News Notes (Spotlight Weekly)

Attacks On Mosques Hurt Me Deeply: King Gyanendra

King Gyanendra told clerics of the Jame Mosque and Pancha Kashmiri Takiya Mosque that he was deeply hurt to know of the attacks against the religious sites by mobs on September 1 in Kathmandu. In an audience he granted to them, King Gyanendra is quoted to have said, “I cannot even explain how much my heart was hurt when I came to know of the attack.” The King had granted audience to Saiyed Nihal Shaha, chairman of the Jame Mosque, Mohammad Anwar, treasurer of Kashmiri Takiya Mosque and other clerics like Haji Abdul Sami and Mohammad Ashraf. According to Shaha, the King had inquired about the damages to the Mosques in detail and he praised the remarkable restraint shown by the Nepalese Muslim community in such trying times. Shaha added that the King told them that he has already instructed the government to conduct fair investigation and take action against the culprits. During the audience, the Muslim clerics also showed 41 still photographs and a few video clips taken during the riot to the King. “The King was deeply saddened after looking at the photographs showing the fire in the mosques,” said Shaha. Kantipur daily reports.

Create Environment First: Maoists

Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara has said that the government should create proper environment first if it wants to hold talks with them. According to him, withdrawal of terrorist tag from them and their sister organizations; and withdrawal of Red Corner notices against their leaders would help create that environment. Mahara added that the recent agreement of increasing security assistance between Nepal and India and the anti-Maoist statements by the ministers were spoiling that environment. Mahara also added that the Maoists believed that the neutral mediation by the United Nations would be required for fruitful talks. Kantipur daily reports.

Rijal Acquires Travel Document

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs finally gave travel documents to Bhutanese human rights leader Tek Nath Rijal. Along with the travel documents, Rijal has also been awarded the status of a refugee. He had fought for long to receive this status. The documents will now enable him to travel abroad. Rijal has expressed gratitude to the Nepal government for this latest decision. Leading dailies report.

Lawyers File Contempt Of Court Case Against Koirala

Seven lawyers belonging to the Pro-Public Forum have filed a contempt of court case at the Supreme Court (SC) against Nepali Congress (NC) president and former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala for making derogatory remarks against the apex court following the latter’s decision to uphold the actions by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). The lawyers have cited Koirala’s remarks reported in daily newspapers and the response he gave to radio and television in which he had blasted the SC for the decision. Meanwhile, senior lawyer Krishna Prasad Bhandari has advised Koirala to abide by the decision of the apex court and refrain from making comments that will be detrimental to the rule of law. Likewise, Attorney General Mahadev Yadav has also expressed hope that Koirala will now abide by the SC decision and cooperate with the CIAA. Leading dailies report.

CIAA To Await Full Text Of SC Decision Before Taking Any Action

The CIAA has stated that it would await the full text of the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) before initiating any kind of action against NC president Girija Prasad Koirala. The hearing regarding the property investigation case against Koirala would not immediately start, according to a highly placed source at the CIAA. The SC had, on Wednesday, decided that the CIAA action was justified and legal. Koirala had challenged CIAA actions in the SC. Leading dailies report.

Rana Rejects Demands For Special Convention

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) president Pashupati Shumshere Rana has rejected demands for holding the special convention of the party made by rival faction in the party. The party president threw out the demand for the special convention claiming there was no need to hold it. He has, however, suggested sorting out the differences through the party central committee itself. The rivals led by former prime minister Surya Bahadur Thapa had accused that the party under the leadership of Rana had become derailed from the democratic path. With the latest decision, the crisis in RPP – a partner in the ruling coalition – could further deepen, analysts say. Leading dailies report.

Govt. Endorses Pemba’s Record

The team formed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to look into the controversy surrounding the record of Pemba Dorji Sherpa has endorsed his record of having climbed the Mount Everest in 8 hours 10 minutes time. In a statement, the Ministry has stated that it could confirm the record of the fastest ascent by Pemba. The cabinet has upheld Pemba’s feat. The Ministry had initiated the investigation after Pemba’s record was contested by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa – who holds the earlier speed Everest ascent record of 10 hours 56 minutes – claiming that there were no evidences to support Pemba’s claim. While Pemba has welcomed the decision, Lakpa has threatened to approach the court. Compiled from reports.

