NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

King Orders The Prime MinisterFor Proper Probe On Gurung Murder Case

King Birendra has asked Prime Minister G. P. Koirala to provide details leading to the death of a young singer-musician Praveen Gurung in the capital last month. According to KANTIPUR daily, Principal Secretary to HM the King, Pashupati Bhakta Maharjan, has written a letter to a pro-left student group on Thursday saying that King Birendra had asked the premier to furnish details about Gurung's death. Sources said the Royal Palace has sent a letter to Koirala on August 28. The Palace letter was in response to submission of a protest banner by ANNFSU, a pro-ML student group, with more than 500,000 signatures to the Royal Palace recently demanding action against Prince Paras Shah, son of the King's younger brother Prince Gyanendra Shah. Reports alleged that Prince Paras was driving the vehicle, which hit Gurung on the night of August 6, killing him. Prince Paras has already left the country without facing any interrogation by the authorities. Compiled from reports Sept. 1.

Dr. Rawal To Go To The Court

Sacked Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, Dr Tilak Rawal, has said he will knock the doors of the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the government to dismiss him, HIMALAYA TIMES daily reported. The government had decided to relieve him of his responsibilities without mentioning any specific reason. "There has been a great injustice against me. So, I have decided to go to the court," he said. Dr Rawal has blamed Finance Minister Mahesh Acharya for his removal. Reports said Acharya and Rawal were not even at speaking terms for the last seven months when the then K. P. Bhattarai government appointed the latter as central bank governor. Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has criticized the Koirala government for sacking Rawal as governor of the NRB. "I don't know why the Prime Minister did this. But whatever he did, it was wrong," Deuba said Wednesday. "I wonder why an appointee of the Congress government was sacked by the Congress government itself," he said. Compiled from reports Sept. 1.

Nepalese Get Residency In Thailand

More than 1,100 Nepalese who were evicted from Burma and had been living as refugees in Thailand for the past four decades have at last been granted Thai residency, officials in Bangkok said. The decision comes after two years of lobbying by the Royal Nepalese embassy in Bangkok. The Burmese cracked down on Nepalese and Indians living in Burma soon after independence. Many fled westwards into India while others came to Thailand. "We ran around for two years, and it is a major achievement," Royal Nepalese Ambassador in Thailand, Janak Bahadur Singh said. "The Nepalese are not illegal anymore, and will have Thai citizenship." Last week, the Thai government decided to grant Thai citizenship to the children of over 30,000 Burmese, Chinese and Nepali refugees who entered the country between the 1940s and 1976. The refugees themselves will be given residency rights, but not citizenship. Compiled from reports.

Case Filed Against LPG-Run Vehicles

A writ petition has been is filed at the Supreme Court seeking directive to desist the import of LPG-run vehicles as well as to put a ban on the operation of such vehicles in Kathmandu. Advocate Bharatmani Gautam filed the petition last week. The writ petition claimed that LPG powered vehicles, as polluting as gasoline, are being imported without meeting any pollution standard. The government has made it mandatory through the Nepal Mass Vehicle Standard, 1999, that the petrol, diesel vehicles should meet the set pollution standards whereas the LPG-powered vehicles are freed from any pollution standards. The results of studies done elsewhere (including the one done in our own Nepal) has made it clear that the emissions from LPG run vehicles are equivalent to those of petrol-engine vehicles. According to Martin Chautari, an advocacy group, in Nepal the tail pipe emission from such vehicles has exceeded the pollution standard (3% CO). Compiled from reports.

A Necon Air Craft Escapes An Accident

An Avro aircraft of Necon Air escaped serious accident in the Tribhuvan international airport Sunday. According to airport officials, the aircraft hit the battery charger of the Mountain Air in the parking area of the airport on Sunday noon. The propeller of the aircraft got damaged and one person was injured in the incident. The 9NAEH Avro aircraft of Necon air had reached Kathmandu airport from Pokhara minutes before the accident took place. The aircraft has been grounded and necessary investigation has been initiated, authorities said. Compiled from reports Sept. 4.

