of the people in the camps."

Regarding the time frame of the verification, the Bhutanese minister said that neither side wanted to go with this process for long. "This is a serious problem and deserves importance in the bilateral relations of the two countries," he noted.

However, Thinley denied that there was pressure from the donor countries on Bhutan to resolve the refugee crisis as soon as possible. "It is the Nepalese government that has taken the initiative for this. There is a need for urgency," he said. A round table meeting of Bhutan's donors is scheduled for Feb 18 and 19 in Geneva.

But Shah admitted that friendly and donor countries had pressured them to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

Both the ministers commended the efforts of the JVT and the two ambassadors in New Delhi for carrying out their responsibilities to the mutual satisfaction of both the governments, the statement reads.

Even as both foreign ministers met, a group of Bhutanese refugees staged a sit-in at the gate of the Foreign Ministry where the meeting was held. They chanted slogans against the Bhutanese regime and demanded that the outcome of the verification at the Khudunabari camp be made public immediately. They also demanded their repatriation as soon as possible.

The Bhutanese refugees who have undergone the verification process have been on a relay hunger strike since the past one month.

Basanta Panchami observed

RSS

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: Basanta Panchami or Sri Panchami (fifth day of the new moon and marking the advent of spring) was observed throughout the country today with offerings of prayers and worship to Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.Prayers and worship were offered to the goddess at temples at Swoyambhu and Lazimpat in Kathmandu and other Saraswati temples throughout the country.
Students observe Shree Panchami by paying homage to books, pens and notebooks as symbols of the Goddess of Learning.Also this day, children are first introduced to reading and writing.It is believed that this day also marks the onset of the spring season. In this connection, the Nepal Bramharshi Samaj organised a programme to offer worship to Saraswati at Maitidevi in the capital today. Some 200 devotees took part in the prayers and were offered Prasad on the occasion.Likewise, similar Saraswati Puja ceremonies were also organised at the Institute of Engineering Pulchowk Campus and other schools and educational institutions to mark Basanta Panchami.

Monarchy hallmark of history: Pandey

RSS

BUTWAL, Feb. 6: Minister for Information and Communications and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that as the hallmark of the history of Nepal is the monarchical system, monarchy must be made the point of convergence to take decisions in the overall interest of the country.

Inaugurating the FM 100 megahertz transmission centre at Kunjalpur of Anandavan VDC, Rupandehi district today, he said that monarchy was the historical and cultural essence of Nepal.
Stating that monarchy, the symbol of national unity, should be considered with pride, Minister Pandey said that our ideas and activities should be guided through monarchical tradition and multi-party democratic values. He said that Constitutional Monarchy and multi-party democracy are a way of life of the Nepalese and there was no room for suspicion in this regard. Stating that communications is a two way system, he said that F. M. Radio Stations set up by Radio Nepal inform of the various decisions taken by the government in the interest of the people, and also help inform the government about the aspirations and expectations of the people.Stating that the government is making efforts to resolve disputes on the basis of patriotism, he pointed out the need to utilise community radio in the interest of the country and the people. Executive Director of Radio Nepal Shailendra Raj Sharma and a host of other speakers also expressed their views at the programme chaired by secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications Mukunda Sharma. An amount of Rs 3,062,496 was spend on the transmitter and other equipment, Rs 5,044 on the installation, and Rs 709,828 on building construction at the transmission centre built on 6 Kattha and 10 Dhur of land, it is learnt.Meanwhile, also in Butwal, Minister for Information and Communications and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey has said that the dialogue between the government and the CPN-Maoists is going on smoothly. Talking to journalists today at Kunjapur of Rupandehi district, Minister Pandey said that the government was holding talks with the Maoists with a view to convert the ceasefire into a durable peace. In response to a question, Minister Pandey said that it was also the wish of the Nepali Congress and the need of the people to convert the cease-fire into durable peace. Stating that the country knows well the travails resulting from breach of ceasefire, he said no one should resort to revenge or show of arrogance and leg pulling.

