Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra observes as Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa administers oath of office to newly appointed ministers

NEPALI RUPEE GAINED FURTHER STRENGTH as it appreciated by 16 paise vis-a-vis US dollars at the international exchange market on Friday. From the selling rates of Rs76.84 per US dollar on Thursday, Nepali rupee appreciated by 16 paise to reach Rs 76.68. In the last two months Nepali rupee has appreciated by Rs 2.05 against the mighty dollar. The value of dollar has been depreciating in the international market of late. The appreciation of Nepali rupee helps in the import and provides relief to the burden of foreign loans but it adversely affects exports, experts say.

IN THE LAST ONE YEAR SINCE IT launched Operation Pager, the Nepal Police has nabbed more than 30 different groups involved in drug peddling. The operation started after sources began to tip-off the police by giving pager numbers of drug peddlers. According to Anti Narcotics Drug Law Enforcement Unit of the Nepal Police, 83 Nepalese and 19 foreign nationals have been arrested in this period. The unit said that among the arrested persons it identified 7 foreigners and 40 Nepalese as leaders of their gangs. These persons were arrested red-handed. Police has seized 8 kilograms of heroin and more than 300 kgs of hashish during the operation. The police said it will continue the operation for some more years.

A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) was signed on June 12 between the Embassy of India in Nepal and the Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) for cooperation in organizing Eye Care Camps in the rural and remote areas of Nepal† and thereby promoting eye-care facilities in such areas.†"The Eye Care Camps are to be organized under the auspices of NNJS, a welfare oriented social organization recognized and authorized by His Majesty's Government of Nepal and the Social Welfare Council in Nepal in the sphere of eye-care activities," states the press release from the Embassy. As per the MOU, Government of India will provide grant assistance of Rs.11.3 million to NNJS for conducting 10,000 cataract operations in Eye Care Camps to be organized by NNJS at various locations in Nepal between June, 2003 and February, 2004. "This is in continuation of grant assistance amounting to NRs.7.91 million provided by Government of India to NNJS during the previous years 2001-02 & 2002-03 for conducting 7000 cataract operations in Eye Care Camps," the release further states.

AT THE INITIATIVE OF THE NEW DELHI-BASED Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), former diplomats and former ministers of Pakistan and India met for a two-day meeting in Kathmandu to thrash out ways to resolve the existing problems between the two countries. The agenda of the meeting includes security strategy, military, politics and economy. Around 25 persons from the two countries and 10 observers from Nepal participated in the meet. Kathmandu was chosen as a neutral venue for such talks. According to reports, those participating included Moinuddin Haider, former governor general of Sindh province, former foreign secretaries Inamul Haq, Niaz Naik, Sartaz Aziz and Jamshed Ayaz Khan from Pakistan and G. Parthasarathy, former Indian ambassador to Pakistan, Satish Lambah, Gen (retd) Ashok Mehta, C. Rajamohan, security analyst and Arnab Goswami, journalist, from India, among others.

THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE representatives of seven student organizations, affiliated to different political parties, and the officials of the Tribhuwan University (TU) ended successfully on Wednesday (June 11) after most of the demands of the students were agreed upon. During the meeting the University conceded to the 17-point demands put forth by the student organizations. The agreed demands include continuing the certificate level, establishing at least constituent campuses in each district beginning next academic year, barring teachers from opening private colleges, among others. Dr. Mahendra Singh, rector of TU, said that they had agreed to almost all the demands and had agreed to form task forces, for some demands, which could not be immediately implemented. Gagan Thapa, general secretary of Nepal Students Union (NSU), said that the university agreed to all their demands and said student organizations will closely follow their implementation.

THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM (WFP) on June 11, warned that nearly 500,000 people in Nepal and Myanmar face hunger unless more funds are donated quickly. Some 100,000 Bhutanese refugees in Nepal are totally dependent of WFP food rations for their minimum nutritional needs, but international donors have so far contributed only nine percent of the resources needed, the Rome-based UN Organization said. It called for additional US$ 7.8 million, without which the distribution of rice will be severely curtailed in August, followed shortly thereafter by shortages of other food commodities, WFP said in a statement. Bhutanese refugees live in seven camps in eastern Nepal, have no access to official employment or land for farming, and a break in food distribution — the first in 12 years of uninterrupted supply — could lead to social unrest, WFP said. Likewise, 400,000 people in North Rakhine State of Myanmar are also at risk, the statement said.