Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra (left) and Queen Komal at the Ghodejatra festival at Tundikhel. Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa is also seen.

KING GYANENDRA, WITH THE CONSENT AND ADVICE OF THE council of ministers, has amended the Nepal Treaty Act through an ordinance allowing the executive branch of the government to ratify treaties. Earlier, only the parliament was allowed to ratify such treaties of national importance. The latest amendment was made to facilitate the ratification of membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Nepal had been granted WTO membership six months ago and it had to ratify it within March 31 to get full-fledged membership of the organization. As there was absence of parliament, the government moved to amend the act to facilitate the ratification process. Meanwhile, legal experts and former parliamentarians have expressed grave concern over the development saying it was another transgression against the constitution.

BRITISH SPECIAL ENVOY TO NEPAL SIR JEFFREY JAMES has arrived in the capital on Saturday (March 20). Sir James will be holding talks with Prime Minister, government officials and political leaders during his visit. He had been appointed as a special envoy by the British government more than a year ago to coordinate international efforts to help Nepal overcome its problems. This is his fifth visit to Nepal after being appointed the special envoy.

SINCE THE BREAKDOWN OF CEASEFIRE IN AUGUST, a record number of persons have been ‘disappeared’ by the Maoists as well as the security forces, according to Charan Kumar Prasai, former president of Amnesty International – Nepal. Prasai, speaking at the annual general meeting of the AI – Nepal Group 3, said that the AI had issued appeals in the names of 190 persons who were disappeared. “This is the largest number in the whole world, said Prasai. Amnesty has been showing interest to know about the condition of people who have been arrested by security forces and whose whereabouts are made unknown even to their families. Likewise, it also issues appeal to the Maoists not to kill or torture those abducted by the Maoists. Many human rights activists, however, say that the actual number of those who have been made to disappear could be much higher than the number of appeals issued by the AI.

ROYAL NEPALESE AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES Jai Pratap Rana died at the Joh Hopkins hospital, Baltimore, Washington DC, on March 16, at the age of 67. He had been hospitalized for the last eleven months after he fell and lost consciousness while on a morning walk.

THE GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO OPERATE SPECIAL support program in 30 districts to help the children caught in conflict. The program will focus on education and health. According to central children welfare committee, children of five VDCs of the selected districts will be provided such support. Districts most hit by the insurgency have been selected. According to Deepak Raj Sapkota, executive director of the committee, agreements have been signed with various NGOs to undertake these programs.

IN ORDER TO INITIATE ITS PHYSICAL AND infrastructural development, the judiciary has asked nearly double budget from the government for this year. Last year, the government had set aside Rs 560 million budget for judiciary. But judicial authorities have said that this amount is inadequate. The meeting of Chief Justice Gobinda Bahadur Shrestha, judges, chief secretary Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala and vice president of National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Shankar Sharma discussed this issue on Wednesday. The government officials were positive to the demand of judiciary, according to Dr. Ram Krishna Timalsena, spokesperson of the Supreme Court. “Compared to other organs of the state, judiciary gets very nominal budget. Since it was inadequate, we had to ask for double the amount,” said Dr. Timalsena.

THE GOVERNMENT IS YET TO CONDUCT STUDY on the effects of providing transit facilities to India for its trade with China. Indian authorities have raised this demand before their Nepalese counterparts. This demand was first made at the February Inter Governmental Committee (IGC) meeting held in Kathmandu. Later, the visiting Indian foreign secretary Shashank also raised this demand. Nepal had put off discussions on the demand saying it had to first do a study to find out effects of providing such facilities on its own economy. The bilateral trade treaty has provision that states that both the countries will provide transit facilities to each other on mutual consent.

ELEVEN PERSONS WERE KILLED WHEN A VEHICLE of Shukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve fell into an ambush laid by the Maoists near Babatal within the jungle of the reserve, which is located in the far western region of the country, on March16. Among the dead include two employees of the reserve and nine others who were under the custody of wildlife reserve authorities under various charges like poaching. Four others were injured in the incident. They have been taken to Nepalgunj hospital. The site of the incident is 10 kilometer farther from the reserve headquarters in Majhgaun.

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS INCREASED THE pension for Gurkha pensioners or their widows by 10 percent beginning April 1. The announcement was made on Monday by Mike Scott from Britain’s Ministry of Defense, a British Embassy statement said. “I am delighted that once again we have been able to secure a significant increase to Gurkha service pensions, which will ensure that they can keep pace with the cost of living in Nepal. It is another demonstration of the UK’s continued commitment to and concern for the welfare of our ex-servicemen here,” the statement quoted Scott as saying.

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF RED CROSS (ICRC) and Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) held an interaction program with media persons on March 21 in Kathmandu with the objective of familiarizing journalists about their workings. At the program, Bijaya Baral of NRCS, Krishna Chandra Chalise and Nicholas Bachmann of ICRS spoke about the history and background of Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. The ICRC has set up its office in Nepal since December 1998. Till now it has recorded 3200 different prisoners – including those held in police stations, military barracks as well as those under the custody of the Maoists. The red cross officials have also exchanged over 100 red cross messages between the prisoners and their family members.

An offical of Vritish Embassy (middle) and Rajendra K. Khetan, President of Nepal Britan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the recently organized "British Councel Open Day" in Biratnagar.