News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Explosives Unearthed In Nepal And India

Security forces have unearthed five different bombs with five kilograms of explosives each from under a bridge in Seti river in the Char Kose forest in the Dharan-Biratnagar section of the highway in eastern Nepal on November16. The bombs were diffused by the security forces. The explosives could have caused big damage to the bridge if it had exploded, said security sources. Meanwhile, Indian police has confiscated 750 kgs of sulphur from a bordering Indian village called Sundidihawa of Maharajgunj district. The sulphur were recovered from the house of one Dinesh Lodh who was planning to smuggle it into Nepal for the Maoists. The sulphur, which can be used to produce explosives, are said to be worth Rs 4 million in market price. The Indian police raided Lodh’s house in the village on Saturday night (November 15). The sulphurs were found packed in 15 sacks and ready to be smuggled into Nepal on bicycle. Lodh absconded before the police raided his house. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reports.

ADB To Aid Privatization In Water Distribution

The distribution of the drinking water in the Kathmandu valley will be conducted by the private sector in the near future. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide US$ 15 million to facilitate this process. A Nepali delegation has left for Manila to ink the deal. Apart from the ADB aid, the government will also provide a considerable amount to materialize the program. A tender could be requested to invite the private sector in the distribution. Officials expect that the distribution of drinking water will be regularized after the private sector steps in. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reports.

NEA Committed To Complete Marsyangdi Project

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has said the unilateral termination of civil works of the Middle Marsyangdi hydroelectricity project is ‘ill-intended, illegal and against the spirit of the agreement.’ In a press release issued by the NEA, it has said that it is unfortunate that the contract has been terminated despite security measures being strengthened as per the recommendations of the consultant to keep the project work going. “We are concerned with the latest development, but we are also committed to complete the project at the earliest,” Janak Lal Karmacharya, managing director of the NEA said. The NEA has also said that it would initiate necessary action against the contractor as per the agreement. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

Apex Court Upholds Joshi’s Arrest

The Supreme Court, on Tuesday (November 11), quashed the writ petition filed by former minister Govinda Raj Joshi upholding the action taken by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Joshi had filed the petition maintaining that the CIAA’s action to arrest him to investigate on charges of amassing property illegally based on a property probe commission, which is not yet made public, was not legitimate. The Supreme Court, however, said that that the CIAA has the right to take such action against anyone. “Since the detention was not illegal, there was no ground to intervene by the Court in the matter,” said the two member bench comprising justices Kedar Prasad Giri and Khil Raj Regmi. Joshi is in the police custody for the last one month with the permission of the Special Court for further investigation. Leading dailies report.

SC Issues Show Cause Notice To The Govt.

The Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice to the Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and the Constitutional Council inquiring about the delay in the appointments of the heads of the constitutional bodies including the Election Commission. The court asked the defendants to reply within 15 days. It issued the notice in response to a writ petition filed by Pro Public, a non governmental organization. Recently, PM Thapa had said that he himself was to blame for the delay in the appointments as he was yet to submit the names recommended by the Constitutional Council to the King. Leading dailies report.

Raj Parishad Conference Begins

The regional conference of Raj Parishad began in far western town of Dhangadhi on Wednesday (November 12) with various speakers criticizing the political parties for turning the country into the present mess. Terming their bad governance as being the root cause for the Maoist problem, the members of the Raj Parishad have criticized the role of the leaders. “The bad governance following the restoration of multi party democracy created the Maoist problem and forced the nation to bear this problem,” said Parshu Narayan Chaudhary, chairman of the Raj Parishad standing committee. Most of the participants of the conference belonged to erstwhile Panchayat regime. The Raj Parishad would be submitting the recommendations and suggestions from its conferences, which will be held in all five development regions of the country, to the King. Meanwhile, political parties have deplored the conference saying it was the continuation of political regression. “The Raj Parishad has no business holding such public seminars. Its only role is to select the heir of the King,” said the leaders. “Such unconstitutional activity is not good. Raj Parishad is not a political body that can hold such conferences,” said Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML). Leading dailies report.

