RNA is not anti-democracy: Army Chief

  Chief of the Army staff in an interview to Jansatta has said the Royal Nepali Army is not anti-democracy.

  “The RNA has played a highly positive role to give continuity to the democratic functioning of the country under the instruction of the Supreme Commander His Majesty the King.

  “RNA is an apolitical institution. It belongs to the whole nation and it has done nothing which can be called as anti-democratic,” the army chief said. Saying its main concern is peace and security, he said the RNA has clear objectives of national security, both internal and external, and to assist in national development.

  In addition, the peace-keeping missions under the United Nations and to assist in times of natural calamities also fall under its responsibilities, he said.

  Denying that the image of the RNA is tainted, he said that he was active to improve the role and the regulations of the army.

  On corruption within the army, he said corruption has been a global phenomenon and he could not deny there is no corruption in the army. “But I am committed to step and abolish corruption in the army.”

  “My main aim is to discourage any thing that is against the law and the rules, and to make everything transparent within the army,” he said. He said he is focussing on increasing the facilities and the welfare of the army men, both the incumbents and the retired.

  On nepotism and biasness in the army,  he accepted of some weaknesses in the army and said he is committed to remove them. “I know,” he said, “ there is factionalism in the army, but not biasness.”

  “There is complete fraternity and that is not based on caste and communalism. So I want to say that there is no biasness and nepotism in the army,” he said.

  When asked that those who go for peace mission do not get their full salary and the there is biasness in their selection, he said that is completely false.

  They are getting the salary according to the rules and regulations of the country, but he said the selection process may need to be refined. On the peace-keepers’ contribution to the Army’s welfare fund, he said, those who go for peace keeping mission need to contribute to the fund, and the fund is utilized for building schools, where the army personnel’ children study. We are also thinking of building a well-equipped army hospital utilizing that fund, he said.

(Jansatta, August 7, Saturday)

  Showdown between Judiciary and lawyers

Some people in the leadership of the Nepal Bar Association, the common platform of more than 15,000 legal practitioners, are planning to stage street protest against the courts.

The legal practitioners are bracing for the protests after the personal differences of the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court, Mohan Prasad Sharma and the president of the Nepal Bar Association Harihar Dahal resulted in the conflict between the court and the lawyers. There are doubts that it might lead to a grave accident.

It is certain that if the conflict escalates the lawyers and the judges will take each other’s skeleton out of the cupboard.       If the protest of the bar association rises above personal interest, people might support them. Because it has been decades since the people have not gotten a fair justice. If one talk about corruption and bribes in the judiciary, no file moves in the courts without money, and even the justice has to be bought with money. Even the supreme court has not been far from this malaise.

Several legal practitioners even say to find a judge who remains above bribery, one has to look for such with a lamp in broad daylight. Even the Public Accounts Commission’s report had indicted that the judges were mired on corruption.

Not only that, in the past, the impeachment motion against the then chief justice Surendra Prasad Singh was withdrawn by the UML after it was exchanged with a case of a UML member of the parliament.

Meanwhile, some lawyers say it is like washing your dirty linen in public, there are others who say this is necessary to fight corruption in the judiciary.

(Ghatana ra Bichar, August 4, Wednesday)

 Future of one dozen minister at stake

The government will soon begin implementing the recommendations of the Administrative Reforms Commission. The Commission was formed in 1992, but its recommendations were totally ignored by the successive governments.

Now, Prime Minister Bhattarai has public declared that  the government would implement the suggestion and reduce the number of ministries. The Commission has recommended for the number of ministries to be 18. The number of ministries today is 26. If Bhattarai indeed implement the suggestion, he will have to relieve 8 ministers and several state and assistant ministers from the cabinet. The 8 ministries that might be abolished are Youth, Culture and Sports, science and technology, Women and Social Welfare, Population and Environment. The ministry of industry, commerce and supplies will be combined.

Some people are saying if Bhattarai goes for the reduction, it is possible he will induct Ram Chandra Poudel, the former Speaker in the government. Some people are even suggesting the inclusion of Sushil Koirala in the government for the ‘stability’ of the government.

The restructuring of the ministries will save at least  Rs. 50 million in general expenses. But it will put at stake the future of at least a dozen ministers.

