News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Maoists Plan To Organize Nepalis In India

According to Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, the Maoist number two, the Maoists are planning to organize Nepalis living in India. Talking to a news weekly he said, “There are more than 10 million poor Nepalis who earn their livelihood in India. We are trying to organize them and under their protection we plan to hold talks with different quarters.” Though he did not specify where the ‘talks’ would be held, the assumption is Indian cities would be venues since the rebels last month met UML leaders in Lucknow. The secret meeting triggered a furor in Nepal, with a section of the media accusing India of sheltering the insurgents. Bhattarai said in a letter published in the current issue of a weekly here that since his organization was already ‘occupying’ 80 percent of Nepalese soil, it did not have to hold its meetings on foreign soil. However, it chose to do so because of the Nepalis residing in India, he said. Elements who cannot survive without alms from foreigners have been shedding crocodile tears just because we chose to meet on foreign soil,” his letter said. “They are also harping on how the Indian state has protected the Maoists … Some people are demonstrating their intellectual bankruptcy when they say the meeting between Maoist and (leftist) leaders in Siliguri two years ago an the latest one in Lucknow justify their argument that India has been the base of the entire People’s War.” The Himalayan Times daily reports.

Mudbhara School Opens, Education Institutions Of East Closed

Two months after the grisly incident occurred at the Sharda Higher Secondary school in Mudbhara of Doti district when four students were killed after the military attacked the Maoist rebels holed up inside the school premises, all the schools of the village have re-opened. The school sported a deserted look after the incident with students scared to attend classes. It was only after the locals organized a ‘Srimadbhagwat Saptaha’ (religious ceremony) at the schools did the students feel safe to attend classes. Other schools of the village also started classes after Sharda school opened. Meanwhile, at the call of the All Nepal National Free Students Union –Revolutionary (ANNFSU-R) , the student wing of the Maoists, all educational institutions of the eastern region remained closed on Sunday (December 7). They have called for 3-day bandh of educational institutions, which has affected the half-yearly exams of the schools. Compiled from reports.

RNAC To Be Made A Joint Venture Company

The government has sanctioned budget for the financial/asset assessment of the national flag carrier Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) – to be carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) – following which the airlines will be transformed into a joint venture company. According to Sarbendra Nath Shukla, minister for Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, the ICAO team will begin their evaluation from next week and hopefully complete it by April, next year. The government has also requested the evaluation team to frame a modality for transforming it into a joint venture company, which will have equity sharing with internationally reputed airlines and the public. The minister also added that owing to severe pressures of air traffic on the RNAC, the airlines will be bringing its third Boeing 757 aircraft within next two months. The airlines is currently dependant on merely two Boeing 757 aircraft to operate its flights in 10 destinations in six countries. When both of its aircraft were grounded recently due to technical snag, a lot of passengers were stranded. Leading dailies report.

Nepal Asks SC To Reinstate Parliament

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the UML, has requested the Supreme Court to reinstate the dissolved House of Representatives, saying that could help defeat the regression. He made this comment at a time when the apex court is said to be reviewing its earlier decision of upholding the dissolution of the House of Representatives. According to Constitution, the apex court can review its own decision as well. Leading dailies report.

CIAA To Spread Its Wings To Districts

The Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) – the top anti-corruption body - is going to open its branch offices at all five development regions in ten districts. The commission is preparing to open its branch offices after the government gave a go-ahead to its five-year long-term strategy for corruption control. At present, the CIAA is preparing to open its offices in such districts from where the complaints of corruption are frequently registered. Leading dailies report.

