News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Koirala Meets With Indian PM

Nepali Congress (NC) president Girija Prasad Koirala met with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday (June 29). He talked about the bilateral issues and related matters with the Indian PM. Koirala also met with opposition leader Atal Behari Vajpayee and external affairs minister Natwar Singh. Koirala is also said to have sought Indian support to the democratic movement in Nepal. Koirala also met with Indian leaders Chandra Shekhar and Mulayam Singh Yadav. He had gone to New Delhi for medical check up. Leading dailies report.

Nepal Sees Deuba Govt As Last Opportunity

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the UML, has said that the current Deuba government must be supported by everyone to end the problems in the country. “If even an all party government cannot resolve the problem, who can?” he asked. Nepal also urged PM Deuba to embrace enough flexibility to resolve the Maoist conflict, without ending which – Nepal said – elections were not possible. Meanwhile, Nepal said that the current visit by Girija Prasad Koirala to New Delhi could be focused at meeting with Maoist leaders. “If, indeed, Koirala succeeds to resolve the crisis through his talks, we will honor him as national hero,” he said. Leading dailies report.

Armed Indians Handed Over To Embassy

The six Indian nationals who were arrested on Monday (June 28) in Thankot along with weapons have been handed over to the custody of Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The persons were handed over after the Indian embassy made the request for the same to the Foreign Ministry. The Indian Embassy contended that the persons in question were responsible persons of Uttar Pradesh and that they had not come to Kathmandu with any ill intention. Among the arrested persons include two security personnel. The Indian embassy has regretted the incident and assured Nepal that similar incident would not recur in future after which Nepalese officials agreed to release them. Leading dailies report.

Bajura Reels From Food Shortage

People of Martadi, the district headquarters of Bajura, look up to the sky with high hopes every time a chopper hovers. They expect that the helicopter has brought rice and rush towards the district godown of Nepal Food Corporation (NFC). Every time rice is transported to Martadi, there is a huge crowd and security personnel have to be mobilized to control them. The government has fixed the quota of 3800 quintals of rice for Bajura. But this year only 911 quintals have been transported till now. The government had set aside Rs 8.7 million for transport cost to Martadi. However, this money has become grossly inadequate since the transportation now has to take aerial route. Transporting through land route has become risky as Maoists regularly loot them. This district requires minimum of 22,000 metric ton of food every year. The district itself could produce only 9528 metric tons of food this year. Kantipur daily reports.

Nepal Raps Deuba, NC And Maoists

Madhav Kumar Nepal, general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) criticized Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress (NC) party and the Maoists for different reasons. He warned Deuba not to take his party’s support for granted and asked him to expedite cabinet formation and refrain from taking unilateral decisions. He was referring to the recent decision to promote DIG Om Bikram Rana as the Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Nepal Police and the appointment of journalist Mathbar Singh Basnet as the president of Nepal Press Council. “He should have at least consulted with other parties before taking such decisions,” Nepal added. Likewise, Nepal deplored NC for deciding to boycott the current government just like it did the previous two governments led by Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa and Lokendra Bahadur Chand. Following the NC decision, Nepal has asked PM Deuba ‘to forget about setting aside few ministerial berths for NC’. “Cabinet can be reshuffled as and when NC decides to join the government,” he added. In response to Maoist supreme Prachanda’s recent statement, which is highly critical of the UML, Nepal said that his party was not prepared to accept one-party or party-less dictatorship of anybody. He clarified that the term ‘maximum flexibility’ – which the partners-in-government have agreed to adopt to resolve the Maoist problem – means that they are even ready for a new constitution through election of constituent assembly. “Maoists should not fear the word elections. By elections we mean either the elections for the House of Representatives or the constituent assembly or even the referendum,” he said. Compiled from reports.

Constituent Assembly Most Unnecessary: Bhattarai

Former Prime Minister and senior Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai who returned home on Saturday (July 3) from India where he had gone for medical treatment, has termed the demand for constituent assembly as ‘most unnecessary’. He said that rather than going for constituent assembly all should work to re-activate the current Constitution, which was promulgated by an interim government that he had led in 1990. Likewise, Bhattarai has also stressed for the unity in Nepali Congress (NC) rather than on the formation of all party government. PM Deuba had gone to the airport to receive his mentor Bhattarai. Meanwhile, PM Deuba ruled out any immediate possibility of unity between NC and his party NC (Democratic). “How can one think of unity when they (NC) have just decided to boycott my government?” he asked. Leading dailies report.

