NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

Policemen And A Chinese National Injured

At least 11 people, including seven policemen and a Chinese national, were injured when suspected Maoist rebels ambushed a vehicle carrying explosives to be used in the under-construction Indrawati hydropower project Saturday, a spokesman for the Home Ministry said Sunday. The rebels exploded a pipe bomb at Sauteni Khola in Jyamire Village Development Committee in Sindhupalchok district, to the north of Kathmandu bordering the Tibet autonomous region of China. The rebels were believed to have intended to loot the explosives being carried to the construction site by National Hydropower Company (NHC). The rebels fled from the site after a nearly one-and-a-half-hour gun battle with police. No casualty was reported on the part of the rebels. Police were able to protect the explosives and recover eight pieces of socket bombs, a 100-meter long electric wire and a pressure cooker from the site. This was perhaps the first time that a foreign national had fallen victim to Maoist attacks. A NHC vehicle was destroyed in the explosion and three people, including former Royal Nepalese Army personnel, were critically injured. Nine people, including seven policemen, were airlifted to Kathmandu for medical treatment. The Chinese national and four other persons were being treated locally. Compiled from reports.

Bhattarai Criticizes Cabinet Expansion

Senior Nepali Congress leader and former prime minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has expressed his reservations to the newly expanded cabinet by Prime Minister G. P. Koirala. In a statement issued Thursday, Bhattarai said Koirala had not consulted him or shown him the list of proposed names before making the announcement. Saying that Koirala would not be able to do justice to both of his responsibilities as prime minister and president of the party at the same time, Bhattarai said the deteriorating law and order situation in the country and the Lauda Air scam would make the days ahead difficult for Koirala. Prime Minister Koirala had reshuffled and expanded his 10-month-old cabinet to 37 members on Wednesday. Compiled from reports Feb. 9.

Locals Demand Of Development Of Arun III Project

While the government and a foreign company remain deadlocked over the issue of submitting a `performance bond' to get the survey license of the much-talked about 402 MW Arun III project, local people in the Arun valley in eastern Nepal have urged the government to immediately expedite the process to develop the project. In a discussion program organized in the capital Saturday, local people from Sankhuwasabha district also formed the ‘Arun Water Utilization Committee' to pressure the government on the matter. The government has refused to award the survey license to EurOrient, a US-company, for failing to deposit Rs 42 million in 'performance guaranty.' The 201 MW Arun III project was shelved in 1995 after the World Bank refused to finance it, citing protests from environmental groups. Compiled from reports Feb. 11.

Govt. Forms Probe Commission

The government has constituted a three-member judicial commission today to probe into the deaths of more than half a dozen people in police firing in different parts of the country two months ago. The commission, headed by Govinda Kumar Shrestha, judge at the Lalitpur Appellate Court, will submit its report within 45 days. The opposition Nepal Sadbhavana Party announced it had withdrawn its protest programs, including blocking the parliament rostrum, as the government had fulfilled its demand of constituting the judicial probe commission. Earlier, a government-formed commission headed by a former secretary had failed to identify people responsible for street violence in December last year that led to the killing of five people, including minors, in the capital, Kathmandu. Two more people were killed in police firing in Saptari district, eastern Nepal. The violence had erupted in the wake of alleged remarks by an Indian movie actor, Hrithik Roshan, against Nepal and the Nepalese people. Roshan denied making any such remarks.

Special Court Rejects Plea

The Special Court has rejected the demand for judicial custody for ANNFSU (Revolutionary) general secretary Purna Prasad Poudel and four of his associates Tuesday. The accused are in police custody for their failure to submit individual bail amounts of Rs 10,000 (approximately 150 US dollars) as demanded by the Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO). The bench comprising judges Mohan Prasad Sitaula, Gyanendra Bahadur Karki and Jagannath Pathak ordered that a fresh demand be made for their judicial custody once the DAO repeals the case. A case was filed against 15 members of ANNFSU (Revolutionary) under the public offence (crime and offence) act 1990 in the Special Court, Monday. Compiled from reports Feb. 8.

China To Assist In Rasuwa Road Construction

The Chinese government has agreed to expedite the process of building the Syaprubesi-Rasuwa road. During A meeting of the consultation mechanism between the foreign ministries of Nepal and China in Kathmandu early this week, the Chinese side also agreed to award fifth freedom right from Shanghai to Osaka and multiple designations of the Nepalese airlines on the Kathmandu-Lhasa route, the Foreign Ministry said. During the meeting, the Chinese officials appreciated Nepal government's one-China policy and its stance on the questions of Taiwan and Tibet. The Nepalese government welcomed the Chinese government's decision to extend consular jurisdiction of Royal Nepalese Consulate General in Hong Kong to Macao also. RSS reports, Feb. 8.

Poverty Reduction Program In Limbo

The much-talked about 'Poverty Reduction Program (PRP)' has failed to kick off even six months after it was passed by parliament. The government had allocated Rs 10 million to set up a Poverty Reduction Fund. The National Planning Commission (NPC) had identified 119 village development committees in 65 out of 75 districts of the country to launch the poverty reduction programs. "We have been repeatedly asking the Finance Ministry to release the fund for this priority program but the budget has not been released as yet," said Mahendra Pandey, joint secretary at the NPC. Under Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Lal Bahadur Chhetri, however, said there had been delay in releasing the budget as the NPC could not furnish satisfactory details regarding the expenditure and auditing of the programs launched under the PRP. The ministry said it is yet to receive reports of expenditure made under the program during the last fiscal year. Out of Rs 33 million allocated under the program last year, only six VDCs had received a total of Rs 4.8 million. Compiled from reports Feb. 08.

'Govt. To Review Security Situation': Acharya

Minister for Defence Mahesh Acharya has said the government would review the management of the security apparatus in the country in the aftermath of fatal attacks aimed at Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyay and members of his team in western Nepal last week. Addressing a program organized by Reporters' Club of Nepal here Tuesday, Acharya said the government had decided to set up the Armed Police Force to deal with the situation of organized armed violence. He said the government would train and equip security personnel in view of new security threats. The minister described the Maoist movement as "aimless and directionless" and said a Nepali killing another Nepali can never help in resolving the problems of poverty, unemployment and corruption. Acharya said the government had always kept open the doors of dialogue with the rebels. He did not give details. Compiled from report Feb. 7.

'It's Wrong to Seek PM's Resignation': Singh

The chairman of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP) Gajendra Narayan Singh has said to demand the resignation of the prime minister, who enjoys majority support in parliament, was undemocratic and against parliamentary norms and values. Saying that there would be no moral pressure on the prime minister from the resignation demand, Singh said the main opposition, UML, and Rastriya Prajatantra Party were only engaged in an electoral strategy by asking for Koirala's resignation. Five opposition parties had submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Koirala Monday seeking his resignation. They have accused the Koirala government of failing to maintain law and order and indulging in corruption, among other things. Compiled from reports Feb. 7.