News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

27 Injured In Bomb Explosion, US Condemns Attacks

At least 27 people, including three children, three women and three soldiers, were injured when an improvised bomb went off at a crowded bridge over Bishnumati River near Tahachal in Kathmandu Friday. Reports said the bomb hung at the side railings of the bridge wrapped around in a piece of red cloth. The injured are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in Kathmandu. Security forces took into custody at least three people, including an injured person, for interrogation. In a separate incident, Maoist insurgents hurled a petrol bomb at the temporary police post at Gokarna at the outskirts of Kathmandu on Friday injuring three policemen. The United States on Friday condemned the latest attacks by the rebels in Kathmandu terming them as "brutal and senseless." "We urge the Maoists in Nepal to lay down their arms immediately and stop these brutal and senseless attacks against civilians and to engage in peaceful pursuit of their aims within the democratic framework of Nepal's constitution," deputy State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington D. C., AFP news agency reported. Compiled from reports.

Political Parties Call For Withdrawal Of 'Bandh'

All the political parties represented in the parliament have made a joint appeal to the underground Maoist party to withdraw the five-day nationwide shutdown strike due to begin next Tuesday. The parties said that the strike would cripple the nation's economy and affect over 250,000 students that are taking the high school examinations from the same day. The Maoist party has, however, indicated that it will not withdraw the strike and has, instead, called upon the parents to pressurize the government in order to postpone the exams by a few weeks. Two days ahead of the shutdown strike, top leaders of the seven political parties, including ruling Nepali Congress and the main opposition, Unified Marxist-Leninist, condemned the Maoist act of destroying infrastructure and called upon them to immediately stop such acts of destruction. The rebels have been targeting and destroying infrastructure, including telecommunication towers, power houses, and government buildings, most of them built under foreign assistance. A spokesman of the ruling Nepali Congress, Arjun Narsingh KC, said that all the political parties also condemned Maoist activities of attacking general public in order to terrorize them.

US Alerts Its Citizens From Visiting Nepal

The State Department of the United States has urged it citizens to maintain extra caution and maintain a low profile during the five-day nationwide shut down strike called by the outlawed Maoists starting next week. In a public announcement, valid till June 20, 2002, the US government also advised its citizens to travel by air when possible, avoid nighttime travel as well as demonstrations and closely monitor the situation. It has also asked tourists to comply with the instructions of security personnel manning checkpoints and conducting patrols. The State Department further said Maoist insurgents had resorted to increasingly brutal acts of intimidation to enforce their strike. Compiled from reports.

Pension Hike To Ex-British Gurkhas

The British government last Wednesday announced a 10.4 percent pension hike to all former British-Gurkha servicemen and their widows effective from April 1, 2002. The move demonstrates the Britain government's commitment to ex-Gurkhas and to ensure that British pensions have kept pace with the cost of living in the country, said a press statement issued by the British embassy in Kathmandu. Some 26,000 ex-British Gurkha soldiers would benefit from the hike in pensions. However, the Gurkha Army Ex-Servicemen's Organization (GAESO) said the recent hike was well below their demand for equal pension and benefits to ex-Gurkha soldiers' vis-‡-vis their British counterpart. Compiled from reports.

RSF Blames Nepal For Violating Press Freedom

The government of Nepal has severely violated press freedoms in its campaign to defeat a six-year Maoist insurgency, an international media watchdog has said. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a report released Wednesday that journalists had paid a "high price" since the government declared a state of emergency in November last year. The report said at least 100 journalists had been arrested and at least 30 were still behind bars. The rights group said it had confirmed that at least three journalists had been tortured. Amid mounting pressure on its rights record, the government released two journalists and two human rights activists from detention on Tuesday. All four had been arrested for allegedly supporting Maoist rebels. One of the journalists, Gopal Budhathoki, was detained for allegedly trying to demoralise the army with his articles. According to the RSF report, the media has become a prime target. "The troops do as they please," rights activist Subodh Raj Pyakurel was quoted as saying. "They completely violate the laws by arresting, questioning, torturing and detaining suspects, especially journalists," he said. The report said dozens of journalists had been arrested in areas affected by the conflict and ordered under interrogation to reveal the names of any contacts they might have among the rebels. Access to conflicts zones had also been restricted. The report said half a dozen publications linked to the Maoists had been closed since the state of emergency was declared. There had also been a growing number of raids by security forces on newsrooms. The report quoted Mr Deuba as saying the crackdown was meant to "put an end to terrorist propaganda once and for all". Compiled from reports.

NC Takes Disciplinary Action Against Ministers

The disciplinary committee of the ruling Nepali Congress has taken action against eight members, including three ministers and two former ministers, saying views expressed by them had contravened party's statute, policy and principles. The party has also barred Minister for Water Resources, Bijay Kumar Gacchadar, from attending next two meetings of the central working committee. A statement issued by the party said clarifications given by former minister Dhundi Raj Shastri, Badri Narayan Basnet, Chhabi Prasad Devkota and Keshav Marahatta were not satisfactory. They have been suspended from party membership for one year. The committee had sought clarification from them for their press statement issued by them almost a month ago. The press statement made comments about the constitutional monarchy in the country. Minister for Information and Communications, Jayaprakash Prasad Gupta, and Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare, Rajendra Kharel, were issued written warning while central member Narahari Acharya was warned about his opinion regarding the country's monarchy. Kharel, Gupta and Gacchadar had all criticized Koirala over his role in the party. Compiled from reports.

Four Including Two Editor's Released

The authorities have released two pro-left journalists and two other human rights activists last Tuesday. Editor of `Mulyankan' monthly, Shyam Shrestha, and human rights activists Dr. Mahesh Maskey and Pramod Kafley Tuesday evening. The security officials had taken into custody Mr. Shrestha, along with his colleagues, early this month while they were on their way to New Delhi, to take part in a conference on Maoist insurgency in Nepal. Talking to reporters upon his release, Mr. Shrestha denied of having any links with the Maoist rebels. He said they were going to take part in a conference organized by Indian intellectuals. Shrestha said advocate Ramnath Mainali, legal advisor to the pro-Maoist ëJanadesh weekly' has fallen sick while in custody together with them and needed immediate medical help. Mainali was arrested last week. The authorities also released Gopal Budhathoki, editor and publisher of pro-left ëSaanghu' weekly, after detaining him for 24 days. Plainclothes security personnel arrested Budhathoki as he was going to his residence from office on the night of March 3. Compiled from reports March 27.

"Rich Nations Should Assist The Poor"

Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat called upon the rich nations to assist the poor ones to eradicate worst forms of poverty, among others. Addressing the UN-sponsored International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterry, Mexico on Friday, head of the Nepalese delegation, Dr. Mahat said the poorest countries like Nepal should not be asked to wait for help until they stumble into bankruptcy. We, therefore, support proposals for debt cancellations of all the least developed countries (LDCs) and for grant funding their social sector in future, he said. The Nepalese Minister said the products from LDCs should be given duty free and quota free access to all advanced markets and particular attention be paid to build their capacities to trade. Compiled from reports.