RNA Colonel And Two Officers Jailed In Sunuwar Death Case
A colonel and two other junior officers of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) have been sentenced to six months of imprisonment for not following the ‘right procedure’ while handling the case of Maina Sunuwar, a Maoist girl, who died in army custody in Panchkhal. “The military court has recently issued the verdict sentencing the officers involved in the case,” said a senior army officer at the RNA’s Legal Department. The court has slapped punishment on the basis of a ‘tendency shown’ by the officers while interrogating the Maoist girl and handling the case after her death. The court found that the officers did not inform Sunuwar’s family and her body was not sent for post mortem. “We found that she didn’t die during interrogation and the officers’ intention was not to torture but to interrogate her,” said the senior officer. Promotion of the colonel has been stopped for two years, while junior officers won’t be promoted for a year. The court also ordered the colonel and junior officers to pay compensation. The Himalayan Times daily reports.
Germany calls for unity
Germany has called for unity among the legitimate political forces in Nepal . In a message given on the occasion of the 15 th anniversary of the German Unity Day (Oct. 3), ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Nepal, Franz Ring, called upon legitimate political forces to unite to bring Nepal back into a multi-party democratic framework and to address the Maoist insurgency by peaceful negotiations. The Maoist insurgency remains the most serious, immediate threat to a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Nepal and, hence, top priority should be given to bring an end to the armed conflict, he said. “As a friend of Nepal and partner in development cooperation, Germany is very much interested in the destiny of the Kingdom of Nepal and its people. Germany remains extremely concerned about the armed conflict which began in February 1996 and spread nearly all over the country since then,” said ambassador Ring in his message. “The German people have great sympathy for the Nepalese population which suffers most under the armed conflict. We wholeheartedly wish that peace can be regained in a not too distant future,” the envoy further said. The envoy said constitutional forces (in Nepal ) should reach out hands to each other in order to allow a dialogue to happen and common ground to be found for a solution to the overarching conflict. Germany is one of the leading donors to Nepal . Diplomatic ties between the two countries were established in 1958. Compiled from reports.
NHRC calls upon the govt. to ease bus travel
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the government to lift curfew orders clamped along all the eastern and western highways in order to facilitate public travel by bus during the Dashain festival, which kicks off from Tuesday. In a letter sent to the office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Sunday, the Commission said in view of complaints that it had received regarding harassment and difficulties being faced by the passengers due to frequent checks and curfews along the highways, the Commission had urged the government to make all necessary arrangement for the passengers to travel by buses without any hassles, a statement issued by the Commission said. Leading dailies report.
Reciprocate ceasefire, European Parliament tells the King
The European Parliament (EP) on Thursday has called upon the Nepalese monarch to reciprocate the Maoist call for unilateral ceasefire and engage political groups, including Maoists, in constructive talks with a view to restoring democratic processes in the country. In the resolution adopted in Brussels , Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) called on King Gyanendra to guarantee the full sovereignty of parliamentary democratic authorities. They also asked for the international community to establish a Contact Group, made up of Nepal’s key partners and international organisations (the EU, the US, India and the UN), in order to provide coordinated international action with regard to Nepal. They have also proposed that the European Parliament appoint a special rapporteur to monitor the situation. In what may have come as a blow to the royal government, the MEPs called on the Council and the Member States for suspension of military aid to Nepal to continue. They asked that all aid to Nepal be monitored and that `smart sanctions’ be imposed in order to maintain pressure on the royal government to restore democratic governance and explore all avenues to peace talks. They called on the Commission and the Member States , among others, to scrutinise closely all development assistance to Nepal and to make sure that it serves its prime purpose of poverty alleviation and addresses the underlying causes of conflict in the country. Compiled from reports.
Foreigners barred from flying to remote districts
The royal government has started imposing undeclared restrictions to foreign nationals from flying to the districts in mid and far-western regions. The local administration has sent a letter to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) – a regulatory body-- asking it not to allow foreigners to fly to remote districts, which do not have any road access. The government’s latest directive has stopped even representatives of foreign donor agencies from travelling to districts to monitor development activities there. The government enforced this ban from the third week of September. This issue came out after a letter written by Banke District Administration Office to the Civil Aviation Authority got leaked on September 22. Due to the restriction, eight officials of the World Bank could not travel to remote northern district of Mugu. Former Member of Parliament Chandra Bahadur Shahi of Mugu said that when they asked for permission from chief district officer to fly 19 representatives from the World Bank and Poverty Alleviation Fund the authorities denied. When contacted, chief district officer of Banke Binod Bahadur Adhikari said it was ridiculous that representatives of the World Bank and Poverty Alleviation Fund were going to hold a meeting in Rara to discuss about poverty alleviation. Kantipur daily.
