News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Govt Not to Extend 'Truce': Premier Deuba

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said the government will not extend temporary truce that came to an end on Thursday (Oct. 28). Talking to reporters at the tea reception organized by him in the capital on the occasion of Bada Dashain, Deuba said there was no possibility of extending the period of 'truce.' The Maoist rebels had announced that they would suspend their armed operations for nine days (October 20 till October 28) during Dashain. The government later reciprocated the move.

Responding to another question, premier Deuba said the government was still ready to wait for rebels (to start peace negotiations). " (But) if the talks don't take place for the next ten years, we can't keep on going without elections" he added. The Prime Minister also said that the government would make necessary arrangements for security during the polls.

Meanwhile, his deputy and CPN (UML) leader, Bharat Mohan Adhikary, told reporters that there hadn't been any discussions regarding holding elections in the cabinet. "There must be peace before elections," he added.Compiled from reports.

Thousands of Students Flee Villages in Dadeldhura

Thousands of students have fled their villages amid fear of 'abduction' by the Maoist insurgents in Dadeldhura in far-western region-the home district of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, a leading daily reported.

According to the news report, though the schools have reopened after Dashain, classes have not been conducted since no students come to the schools. One of the teachers in Rupal VDC said Maoists have been abducting everyone including the members of the management committee, teachers and students. He also said that the Maoists have warned that they would close down the school if the teachers and students of the schools do not act as per the instructions given by them. One of the guardians in the Rupal VDC said, 'Maoists abducted many students before Dashain and did not set them free even during Dashain.' According to him, Maoists have not released majority of the students abducted by them and have forced them to join their military training. Local guardians have appealed the human rights organizations to help in the release of the students. Kantipur daily Oct. 31

India calls on Nepal to resume dialogue with Maoists

Newly appointed Indian ambassador to Nepal, Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, has called upon the Nepal government to resume dialogue with the Maoist rebels. Addressing a function organized by Nepal-India Friendship Society in Kathmandu Saturday (Oct. 30) towelcome him, the Indian envoy said it was necessary for Nepal's constitutional force and the Maoists to come together and start talking rather than fighting.

Terrorism has no border and India has been suffering from terrorism for the past two decades. "We are committed to international cooperation to fight terrorism," said the Indian ambassador. "India wants too see that dialogue takes place and peace is restored in Nepal, we will not lag behind in extending whatever cooperation Nepal needs," he said. Compiled from reports.

`Possibility of unilateral truce is still there': UML

A senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) has said the possibility of unilateral ceasefire from the government has not ended yet. Talking to reporters at the Tribhuvan International Airport Sunday (Oct. 31) before departing for Norway on a two-week-long tour to Europe and the United States, UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal said the possibility of unilateral ceasefire from the government side had not exhausted. "Barring a few incidents, the temporary ceasefire during Dashain festival produced very good results. We believe that extension of ceasefire will create environment for peace talks," he said. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has, however, refused to accept demands by his own coalition partners, including the UML. UML leaders, Jhalnath Khanal and Bhim Rawal also left with Mr. Nepal for the tour. The UML team will participate in a convention of Socialist Party of Norway in Oslo and is likely to hold discussion with the Norwegian experts of conflict resolution. The UML team will also visit Sweden and the USA. compiled from reports.

Commercial banks face cash crunch

In order to meet growing demand for cash during the festive season, commercial banks in the country have borrowed nearly 12 billion rupees as short-term loan from Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)-the central bank in the country. According to a leading daily, thecommercial banks had faced cash crunch after the central bank drew some six billion rupees from the commercial banks in the form of treasury bills last month. "The central bank had intervened in the market as there was high liquidity," said Nara Bahadur Thapa, director at the Research Department of NRB. Chairman of the Bankers Association of Nepal, Narendra Bhattarai, said the commercial banks had also faced cash crunch as the state-owned Nepal Oil Corporation made its payments for petroleum products worth Rs 1.5 billion and the Nepal Electricity Authority paid Rs 900 million to the government (as revenue). The commercial banks will be paying interests at the rate of 4.5 percent (to the central bank) for the loan and will have to pay back the entire sum within five days, the news report said. Rajdhani daily Oct. 31

Construction work of Mid-Marsyangdi project resumes

The construction work of Mid-Marsyangdi Hydropower Project (MMHP) resumed in the western district of Lamjung from Saturday (Oct. 30). The construction work had been halted for the last two months after the civil works contractor of MMHP, DDC JV of Germany -refused to resume works citing security reasons.

