Nation awaits impatiently as Congress drama gets prolonged

By A Staff Reporter

The 17th session of the parliament resumed Monday after a four-day break. The Winter Session had begun Thursday, but there are little indications that the parliamentary session, also called the bill session, will be able to carry out its main job - that is to pass the bills. Only two new bills have been registered in the Lower House of the Parliament so far. They are the Road Board Bill and Nepal Scout (second amendment) bill. One more bill regarding bio-diversity may be registered in the National Council, the Upper House of the Parliament.

But the parliament may deal with fourteen different bills  registered in the last parliamentary session and under consideration in the different parliamentary committees. On Monday three bills, Land Measurement Act (8th amendment) Bill 2056, the bill concerning banning the Child Labour, 2056 and  Contract bill which originated at the National Assembly were tabled at the Lower House of the Parliament.

Meanwhile, another aspect of the session - the government furnishing replies to questions raised in the parliament about different ministries - may take a back seat. The Prime Minister, who is looking after 11 additional ministries apart from his own portfolios, does not look like he will be able to give answers to the questions satisfactorily because of his health and also due to the sheer burden of this work.

However, the possibility of the wrangling of the ruling party spilling over into the parliament still remains, despite the ceasefire between the top two leaders, the party president and the Prime Minister . 

The Congressmen, who had attempted ousting the Prime Minister have been grinding rumours that the Prime Minister will resign during the parliamentary session. They had even speculated the date for the resignation saying it will be March 7. But the day came and went yesterday with nothing being heard from either the Prime Minister or the party president G.P. Koirala.

According to a rebel Congress MP, they will wait for one more week before the issue of the resignation of the prime minister is brought out again.

A change may be in the offing by next week as the Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel recently said that he would take some drastic action if something, most possibly the resignation of the prime minister, does not happen by next Tuesday to end the present political feud within the Nepali Congress.

But sources close to the Prime Minister say Bhattarai will resign only if Koirala agrees to quit the post of the party president. That means, Bhattarai is still holding some aces up his sleeve before he quits.

Meanwhile, there are growing signs of uneasiness among the rebel MPs after it was reported that Prime Minister Bhattarai will be leaving the country for a visit to France on the third week of March.

The visit is yet to be confirmed by the government, but if that is true, then Bhattarai may foil Koirala’s attempt take over the government before the session ends.

The dissatisfied Congress MPs fear if Bhattarai escapes the parliamentary session, he may remain outside the country for a considerable period of time in the name of medical treatment and other reasons.

Probably, stung by Bhattarai’s evasive tactic, the rebel Congressmen may opt for something rash in the parliament before he leaves for his foreign trip.

With no one knowing what the agreement was, if there was any, between Bhattarai and Koirala on February 21, the Congressmen are confused whether the Prime Minister will resign and, if yes, when. But it looks certain that Bhattarai will try to do everything in his capacity not to let Koirala have the power if he has to relinquish it.

Security on IA aircraft should pose no problem

By A Staff Reporter

Foreign Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has rejected a claim made by the Indian Civil Aviation Minister that the Nepalese government has agreed in principle to allow India have its security personnel at the Tribhuvan International Airport.

Speaking at the parliament on Monday, Minister Dr. Mahat denied that the government had secretly agreed to let India have its armed security stationed at the Kathmandu airport.

Officials at the Foreign Ministry agreed that India has indeed showed interest in putting up its own armed guards at the Kathmandu airport. India had proposed this at a meeting of the Nepal-India joint border commission immediately after the hijacking of the Indian plane.

However, some in the tourism sector claim that there is nothing wrong in allowing an airlines in having its own security. This does not mean Indian army personnel are to be stationed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA). What is wrong in allowing the Indians to have their security people frisk passengers as they are about to board an Indian Airlines plane, asked an irate travel entrepreneur?

The Nepalese tourism entrepreneurs are clamouring over the loss borne by them because of the cancellation of flights by the Indian Airlines after the hijacking of its plane on December 24.