(Bimarsha, August 6, Friday)

International drug smugglers active in Kathmandu

At a time when there has been talk that Nepal has become a centre for drug traffickers, heroin worth more than Rs. 16 million sent from Kathmandu was confiscated at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India. According to reports, the Indian police arrested a German national along with the heroin.

The diplomatic mission here has also admitted German national Richard Henrich Rodrigues (Name maybe not spelled correctly) was arrested with the heroin. Police superintendent of the Drug Unit here, Shyam Prasad Nepal has informed that investigations are being made regarding this incident. The drug was smuggled from the Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday.

“As per the information sent to us by the Interpol, we are investigating the place where Rodrigues stayed, from where he bought his air ticket and all his activities here,” SP Nepal said. He also confirmed that the heroin was indeed smuggled from Kathmandu.

Police Inspector Narendra Upreti, who monitors any activities of drug smuggling at the Tribhuvan Airport also confirmed that the smuggling had indeed taken place. According to him, investigation is being carried out on how the drug was smuggled. He further informed that a file has already been prepared on the suspects who may have helped smuggle the drug. “As investigation is being carried on, I don’t want to reveal more than this,” he said.

The accused Richard had brought the heroin from Pakistan to Kathmandu and he had kept it at his room in a five star hotel for two days. He then left for New Delhi on  RA flight 217. There the Indian police found the drug hidden underneath a false bottom of his briefcase. The security people then found an added 860 gram of heroin hidden in his shoes.

According to a high level source within the police, two persons from the Nepal Police and the Immigration Department had helped Richard board the aircraft and taken money from him in spite of information being received about him from Interpol. He was seated on seat 38. A source at the Airport says that his briefcase was passed through the video screen without even a tag being attached.

It is also said that the entire responsibility of safely reaching Richard till Delhi was taken by some associates of Agni Prasad Bhattachan, who is allegedly involved in drug smuggling. The police say that an officer has already been dispatched to Germany to find the facts about the network of the drug smugglers.

An officer involved in the investigation said, “As Kathmandu has been found to be the cheapest and easiest route to smuggle drugs, international drug smugglers are using this route”.

  A diplomatic source claimed that drugs are being supplied to European countries from Kathmandu via India.

(Himalaya Times, Saturday, August 7)

All four AIGPs to be transferred

It seems the transfer of police officers are also happening through the money of smugglers. Honest police officers have been transferred when they confiscated the goods of smugglers.

An example of this can be seen in the recent transfer of SSPs Gyanendra Bikram Mahat and Keshab Baral.

  Keshab Baral had nabbed big names in drug smuggling with their drugs while he was in the Drug Smuggling Control Unit. Similarly SSP Mahat had confiscated gold and dollar in huge amounts while on duty at the Airport.

This is an example of only SSPs, even AIGPs are to be transferred. AIGP Dhalman Thapa is to be shunted from the Criminal Investigation Department to the Police Academy and another AIGP Pradip Shumsher Rana is to be brought from the Administration Department to the CID section.

  It may be mentioned that Dhalman Thapa had investigated the Mirja murder case and the recent Thahity robbery, while Pradip Shumsher had been highly successful in controlling gold and dollar smuggling.

Now plans are being made to bring Ram Kaji Bantawa in Pradip Shumsher’s place and Krishna Mohan Shrestha in Bantawa’s post.

(Sanghu, Saturday, August 7)  

 Tunnel highway controversy

A misunderstanding has developed between the construction company R.S. International and the Ministry of Transport regarding the Detailed project report (DPR) of the  Kathmandu-Hetauda tunnel Highway.

  While RS International, which has shown an interest to construct the proposed highway has demanded for the signing of an agreement before the DPR is completed, the high ranking officials in the Ministry have not agreed to this demand.

  The Ministry officials have said that the DPR has to be first ready and then everything should be clear regarding the investment that has to be made in the highway, the timeframe during which returns will be made on the investment, the handing over of the highway again to HMG, the area that has to be taken for the construction of the highway, the relocation of the people whose lands may be taken and the guarantee that all Nepalese should be able to use the road.

According to a special source, Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka had virtually agreed to the demands of the private sector construction company and he would have signed a deal with them, but when the Secretary at the Ministry and some high ranking officials said that no agreement must be signed before a DPR is made ready, Khadka gave in.