Nepalese Police Undergoing Anti-Insurgency Training In India

One hundred Nepalese police personnel are receiving training on anti-insurgency operations at the elite anti-extremist training force Grey Hounds at Gandipet near the city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh of India. Grey Hounds, recognized as the best force in India with expertise in tacking Maoist groups, is imparting rigorous training to the Nepali contingent. The training schedule has been kept a closely guarded secret. The facility is out of bounds for the civilians. The training, which is expected to last for three months, includes jungle warfare. The Himalayan Times daily reports.

Closed Industries Reopen, Workers Celebrate

Workers of the 47 industries that had remained closed due to the Maoist threat celebrated their reopening on Thursday. Groups of workers as well as the industry owners opened the gates of the factories and hotels amid functions. Workers celebrated the reopening by distributing sweets. Most of them were busy cleaning the factory premises. Owing to the threat by the pro-Maoist All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF), 12 industries had remained closed for a month while 35 others had been shutdown for one week. It withdrew the threat on Wednesday after the government promised to release its two leaders by September 17 and the FNCCI and Hotel Association promised to sort out other workers-related issues through talks. The president of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Binod Bahadur Shrestha described the opening of industries as a new chapter in the industrial history of Nepal. He urged the Maoists to respect industries as Zones of Peace. “If the management, trade union and others sit together, it would help sort out all kinds of problems,” he said. Leading dailies report.

Maoist Actions Are Helping The Palace: Nepal

The general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the country was landing into further problems with the Maoist action of empowering the palace and the latter’s apparently positive response to such action. Nepal accused that the Maoists were suffering from ideological change as they were now professing to talk only with the King. He also warned the palace that it could fall into greater troubles if it became pleased with the latest Maoist decision. “The Maoists are trying to tell the King that he is powerful and the people close to palace are pleased with this thinking that it is in their interest,” Nepal said. He urged the Maoists to see reason and immediately come for talks with the present government, which he said was fully capable and authorized to conduct any negotiations. Kantipur daily reports.

Maoists Aggressive Against India

In a sudden change of the strategy, the Maoists have become aggressive against India. In a press statement issued on Wednesday (September 15), Maoist chairman Prachanda has charged that Indian rulers wanted to increase uncertainty and anarchy in Nepal. According to him, the Indian rulers exposed their intention of keeping Nepal under their security and economic umbrella by opposing the international mediation (to resolve the Maoist conflict) and promising all kinds of military help to the Nepal government. In a recent online interview by Prachanda, he has said that that if there is a reliable international mediation, the Maoists were ready to hold talks with the actual representative of the old regime for peaceful and progressive political way out. Meanwhile, BBC Nepali Service reported on Wednesday that posters were being pasted in various parts of neighboring Uttaranchal in which the Maoists have threatened actions against Indian leaders for providing military support to Nepal. Leading dailies report.

PF Calls Political Parties To Campaign Against Maoists

The president of the People’s Front (PF) – a radical leftist group – Amik Sherchan has called on all the political parties to join hands and launch a campaign against the Maoist atrocities. In a response to the attack by the Maoists against two dozen of the PF leaders including its general secretary Navaraj Subedi in Dailekh district a week ago, Sherchan called the political parties to expose the Maoists’ fascism. “The military and social fascist attitude of the Maoists must be defeated ideologically,” Sherchan said, speaking at a program in Bhairahawa. Kantipur daily reports.

Oli’s Outburst Against The Maoists

The senior and influential leader of the UML Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli has termed the Maoists as being ‘terrorists’ against whom the ‘people need to retaliate”. “The Maoists are terrorists and merciless. People may need to return to their villages (to retaliate),’ Oli said, speaking at a program organized by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) in the capital on Tuesday. He also termed the leaders of big political parties as being ‘gut-less’ for not speaking out even when the Maoists were freely announcing death sentences to their cadres in the villages. “They recently killed a cadre of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and have announced death sentences to 27 UML cadres. But why are the leaders frightened to speaking out?” he asked. Oli lashed out against the so-called people’s governments in the villages, saying. “Those are not the people’s government, those are the governments of terror. That is not people’s democracy, that is anti-people government.” Oli added that the recent Maoist statement of expressing self-criticism over the killing of journalist could merely be its ‘diplomatic tactics’. Kantipur daily reports.

Over 70 Arrested For 9/1 Vandalism

The police have arrested over 70 persons on charges of being involved in the violent riots on September 1 in Kathmandu valley. The police have slapped charges like arson, vandalism and booked them under the Public Offense Act. The government has also appealed to the public to provide information about those involved in the vandalism. The riots of 9/1 were ostensibly organized to mourn the death of 12 Nepalese in Iraq but soon went out of control and transformed into mob violence resulting in losses of properties worth around Rs 2 billion. Leading dailies report.