Furthermore, it may be mentioned that Indian Airlines has its own security personnel even at the Heathrow Airport in Britain and the famous Changi Airport in Singapore. In Kathmandu too, it was disclosed by some TIA officials that PIA, the Pakistan Airlines and Austrian Airlines screen their passengers with their own security people. PIA has such arrangements in New Delhi too.

The Indian Airlines is still refusing to fly to Kathmandu until, it says, it is satisfied with the security arrangements at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport airport.

Observers have also expressed the view that some media people are unneccesarily making an issue out of the demand of the Indians. To take matter with a cool head, IA’s concern about the safety of its plane is genuine. However, they must be told they can take such security measures on their own aircraft only.

Like the Nepalese Foreign Minister said providing security at Nepal’s airport is the responsibility of the Nepalese government and that it is capable of doing it.

So what the Indian Airlines’ could do is put up air marshals in its plane and it can always frisk and check the passengers ‘just before’ they board the plane. Putting up air marshals and security personnel on board is now a fairly common practice. Airlines in many countries, even in US, Europe and others, have been doing this for years.

Govt. Maoists talks when?

By Dhana Thapa

Even as Comrade Prachanda, the deciding leader of the Maoists has warned that the delay in holding talks between his party and the government has raised concern, sources close to PM Krishna Prasad Bhattarai say the government is going all out to ensure such a talk takes place.

However, others point out the fact that as there has been a “cat and mouse game” between the government and the rebels, the violent activities, from both the sides has not stopped.

The government is relying on human rights activists to materialise the peace talks, but Prachanda has indicated that his party will carry out the People’s War in a more violent manner if the dialogue is not started soon.

Till now, it is the rebels who have the upper hand, as the government security agencies seem ineffective in the insurgency hit areas. Apart from the concerned citizens, even the police personnel are hoping some positive developments take place this time.

Plastic takes toll on Zoo animal

By Neeraj Vajracharya

Even deers are falling prey to plastics.

While the environment-friendly people around the world have been demanding a ban in the use of plastics, its use in Nepal seems to be increasing day by day. Though many Nepalese have also raised voices against it, it is still a distant dream that the use of plastics will stop here.

Though there seemed almost no direct negative impact of plastics, it is very much harmful in the long run due to its non-degradable nature. While the negative impact due to these plastics have started showing multiplier effects on our environment, the authority as well as the manufacturers of plastics are still keeping silence. They seem to be untouched even by a recent incident that took place at Jawalakhel’s Central Zoo, the only zoo of Nepal.

It’s not that the home of thousands of animals, wild as well as endangered, has become a slaughter place for them due to these plastics. But ignorance and unawareness of zoo visitors have cost the lives of many animals at the zoo.

Few days ago a Black Buck, locally known as Krishnasar, was found dead at the zoo premises. As the zoo authorities were unable to understand as to why the untimely death of the animal occurred, they decided to conduct a post-mortem of the dead animal.

To nobody’s surprise, the autopsy result showed that the cause of death of that animal was due to the excessive intake of plastic bags.

Black Bucks are among the endangered species in the world with less than 800 of them left around the world. The zoo is the home for almost 82 of them. 

“We found almost a kilo of plastic bags inside the stomach of the dead animal,” said Ang Phuri Sherpa, Conservation Education Officer at the Central Zoo. “This is basically due to ignorance and negligence of people who come to visit the zoo”.

It is found that many of the zoo visitors give food to the animals. As the plastic bags are found in abundance at a nominal price, they bring their stuff in it. While feeding the zoo residents, they give the plastic bags too.

“This is just a simple example of how the use of plastics is affecting our ecosystem. Today its animals that has been found affected, tomorrow it will be us who will be affected,” said Bharat Basnet, a tourism entrepreneur, who is better known as an environmental activist.

“People must understand that plastic is, in fact, a type of slow-poison. Since it is non-degradable, it will prove very harmful in the long run,” Basnet said and added, “we must discourage the use of plastic bags.”