Minister Pandey disclosed that necessary homework was being undertaken to provide specific guidelines to the electronic mass media and constitute a transmission authority. In response to a query, he said that Nepal was for resolving the Bhutanese refugee issue on the basis of understanding.

Thinley calls on PM

RSS

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: Bhutanese Foreign Minister Lyonpo Jigmi Y. Thinley, who is currently on a visit here in connection with participating in the Nepal-Bhutan 12th joint ministerial meeting, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the latter's office today.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the condition of the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal and their repatriation as well as on matters of bilateral and mutual interest.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Narendra Bikram Shah and secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Madhu Raman Acharya were present on the occasion.

Madhav Nepal re-elected UML chief
Most party veterans get berth in CC

By Our Correspondent

JANAKPUR, Feb 6: Madhav Kumar Nepal has been re-elected General Secretary of the Community Party of Nepal - Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN -UML) for the second time.

The seventh national convention (CPN-UML) ended today after electing the 55-member Central Committee. Marked by unprecedented unity among the party ranks and files, the very first meeting of the new UML Central Committee elected incumbent General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal to the post for the next four years.The convention that showed unanimity in amending the party's political, structural and statutory resolutions, however, had failed to show unity while electing the new central committee. As a result, 107 candidates fought for 43 full membership and 24 others for 12 alternative membership in the party's central committee.

Despite the two factions that went to the fray, no single group was seen as having control on the party's main decision-making body.

Ashok Rai led the winners by claiming the maximum number of votes. He obtained 851 votes followed by Jhal Nath Khanal (824), Bharat Mohan Adhikari (822), Sahana Pradhan (817), Madhav Kumar Nepal (807), Subhas Nembang (806), Modnath Prashrit (797), Krishna Gopal Shrestha (786), Amrit Kumar Bohara (770) and Pradeep Nepal (767).

Likewise, Bam Dev Gautam, Yuvraj Gaywali, Rajendra Pandey, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Astha Laxmi Shakya, Keshav Prasad Badal, K.P. Sharma Oli, Shankar Pokhrel, Radha Krishna Mainali, Pradeed Gaywali, Ishwor Pokhrel, Kashinath Adhikari, Bishnu Poudel, Siddhi Lal Singh, Mukund Neupane, Shanta Manavi, Surendra Pandey, Rajendra Shrestha, Kiran Gurung, Yuv Raj Karki and Raghu Pant also won a place in the UML CWC.

The other winners include Suresh Karki, Bhim Rawal, Dhanendra Basnet, Hem Raj Rai, Bishnu Rimal, Trilochan Dhakal, Bhim Acharya, Kedar Neupane, Urba Dutta Pant, Govinda Prasad Koirala, Gopal Shakya and Ramchandra Jha.

Of the total 1,012 voters, only 997 votes were cast. Of the total vote cast, 978 were valid. Those garnering at least 459 votes were declared winners.

The 12 alternate members elected to the Central Committee are Chabbi Lal Biswokarma, Tul Bahadur Gurung, Urmila Aryal, Rakam Chemjong, Pashupati Chaulagain, Gokarna Bista, Prakash Jwala, Mahendra Pandey, Naresh Kharel, Ratneshwor Goit, Purushottam Poudel and Ramji Sharma.
More than a dozen members, including Bachaspati Devkota, of the previous CWC have been defeated. The oldest representative at the 7th convention, Gauri Bhakta Pradhan, swore in the newly elected members.

The first meeting of the newly elected CWC today chose the incumbent General Secretary Nepal for a second term. The announcement was made by Sahana Pradhan, a newly elected member.
The new results have been taken by the party's leaders and the convention representatives as balanced and satisfactory.

After the election results, K.P. Oli, who had challenged Nepal for the party's top post, said that the convention had turned out to be one of emotional unity within the party. "Our party knows how to practise a democratic procedure and to forge unity within the party," said Oli.

Because of our political and ideological superiority, we know how to maintain a balance between democratic exercise and ideological unity, he said.He said he would cooperate fully with general secretary Nepal.After his election, Nepal said that the convention was one of unprecedented unity and has proved the rumour-mongers wrong.General Secretary Nepal said that the convention had succeeded in adopting the people's democracy not only in words but also in practice.