(Chalphal, Sunday, August 8)

 Police active in appointment of Governor

It sounds strange when one hears that more than the Finance Minister, the Police Chief is interested in the appointment of the Governor of the Central bank, which looks after the economic and financial regulations of the country. But such activities were practically seen last week.

On August 4, Dev Narayan Chaudhari from the side of the National Investigation Department handed over a prepared by security and CID officers report to the prime Ministers office regarding the appointment of the new governor of the Nepal Ratriya Bank.

According to a highly placed source in the secret report the name given the highest priority is deputy governor Bharat Krishna Sharma.

  Though other points regarding his qualifications have been made in the report, Sharma’s real qualification is the fact that he happens to be the husband of the sister of IGP Achyut Krishna Kharel.

Apart from him there are three other names that are in the race to be governor. The two names that are in the forefront here are another deputy governor of the Rastriya Bank Dr. Prafulla Raj Kafle and present Executive Chairman of the Rastriya Banijya Bank Dr. Tilak Rawal.

But in the report, Dr. Kafle has been mentioned as incapable and also a person who was appointed during the UML period and Dr. Rawal as a person who has been involved in corruption.

In the report, it has been suggested that as the present governor is a pure communist, Bharat Krishna Sharma has to be made governor at once.

In the report which has been able to incorporate unnecessary details regarding different other issues, nothing has been mentioned about the health of Sharma. A chronic patient of diabetes, Sharma cannot come to office from home and go from office to home without the help of insulin.

  Workers at the Rastriya Bank are flabbergasted about the fact that the name of a person who has to get the help of dialysis for his kidney has been prescribed to be the Governor just because he happens to be the cousin of the IGP.

(Deshanter, Sunday, August 8)

 Kedia captures bus park

The Kedia group is taking undue advantage of its links with Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. Late Brij Lal Kedia and the founder of the Kedia group was the proposal of Bhattarai’s candidacy in Parsa. Bhattarai’s close link with Kedia had been looked with suspicion then.

True to the suspicion, the Kedia has captured the bus park of Birgunj. The more than 2 Bighas of land in the prime location of Birgunj has been registered by the Kedia in its name. The land, which is a bus park, has been owned by the Birgunj municipality since thirty years ago.

(Bimarsha, August 6, Friday)

No one to win in National Assembly

Presently, the National Assembly is without Chairman. Chances are high that the post of will remain vacant even after the election on August 12.

In an election for the post of the Chairman held last time, there were three candidates, but nobody could secure the necessary 30 votes. This time there will be four candidates and nobody is in a position of securing majority.

The Nepali Congress will field one among Basu Risal, Sukra Raj Sharma and Jagannath Poudel as its candidate. The CPN-UML planning to present either Yubaraj Gyanwali or Vachaspati Devkota. There will be also be a candidate other than Ramesh Nath Pandey from among the 10 nominated MPs. RPP Thapa and ML have agreed to present a common candidate.

(Gatibidhi, Saturday, August 8)

Maoists to hold election of their own parliament

The Maoists, who had remained silent during the general election, have become active again following the formation of government under Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

People in districts like Rolpa, Rukum, Salyan and Jajarkot have begun abandoning their homes because of the fear of the Maoists, local residents of Rukum, Rolpa, Salyan and Jajarkot districts have shifted from their hometown. Police and Nepali Congress workers have been murdered.

It has been learnt that Maoists have been planning to hold election for their own parliament in Salyan district. It is said that they are planning to run their own administration in the district. Likewise, under the fifth plan of the party, they have been planning to abolish central level leaders. However, the details are not available.

Meanwhile, the Maoists arrested by police in Lamjung district has revealed many things about the Maoists. Police has arrested two of the central level commanders, a man and a women, of the Maoists. They were said to be looking after three districts. Their groups had murdered police constable Bhakta Bahadur Gurung, tried to kill one Ram Bahadur Khadka and had attacked a police post in Gorkha’s Tarkukot village. Their group had also murdered  theNepali Congress’s district working committee member Narayan Lohani.

Meanwhile, NC president Girija Prasad Koirala is still not happy with the way the new home minister is dealing with the Maoists. Speaking to the party workers in Biratnagar, Koirala said if Govinda Raj Joshi had been made Home Minister, the Maoist problem would have been solved by now.