In order to initiate awareness campaign to discourage the use of plastics specially in and around the zoo, a group of journalists organized a sit-in programme at the entrance of the zoo on Saturday, last week. On the occasion, they distributed paper bags to the zoo visitors to replace and collect the plastic bags on which they have brought food and other stuff. They also explained to the zoo visitors about the negative impact associated with the use of plastics.

“This is not the solution,” said Krishna Tamrakar, Radio Programme Broadcaster, about the campaign they initiated. “This is just the beginning for creating awareness among people.” The zoo management is also preparing to ban the use of plastics inside their premises, the zoo management informed.

"Every Child Counts"

By Sushma Amatya

Polio strikes fast and cripples its victims for life. In the first half of the 19th century, polio was one of the most feared diseases known, especially in the developed world. Children under three are most vulnerable to this disease that is caused by an infection with any one of the three enteroviruses: poliovirus types 1, 2 and 3. Children constitute up to 70% of all victims.

The poliovirus is spread by contact with contaminated feces or oral secretions, or by eating food or drink that has been contaminated. The virus usually enters through the mouth and then multiplies inside the throat and intestines. The incubation period is 4 to 35 days.

Early detection is difficult as symptoms vary both in intensity and nature. The infected people can experience fever, headache, vomiting and constipation or diarrhoea, stiffness in the neck, and/or pain in the limbs. However, almost 90 % of polio cases produce no symptoms. If at all the symptoms are there, they are too mild to be recognised.

Though less than one per cent polio infections result in paralysis and 90 % who are infected probably recover without ever realising that they have had the virus, the danger lies in the fact that those people with mild or symptom less infections can act as carriers of the virus. Such people can unknowingly pass the poliovirus on to others for several weeks after they themselves have recovered.

Once active in the body, this virus can enter the bloodstream and invade the central nervous system, inflaming nerves in the brain and spinal cord. When the virus destroys nerve cells that activate muscles, it can cause acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) in the chest, legs or arms. Poliovirus is only one cause of AFP. While most other forms of AFP can result in complete recovery, polio paralysis is irreversible.

Only stool testing can confirm that a patient with AFP has polio. But all children living in the area must be immunised or revaccinated before the lab results are out.

As polio affects only humans and there is no animal reservoir, immunising human being against this virus will result in complete eradication. The immunity provided by the inexpensive vaccine, oral polio vaccine (OPV) is life long. And there are no long-term carriers. OPV created by Dr. Albert Sabin in 1961 is given orally.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly resolved to eradicate polio by the year 2000. There were an estimated 350,000 children falling victim to polio every year. WHO responded to this alarming situation with a four-pronged strategy to eradicate polio:

Routine immunisation with oral polio vaccine; supplementary, additional doses of OPV distributed countrywide during National Immunisation Days (NIDs); mopping up immunisation activities to catch any below-five children who many have been missed during stages one and two and; enhanced surveillance for all cases of AFP and wild poliovirus. Immunisation has been recognised as the most efficient and cost-effective way to fight preventible diseases, especially polio.

Nepal, determined to reach the global target of polio eradication by the end of the year 2000 has initiated major activities towards polio eradication in line with WHO guidelines and strategies.

That wild poliovirus is still circulating among Nepal’s children is confirmed by the recent finding of the poliovirus in a three-year-old child in Banke district near the border with Uttar Pradesh, India. This is the first case of laboratory confirmed wild poliovirus found in Nepal since December 1997. It is important to remember that as many as 200 children may be infected with polio for every case of paralysis caused by polio.

Addressing the joint WHO-UNICEF cross-border meeting of SAARC and neighboring countries on poliomyelitis eradication that took place on 1-2 March 2000 in Kathmandu; Secretary of Health, Shree Kant Regmi said that, the border areas pose the risk of harboring the last reservoirs of wild polioviruses and may serve to facilitate importation of the virus into polio free countries.

