News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Koirala Rejects Plans To Meet The Maoists

Talking to the reporters at the Tribhuwan International Airport, Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala rejected reports that he plans to meet with the Maoist leaders in India. Koirala left for New Delhi on Sunday (June 26) for health check up. “The reports that I am meeting with the Maoist leaders are wrong. If I go to meet with them, I will do so by telling the Nepali people first,” Koirala said. Chakra Bastola, a central committee member of the NC had recently stated that Koirala could meet with Maoist leaders Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and Prachanda in India. He had said that the Congress working committee has asked Koirala to take necessary steps to resolve the Maoist problem through talks. Koirala told the reporters that he plans to meet with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh and others during his stay in New Delhi. Leading dailies report.

PM Deuba To Blame For The Delay: Nepal

The general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal has reiterated that Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is to blame for the delay in the cabinet expansion. “The unnecessary delay is sending wrong message,” Nepal said. “The Prime Minister has not asked the UML to provide name for its ministerial candidates.” PM Deuba, however, has been saying that he will expand the cabinet within this week. Leading dailies report.

Madhesi Conference Demands Federalism

Madhesi National Conference has concluded that political autonomy and federalism can only resolve their long-standing problems. The conference, which is going on in Kathmandu, decided to launch peaceful struggle to achieve these demands. The conference participants decided that the current constitution is not able to fulfill the aspirations of millions of people of Madhesi community. “Due to the predominance of a particular community in the state-power, Madhesi issues have been ignored,” said secretary of the working committee of the conference Amaresh Narayan Jha. The conference participants have called for lingual, cultural and geographical self-rule based on political autonomy to resolve Nepal’s multiple problems. Kantipur daily reports.

Israel Offers To Probe Fertilizer Scam

In an unprecedented move, the Israeli government has offered to probe through its own investigating officers the chemical fertilizer deal involving the Managing Director of Agricultural Inputs Corporation, Chatur Bhuj Bhatta, and his son Dipak. The Israeli offer comes at a time when the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) is already investigating the scam. The father-son duo is in police custody since June 18. A highly-placed source said that the Israeli side recently wrote to the government here to seek permission for a probe into the scam, which also involves an Israeli firm. The authorities concerned in the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs have sought the opinion of the Attorney General whether a foreign government team can probe ‘corruption scandals here’. “Yes they have asked us about it, but we have not yet come to a view,” AG Sushil Kumar Panta said. It is premature right now to assume that the Israelis would be coming here in this connections, sources said. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

Maoists Allow Operation Of Tatopani

After 19 days of blockade, the Maoists have decided to allow the transaction, transportation and operation of Tatopani customs and transit route – the only route that links Nepal with Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Due to the blockade in the route, traders, businesspersons and local people have felt tremendous difficulties. The blockade is said to have affected revenue collection as well. In a statement issued by the Maoists, they have stated that although their demands are yet to be fulfilled, they have decided to lift the blockade in view of difficulties faced by small traders and upon request from human rights activists and journalists. Meanwhile, the Maoists have also lifted the blockade they had imposed in Dhading district for the last three days. Leading dailies report.

Supreme Court To Review Robinson Ruling

The Supreme Court on Friday (June 24) ruled that two apex court judges had erred in acquitting British drug peddler Gordon William Robinson, and their judgment violated legal principles and precedents set by the court. A three-member jury of justices Dilip Kumar Poudel, Kedar Prasad Giri and Chandra Prasad Parajuli gave the order and ordered a full hearing by summoning Robinson. This is the first time that the apex court has reversed its own verdict. Citing several precedents the Bench said the verdict passed by justices Krishna Kumar Barma and Baliram Kumar acquitting Robinson on April 23 had indeed violated various precedents set by the court ‘without any ground.’ The Himalayan Times daily reports.

