NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

Shoot-At-Sight' Ordered At Jogbani Area

District Administration Office in Morang has issued a "shoot-at-sight" order at Jogbani at Nepal-India border and declared Biratnagar-Jogbani highway in eastern Nepal as prohibited area, KANTIPUR daily reported today. According to the report, by the workers of Biratnagar Jute Mills blocking the border the order was issued in the wake of nearly week-long agitation. Meanwhile, opposition lawmakers walked out of the Parliament on Sunday alleging the government of using force against the peaceful demonstrators in Biratnagar. Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi, however, refuted opposition charges that police had opened fire at the workers. Compiled from reports July 3.

Bhattarai For Change In Leadership

Former Prime Minister K. P. Bhattarai has said the present Nepali Congress government should be allowed to complete its full term. "We should be ready to change the leadership of the government if need be," Bhattarai told a group of lawmakers belonging to his party from western development region on Sunday. The senior Congress leader, who was forced to resign from his post in the wake of rebellion from within his own parliamentary party, said he would not allow the NC government meet an accident. Bhattarai also said that both the government and ruling party should come up with a solid stand on the Maoist issue. "We should take the issue more seriously," he said. Compiled from reports July 3.

Rebels Blow Away A Police Post

A group of Maoist rebels have blown away a police post at Kiratichhap in hilly central district of Dolakha on Saturday night. The post was vacant when the rebels attacked it with bombs and bullets. Reports said all 15 policemen in the post had gone into hiding when the rebels opened attack. A reinforcement of the police was sent to the post next morning, reports said. Compiled from reports July 3.

Carpet Exporters Threaten To Cease Exports

Carpet exporters in the country have warned that they will cease exporting the hand-knotted woolen carpet to international market if the government didn't withdraw the proposed income tax. The budget for the year 2000-01 has proposed 0.5 percent duty on income from the exports in addition to another 0.5 percent duty as service charge. Taking part in an interaction program organized by Nepal Carpet Exporters Association, the exporters urged the government to review the said decision immediately saying that it will have adverse impact on the carpet exports. Nepal had exported a total of 2.5 million square meters of hand-knotted carpet in the year 1998-99 but in the first five months of the current fiscal year it has exported only one million square meters of carpet. Nepal Samacharpatra July 3.

Congress CWC Meet Concludes

The on-going central working committee meeting of ruling Nepali Congress concluded here on Friday with the decision to further investigate into allegations of irregularities in the distribution of active membership of the party. The decision was taken after some members alleged that the process of renewal and distribution of party's active membership had been discriminatory. They even held party general secretary Sushil Koirala of being responsible for such irregularities. Koirala denied the allegations. Some 130,000 active members of the party will choose the party's new leader in an indirect election during the party's tenth general convention slated to take place later this year. It is not yet clear whether Prime Minister and party president G. P. Koirala will seek re-election to the party's top job or will decide to hand over the mantle to the younger generation. Leading dailies report.

Deuba Passes The Buck To Koirala

Before leaving on a private visit to the US, former Prime Minister and convenor of the high-level committee to recommend ways to resolve the Maoist problem, Sher Bahadur Deuba, has said talks will be held with the rebels as soon as Prime Minister G. P. Koirala gives a go ahead for it. RSS news agency has quoted Deuba as saying that the process of talks will gain momentum as soon as the government takes initiatives. Earlier, Deuba had said he had handed over the letter written to him by Comrade Prachanda, general secretary of the underground party, to Koirala and was awaiting his response. Meanwhile, Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi said on Friday that the government had not received any formal demands of the rebels as yet. According to KANTIPUR daily, Joshi said the government was ready to hold dialogue with the rebels but for this, they should clearly communicate their demands to the government. Compiled from reports July 1.

Pre-Historic Tools Found

A team of Nepali researchers has unearthed thousands of years old pre-historic arrow-heads in eastern Nepal recently. According to Dr. Ramesh Kumar Dhungel, a researcher at the Center for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) who led the team, the artifacts they have discovered include three arrowheads with length between 3.7 cm to 2.4 cm and breadth between 2.8 to 1.5 cm estimated to be over 7,000 years old. The artifacts were found at a cave in Hatia village's Tatopani area in Sankhuwasabha district in the Upper Arun region on May 15 this year. Such weapons belonging to the Stone Age were earlier found in Europe, Central Asia, Eastern Siberia and other places, he said. He also said that he had discovered documents suggesting that two trans-Himalayan villages now lying in Tibetan autonomous region of China actually belonged to Nepal. Leading dailies report July 2.

Tourism Operators Hit At RNAC

As the state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) is observing its 42nd anniversary, an organization of tour operators in the country have urged the 'national flag carrier' to make its flights regular. In a statement issued on Friday, Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) expressed serious concern over the frequent cancellation of RA flights and its adverse impact in the tourism industry here. Besides losing its credibility, RNAC has also put the image of the Nepali tourism at stake, said the Association. It advised that the Corporation should go for long-term leasing purchase of aircraft. Meanwhile, in an interview, executive chairman of the RNAC, Hari Bhakta Shrestha, has admitted that shortage of aircraft both for the international and domestic operations had hampered its growth. He said there was a need to review existing rules, regulations and laws to enable RA to compete with bigger international airlines. Compiled from reports.

Home Minister Criticizes Intelligence Department

Home Minister Govinda Raj Joshi came down heavily upon the National Investigation Department (NID) under his own Ministry for its alleged ineffectiveness. Addressing a two-day regional meet of chief district officers and security personnel at Pokhara on Thursday, Joshi said NID had failed to inform and assist the government on the most pressing issues like terrorist activities, corruption and mafia activities. The Department has even failed to set its priorities and is confined to clerical works, the Minister said. Joshi lashed at the department officials saying that they always sought more resources but failed to deliver. Leading dailies report June 30.

Sanghai Buys TDC

Purushottam Lal Sanghai, a Nepali businessman, has bought 65 percent shareholding of the state-owned Nepal Tea Development Corporation, officials announced here on Thursday. The Finance Ministry said Sanghai has procured 65 percent shares of NTDC at Rs 267.105 million. As per the agreement signed between the Ministry and Sanghai, the latter has been authorized to own the Corporation for a period of 50 years by paying an annual revenue of Rs 28.1 million, subject to renewal at agreed intervals. Earlier, the government had decided to lease out the Corporation to KC Palanaswami, an Indian industrialist, and his Nepali partners. The government later canceled the deal as Palanaswami failed to deposit the committed money despite repeated extension of the deadline. Compiled from reports June 30