NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

ML Convention Elects New Leadership

The five-day national convention of the Communist Party of Nepal Marxist-Leninist (CPN-ML) concluded early Wednesday electing a nine-member politburo and a 46-member central committee. The new central committee unanimously elected Sahana Pradhan as chairperson of the party and Bam Dev Gautam as general secretary. The new politburo members include Mrs. Pradhan, Gautam, C.P Mainali, Radha Krishna Mainali, Siddhi Lal Singh, Ashok Rai, Sitanandan Raya, Sambhu Ram Shrestha and Trilochan Dhakal. The conference endorsed Gautam's political program that seeks continuation of the "People's Multiparty Democracy" ideology propounded by the late Madan Bhandari, then-general secretary of the CPN-UML. The convention rejected C.P. Mainali's "New People's Democracy" concept and other programs presented by some central leaders of the party. The leadership was able to avoid a vertical split in the party in the wake of growing differences between the Gautam and Mainali factions. Leading dailies report Dec. 14.

Industrial Security Force Mobilized

A joint meeting of security officials of Parsa and Bara districts and local businessmen has decided to mobilize an 'industrial security force' to provide security to industries and businesses in the two terai districts. According to Ramesh Kumar Bhattarai, secretary of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), the mobile security force, comprising nine armed policemen and a representative of the BCCI, will patrol the industrial area from 8 pm to 6 am every day. The BCCI has agreed to provide a mobile telephone set and a jeep for the security force. Nearly 200 large industries and 500 small- and medium-scale industries are located along the Birgunj-Simara route. Entrepreneurs said they had sought cooperation from the local administration as attacks from terrorist groups, including the Maoists, had gone up over the last three months. Nearly a dozen factories, including Himal Distilleries, Triveni Group of Industries and Surya Tobacco, were targeted by suspected Maoist rebels. Kantipur Dec. 15.

Recounting Of Votes Ordered

The Special Election Court of Ilam has ordered recounting of votes in Jhapa district constituency No. 4 in response to a writ challenging the result of the 1999 general elections. The decision came in response to a writ petition filed by the UML's Yukta Prasad Bhetwal. Nepali Congress candidate and Foreign Minister Chakra Prasad Bastola had been declared the winner from the constituency. The court is still hearing arguments in the case of Jhapa constituency No. 2 where UML leader K. P. Shrama Oli had defeated Congress candidate Giriraj Kumari Prasai. Both Bastola and Oli had defeated their rivals with very narrow margins. Compiled from reports Dec. 15.

NC, UML Hold Old Talks On Constitutional Amendment

Representatives from the ruling Nepali Congress (NC) and the main opposition Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML) met Tuesday to discuss amending the decade-old constitution of the country. According to Iswor Pokhrel of UML, the ruling party was viewing their demands for a constitutional amendment positively and that a proposal would be presented during the NC's central working committee meeting soon. He said the NC's official position on the issue would be clear then and the two sides would meet again. The two-hour meeting was attended by Minister for Information and Communications Jaya Prakash Gupta, NC spokesman Narahari Acharya and central committee member Govinda Raj Joshi. The UML was represented by Bharat Mohan Adhikari, Ishwor Pokhrel and Jhalanath Khanal. The UML had proposed a five-point agenda to amend the constitution, including the formation of an all-party government to oversee general elections. Himalaya Times Dec. 13.

24 Nepalis Arrested In Malaysia

Malaysian authorities took into custody 24 Nepalis smuggled into the country via Thailand, an AP dispatch said. A Pakistani and two Myanmarese nationals were also arrested. The report said more than 140 Nepalis have been detained for working without legal documents in Penang this year. A spokesman at the Foreign Ministry in Kathmandu expressed ignorance about the incident. Compiled from reports Dec. 13.

Nearly 100 Wild Elephants In Nepal

Out of an estimated 35,000 to 50,000 elephants in the wild living in Asia, some 90 to 110 are in Nepal, reports said. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Nepal Program, the wild Asian elephants of Nepal occur in four main populations in the eastern, western and Far Western Terai belts. The largest concentration is in Bardia where an estimated 45 to 50 wild elephants live. In Shuklaphanta, the number is between 15 and 20. Between 20 and 30 are in Parsa-Chitwan while seven or eight are in Bahundangi. These few elephants make up the last of the wild Asian elephants of Nepal. WWF Nepal Program said it has launched a Western Terai-Churia Conservation Program in association with other agencies to restore migratory route of wild elephants from Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve to Royal Bardia National Park in western Nepal. Compiled from reports Dec. 12.

