Spirit of national unity need of hour: Rayamajhi

RSS

KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: Chairman of the Raj Parishad Standing Committee Dr. Keshar Jung Rayamajhi has said the main urgency of the present is a spirit of national unity in all for the development of the country and for people's welfare.

Inaugurating a function organised on the occasion of the 281st Prithvi Jayanti and National Unification Day by the Baba Ombir Singh Basnet Award Trust, Dr. Rayamajhi said our country is still able to safeguard its independent identity as a nation because of the skillful leadership and intellect of His late Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah the Great, the nation builder of Nepal.

National unity is the major thrust of the divine teachings of His late Majesty, he said adding that His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has also issued a message of unity through the Royal Address recently.

His Majesty while expressing commitment to Constitutional Monarchy, multiparty democracy, Parliamentary system and human rights has stressed good governance at a time when the country is plagued by killings, violence and terror, he said.

Expressing the view that it is the responsibility of all the parties to create an atmosphere so that elections can be held and law and order maintained by putting an end to the present difficult situation, Dr. Rayamajhi said there is need of a national leader who is capable of guaranteeing good governance.

The Monarchy is the symbol of unity, he said, adding that everyone should work by being responsible to the monarchy, he said.

On the occasion, he presented the letter of commendation, provided by the award trust to those who make a contribution to the nation and society, to Surya Bahadur Neupane.

At the function, chairman Dr. Rayamajhi released a CD anthology of songs entitled 'Meri Priyasilai' composed by Dr. Ombir Singh Basnet.

On the occasion, Dr. Basnet said the leadership of the monarchy has been strong since the time of King Prithvi Narayan in safeguarding national identity by upholding the national interest.

Senior critic Krishna Gautam, poet Shyamdas Baishnav, Nararaj Gautam and Dr. Chet Bahadur Kunwar recited their poems and expressed their views.

Consensus, unity needed to solve Maoist issue

RSS

KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: Raj Parishad Standing Committee member Dr. Swami Prapannacharya has underlined the need to seek a solution to the Maoist issue on the basis of national consensus and unity.

Speaking at a symposium on the topic "national unity, present crisis and seeking a way out" organised by the Democratic and Socialist Forum on the occassion of 281st Prithvi Jayanti and National Unification Day, he expressed conviction that it is only through monarchy, the symbol of national unity, that the country and the people will progress and prosper.Forum chairman Dhundi Raj Shastri presided over the programme.

Dead body of kidnapped police official found

By Our Correspondent

DANG, Jan. 12: The security forces today found the body of Assistant Sub Inspector Prakash Adhikary, of the District Police Office Pyuthan, who was kidnapped by the Maoist terrorists from Chujathanti bazaar in Pyuthan in mid-west Nepal on Saturday.

ASI Adhikary was shot dead after being kidnapped by the armed terrorists from the bazaar bordering Pyuthan and Arghakhanchi at about five in the afternoon.

His body was found near the bazaar, which lies about 12 kilometres east of Khalanga, the district headquarters of Pyuthan by the security forces. Adhikary's body has been airlifted to his home at Hapur VDC of Dang, and was handed over to his families today.

According to the Pyuthan District Police Office, the whereabouts of the others two - Local Development Officer Dhruba Kumar Karki and hotelier Ram Bahadur Thapa, who were kidnapped along with ASI Adhikary - are still unknown.

Deputy Superintendent Bal Krishna Thapa of the Police Office at Dang said that a massive search has been launched to locate LDO Karki and Thapa, and to find the kidnappers.

In Bhojpur in east Nepal, a group of armed Maoists kidnapped six CPN-UML Bhojpur district committee members who were taking part in a rally at Ghoretar Saturday afternoon.

According to UML Bhojpur district committee, those who have been abducted are former MP Dhanaharka Rai; district committee members Jhurendra Parajuli, Dhyan Bahadur Raut and Dibya Dhoj Rai; district committee advisor Ramesh Nepal, and area committee secretary Narayan Niraula.
The Maoists also kidnapped another UML worker Narayan Pathak from his house in Ramechhap, central north Nepal on Friday.

The CPN-UML has demanded for the immediate and safe release of its party men.

Meanwhkile, our staff reporter adds: Eight terrorists were shot dead in retaliatory actions of the security forces in Palpa, Dhading, Panchthar, Jumla, Bardiya and Dang.

A press statement issued by the Defence Ministry today said that the security forces seized Rs. 3,459 in cash and documents related to terrorist activites.

The security forces also found socket bombs, equipment used in setting up ambush, bucket bomb, sleeping bags and logistic meterials from the sites.

Likewise, the security forces have recovered three guns, bullets, weapons, grenades, socket bombs, explosives, a type writer, combat dresses, a binocular and donation pad from different places of Jumla, Dang, Rolpa, Gorkha and Sankhuwashawa districts.