NHRC Complains Of Non Cooperation

A day after Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa gave an interview saying that his government has been adequately helping the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a member of the commission refuted his statement alleging that the government was not cooperating with it. “The government has not given us adequate resources. In absence of resources, we have not been able to fully monitor incidents of rights abuses,” said Gauri Shankar Lal Das, a member of the NHRC. According to him, although the NHRC has asked the government for Rs 40 million this year, they were given only Rs 7 million. This amount, members say, is lower than the ones given to National Women Commission and National Dalit Commission, each of whom were given Rs 10 million. Likewise, the government has also not sanctioned enough personnel at the NHRC, he said. Although international agencies are willing and ready to support the NHRC, the latter has not been able to avail of the opportunity due to failure of the government to meet their conditions. Kantipur daily reports.

RNAC Preparing To Buy Another Aircraft

After having to face losses amounting to tens of millions of rupees in the last ten days when it had to cancel a number of its pre-scheduled international flights thanks to unavailability of aircraft, the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC) has now decided to speed up the process to buy another aircraft. When one of its two jet aircraft had to be grounded suddenly for technical repairing last week, the RNAC had to cancel seven flights to New Delhi; three flights each to Bangkok and Hong Kong; two flights each to Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Shanghai, Osaka and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore; and one flight to Kuala Lumpur. The national flag carrier currently has two Boeing aircraft. Forced to sport red faces and incur heavy losses, the RNAC management has formed a committee under Basanta Chaudhary, a member of RNAC board, to suggest proper means of buying or leasing another aircraft. Currently, the RNAC has not been able to operate its flights to European sector because of lack of aircraft. Nepal Samacharpatra daily reports.

Election Is The Only Way Out: PM Thapa

In an interview he gave to Nepal Television on Monday (November 10), Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa said that elections are the only way out of the present political crisis. “There are no other constitutional paths to resolve it,” he said. PM Thapa also said that reinstating the parliament would also be unconstitutional at the moment. He added that the government was working to prepare environment for the elections. He asked the political leaders to get rid of their obstinacy to resolve the political problem. He said that the government was open for talks with the Maoists but would not remain a mute spectator if the rebels continue their violence. Leading dailies report.

VAT Rate Needs To Be Increased: Dr. Khadka

The expert of Value Added Tax (VAT) Dr. Rup Khadka has said that the government should increase the rate of the VAT as well as scrap the exemptions accorded to different products including agricultural ones. Dr. Khadka, who has been advising the government since the introduction of VAT six years ago, has said that at a time when the government is finding it difficult to cover its regular expenditures, it needs to increase the base as well as rate of VAT for steady revenue flow. “Along with the increase in VAT rate, the government should also decrease customs and income tax. This should come as a package,” said Dr. Khadka. Meanwhile, officials have said that the failure to make the bill exchange effective has been the major challenge in the implementation of VAT in the last six years. Leading dailies report.

RNA General Killed In Ambush

A brigadier general, his wife and two others were killed when a vehicle they were traveling in fell into an ambush laid down by the Maoists in the Pandrang village, located in the Bhainse-Bhimphedi section, on Saturday afternoon (November 15). Brigadier General Sagar Bahadur Pandey was on his way to inspect a plastic factory of the army located in the region. He headed the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) section that specialized in making explosives and bombs. He is the highest ranking security official to have been killed by the Maoists till date. Meanwhile, RNA spokesperson Deepak Bahadur Gurung has said that Maoists had set an ambush without knowing that Pandey was also traveling that day. Nine security personnel were also injured in the same incident. Leading dailies report.

Two Maoists Commit Suicide

In what appears to be a case of extreme psychological pressure, two Maoists committed suicide by exploding socket bombs they were carrying in a village in Banke district. According to the defense ministry, the two rebels committed suicide after feeling repentant over their violent activities. They went to Narainapur VDC to commit the suicide. Compiled from reports.

Prachanda Vows Commitment In Plural Politics

In a statement published in its website, the Maoist chairman Prachanda has asked the political parties not to suspect the Maoists’ commitment to competitive multi party politics. Prachanda has urged the political parties to join Maoist’s movement to defeat political regression. In the same statement, Prachanda has deplored the concept of unified command declared by the government calling it as a ploy for ‘militarization’ of the country. Prachanda’s latest statement comes a day before the five parties are meeting to discuss their strategies for joint agitation. Compiled from reports.