Briefs (Spotlight Weekly)

King Gyanendra receiving credentials from Canada ambassador Luice Edwards

KATHMANDU VALLEY, WHICH HAS BEEN LISTED AS a World Heritage Site in Danger, will escape being totally de-listed from the UNESCO’s prestigious list for the next one year. The 27th meeting of the World Heritage Committee held a year ago had termed Kathmandu Valley as being endangered site raising apprehensions that it could be formally de-listed. However, according to UNESCO officials, this years’ agenda for discussion by the World Heritage Committee meeting does not include Kathmandu Valley – which means its status will remain unchanged for the time being. Meanwhile, government officials have said that they are going to prepare a ten-year plan to protect the world heritage seven monument zones within the valley including three Durbar squares, Changu Narayan temple, Pashupatinath temple, Swayambhunath stupa and Boudhhanath stupa. The officials have also decided to segregate the protected monument zones into core and surrounding areas and work to fully protect the core areas. “The core areas will be fully protected. Even in the surrounding areas, construction will not be allowed unless absolutely necessary,” said Kosh Prasad Acharya, director general of the Department of Archaeology.

THE WOES OF THE FREED KAMAIYAS (bonded laborers) are nowhere near ending. Four years after they were declared free by the government, a large number of Kamaiyas are still languishing in western Nepal without land and property. And now in Kailali district, Maoists have abducted 500 Kamaiyas and have taken them to unknown location. Locals said that the Maoists took them away saying that they should take over the lands of the landlords.

THE EXPORTS OF READYMADE GARMENTS TO THE United States continued to decline for the tenth consecutive month in April when it came down by 35 percent. In the review period, apparels worth US$ 7.35 million could be exported compared to the exports worth US$ 11.3 million in the same month previous year. Entrepreneurs say that Nepal has been receiving the set-back due to the facilities provided by the American government to the Sub-Saharan and Caribbean countries. They also add that since they cannot meet the production deadline fixed by importers due to internal disturbances, they also had to face many cancellations. Over 80 percent of Nepal’s apparels exports are destined to the American market. However, the apparel exports to second important market Canada increased by 37 percent in the same month. Apparels worth US$ 109,343 were exported to Canada in April 2004 compared to the exports worth US$ 79,531 in the same month previous year.

WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF RESTARTING THE STALLED process of talks for repatriation of over 100,000 Bhutanese refugees, who are languishing in several camps in eastern Nepal, the Foreign Ministry has written a letter to Bhutan government. According to foreign secretary Madhu Raman Acharya, the letter requests the Bhutanese side to immediately restart the process of repatriation. “We have also given the guarantee of security to Bhutanese officials,” said Acharya. The Bhutanese side had walked away from the process last December after some of its officials were manhandled by refugees while reading out strong pre-conditions for their repatriation.

WITH ALL THE DONORS, GOVERNMENT AND CONSULTANTS dissatisfied with the slow pace of its work, the contractor of multi-million-dollar Melamchi Drinking Water Project (MDWP) Hanil Koneko is going to be replaced, say officials. The consultants of the project have already written a letter notifying the contractor of the imminent cancellation of its contract. Earlier, the MWDP had given one month’s ultimatum to the contractor to improve its functioning. The MWDP aims to bring in 170 million liters of water daily to Kathmandu after the completion of its first phase sometime in 2009/2010.

THE MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS (COE) – a commerce joint secretary level group of the SAARC countries – held last week (May 5-7) in Islamabad failed to reach conclusion regarding the provision of Rules of Origin for the recently agreed South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). Countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka had pressed for framing the Rules of Origin on product by product basis. Bangladesh pressed for the rules based on Value Added. However, India and Pakistan wanted to leave the rules open. As such, no conclusion could be reached. The COE, however, decided on issues like technical assistance to Least Developed Countries, and custom policies. The SAFTA is expected to come into effect beginning 2006. By 2015, it is expected to be fully operational in the region. The next meeting of the COE will be held in Colombo in June 7-9.

KANTIPUR OPEN ROVER CREW organized under the Nepal Scout has come up with a “Kantipur Smarika 2061” – a compilation of scouting activities. Dr.Yubaraj Khatiwada, a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) released the book amid special function recently. Dr. Khatiwada praised the activities of the scouts in the overall development of the country. Shri Ram Lamichhane, chief commissioner of the Nepal Scouts, said that scouts will help in the development of leadership and promotion of discipline in society.