In his welcome speech, Nigel Fisher, Regional Director, UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia said, “The polio virus respects no frontiers, national or regional, and slips across borders with consummate ease...Eradication in particular will only be achieved with the strongest political commitment of our nation’s leaders who place this imperative high on their own agendas....Eradication can only mean that every child counts, every child must be reached - the minority, nomadic or migrant child, the child living in the slum, on the construction site, every girl as well as every boy.” Nigel stressed that whatever the political differences between nations, they can all agree on one thing: that when it comes to child protection, such differences can be put aside.

Source: WHO

The Healing Touch

By A Staff Reporter

Sixteen-year-old, Hirokazu Kobayashi woke up in his bedroom that was filled with an extraordinary light. He discovered that he had a tremendous source of energy within him after that experience and developed a healing touch. He gradually accepted the fact that he was chosen to use this unexplained source of power for the benefit of others. He then started healing people in his country, Japan.

Healer Hirokazu monk Nyanarto

Now, 32, Hirokazu has healed countless number of people in Thailand, England, U.S.A, Bhutan, France, Switzerland, Italy, Canada and India. He has worked with medical experts who were left astounded with his energy level that was measured by computerised machines in the U.S.A.

He has worked with handicapped children, people with artificial limbs, cancer patients and other people suffering from various ailments. Hirokazu admits that many cases that seemed difficult were treated and other seemingly simple cases could not be treated.

“It depends on the state of mind of the receiver of the energy also. If you are not willing to be to treated, then you cannot be treated. An open mind is important”, translates his articulate friend, an ex-medical student who has been a monk for many years now. The ordination name of the monk is Nyanarato who lives in a monastery in Thailand. Hirokazu’s first visit outside Japan was to Thailand where he was invited to treat the back problem of Nyanarato’s guru.

It is Hirokazu’s first visit to Nepal and he has already been treating many people. He not only treats, he teaches them the art of healing also. “The more you give out your positive energy, the more you have of it”, says he.  Today he is very comfortable with his ability to see the aura around people as also the bright ball or balls of light around him; especially when he is healing people. For him the presence of the light or lights is what a piece of furniture would be like to other people. 

Today, Hirokazu is happy helping people and spreading the message of peace and good will around the world.

International meet of USSR graduates

By A Staff Reporter

Mitra Kunj, an alumni association of graduates from universities and institutions of former Soviet Union, in association with Russian Peoples’ Friendship University, ROSZARUBEZZH Centre and INCORVUZ of Moscow, is organizing an international conference of graduates from universities and institutions of former Soviet Union.

The conference titled: “The Role of Educational Establishments of CIS and Their Graduates in the Development of Asian Countries in the Third Millennium”, is scheduled to be held between March 9-11, 2000 when the famous Moscow-based Russian Peoples’ Friendly University celebrates its 40th anniversary.

The programme targeted at discussing the important role played by universities in former Soviet Union on the development of Asian countries, will be attended by graduates from different countries who had received their degrees from Russian as well as CIS universities, a press release said.

The universities and educational institutions of former USSR and the present day Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had contributed substantially to develop human resources of the Asian countries during the second half of the 20th century. The newly emerging nations of Asia, formed after the end of the Second World War in 1945, were more benefited from such efforts, the press release said.

At present, there are more than hundred thousand such graduates working in Asian countries outside CIS for the enhancement of scientific, technical and socio-economic capacity of their motherland. Sharing of experience gained by these graduates with each other and with the representatives of the educational establishments of CIS will be of great value in the development of cooperations between the Alumni Associations and the educational establishments. The conference will help in bringing together the graduates of different countries for exchange of their experience.

The participants at the conference will be the representatives from Asian Alumni Associations of Educational Establishments of former USSR and present day CIS. According to a statistics provided by Mitra Kunj, there are more than 5000 specialists graduated from former USSR engaged in different developmental activities in Nepal.