ILO Launches Project

The International Labor Organization and the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) officially launched a two-year program in Nepal to combat child trafficking for exploitative employment. The program is part of the South Asian sub-regional program on child trafficking also being launched in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The program will focus on raising national capabilities, address direct ways of preventing, protecting and rehabilitating victims of trafficking and undertake research and documentation on related issues, officials said. Over 2,000 families will be targeted and nearly 400 children rescued from highly exploitative situations will benefit from this program. Studies estimate that nearly 5,000 to 7,000 women are trafficked from Nepal to Indian brothels every year, the majority of which are children below the age of 17. Leading dailies report Dec. 15.

Talks Held Between Nepal And China

The first round of talks between Nepalese and Chinese tax officials was held in Kathmandu last week with the aim of abolishing dual tariff and prevention of financial fraud. Nepal explained its tax policy to the Chinese delegates and the two sides explored prospective areas of trade and investment. Director-General of the Department of Tax, Bidyadhar Mallik, and Director of the Department of International Tax of the Government of China, Sun Yu Gang, led the talks on behalf of their governments. RSS reports Dec. 15.

Inmates Return Home

The local administration has released all 19 inmates at the Dolpa prison after the Maoist rebels destroyed their prison in a devastating attack on September 25 this year, reports said. The jail administration has released all 19 inmates on condition of regular attendance at the jailer's office since the prison is yet to be reconstructed. "The central office has not yet allotted funds to carry out reconstruction," said jailer Ganga Mani Sharma. He said the jail administration had to approach the district court for records of cases since all documents were burned to ashes in the attack. Compiled from reports Dec. 16.

Transport Operators Protest On Old Vehicles

Transport Entrepreneurs Associations (TSA) are preparing to take to the street to protest against the governmentís recent decision to ban more than 20-year-old vehicles from operating inside the capital valley. Independent Transport Workersí Union of Nepal (ITWUN), one of the organizations of private transport operators, said vehicles in Kathmandu are plying in the roads with black flags to protest the decision beginning Saturday. The Union said the government took the decision without providing viable alternatives to the transport entrepreneurs. The government has announced that all vehicles older than 20 years will be prohibited from operating inside the Valley from mid-November 2001. The Ministry of Population and Environment (MOPE) said up to 15,000 vehicles would be affected from the governmentís decision. The ban, however, does not affect private vehicles no matter how old they are. Compiled from reports.

Bitter Lies In The Stock

Due to lack of efficient management in a competitive market, butter worth nearly Rs 100 million is lying as stock with the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation, a private newspaper reported. The DDC now has nearly 500 metric tonnes of butter and has even hired a cold store at the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Development Committee to store it. After studying Indian market sometime back, a DDC team had recommended that the Corporation could export up to 200 metric tonnes of butter in India but the Corporation has taken no steps so far to sell the excess butter. If not marketed immediately the DDC will end up dumping the precious butter under the ground, as the butter canít be sold in the market after one year. Nepal Samacharpatra Dec. 17.

Over 1000 People Killed

Officials have said over 1000 people have been killed in the mid-western region alone since the Maoist rebels launched their "peopleís war" nearly five years ago. According to Police, 749 rebels, 172 policemen and 159 civilians were killed during fighting between the police and rebels. According to official estimates, more than 1500 people have lost their lives all over the country during the rebellion. Unofficial estimates put the figures to be at least double of that number. Compiled from reports Dec. 19.

Ban On Cigarette And Liquor Ads Likely

Two years after banning the advertisement of cigarettes and liquors from the electronic media, the government is now considering to introduce a law banning it totally from the print media. National Health Education, Information and Communication Center at the Ministry of Health has already drafted a Bill to be tabled at the up-coming session of Parliament, KANTIPUR daily reported last week. The Bill, if passed, will ban all advertisements of tobacco and alcoholic products in the print media and also prohibit smoking and use of tobacco at government offices, parks, hospitals, temples, educational institutions and other public places. The bill also prohibits financial institutions from providing loans to any industries producing cigarettes and liquors. There is also a provision to levy fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 25,000 for violating the law. Compiled from reports.