He also thanked Oli and others for their unity and cooperation despite their different opinion.
Nepal said that the UML was ready to fulfill its democratic responsibility to resolve the outstanding political problems faced by the country. "The UML will soon work with the other political parties to create an environment for national consensus," he said.

The party also nominated nine members to the party's disciplinary committee and six members to the auditing committee. The party will form the advisory committee later.

The concluding function was chaired by Amrit Kumar Bohara, and the coordinator of the main organising committee, Bharat Mohan Adhikary, thanked all for making the convention a success.

Nepal to submit child rights report to UN soon

By Prakriti Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: In what could be a case of better late than never, Nepal will be dispatching its periodic report on the state of rights of children to the United Nations tomorrow, but with statistics that are at least two years old.

According to Bharat Regmi, an officer at the UN desk of the Foreign Ministry, the report has been packed and is ready to be dispatched. The report includes data till 2000.

Nepal had signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 12 years ago. The signatories are bound to send their country report within two years of signing the convention, and a periodic report on the country's state of the children's rights every five years.

Nepal had submitted its national report in February 1995. Thus, a periodic report was due in 2000. But the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW) that was preparing the national report failed to complete it within the stipulated timeframe.

The MWCSW does not send the report directly to the CRC Committee, but through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which received the report only last week.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present the report to the CRC Committee next week. Thereafter, the committee will invite Nepalese representatives for a hearing on the report.

However, child rights experts are unhappy over the fact that the overdue report contains old data, much of it over two years old.

Sarad Sharma, Chairman of Child Development Society, who was in the committee that prepared the report, says the committee had submitted the report in time, but the MWCSW took time editing the stuff.

Upendra Kesari Neupane, Chairman of Child NGOs' Federation, said that there was no debate that the report should have contained fresh data.

A source at the MWCSW said that the report was delayed due to various reasons and that if new data were to be included, it would have been delayed by one more year. "So, the ministry decided to send it as it was," he said.

But Gauri Bhakta Pradhan, chairman of Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), claimed that had the ministry wanted, the periodic report could have been updated within a week.

Official sources said the report includes statistics on the progress the country has made in child mortality, education and health since 1995. It also includes information about the failure to see the desired progress in children malnutrition, child labour and children affected by war.

Kiran Das Sharma, Under Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the report was delayed largely because any information relayed to the CRC Committee must include government statistics, and getting such figures within a time frame were difficult.

Sharma said that the report could have been presented in April 2002 during the special meeting of the UN Children's conference. "Even though it is late, the report in totality is good, but work for the next report must begin now."

Multi-religious team prepares for expedition

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: Five climbers representing various religions as well as nations have confirmed their participation in the 10-member Everest Peace Expedition to be organised this spring. There will be one climber each from the seven major religions - Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Confucian, Judaism, Islam and Taoism. Also included will be an atheist.

According to the Everest Peace Project, Igor Medinin, a Buddhist from Russia, Anwar Abass, a Muslim from Pakistan, and atheist Harry Kikstra from The Netherlands, as well as a 69-year-old Russian climber and mountain guide Valentine Bojoukov have confirmed their participation.
"We will soon select five other climbers from among many applicants from different countries around the globe," Lance Trumbull, expedition leader and Director of the Everest Peace Project, told The Rising Nepal Thursday. He said that a climber from India is likely to represent Hindus in the peace expedition.

The famous Nepalese climber Ang Rita Sherpa, more commonly known as the Snow Leopard, will be the team sardar. "Ang Rita has agreed to be a part of the team," said Trumbull.

Previously, the 10-time Everest summiteer Sherpa had agreed to look after the Nepalese mountain guides up to Everest Base Camp only. Sherpa has never used oxygen during his ascents.

The humanitarian expedition aims to foster peace, religious tolerance and understanding among the people from various religious groups of the world. "By organising this expedition, we want to show to the rest of the world that peace and religious harmony still exist, and there is need to further promote them."