Dozens Of Rebels Killed

In a fierce fighting in Pandoan village of Kailali district on Tuesday (December 2), six security personnel and dozens of rebels were killed. Three dozen rebels including a company commander were killed in the same incident, claim security sources. Radio Nepal quoted security sources as saying that as many as seventy Maoists could have been killed in the incident. A huge battalion of security forces had gone to the area after receiving the information of a gathering of large number of Maoists there. The rebels had been using the area as their major shelter and training place. Reports say the rebels had gathered in the place with the intention of launching a major attack on security base camp in Sukkhad area. In Kanchanpur district, a group of armed Maoists attacked a police post at the Indo-Nepal border in Gaddachauki killing one police personnel and injuring a number of civilians. Leading dailies report.

Nepal, China Reach Agreement

Nepal and China have agreed to open two more trade points including Kimathanka of Sankhuwasabha district and Nechung of Mustang district. Likewise, the Chinese government has agreed to provide 80 million Yuan this year as assistance to Nepal. The agreement to this effect was signed by Foreign Secretary Madhu Raman Acharya, on behalf of the Nepalese government and Sun Heping, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, on behalf of Chinese government. The agreement was signed in presence of visiting Chairman of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CCPPCC) Jia Qinglin. Leading dailies report.

Special Security Campaign In Valley

The police has begun special security campaign in the Kathmandu valley in view of growing crimes and Maoist activities. According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Valley Police Office, Ashok Shrestha, the Maoist activities, hooliganism, theft, drug abuse are some of the major crime problems in the city. As per the new security campaign, police will be posted in sensitive places including diplomatic missions round-the-clock. Police personnel in civil uniform will also be posted in various areas of the valley, it is said. Leading dailies report.

Calls To Ban Landmines In Nepal

Participants of a seminar on “Landmines and Disability” have called on the need for Nepal to sign the anti-landmine treaty in view of growing use of landmines by both the Maoists as well as the security forces. The seminar was organized on the occasion of World Disability Day and sixth anniversary of the international Landmine Ban treaty. The seminar was organized by Ban Landmines Campaign – Nepal. According to its report, ten thousand landmines have been laid down to protect around 50 military posts in different parts of the country. The report quotes security sources as saying that in many areas the presence of landmine is made known to local people. The report adds that the rebels, however, use landmines during their attacks against security forces. The participants said that the use of landmines has severely affected social and economic sector by obstructing travel and increasing internal displacement. Victims of landmines, NHRC member Sushil Raj Pyakurel, right activist Krishna Pahadi spoke at the seminar. This call to ban landmines comes a week after various organizations working to promote the rights and welfare of disabled people revealed that as many as 4000 people have been disabled in the country due to the Maoist insurgency. Most of the people have lost their limbs and others are injured in their head, back etc. At present, there are around 300 disabled people seeing treatment at the two big hospitals in the city – the Teaching Hospital and the Bir Hospital. Many of these disabilities were caused by landmine explosion, it is said. Leading dailies report.

Nepalis’ Accounts Frozen In Indian Border States

The Indian government has frozen around 2000 bank accounts of Nepalis in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal states on suspicions that they have links with the Maoists. The move was taken a month after the US imposed economic sanctions on the Maoists and urged other nations to follow the suit. The Indian government started secretly investigating Nepalis’ accounts on the request of the Nepal government, Indian intelligence sources said. The first phase of the investigation was started by freezing about 2000 bank accounts of Nepalis in Udhamsinghnagar, Champawat, Pithhauraghad and Pilibhit districts, among others. Leading dailies report.

ITC To Manufacture Apparels In Nepal

Indian tobacco giant ITC, which also manufactures apparel, will begin an initiative in Nepal this month aimed at making it the leader in apparel retail in the South Asian region. Surya Nepal, in which the Nepali partner Soaltee Group holds 39 percent of the stake and British American Tobacco (BAT) two percent with ITC holding the remaining 59 percent, has invested about Rs 350 million in the first phase. This includes setting up the firm’s high tech factory at Biratnagar on the Indo-Nepal border in consultation with E-Gas, a leading European company. Commercial production is expected to start this month, the bulk of which will be shirts and trousers for men with limited quantities of T-shirts and ladies wear. The Himalayan Times daily reports.