WFP working with women

By A Staff Reporter

World Food Programme focussed on four areas - women and poverty, women and education, women’s health and women under armed conflict - out of twleve critical areas of concern; in its commitments to Women at the Beijing Conference in 1995. The following commitments have been adopted as guiding directives in all WFP projects and Country Programmes:

Targeting 80% of relief food to women, providing 60% of all resources to women and girls in a country where there is a significant gender gap, investing equally in girls education, ensuring that women benefit equally from food aid and from the assets created; and insisting that women play a lead role in decision making and food management. As a result, gender action plans have been formulated for each of the WFP projects in Nepal with a view to translate the broad goals of its commitments to women into specific project targets.

In order to address the gender imbalance in primary education, WFP recently launched a Girls’ Incentive Scheme in Doti and Dadeldhura with a view to improve attendance. A Maternal Child Health Programme, with the provision of supplementary food assistance to pregnant women and nursing mothers and under-five children is being implemented in Dadeldhura in near future.

A Gender training cum Community Development Programme has been set up since end 1998 in Doti, Dadeldhura, Surkhet and Dailekh in order to mobilise community support and active participation into the school feeding programme.

Reaction against Rightist demonstrators

Riot police used tear gas and batons to disperse about 350 pro-democratic college students who Thursday pelted a crowd of nearly 2,000 right-wing demonstrators with stones.

The right wing demonstrators were demanding the abolition of the multi-party parliamentary democracy and the constitution. They also appealed to the King to take control of the country from the elected government, eyewitnesses said.

Up to 12 right wing demonstrators received minor head injuries caused by  stone pelting, a Home Ministry spokesman said.

Pro-democratic students from Tri-Chandra College also overturned a three-wheel taxi and set it on fire, witnesses said.

Riot police lobbed six or seven teargas shells into the crowd and used batons to disperse the pro-democracy students, the witnesses said.

The incident took place about 200 metres away from the Royal Palace at the Durbar Marg, the wealthy area of the Nepalese capital.

The right wing demonstrators under the leadership of the Democratic Revolutionary Nationalist Society marched towards the southern gate of the Narayanhity Royal Palace. However, they were blocked by Nepali Congress youth activists and college students, police sources said.

They handed out leaflets asking the King to save the country from further turmoil they said was caused by the restoration of multi-party democracy in 1990.

Nepali Congress youth leader Prakash Jung Thapa said the “so-called nationalists and patriots are conspiring against democracy”.(AFP)

Directives for efficient administration

By A Staff Reporter

The government has issued a directive to reduce red-tapism and bureaucratic hassles in the government offices. Speaking at a press meet on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Ramchandra Poudel said the directives are meant to provide the services and facilities to the people, especially poor ones, in an efficient manner.

Under the directives, there will be a district monitoring and supervision committee under the Chief District Officer and comprising of representatives of different other bodies including the political parties. People can make complaints about corruption, irregularities and other hassles to the committee.     

There will be a Central monitoring and directives implementation committee coordinated by the secretary at the Prime Minister’s office, which will see the implementation of the directives and the programmes and policies of the government.

Similarly, there will be a central monitoring and directive committee under the Prime Minister which will monitor the services, facilities provided to the people and make evaluation of the development programmes and projects.

Alliance for democracy meet

By A Staff Reporter

The Alliance for Democracy & Human Rights’ held an interaction programme on Political Crisis in Nepal Monday. The programme attended by members, human rights activists, advocacy groups, academicians and the media discussed  various problems faced by the nation.

According to a press release of the Alliance for Democracy & Human Rights’ “the problems that were commented upon were; good governance, corruption, the Maoist rebellion, the failure of the political parties and leaders to lead the country and to come up with development programmes at the grassroot level among others. There was a general consensus that the government machinery had virtually come to a standstill and the bureaucracy had proved to be ineffective to provide real relief to the poverty-stricken people. The various causes of the Maoist and Police violence were also discussed.