However, in Rukum district, Congress workers and others staged a protest programme and chanted slogans against Maoists after several Nepali Congress workers were killed by the Maoists.

(Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, August 7)

Kargil victims to get Rs. 3.5 million

According to a press release of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu the Gorkha soldiers who were killed in Kargil will get a little more than Rs. 3.5 million. It also said Gorkha soldiers are not discriminated against other Indian soldiers.

According to the press release, there are 48,000 Gorkha soldiers in the Indian amy and the Indian government spends Rs. 5.8 billion on salary. All these money get back to Nepal because the soldiers get everything, food, clothes and lodging free, the press release says. Similarly, there are 1,02000 ex-Indian Gorkha soldiers in Nepal, and the pensions to them amounts to Rs.4.8 billion every year.

(Janasatta, August 7, Saturday)

Bomb exploded in Dharan

The market in Dharan was closed following the arrest of four persons on the suspicion of bomb explosion in Dharan last Monday. According to  news reports, a bomb was exploded at the house of one Shyama Regmi. The police arrested Chief Editor Khagendra Shrestha of Dharan Today, Deepak Rai, Sher Bahadur Rai and Ram Kumar Rai. The market was closed down saying that they were unnecessarily arrested also they were tortured by the police.

(Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, August 7)

Sabotage in RPP

Rastriya Prajatantra Party, which has 11 representatives in the House of Representatives, is to take action against party workers going against the party discipline.

According to RPP sources, the party’s disciplinary committee has received more than 50 complaints of conspiracy from within the party against the party’s official candidates in the general elections. The committee’s meeting on Thursday decided to start taking action one by one.

(Saptahik Janasatta, Saturday, August 7)

Maoists central committee’s decisions made public

The Maoists’ ‘People’s War’ is to move ahead with a new strategy. The recently held central committee meeting of the Party took various important decisions. To made the decision public, a statement was issued by Prachand, General Secretary of the party on 5 August, 1999.

(Mahima, Saturday, August 7)

Taiwanese MP’s Secret visit

  When the Taiwanese President is ignoring the one-China policy, a delegation led by Taiwanese MP Te Sant Shen visited Nepal recently.

  The 23-member delegation had arrived in Kathmandu on 27 July and returned on August 1. The Rising Nepal also published the news saying that the purpose of visit was tourism promotion.

(Mahima, Saturday, August 7)

Ram Chandra Poudel to be deputy PM

It seems that the 100-day honeymoon period of the government will pass patching the holes of dissatisfaction within the party. A big hole may be patched soon with Ram Chandra Poudel being appointed as deputy prime minister. Poudel has been criticising the government in the parliament. It is also possible that the newly formed various committees of the party will be reconstituted.

(Sanghu, Saturday, August 7)

Rajan forgetting his position

In his first meeting with the journalists as prime minister, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai said that he was visiting India shortly and was going to talk on Kalapani issue. He had hoped that the Bhutanese refugee problem would be solved if India lends a helping hand. The Kalapani and the Bhutanese refugees are the two burning issues in the relation between Nepal and India.

Immediately after Prime Minister’s statement, in a programme sponsored by the Indian Embassy, India’s Ambassador to Nepal, K.V. Rajan said Kalapani was under India’s control since the British regime and seeking help from India for solving the Bhutanese refugee problem was a foolish.

Bhattarai has already received invitation to visit India. The offices of the prime ministers of both the countries will decide the date and the issues of talks between the two prime ministers. In such a case role of the embassies are nominal. By talking about Kalapani and Bhutanese refugee issue, Rajan has violated the diplomatic norms.

(Sanghu, Saturday, August, 7)

Minster’s protection to cheater

  A Kashmiri, Zaiki Usef, has been arrested in Kathmandu by the joint effort of the people and the police. He had cheated millions of rupees from several Nepalese in the name of foreign employment. He used to take Rs. 30,000 per person, saying that he can arrange employment abroad. He had also said that he is a relative of Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat and former ministers Narahari K.C. and Prakash Chandra Lohani.