Poudel Addresses Meeting Amidst Gunfire

Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel addressed a meeting in the Maoist flash point of Rolpa on Friday despite an exchange of gunfire between police and the rebels near the district headquarters. Rebels opened fire at the security personnel and exploded explosives to threaten local people. No casualty has been reported during the encounter. The districts headquarter, however, remained completely closed during the DPM's visit. Addressing the meeting organized within an office room, Poudel said the government had launched integrated development program keeping in view of the needs of the Maoist-affected districts. In a separate incident, Maoist rebels forced 20 workers out of a distillery in Bingashibpur village in Dhanusha district and set it on fire on Thursday night. The fire reportedly caused a damage worth Rs two million. In Kathmandu, Police defused three time bombs planted by suspected Maoists at the home of the general secretary of the ruling Nepali Congress party Sushil Koirala last week. Compiled from reports Sept. 3.

Minister Gupta Alleges Large Newspapers

In what has come as a surprise to many, Minister for Information and Communications, J. P. Gupta, has alleged that some large newspapers in the capital were publishing news reports under the guidance of the Maoist rebels. Addressing a function here on Saturday, Gupta said though these newspapers did not follow the Maoist ideology, they were doing so out of terror, he said. According to KANTIPUR daily, Gupta said if the newspapers continue to start writing in favor of the Maoist 'criminals,' they may not have time later on even to repent. NEPAL SAMACHARPATRA daily reported that Minister Gupta even warned that the government would lock out the printing machines of the newspapers if they continued publishing news reports supporting the cause of the Maoists. Gupta is believed to have been referring to recent news reports in major dailies and weeklies after on-the-spot visit of Maoist-hit districts by journalists reportedly in a sponsored tour managed by pro-Maoist media organizations. Compiled from reports Sept. 3.

Indian Authorities Yet To Remove 'SAD'

Even after a month of agreement at top level between Indian and Nepali officials to remove the 'special additional duty' (SAD) on Nepali exports to India, it is yet to be implemented. The agreement was reached during Prime Minister G. P. Koirala's recent visit to India. Nepali industrialists have expressed worry to see the delay in implementing the agreement by the Indian officials. Spokesman at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Chandi P. Shrestha, said the government had been drawing Indian side's attention on the issue. "They have said it will still take some more time to complete the process," he said. According to first vice president at the FNCCI, Ravi Bhakta Shrestha, Nepal's exports to India have declined by nearly 30 percent after India decided to impose `SAD' since May this year. The 1996 treaty between the two countries allows duty free access to Nepali manufactured products into India, except those in the negative list. Gorkhapatra Sept. 3.

Bhattarai Not To Contest Further Elections

Former President of Nepali Congress and ex-Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has said he will not contest for any post from now onwards in either party or the government. Talking to reporters briefly after the meeting of the NC's central working committee on Wednesday, Bhattarai said the consensus reached between Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and himself has further enhanced friendship between them. Bhattarai's move is seen as a pressure tactics to force Koirala to follow suit. One of the five demands put forward by Bhattarai to Koirala included that both the senior leaders of the party play the role of guardians and do not contest any elections. Koirala has not made his views in this regard public. But sources close to him said he has made up his mind to contest for the party's presidentship once again. Compiled from reports Aug. 31.

CPN (Maoist) Starts Recruitment

The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has started recruitment in its strongholds in an open manner, a weekly newspaper said to be close to the underground party reported. Those who are above 18 years of age and are willing to fight for the country and people will be recruited in the guerilla force, the report said. The newspaper quoted a Maoist source as saying that the party had started nationwide recruitment and training in response to the government's training of police by Royal Nepalese Army and Foreign Military trainers. The government's operation against Maoists and the resistance movement and recruitment launched by the rebels is likely to intensify the 'civil war' within the country, the report said. Janadesh Aug. 29.

Governor Dhakal To Work For Banking Sector Reforms

Newly appointed Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Dipendra Purush Dhakal, has said he would pay top priority to enhancing public confidence in the country's banking system. In an interview, he said he was committed to prevent a situation arising in which people would voice accusations and anger against the banking sector. He said he would work toward accelerating banking sector reform programs initiated earlier. Former Tourism Secretary, Dhakal, said the central bank could play a positive role in boosting the liberal economic policies adopted by the government to step up economic growth rate and realize overall economic gains. The government had appointed Dhakal as the new Governor at the NRB after relieving Dr. Tilak Rawal from the coveted post. RSS Aug. 31.