Trumbull said that the expedition would be helpful in restoring Nepal's image as a safe and peaceful tourist destination worldwide. The team is planning to make documentaries of climbers climbing the world's highest peak.

As an important component of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the first ascent of Mt. Everest, international media such as BBC and CNN will be covering the peace expedition. "I believe that this humanitarian expedition will draw the world's attention towards Nepal and will be very helpful in promoting the country's tourism business, especially mountaineering."

He said the idea of a peace expedition to Mt. Everest had come in his mind as he was thrilled by the scenic beauty of Ladakh in India three months back. Having visited Nepal in 2001 for the first time, the 34-year-old US national had climbed 6,400 meters of Mt. Everest from the Chinese side of the mountain in May last year.To be handled by Asian Trekking, the team will include 10 Nepali Sherpa guides.

Poor land reform to blame for low farm yield

By A Staff Reporter

KATHMANDU, Feb. 6: Land reform policy of the government in Nepal has been lukewarm, resulting in low agricultural productivity, points out the report on Human Development in South Asia 2002 released here today.

The South Asian HDR with the theme Agriculture and Rural Development says that lack of major leaps in bringing about the desired changes in land management approaches has perpetuated uncertainty, discouraged investment in land and hampered the adoption of widespread measures to raise productivity.

The experiences of other countries have shown that land reform launched with the objective of providing land to the majority of the households and improvement in tenure relationship can act as an engine of growth in the initial stages of economic transformation. However, Nepal has not been able to introduce steps in this direction for a long time, even after a decade of multiparty democracy, the report points out.

"The democratic government tended to embrace the status quo and avoid any serious action on this front until the recent declaration of land reform measures," said the report prepared by Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre, a policy research think tank based in Pakistan.

Indicators are that redistribution of land could help increase agricultural productivity though the issue is in need of thorough examination. "The tendency has been to avoid these issues altogether," the report states.

The report says that the institutions providing rural financial services are not self-sustainable, land fragmentation is affecting output, agriculture is being feminised, input subsidies are heavy, agricultural products lack market access, production only slightly outpaces population and research is concentrated mainly on yield boosting, the report says.

Taking stock of the whole South Asia region in terms of agricultural development, the report laments that this sector remains sadly neglected at the policy level despite its centrality in the lives of the people.

According to the report, small farmers and landless poor have suffered due to erroneous policies. "The emphasis on macroeconomic stabilisation has left the agricultural sector at the mercy of fiscal targets," the South Asian HDR states.

The report emphasises on accelerated investment in agricultural research, technology and infrastructure including agricultural marketing and irrigation facilities. South Asian elite have indulged in rent-seeking activity and maintained exploitative social relations in the rural areas, the report points out adding that the impact of trade liberalisation has hurt the food security needs of the rural poor.
There is a significant marginalisation of women in the rural areas. The women remain hostage to backward feudal traditions. "The fact that women very rarely control assets, seriously reduces their ability to protect their basic rights," says the report.

Stating that land and water remain scarce natural resources, they need to be wisely utilised with regards to the rights of the future generations. The Green Revolution, while having had positive effects on growth rates, has also led to over-use of land and careless use of water and chemical inputs, the report says.

Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission Dr. Shankar Sharma, launching the report, said that Nepal's performance fares better than South Asian average in child mortality and teacher pupil ratio.

"We are heading towards high agricultural growth," Dr. Sharma said. For this the focus should be on crop diversity, commercialisation of agro products and livestock development.

Dr. Hari Krishna Upadhyay, chairman of CEAPRED, expressed concern over the fact that Nepal which used to have the highest crop yield in the 60's in the region has now the lowest yield. Stressing on the three Ps - programme, policy and process - he said the implementation process should be people-centred.

Nepal has seen little of the Green Revolution. Land holdings are fragmented, fertiliser use is low, agriculture road networks are inadequate and most of the arable land does not have irrigation access, said Dr. Henning Karcher, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Karcher added, another reason for sluggish agriculture growth centres on the marginalisation of farmer farmers who account for 50 per cent of total agricultural labour.