French envoy calls on PM

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: Ambassador of France to the Kingdom of Nepal Claude Ambrosini paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the latter's office in Singha Durbar today.
During the meeting, matters of bilateral relations and cooperation in various fields were discussed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated.

Reception hosted

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal Rudiger Lemp hosted a reception here today on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Franco-German friendship pact.

Deputy Prime Minister Badri Prasad Mandal, ministers, heads of constitutional bodies, the chiefs of diplomatic missions, journalists and distinguished persons attended the reception.

Refugees alleged for 'stealing' locals' jobs

By K. P. Gautam

BIRTAMOD, Feb. 20: The local people in eastern Nepal complain that the Bhutanese refugees are leaving their camps against Nepalese laws and stealing their jobs. "Since they take away our jobs, we have nowhere to go but abroad for employment," say they.

A number of refugees with good knowledge of the English language have been working as teachers in several schools in eastern Nepal.

"The refugees work not only as teachers and agricultural workers but also as carpenters and masons at cheaper wages. So the local residents have a hard time finding jobs," says Dil Bahadur Magar of Shanishchare, Jhapa.

The locals say that the refugees are being employed in various factories close to the camps. They are also involved in pig rearing and other similar occupations. Besides, they operate buses together with local entrepreneurs.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) as well as some other international organisations have been providing more than 100,000 Bhutanese of Nepalese origin with food, clothing, shelter, drinking water and sanitation, health and education. The refugees have been living in the seven camps in Jhapa and Morang districts since 1991.

According to regulations, the refugees must take permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs to leave the camps. But neither the refugees nor the local administration tend to abide by the rules.
Tika Ram Aryal, Chief District Officer of Jhapa district and chief of the refugee coordination unit at Bhadrapur, says that the camps are not fenced. "It is also not proper to keep them inside a fenced territory from a humanitarian point of view."

Bishnu Prasad Dulal, former ward chairman of Khudunabari Village development Committee (VDC), says that apart from stealing local jobs, deforestation, land encroachment and social anomalies have been on the rise due to the presence of the refugees in such large numbers.

Conflict between the local people and the refugees often take place in the areas close to the camps. The locals are worried, as a conducive environment has still not been created to repatriate the refugees. "Either the refugees must be repatriated or the management in the camps should improve," says Dulal.

According to the refugees, they normally go outside the camps to earn some money to buy extra food, shoes and other goods because of the meager facilities in the camps.

"It is very difficult for me to feed my big family with the ration we receive," says Gyan Rai, who works as assistant headmaster of a school at Itahari.

"We understand the problems of the local people. But it is our compulsion to go outside," says Dr. T. B. Gurung, secretary of the Khudunabari camp management committee. He has been on a hunger strike for the last one month, demanding repatriation of the refugees in his camp who were verified by a joint team more than a year ago.

Last rites of peacekeeper performed

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: The body of army serviceman Krishna Bahadur Sarki, who was with the third contingent Badra Bahadur Battalion (peacekeepers) in Sierra Leone at the call of the United Nations, was cremated with full military honours at Pashupati Aryaghat here today.

He had succumbed to his injuries in a Freetown Hospital on February 10 while undergoing treatment following a road accident.

In a statement published here today, the Ministry of Defence has prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and also for strength to the bereaved family in their hour of grief.

Democracy Day marked abroad

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: Reports of celebrations of the 53rd National Democracy Day and the birth anniversary of His late Majesty King Tribhuvan with various programmes at Royal Nepalese Embassies abroad have been received.

Royal Nepalese Ambassador Janak Bahadur Singh hosted a reception at the premises of the Royal Nepalese Embassy in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

Nepalese working at various international agencies in Bangkok, Friends of Nepal, office bearers of the Thailand-Nepal Chamber of Commerce, students studying at various universities in Thailand and journalists were also present at the reception.

At the function, embassy employees and guests offered garlands and bouquets at a portrait of the late King Tribhuvan.

On the occasion, Ambassador Singh said that the day inspires the entire Nepalese to work for peace, progress and democracy.

A programme was organised yesterday at the Royal Nepalese Embassy in Berlin to mark the same occasion.

At the programme, Royal Nepalese Ambassador Balaram Singh Malla paid heartfelt tributes to the immortal martyrs laying down their lives for the sake of democracy and shed light on the personality of His late Majesty King Tribhuvan and the importance of National Democracy Day.

At the programme, embassy employees, Nepalese working in various professions in Germany, member of the Germany-Nepal Family Dil Gurung, Professor Dr. Shiva Shrestha, students and friends of Nepal were present.

Likewise, at a special programme at the Royal Nepalese Consulate General at Kolkata, India, Royal Nepalese Consul General Yuvaraj Bhusal, diplomatic officials of the mission, local employees, officials of various Nepalese offices there and other distinguished persons offered garlands and bouquets of flowers at a portrait of His late Majesty King Tribhuvan.

At the function, consul general Bhushal said that the role of monarchy was vital in Nepal's unification, the setting up of democracy, taking the democratic ethos ahead and the all round development of Nepal.

On the occasion, Nepalese children studying at various schools in Kolkata were invited, a quiz contest held and cultural show also staged.

At a reception hosted yesterday at the premises of the Mission, Chief Secretary to the West Bengal State Government S. N. Ray, the special official of the state government, officials of Kolkata-based diplomatic missions, the honorary consul, representatives of various international organisations, officials of various offices of the government of India and local industrialists were present.

Also present on the occasion were intellectuals, journalists, professors, teachers, Nepalese students studying in West Bengal, representatives of various institutions and organisations, officials and representatives of Nepalese institutions and organisations were present.

Nepal-UK ties discussed

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KATHMANDU, Feb. 20: Richard Spring MP, opposition spokesman and Shadow Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom, called on Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand at the latter's office in Singha Durbar this afternoon.

Later in the afternoon, Spring also paid a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign Affairs Narendra Bikram Shah at Shital Niwas.On both the occasions, matters of bilateral relations and cooperation were discussed.The British MP had arrived here yesterday.