(Sanghu, Saturday, August 7)

Bhattarai and Koirala ready to sacrifice leadership

Last Tuesday, president of the ruling Nepali Congress party, Girija Prasad Koirala and Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai held an hour-long secret talks. Accordingly, PM Bhattarai seems ready to quit the leadership of the government if Sher Bahadur Deuba will be made the prime minister. On the other hand, President Koirala also seems ready to leave the post of the party president on the condition that Sushil Koirala be made the president. However, this secret dealing has not been made public.

Meanwhile, Shailaja Acharya and Ram Chandra Poudel have formed their joint front within the Nepali Congress.

(Ghatana Chakra, Saturday, August 7)

Madhav Nepal to be sacked!

Conflict between General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and another influential leader K.P. Oli has been increasing within Nepal Communist Party (UML). The conflict has escalated after Nepal’s role in supporting the royal-nominee Ramesh Nath Pandey in the election of National Assembly chairman. The conflict may result in Oli overthrowing Nepal from the post of Secretary General.

(Asan Bazar, Saturday, August 7)

Gachhedar asked for Rs. 250 million

Nepali Congress central committee member and Minister Tourism and Civil Aviation Vijaya Kumar Gachhedar has signalled to B.K. Man Singh in a regular meet that he (Singh) would be sacked from the post if he does not make available Rs. 250 million by the coming Dashain festival.

It is because of Gachchhedar’s threaten, Singh has been knocking the doors of senior leaders of Nepali Congress.

(Patrika, Friday, August 7)

Akhil to look After border

  All Nepal Nationalist Free Students Union, a pro-CPN(ML) student group, has been preparing to launch border security campaign of its own. According to the ANNFSU central committee, the organisation is presently busy studying the encroached Nepalese territory. The committee is to form a five-member special committee to identify the encroached land and other related information.

(Sarathi, Friday, August 6)

Koirala active to topple government

Despite Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai’s claims, the foundation of the government has been trembling.

  Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala is not openly involved in making the government weak but his family members and their associates are involved in this.

  Such a campaign is led by Koirala’s relative Shailaja Acharya and former Speaker Ram Chandra Poudel.

  Acharya and Poudel have announced that they would start a campaign against corruption and groupism. General Secretary of the party Sushil Koirala has announced that he would support the move.

Though the campaign is said to be against corruption and groupism, but, in reality, the campaign will be against Bhattarai government. Corruption could not be controlled by launching campaign by any political party, it is should done by the government.

(Sarathi, Friday, August 6)

Dr. Giri’s fear

Will Dr. Tulsi Giri, mother of Panchayat system and the first prime minister of the panchayat period, come back to Nepal ? This week, many papers published news stating that Dr. Giri would return Nepal after Dashain.

However, it is said that Dr. Giri, who is doing business in Bangalore, India, does not want to return Nepal for the time being. But some of his old colleagues are busy convincing him to return home and get involved in active politics.

Though, it is said that he will return and take initiatives to unifying both the RPP, the leaders of both the RPPs have not contacted him.

(Sarathi, Friday, August 6)

India still says ‘Kalapani is ours’

India has taken policy of making Kalapani its territory for ever. The views expressed by the Indian Ambassador, K.V. Rajan, to Nepal in a programme organised by Reporters’ Club last week confirmed this.

The Indian Ambassador said India never encroached Nepalese territory after it became independent in 1947 and India inherited Kalapani from the British rulers. The views expressed by Indian Ambassador following the views expressed by Nepalese Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat that Kalapani was Nepalese territory has been taken as meaningful. It may be recalled here that the India Foreign Minister will be visiting Nepal shortly.

(Khabarkagaj, Thursday, August 5)

Prostitution in PM’s name

It is a general trend of taking undue advantage by cashing names of people at the top. But doing prostitution business by cashing PM’s name is surprising.

It is a story of Mana Shanti Resort Hotel, which has been opened in the old residence of “Kishunji” in Bhainsepati. The resort was inaugurated by Krishna Prasad Bhattarai last year. Ram Bahadur Karki is the director of hotel.

The hotel sources say that until recently Prime Minister used to visit the place with ‘first lady’ Amita Kapali for ‘pleasure’. It is because of that Karki has been encouraged to do prostitution business there.

  “It is not that police do not know what goes on inside the hotel, but they remain quiet because of power,” says the source.

(Khabarkagaj, Thursday, August 5)