NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

US Rejects Fresh Taliban Proposal

In their second week of air strikes on Afghanistan, US jets pounded Kabul airport, the Taliban military academy and an artillery garrison, agency reports said. Taliban officials said the warplanes also attacked targets around the cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Kandahar, Jalalabad and Herat. In Pakistan, at least one demonstrator was killed and 10 others injured when police opened fire to control a crowd in Jalalabad that was protesting against the Pakistan government's decision to allow US forces to use a local air base. Meanwhile, a senior Taliban official said Sunday that his government was ready to discuss handing over Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect for the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York City and the Pentagon, to a third country if the US halted its air attacks on Afghanistan. "If the US presents evidence about bin Laden's involvement in the attacks and stop bombing Afghanistan, we would be ready to hand him over to a third country that would never come under pressure from the US," Deputy Prime Minister Haji Abdul Kabir told reporters in Jalalabad. US President George Bush, however, flatly rejected the Taliban proposal.Compiled from reports Oct. 15.

'Govt. Not To Bow To Maoists'

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said the government will not bow to the Maoist insurgents. Addressing a mass meeting organized by the ruling Nepali Congress in the mid-western district of Banke Sunday, Deuba said the government would not compromise on the issue of constitutional monarchy, multiparty democracy and present constitution with the rebels. "We don't want to turn Nepal into an Afghanistan," he declared. Earlier, former prime minister and Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala blamed the Deuba government for failing to resolve the Maoist insurgency despite full support from the ruling party. "If the talks proceed in this way, the (problem of) insurgency will never be resolved," he added. Compiled from reports Oct. 15.

British Immigration Fines RNAC

The Department of Immigration of the British government has imposed a fine of 38,000 sterling pound (approximately Rs 4.23 million) on the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) for sending people to the United Kingdom on fake visas. In a letter written to the RNAC, the department has recalled that the airline has been involved in such activities from 1997. The RNAC has already paid 132,000 pound (approximately Rs 14.5 million) for sending unauthorized persons on fake visas to the United Kingdom between January 1999 and June 2001. Meanwhile, a petition has been filed at the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority demanding action against the culprits at the national flag carrier. Space Time Oct. 13.

`Maoists Have Lost Control Over Their Cadres'

A senior Maoist leader has admitted that the underground party has lost control over its cadres. Leader of the main opposition, Madhav Kumar Nepal, has quoted top Maoist leader Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, as telling him during a recent telephone conversation that the Maoist guerrillas and 'people's militia' were no more under the party's control. Addressing a public function in the capital Saturday, Nepal quoted Dr. Bhattarai as saying that the Maoist party has launched a special campaign to control the growing irresponsible and anarchic behavior among its cadres. Nepal, however, did not disclose whether the underground leader called him from within the country or abroad. Space Time Oct. 14.

Millions Of Rupee For Dalits Spent On Seminars

Over half of the Rs 150 million allocated for the upliftment of dalits (so-called untouchables) community in Nepal per year is spent on formal programs like seminars, workshops and interactions, a leading daily reported Monday. Action Aid, an INGO, spends annually around Rs 35 million, Save the Children (US) nearly Rs 10 million, Danida Rs 11.5 million and Helvetas nearly Rs 30 million per year on dalit-related activities. Millions of rupees were spent in sending 45 delegates to the UN conference on racism in Durban recently on behalf of different NGOs. An official with Action Aid confirmed that out of Rs 30 million allocated for the dalit programs, nearly Rs 5 million is spent on advocacy works like seminar and workshops. Similarly, Danida has agreed to provide Rs 34.5 million for advocacy related to dalit over the next three years. "All such investment moves around some smart ëdalits' in the capital itself and never reaches the needy outside Kathmandu," said Lal Bahadur Biswokarma, a member of the National Assembly. Kantipur Oct. 25.

Upper House Rejects Property Rights Bill

The Upper House of parliament Saturday rejected the controversial 11th amendment to the Civil Code, granting daughters property rights equal to those of sons. The opposition lawmakers have been criticizing the bill saying that the provision of returning the property to the parents after a girl gets married is discriminatory. The ruling Nepali Congress is in minority in the Upper House. The House of Representatives had passed the ball Wednesday amid a boycott by the main opposition, UML. As per the constitution, the bill will now be returned to the Lower House for further discussions and possible amendment. Compiled from reports Oct. 14.

Maoists Torch Vehicles In Pokhara

Maoist activists have burnt down four vehicles and vandalized three more vehicles in western town of Pokhara Thursday, a newspaper reported. The violent activities took place during the ëchakka jam' (halt traffic) program called by the pro-Maoist All Nepal Transport Union (ANTU) Kaski district unit demanding release of one of its members, Dev Raj Bastakoti. Police had taken Bastakoti into custody some two weeks back after a group of landless squatters burnt down the office of ward no. 18 of Pokhara sub-municipality. About half a dozen students, in their campus uniform, burnt down a Land Cruiser jeep belonging to British-Gurkha pension camp in front of the Prithvi Narayan Campus. "The students sprayed petrol on the jeep, set it on fire and then went inside the campus," said Nara Bahadur Rai, an officer at the pension camp, who was traveling in the jeep. The activists also burnt down two trucks and a taxi in different places within the municipality. Police had not arrested anybody in connection with the violence. Nepal Samacharpatra Oct. 12.

'Maoists Transport Arms To Kalikot'

At a time when the government and Maoist rebels are engaged in talks, the latter are allegedly building up their military strength, a ruling party leader said. Former deputy prime minister and home minister Ram Chandra Poudel told an all-party meeting Wednesday that the Maoist rebels have reportedly transported 700 loads of arms to remote northern district of Kalikot. Poudel later told reporters that (the government) should watch if the rebels were trying to strengthen their strategic position under the pretext of talks. Meanwhile, an unnamed senior official at police headquarters said it would not be possible for the Maoists to transport the huge amount of arms from one place to another. "We have already issued directives to all the districts to arrest anyone found carrying arms," he said. Kantipur Oct. 11.

20,000 Tonnes Of Sugar Being Imported

On the eve of the Dashain and Tihar festivals, Nepal is to import sugar from India, a leading daily reported. The government-owned National Trading Limited (NTL) is to import 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar from the State Export Corporation of Bihar state of India in the first phase. General Manager of the NTL, Madhav Jung Rana, said the corporation was trying to meet the shortage of sugar in the market by importing it within a week. The government had granted the NTL permission to import 40,000 metric tones of sugar and Nepal Food Corporation, another government-owned agency, an additional 20,000 metric tonnes to meet the domestic demand. The annual demand for sugar in Nepal is estimated at more than 150,000 metric tonnes. This year Nepalese sugar factories produced only 100,000 metric tonnes (compared to 140,000 metric tonnes last year) amid conflict between sugarcane farmers and sugar factories. The government has also decided to reduce the customs duty on the imports of sugar from 40 percent to 10 percent this year. The import of sugar is finally moving ahead after court litigation and intervention by a parliamentary committee. Kantipur Oct. 11.