RNA Chief Meets With AG

Chief of Army Staff, General Pyara Jung Thapa met with the Attorney General Sushil Kumar Panta at the army headquarters on Thursday (June 23). The two discussed issues relating to the human rights, good governance and respect to judiciary. During the meeting, General Thapa said that the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) has no intention of disrespecting the courts regarding the protection of human rights. The meeting comes at a time when the RNA has landed into a controversy over disobeying the Supreme Court orders especially regarding habeas corpus. “Army personnel do not have that much knowledge regarding legal issues, and because of that they may have made mistakes. But we are ready to correct those,” said Brigadier General B.A. Kumar Sharma, chief of the Legal Unit of RNA. “We have urged the apex court to coordinate with the Ministry of Defense while seeking replies from the barracks regarding habeas corpus cases,” said Sharma. During the meeting, AG Panta advised the army chief on the effective handling of habeas corpus petitions filed against the RNA. Leading dailies report.

Land Revenue Management Need To Be Modernized

Officials as well as experts have argued that there is an urgent need to modernize the management system of Land Revenue in the country. The government receives nearly Rs 2 billion as annual revenue from this sector. However, the land revenue department is yet to adopt modern technologies like the use of computers in keeping its records. As such, the information of land ownership and so on are very hard to get from the land revenue offices. At a workshop organized on Thursday, officials said that there was also a need to induct local bodies in land revenue management. Leading dailies report.

Agitation To Disperse Towards Districts

The four agitating parties have decided to disperse their Kathmandu-centric agitation against regression towards districts and villages. The agitation in Kathmandu will be suspended beginning June 29, following which the demonstrations and programs will be held in other urban centers, districts and villages. Leading dailies report.

Maoists Crush The Legs Of Eight Dalits

Charging them of working against their policy, the Maoists have mercilessly beaten eight Dalit persons of Thalsa VDC of Achham district. The eight Dalit persons, who were involved in Haliya (working in farms for wages), were severely tortured on Sunday (June 19). They were beaten and hammered severely in the leg. They crushed their legs below the knee and made them disabled. A group of Maoists led by Area Committee member called Padam Saud aka Sangam tortured them in front of local people within the premises of local schools in the VDC. “We have made them disable because they worked against the policy of our organization. Anybody else working as Haliya will deserve the same fate,” a local man quoted Saud as saying. The Maoists have also warned health workers of dire consequences if treat the victims. Meanwhile, two Dalit persons were hacked to death in Sindhupalchowk and Kapilvastu districts respectively on charges of spying. Kantipur daily reports.

Kavre Farmers Spill Milk In Road

After a private dairy industry refused to accept their milk, farmers of Kavre district spilled a huge quantity of the milk in front of the gate of Anmol Dairy Private Limited in Panauti on Monday (June 20). After the private industry refused to accept their milk from Sunday, the farmers of Kavre – who are regarded as the largest milk producers in the country – collected milk from the villages and spilled it in front of the industry. Around 2000 liters of milk were spilled in a show of frustration of the farmers. “Farmers are in terrible situation. On the one hand, the price has not increased and on the other hand, the industries are even refusing to accept our milk. What alternative is there before us now except spilling the milk in road,” said Narayan Badal, a dairy collector of Patalekhet of Kavre. Most of the farmers who spilled the milk like Badal were the ones who had already bought the milk from farmers and were trying to sell it to industries. The Anmol dairy has said that it refused to accept the milk from farmers as per the decision of the Nepal Dairy Association. It used to accept fifty percent of the milk produced by farmers of Dhungkharka, Balthali, Kushadevi, Chyamrangbesi, Patalekhet, Bhakunde, Kavrebhanjyang and some other VDCs. In the last two days, it refused to accept around 25,000 liters of milk. In the whole of Kavre district, farmers produce 120,000 liters of milk everyday out of which fifty-percent is sold to private industries and fifty-percent to Dairy Development Corporation (DDC). Kantipur daily reports.

1300 Avail Of Health Service Defying Maoist Diktat

More than 1300 local people gathered in Irkhu VDC of Sindhupalchowk district to avail of health as well as other administrative services. Despite the Maoist diktat to the people against visiting the mobile camp organized by the government, hundreds of people turned up. According to Chief District Officer (CDO) of the district Rudra Nath Basyal, 113 people were provided with citizenship certificate at the camp. Other services provided included agricultural, livestock, local development, women development and so on. The army doctors provided health service to 1277 people and also distributed free medicines. The Maoists had been mobilized in villages to prevent the people from reaching the mobile campsite. However, people defied their diktat. Kantipur daily reports.