Deuba Urges Rights Activists To Convince The Maoists

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has urged human rights activists to convince the Maoists to abandon the path of violence. “If you convince them to cease violence, I will bring back the army within barracks,” Deuba said, speaking at a program in the capital. PM Deuba also expressed unhappiness over the rights activists’ attitude of using two different standards to treat the state and the Maoists. “I agree that the state has to be more responsible in these matters. However, there is no logic in just castigating the state while remaining silent over Maoist atrocities,” he added. Leading dailies report.

Maoists Kill Pokhara Mayor

The Maoists have shot mayor of Pokhara city Harka Bahadur Gurung to death. A group of armed Maoists rained bullets on the vehicle in which mayor Gurung was traveling just outside his home in Janapriya Marga of Pokhara on Friday (July 2). Gurung took five bullets in chest and head. His driver and bodyguard, too, were seriously injured. Gurung, an RPP leader, was nominated as mayor in September. He had been receiving regular threats from the Maoists, who had been asking him to step down. Gurung is the second mayor to have been shot dead by the Maoists. Earlier, Birgunj mayor Gopal Giri had been similarly killed. Meanwhile, president of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Pashupati SJB Rana deplored Gurung’s assassination. He, however, added that the Maoist problem should be resolved through dialogue to end the cycle of murder and violence. Compiled from reports.

Strange Ritual Against Drought

Helpless and frustrated over the lack of rainfall, the impoverished farmers belonging to Tharu community of Banke district have started organizing strange rituals. In an apparent belief of pleasing the rain-God Indra, womenfolk of Tharu community have started wearing male attires and working in the fields. Whereas, the menfolk have started wearing female attires and assisting them by delivering lunches at the field – the total switch-over of traditional roles. They have also started praying to God Indra. The Tharu community had no other option than to expect divine intervention as there is no facility of irrigation. Majority of farmers in Banke depend on rainfall. Although the proposed Sikta irrigation could have helped these farmers, Indian objection has obstructed its construction. Donors like European Union and Saudi Arabia had already promised to help aid the construction of Sikta project, which can irrigate 36,000 hectares of land in Banke. Kantipur daily reports.

Amnesty Writes To Prachanda

In a letter addressed to Maoist chairman Prachanda, the London-based Amnesty International (AI) has asked the Maoists to refrain from the series of murders and other grave human rights abuses. The AI has asked Prachanda to immediately instruct his cadres to stop attacking civilians. In the letter sent by its Asia and Pacific Regional Director, the AI has stated that in the last two weeks alone the Maoists have killed 10 civilians. The letter also protests the en masse abductions by the Maoists. It has expressed concern over the impact on the children due to the conflict and abductions. Leading dailies report.

PM Deuba Spells Out Non-Negotiable Items

In an interview he gave to the BBC Nepali Service on Wednesday (June 30), Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that ‘multiparty democracy and constitutional monarchy’ are non-negotiable items. When asked about what sort of flexibility the government will adopt in the next peace talks with the Maoists, PM Deuba said that ‘republic cannot come through dialogue.’ PM Deuba’s statement comes at a time when his party NC (D) as well as other major parties have begun to say that they can go up to the constituent assembly in case of national consensus to address the issues raised by the Maoists. He clarified that the new peace talks, if it happens, will not be conducted in old fashion. “We have to be first clear on the bottom-line,” he added. PM Deuba also said that the Maoists should come to talks without keeping any pre-conditions like constituent assembly. Deuba also expressed hope that the cabinet could be formed within next two days. “I don’t foresee any big problem in this regard,” he said. Compiled from reports.

Budget On July 16

Finance Secretary Bhanu Prasad Acharya has said that the ordinance budget for the fiscal year 2004/05 would be released on July 16. Although Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba is yet to appoint a finance minister, the Ministry of Finance is all set to release the ordinance budget. Constitutionally, the time frame for the release of the ordinance budget cannot exceed July 16 when new fiscal year begins. Four ordinance including economic ordinance, appropriation ordinance, national debt ordinance and loan and guarantee ordinance will be released during the budget period. According to a source at the Ministry, the economic growth rate in the coming fiscal year 2004/05 would stand at five percent and on the basis of 3.8 percent inflation and balance of payments surplus at seven billion rupees as per the suggestions submitted by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) recently. As per the sources, the total revenue mobilization will touch Rs 68.7 billion, which is an increment by only 0.3 percent. The budget deficit is likely to be over Rs 15 billion, on the basis of the predicted amount of government expenses at Rs 89.35 billion and total resource mobilization at Rs 73.85 billion. The Himalayan Times daily reports.