Indian Leaders Hold Talks With Six Parties
The visiting delegation of Indian politicians held a joint meeting with the top leaders of six agitating political parties including Girija Prasad Koirala, president of Nepali Congress (NC) and Madhav Kumar Nepal , general secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML). At the meeting, the Indian delegation, which is led by Sitaram Yechury, the politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist), stated that they will support whatever constitutional or political structure as adopted by the Nepalese people and the political parties. Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP), one of the members of the seven agitating political parties, however, was absent from the meeting. NWPP president Narayan Man Bijukchhe has been saying that the arrival of Indian leaders was not appropriate. He said that any solution has to be found by the Nepalese political players and not at the guidance of foreign forces. He, however, did not call the visit by Indian leaders as ‘intervention.’ He said that (whether it is intervention or not) can be ascertained only after learning what they say. Meanwhile, Surya Bahadur Thapa, president of Rastriya Janashakti Party (RJP), addressing a rally in Nepalgunj said that the visit by the Indian leaders to express solidarity with the agitation of the parties does not amount to intervention. On the other hand, Satchit SJB Rana, former army chief and a member of Raj Parishad Standing Committee, raised objection over the visit by the Indian leaders and their lending support to the parties’ agitation. “It is objectionable for the Indian leaders to trample the faith of Nepalese people and support the agitation here,” he said, adding that such efforts would only increase conflict in the country. Rana also criticized Kantipur newspaper for what he said as ‘breaching the constitutional limits in publishing news against the institution of monarchy.’ Compiled from reports.
Bomb Hoax Haunts Tia
Tension reigned supreme at the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) on Thursday afternoon after a report started doing the rounds that a Jet Airways’ Kathmandu-bound aircraft had a bomb in it. However, it turned out to be a hoax. Security and emergency units at the TIA, including the Royal Nepalese Army’s bomb disposal search team, searched the aircraft for the explosive and confirmed the claim was a hoax. According to RNA spokesperson Brigadier General Dipak Gurung, the team got the passengers out of the aircraft and then isolated the plane on the runaway and searched for the bomb. The aircraft had touched the ground with 115 passengers and nine crewmembers from Delhi . Later on, the aircraft was allowed to continue its regular operation. Reports say, unidentified person made a call to Indian authorities claiming there was a bomb in the aircraft. And this information was passed on to Nepalese authorities as the plane had already left for Kathmandu . Leading dailies report.
Thai National Arrested For Trying To Smuggle Heroin
Authorities at the TIA arrested a Thai lady who was found in possession of one kg of heroin. According to Anti Narcotics Law Enforcement Unit, this is the largest quantity seized in the last two years. The lady was trying to leave for Doha , Qatar from Kathmandu in Qatar Airways. She is said to have told authorities that she was attempting to take the drugs to Johannesburg of South Africa from Qatar . Leading dailies report.
Constituent Assembly Is The Meeting Point: Dhungana
Former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana has said that the election of the constituent assembly is the only meeting point among the King, political parties and the Maoists. He stated that the King has stood in the way of negotiated settlement. “Although the Maoists and political parties say they are willing to talk with each other, that will not solve the problem. The Maoists must need to talk with whoever represents the state. And, at present, the King does not seem interested in talks,” Dhungana said, adding that indications of willingness to abrogate the current constitution, points out that (the King) is not willing to remain under the people and the parliament. Leading dailies report.
Dailekh Journos Returned
All 14 journalists of Dailekh who had left the district citing insecurity returned after the administration assured them of security. They had left the district last week after facing threats from security agencies. The journalists had agreed to return after the Chief District Officer Megh Nath Padhya assured them of security to work in independent environment. Kantipur daily reports.
39 Still Missing Due To Flood
Around 39 persons are still missing after they were swept away by the flood in Dadeldhura district even as ten dead bodies have been recovered. According to police, the people of Sirsa VDC were swept away by the swollen Sirse river. Those missing include two entire families. Police suspect that properties worth Rs 5 million could have been destroyed in the VDC due to flooding. A week-long rainfall had triggered flooding in the region. Kantipur daily reports.
Donors ‘Not Satisfied’ With NHRC
Various major donor agencies have expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to move ahead in a “result-oriented manner” to protect people’s human rights in the country. Sources at the NHRC conceded that the donor agencies, who held internal discussion with the commission on Wednesday at the latter’s office in Lalitpur, said the donors seemed dissatisfied with the way NHRC has presented its report and findings. Earlier, chairman of the commission Nayan Bahadur Khatri informed the donors about the activities of the commission. A team of foreign diplomats including ambassadors, representatives of missions, INGOs and aid agencies visited the NHRC on Thursday. The commission officials are also reported to have urged the foreign representatives to put pressure on the government as the latter ‘is indifferent to the issue of human rights.’ Leading dailies report.
Nationwide Agitation By Parties
The seven agitating political parties organized nationwide agitation demanding restoration of peace and full democracy. Police used force to suppress the agitation in various district because of which 52 demonstrators have been injured while 90 were arrested. On the eve of Dashain festival, the parties had dispersed their capital-centric agitation to the districts. Various top leaders of the parties addressed the demonstrators in different districts. They also stepped up warnings against the King in view of rumors that the latter is planning to introduce a new constitution. Leading dailies report.
