Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra and Queen komal visit Beni, the head quaters of Myagdi district

KING GYANENDRA HAS APPROVED THE ORDINANCE to give continuity to the Terrorist and Destructive (Control) Act. The Act had earlier been enacted by the Parliament two years ago and it had expired on Friday (April 9). According to cabinet sources, despite efforts to the contrary, the TADA has been re-imposed without making any changes in the previous act.

DESPITE THE INTERNAL TURMOIL, THE NUMBER of tourists coming to Nepal via land route has been growing. According to immigration office of Belahiya in Rupandehi district, the third country tourists coming into Nepal through the Sunauli route alone was 26,438 in the year 2002. This number rose to 39,069 in 2003. In the first three months of 2004 alone, already 18,640 tourists have entered via this route. Most of the western tourists coming to Nepal through land come through this route after visiting India. According to Suryadev Prasad Kafle, chief of the immigration office, the authorities make tourists aware about the situation in Nepal and also inform them about Bandhs and strikes, if there are any. “But none of them have returned without getting a visa so far,” he said.

THE GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING TO SET UP a separate peace coordination committee to transform the conflict to long lasting peace. This office would work to coordinate with all sectors concerned and prepare for possible peace talks. “This office would coordinate the state’s overall efforts for peace,” said Bhoj Raj Ghimire, member secretary at the National Planning Commission (NPC) speaking at the pre-consultation meet of the Nepal Development Forum (NDF). In the past failures to succeed at the peace talks have also been said to be due to inadequate preparation by the government.

TWO KIDS WERE KILLED ON THE SPOT after a bomb lying in a road near Rajhena VDC of Banke district in the Kohalpur-Karnali section of the road exploded suddenly. Ram Krishna Sapkota, 8, and Basanta Aryal, 13, were killed on Friday (April 9). The bombs are suspected to have been left behind by the Maoists.

IN ORDER TO HELP PROMOTE ENTREPRENEURSHIP, business and trade in conflict-hit regions and in remote villages, the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has announced that it would soon launch one village one product campaign. The federation wishes to start campaign within the current fiscal year, according to Suraj Baidya, third vice president at the FNCCI, speaking on the occasion of Trade and Industry Day on Saturday (April 10). As per the campaign, products unique to the village would be identified or products that have potentials will be identified. Likewise, the campaign would concentrate on providing self-employment to youths and women. The federation would also provide necessary training for the villagers so that they can promote market, get access to the market and engage in trade and industry. For the starters, the federation has identified that Bageshwori VDC of Banke district in mid-western development region is appropriate for cotton farming and industries based on cotton. Within the year 2005, the federation would be launching similar campaign in one village each from rest of the four development regions.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) has provided a grant cum loan of US$ 36 million to Nepal for implementation of three different projects and programs. The amount will be utilized for the Community Livestock Development Project (CLDP), Kathmandu Valley Water Services Sector Development Program, and for optimizing productivity of poor water user groups, a Finance Ministry press statement reads. Of the total assistance provided, US$ 1 million is a grant while the remaining US$ 35 million is a concessional loan. A slab of US$ 20 million is earmarked for CLDP, US$ 15 million is for water sector.

THE POWER DEVELOPMENT FUND (PDF) proposed to be set up with the assistance of the World Bank in order to develop small and medium hydro power projects, is currently in uncertainty. The government has not been able to set up the fund and appoint its operator since last two years. Sources at the Ministry of Water Resources conceded that the government has not been able to move ahead in this regard. The World Bank had agreed to fund the PDF after it pulled out from the Arun III project. But due to unwarranted and continued delay in setting up the fund, the Bank has begun to scale down its promised assistance to the fund. Initially, the bank had agreed to provide US $ 70 million to set it up but now it has decided to provide only US$ 35 million.

THE FEDERATION OF NEPALESE JOURNALISTS (FNJ) took part in the five party agitation on Wednesday (April 7). The FNJ president Taranath Dahal said that without democracy, press freedom cannot be imagined. “Hence, we have taken part in the agitation against regression,” he said. The group of journalists mingled with the workers of the five agitating parties, which continued to hold demonstration in the capital.

MAOISTS HAVE EXPLODED A BOMB inside a taxi in Kathmandu on Wednesday (April 7) damaging it extensively. In an apparent bid to terrorize commuters, the Maoists exploded a bomb during Nepal Bandh. The taxi was hired by two youths in Paknajole area and when they hurriedly got off near Nagartole – a densely populated area – the driver, too, got suspicious and got off his taxi after which the bomb exploded. The taxi driver and a civilian was injured in the incident. Likewise, the Maoists also hurled a bomb at a vacated police beat in Dhobichaur injuring two civilians.

A 19 MEMBER TEAM OF CHINESE EXPERTS are here in Nepal to study the proposed Syaphrubesi highway. The 22 km highway joins Rasuwa district with Jhelung of Tibet. The highway is expected to be the second important highway linking Kathmandu with Tibet. Three years ago then Chinese premier Zhu Rongji had given green light to the construction of the highway with Chinese assistance.