A suspect was injured when the security forces tried to take him under control after he defied curfew orders in Panitanki of Salyan district. He has been sent to Nepalgunj for treatment, the statement reads.

The statement also said that the public road both inside and outside the Shivapuri National Park has been rebuilt through voluntary labour of the public and the security forces.

Maoists set off electric mine in Ramechhap

RSS

RAMECHHAP, Jan. 12: Maoist rebels today set off an electric land mine aimed at a police team some two kilometres from Manthali, the headquarters of Ramechhap district.

One of four pressure cooker bombs, targetting the police on their way towards Munitar, exploded before the team reached the spot. The rest of the pressure cooker bombs were defused by a bomb disposal squad of the security forces.

The security forces have seized a large quantity of electric wire, sleeping bags and Maoist documents found at the incident site.

A team of policemen, including Deputy Superintendent of police Niraj Bahadur Shahi, was at the incident site throughout the day today.

The security forces arrested some suspects and also launched a vigorous manhunt for the terrorists involved in the incident, according to chief district officer Trilok Prasad Shrestha.

In Dhangadhi, a woman terrorist died on the spot in an encounter with the security forces at Narayanpur VDC ward 2, Kailali district yesterday, Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office Keshav Adhikari has stated.

The identity of the terrorist killed in the retaliatory action by the security forces has not yet been ascertained.

Everest summiteers to gather in Nepal in May

By Ballav Dahal

KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: In what may be a never-fading enthusiasm, Dr. Park Hee Sun, 83-year-old mountaineer from the Republic of Korea, is participating in the much-awaited event- Everest Marathon- to be held in the Khumbu Region in May this year.

According to Damodar S.J.B. Rana, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Mount Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee, the Korean mountaineer is one of a few participants to confirm his participation for the event. The exciting event, which will start from Everest Base Camp and end at Namche in Solukhumbu district, is one of several activities being conducted under the Mount Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration 2002-2003.

Dr. Park, who reached Everest Base Camp in 1994, scaled the 6,654-meter Mera Peak without oxygen in 1995. The untiring mountaineer scaled Uhuru Peak (5,895 m.) in Kilimanzaro of Africa at the age of 82 last year.The famous Zen meditation leader has no high mountain disease.

Rana said some other climbers and those interested in adventure activities are showing their interest in taking part in the event. There will be around 30-35 persons taking part in the marathon.
The gathering of hundreds of Mt. Everest summiteers in Nepal, which will be the most important event to be held on May 29 this year, is expected to be instrumental in the promotion of Nepal's mountain tourism world-wide. The event will receive a wide media coverage internationally.

"There will be at least 150 foreign and 200 domestic participants in the gathering," said Shiva P. Shah, Executive Member of the Mount Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee. "Many more participants could have gathered in Nepal if there had been no negative publicity about Nepal in the international arena."

Shah told The Rising Nepal that many famous mountaineers such as Sir Edmund Hillary, Junko Tabei, Peter Habler and Peter Hillary are coming to Nepal to mark the historic event in May. The Everest summiteers will be honoured on the occasion.

Shah quoted Edmund Hillary, who had made it to the top of Mt. Sagarmatha together with late Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on May 29, 1953, as saying that the 29th of May belongs to Nepal, and that he will be in Nepal on that day. The historic feat helped make the Himalayan Kingdom known to the world.

NMA is conducting the Golden Jubilee Expedition Campaign on the three newly opened peaks-Mt. Macharmo (6,273 m.), Pharilapcha (6,015 m.) and Mt. Kyajori (6,186 m.). "We are receiving very good response from many foreign mountaineers for the Golden Jubilee Expedition," said Ang Tshering Sherpa, President of Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA).

Sherpa said the Mount Everest Golden Jubilee Celebration, which is one of the components of the Destination Nepal Campaign (DNC) 2002-2003, would be a significant event for further promotion of Nepal as an adventure tourism destination in the international arena.

Distance education alternative to deprived

RSS

KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: Minister for Education and Sports Devi Prasad Ojha has said that distance education or open learning has become a necessity as an alternative way of educating the majority who are deprived of school education.

Minister Ojha expressed this view while addressing an interactive programme on distance education and open learning organised by the Education Centre at Sanothimi, Bhaktapur today.

The chief task which the Distance Education Centre is undertaking in the present situation is teacher training, he said. The centre has to be developed and activated as an institution for conducting school level education as well as towards developing infrastructure necessary for an open university, he added.

Dean at Kathmandu University Dr. Kedarnath Shrestha said distance education has special importance in an economically poor country like ours for providing the opportunity for studies while holding a job.

Similarly, member-secretary of the University Grants Commission Dr. Hom Nath Bhattarai said that the SAARC framework has pointed out the establishing of an open university as a regional university for all SAARC member states.

