NEWS NOTES (Spotlight Weelky)

India Denounces Maoist Attacks

The Indian government on Monday expressed "grave concern" over the bloody weekend offensive by Maoist rebels in Nepal, agency reports said. "We strongly condemn and express our deep regret at this senseless violence committed by the perpetrators of the crime," the Indian Foreign Ministry said in New Delhi. "We urge the misguided to suspend this mindless mayhem," the Ministry said. India also conveys its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and extends its full support to Nepal in its efforts to restore peace and order in the country, the statement said. Compiled from reports Feb. 19.

18 Maoists Killed

At least 18 Maoist insurgents have been killed in separate encounters with security forces in different parts of the country over the last three days, authorities said. Security forces in Ilam, Parbat and Siraha districts killed four Maoist insurgents Friday, Defense Ministry said. Security forces in Dadeldhura, Kanchanpur and Gulmi districts killed three insurgents, the Ministry said. Earlier, five armed Maoist insurgents were shot dead by security forces during a gun battle at Kalika area in Dolpa district. The troops killed four armed Maoists were at Ganeshpur in Dang and confiscated Four .303 rifles and other weapons and explosives. Two more Maoist insurgents were killed during security operations in Jumla district. During a search operation in Kaski district, troops recovered almost 4 kg of gold worth Rs. 6 million that were stolen from different banks. Troops also recovered huge quantity of ammunition during search operations at Shivapuri VDC in Kapilavastu district bordering India, the Ministry said. Compiled from reports Feb. 17.

DDC Member Sent To Jail

Jaya Prakash Kausal, a member of District Development Committee of Rautahat district, has been remanded into custody as per the orders of the District Court of Rautahat on February 14. Kaushal had appeared before the court after a case was filed against him for his alleged involvement in the murder of journalist Shambhu Patel in the district last year. Patel, who was vice president of local chapter of Nepal Press Union and a local reporter for the state-owned Radio Nepal, was shot dead at his own house at the district headquarters of Gaur. The court is yet to deliver final verdict on the Patel murder case. Kantipur Feb. 15.

Minister Khadka

Deuba Defends Minister Khadka

A day after powerful Congress politician and Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka backed him in the party's central working committee rejecting call for his resignation by the dissident members, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba obliged Minister Khadka by saying that Khadka had not breached the secrecy of the cabinet. "It was all coincidence," KANTIPUR daily quoted the premier as saying on Wednesday. Earlier, the daily had published a couple of reports saying that wife of Minister Khadka, Shila Sharma, had sold over one ropanis of land in Bhaktapur to a junior officer of National Intelligence Department (under Khadka's Ministry) at the rate of Rs 500,000 per ropani. The transactions had taken place hours before the government announced stopping all land transactions some six months back with a view to introduce land reform programs. The daily also quoted Minister Khadka as saying that the decision to sell his land had been taken much earlier and that it had no connection with the cabinet decision or the government's declaration for land reforms. Kantipur Feb. 15.

Dhankuta Farmers Earn Millions

Farmers in eastern hilly district of Dhankuta sell vegetables worth Rs 250 million per annum, officials said. According to the Agriculture Development Office of Dhankuta, farmers in the district grow vegetables on nearly 16,000 hectares of land producing over 25,000 metric tonnes of vegetables. Fresh vegetables from the district are exported to major towns all over Nepal; Calcutta, Chennai, Bihar and bordering areas in India as well as in different markets in Bangladesh. There are 25 vegetable collection centers in the district whereas cabbage (that has more yield and stays green for comparatively longer period) shares over half of the total export of vegetables. Some farmers in the district ear as much as Rs 500,000 by selling vegetables in a year. Nepal magazine (14-28 February, 2002) reports.

NEA Incurs Losses

The state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has incurred a loss of over Rs one billion by procuring costly power from private power producers and selling it at lower rates. Managing director of the NEA, Bishnu Bam Malla, told Natural Resources and committee of the parliament Thursday that the Authority incurred a loss of Rs 1050 million last year by procuring power from Khimti and Bhotekoshi power projects developed by foreign investors. Over 50 million units of power generated by the NEA also got wasted in the last fiscal year, Malla said. NEA procured power from these two projects at a rate of Rs 7.69 per unit while its sales price is Rs 6.28 per unit. NEA has entered into an agreement under which it has to procure 350 million units of power from Khimti and 250 million units of power from Bhotekoshi project every year. After the Commissioning of 144 MW Kali Gandaki A project later this year, NEA would have an excess power amounting to 110 MW during the monsoon season. The NEA has already started homework to export excess power to India and Bangladesh, Malla said. Kantipur Feb. 15.

Minister Acharya

Minister Acharya Refutes Newsreport

Addressing the meeting of House of Representatives Wednesday, Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives Mahesh Acharya has said there hadn't been any irregularity in privatizing the state-owned Nepal Tea Development Corporation (NTDC) while he held the finance portfolio, RSS news agency reported. Acharya said that various newspapers had published fictitious reports of irregularities being committed during the process of privatization of the NTDC with the intention of defaming his character. Meanwhile, Finance Minister also said Wednesday that there had been complete transparency in the privatization of NTDC and that all concerned parties were fully apprised while privatizing it. Both Minister Acharya and Finance Ministry were responding to a news report published by SPACE TIME daily Wednesday in which the daily claimed that irregularities had taken place while selling the majority stakes in the Corporation to a businessman, Purushottam Sanghai, two years back. Compiled from reports.

"Resettlement Taking Place In Bhutan"

An international organization, Habitat International Coalition, has confirmed that the Bhutanese government is resettling people from northern Bhutan, including army and police personnel, at the land in Southern Bhutan vacated by the refugees. Making public the outcome of the report here Wednesday, Shivani Bhardwaj of HIC South Asian regional office said a two-member fact-finding mission sent by the Center in September-October last year had found that the resettlement was taking place in Southern Bhutan. The Center has also demanded immediate stop to such act and urged the Dragon kingdom to invite a UN Special Rapporteur to ensure that Bhutanese refugees are settled in their previous land and property when they are repatriated. Some 100,000 Bhutanese refugees are languishing in UNHCR-supported refugee camps in eastern Nepal for more than last one decade. Compiled from reports Feb. 15.

"The Govt. Hasn't Consulted Us:" Khatri

Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Nain Bahadur Khatri, has said that the government hasn't entrusted the Commission with the responsibility to monitor human rights violations during the state of emergency. In an interview with a private-sector daily, Khatri said the government hasn't consulted the Commission on the issue of protecting human rights of the people (during the conflict). "We don't have any information regarding the killings of innocent people (by the security forces). Though I have also heard such things, there are no evidences to prove them," said the former chief justice. Khatri admitted that the Commission would need to take the permission (from the army) to visit the restricted areas. But, we don't know where the army is going to take action. And, it's not possible from practical point of view, he said. Responding to a question on whether the state of emergency should continue, Mr. Khatri said the emergency would lose its rationale if it were lifted in the mid-way without attaining its objectives. Rajdhani Feb. 14.