According to reports, the civil contractor agreed to resume the work only after the government assured that security forces would be deployed for the security of the project only and would not be mobilized for counter-insurgency operations.

Maoist rebels had asked the project to close down protesting against the deployment of security personnel at the project site. Officials said Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)-that owns the project- was incurring a loss of around Rs two million every day dueto the closure of the project. Nearly 1,500 workers of the project and their families were also affected due to the indefinite closure. The construction work of the 70 MW project kicked off in 2001 but so far only 45 percent civil work of the project has been completed, officials said. The project is now expected to be completed by 2006-a year later than the schedule. Compiled from reports

NHRC, Human Rights Watch criticize TADO provision

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has criticized the government's move to revise the anti-terror law in the country and make it 'more stringent.' In his letter addressed to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba Wednesday (Oct. 27), chairman of the NHRC, Nain Bahadur Khatri, said the new provision in the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance, also known as TADO, -- that allows the security forces to hold individuals in preventive detention for up to one year-- was against the constitutional and parliamentary norms.

Similarly, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said the revised TADO, broadens the powers of the security forces, which have been responsible for systematic human rights abuses, including extra judicial killings, disappearances, arbitrary arrests and torture. Executive director of HRW Asia Division, Brad Adams, said the law was likely to lead to more disappearances and more torture of people accused of being against the government or aligned with Maoist insurgents. The government had re-promulgated the ordinance early this month.Compiled from reports.

Nepal at the near bottom of press freedom index

The international press freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has placed Nepal at 160th position in its press freedom index out of 167 countries surveyed. More journalists were arrested in Nepal in 2003 than in any other country in the world, the Paris-based watchdog said Tuesday in its latest report. The RSF said security forces arrested, detained, tortured or threatened about 100 Nepali journalists last year. The Maoists murdered one journalist and threatened dozens of others for allegedly spying for the army. Security forces detained 36 journalists and at least 12 journalists were being held by security forces by the end of 2003, the report said. At least 51 journalists were imprisoned and five journalists were kidnapped during the year, the report said. "It was a grim year for press freedom. Nepali journalists have been targeted as never before by the belligerents of a bloody civil war," the report concluded. Compiled from reports.

New Japanese envoy arrives

Ambassador designate of Japan to Nepal, Tsutomu Hiraoka, arrived in Kathamndu Tuesday to take up his assignment.

According to a statement issued by the Japanese Embassy, before being appointed Ambassador of Japan to Nepal, Hiraoka had served as Consul-General of Japan in Edinburgh of the United Kingdom.

Hiraoka succeeds ambassador Zenji Kaminaga.Compiled from reports.

Rebels Constructing 'Bunkers' in Schools

Maoist rebels have reportedly started constructing bunkers at school premises in the far-western district of Achham, a newspaper report said. According to the daily, the rebels said they had started constructing bunkers to protect themselves and their leadership from the offensive of the security forces and also to launch counter-offensive.

The rebels have already started constructing bunkers at the Kalikeswori Secondary School at Turmakhand in the district as per the decision of the Maoist's 'people's government' in the district. Such bunkers are being constructed in schools in 58 out of 75 Village Development Committees (VDCs) in the district. These bunkers are 200 meters long and 3 meters deep, the news report said quoting sources close to the Maoists.

Meanwhile, security forces have destroyed tunnel and bunkers constructed by the Maoist rebels at the bordering areas of Kapilvastu on Wednesday. Reports quoted the rebels as saying that they had constructed the bunkers to stop intervention from across the border. Kantipur daily Oct. 29

Nearly 300 children die in the conflict

Nearly 300 children have lost their lives since the start of the armed conflict in the country some nine years ago. According to Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), a leading human rights organization, 299 children have died so far due to the ongoing conflict. Of them, 162 children have died in attacks from the state's security agencies while 129 died in Maoist attacks.

According to the midterm report published by INSEC, most of the dead children were below 15 years of age. 123 children aged below 15 years died during the attacks by the Maoists while 79 lost their lives during attacks from the government's side. 97 children aged between 16 to 17 years have died due to the ongoing conflict, the report said.

According to INSEC, nearly 9,400 people have died over the nine-years-long conflict in Nepal. Of them, 6,804 people were killed by the state and 3,583 by the Maoists. Compiled from reports.