Education Secretary Chuman Singh Basnet expressed the view that the Distance Education Centre should play an active role in creating an open environment for the private sector in the development of open learning and Distance Education.

At the start of the programme, director of the Distance Education Centre Arjun Bahadur Bhandari said a draft on Distance Education has been prepared and discussions are being held in order to create additional opportunities for the majority of children who have been deprived of the opportunity of formal training and education.

Six arrested with marijuana in Siraha VDC

RSS

SIRAHA, Jan. 12: A patrolling team of the security forces arrested six persons with 93 kilograms of marijuana at Musaharniya Tole of Jamdaha Village Development Committee of Siraha district Saturday.

Those arrested with the illegal drug include Aman Bahadur Rai, Tej Bahadur Magar and Gyan Bahadur Rai of Lekgaun Village Development Committee of Udayapur District, Bir Bahadur Magar and Jung Bahadur Magar of Pipara Village Development Committee of Saptari District and Raju Rai of Okhale Village Development Committee of Udayapur district, according to Police Inspector Krishna Hari Sharma.

They had hidden the cannabis in eight packs with the intention of smuggling to India, police said.
The price of the confiscated cannabis is estimated to be about 250,000 in the Indian market.

Tarun Dal leader flays Koirala's role

RSS

Bhairahawa, Jan. 12: President of the Nepal Tarun Dal (NTD) Bal Krishna Khand has accused Nepali Congress opresident Girija Prasad Koirala of sending Maoists back to the jungles by rendering the talks between the Sher Bahadur Deuba government and the Maoists a failure.

Addressing a gathering organised by the Nepal Students Union (NSU) Rupandehi, Dal President Khand said Koirala created trouble for the talks by suggesting that the government 'press ahead with the talks fearlessly or else use force', besides trying to entice the Maoists during the government-Maoist talks.

Khand also labelled Koirala anti-national for harming nationalism by entering into a treaty on Tanakpur without informing anyone.

Koirala also made efforts to bring the army and the King into controversy, he added.

At the function presided over by NSU district president Deepak Poudel, various other speakers including Nepali Congress-Democratic district president Shailendra Kumar Adhikari and Prakash Dhakal also expressed their views.

No more aid to Bhutan, refugees urge donors

By Bhuwaneshor Sharma

KATHMANDU, Jan. 12: The Bhutanese Refugee Repatriation Support Group (BRRSG) has initiated what it calls "track-2" diplomacy to pressure donors to withdraw their aid to Bhutan if it continues its dillydally with resolving the 13-year-long Bhutanese refugee crisis.

A three-member Nepalese delegation recently visited New Delhi to meet the ambassadors of Bhutan's donor countries to convey the message that the Bhutanese refugee crisis should no longer be confined to Bhutan and Nepal alone, said Pramod Kafle, member secretary of the group. It is an international problem and should be resolved through international mediation, he added.

The delegation consisted of former foreign minister Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, foreign relations expert Hiranya Lal Shrestha and human rights activist Pramod Kafle himself. The delegation also met representatives of the Indian Foreign Ministry and representatives of several civil societies. The delegation had also met Bhutanese Ambassador to Nepal Lempo Dabo Tschering during his recent Nepal visit.

The Bhutanese government should see to the repatriation of its people, and a dialogue should be held between the Bhutanese king and the refugees, said Kafle. "We also have conveyed this message to the international donors during our meeting in New Delhi."

A nine-member BRRSG team constituted on August 18 last year had also met with the concerned bodies of the respective governments before deciding to meet the international donor community. After we knew it could not be solved bilaterally, we decided to go to the donor communities, stated Kafle.
We are not happy with the Bhutanese government's delaying tactics and with the poor preparedness of the Nepalese side, said Kafle. "We will voice our concerns with the concerned UN bodies if this problem is not settled in time." Nepal and the Land of Thunder Dragon have not been able to hold the 12th ministerial level meeting for more than a year.

We want to convey this message to the donors of Bhutan during their meeting on Bhutan in Geneva in March this year, said Kafle. A similar meeting of donors was held in the Bhutanese capital of Thimpu two years ago.

A joint verification team (JVT) was formed to verify the Bhutanese refugees following the meeting. The JVT had started verification in one of the seven refugee camps in eastern Nepal. The team verified more than 12,000 refugees, but the Bhutanese government has so far refused to take a single refugee.
Under its first phase of the new diplomacy at the non-governmental level, the delegation met ambassadors from Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands. "Under the second phase, we will meet with the governments of donor countries to put utmost pressure to resolve the refugee crises," said Kafle.

Ambassadors of thee donor countries have given positive assurances to resolve the issue.

Over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees have been languishing in 7 UNHCR- run camps in eastern Nepal. "We are well aware that Bhutan wants to delay the repatriation," said Pramod Kafle.