Nepal Maoists 'must free' child soldiers

August 26, 2008 - 5:49PM

Nepal's former rebel Maoists, who now lead the country's government, should immediately release children from their remaining guerrilla army, the United Nations says.

Around 19,000 former fighters - including 3,000 underage combatants - have been in UN-monitored camps since a 2006 peace deal that ended the Maoists' bloody "people's war".

UN agencies must have access to the children to ensure their "recovery and reintegration", Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said.

"The promise of peace has not come to fruition for these children," she said.

Nepal's Maoists, whose leader Prachanda was sworn in as prime minister last week, said they had yet to decide what to do with the 2,973 underage fighters, who were all under 18 in May 2006.

"We cannot chase them away just like that. They were helpful during the 'people's war' and now we cannot just ditch them," senior Maoist Chandra Prakash Gajurel told AFP.

Despite winning polls in April and having their leader become prime minister, the Maoists have not tackled the issue of the fighters, who battled Nepal's security forces for a decade.

The former rebels - whose decade-long civil war killed at least 13,000 people - say the fighters should be integrated into the Nepalese army.

But the army has said that there is no place in its ranks for politically indoctrinated guerrillas.

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Special Monlam Prayers for Taktse Rinpoche

Posted: September 9th, 2008, by MeYuL.com

Pokhara Solidarity Committee

9th September 2008

Pokhara, Nepal All the five Tibetan refugee camps in Pokhara namely Tashi Palkhiel, Tashi Gang, Tashiling, Paljorling and Jampaling arranged special prayers on 8th September 2008 in their respective camps.

Each camp offered butter lamps and recited monlam for peace and better realm of rebirth of His Holiness the Dalai lama’s eldest brother Taktse Rinpoche who unfortunately passed away on 5th September 2008 in USA. Taktse Rinpoche struggled and worked for the independence of Tibet through out of his life. He was living evidence when and how the Chinese entered Tibet and carried out their so called liberalization of Tibet. The whole Tibetan community and the Tibetans in Tibet lost a great person and a good leader. Pokhara Tibetan Solidarity Committee

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Nepal parties criticise Maoists' "undemocratic" actions

Monday, September 8, 2008 : 2325 Hrs

Kathmandu (PTI): Within a month of formation of the Maoist-led government in Nepal, parties across political spectrum have slammed the "undemocratic behaviour" of the former rebels and criticised their youth wing for trying to impose an "authoritarian rule" in the country.

The partners in the ruling coalition here have joined the main opposition party the Nepali Congress, which slammed the "totalitarian attitude" of the CPN-Maoist and its Young Communist League.

"We will check their (the Maoists) attempt to impose their authoritarian rule on all state organs," Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh Khatri said at a press conference at the end of the party's central working committee meeting.

The second largest party in the Constituent Assembly also accused the CPN-Maoist of being determined "to intensify its acts of violence and increase influence of armed combatants in statecraft."

Ruling coalition partner, the leftist CPN-UML, also accused the Maoists Young Communist League of defaming the communist movement in the country, with co general secretary Jhalanath Khanal asking CPN-UML's own youth wing to protect the movement.

Central member of the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF), another coalition partner, B P Yadav said the Maoists have continued acts of terror including abduction, killing and extortion in Siraha district in southern Nepal in violation of the peace agreement signed by them.

Meanwhile, the transport strike called by MPRF activists in Siraha district, to protest Maoists' acts of seizing personal property, continued for the sixth day, severely affecting normal life. Sphere: Related Content

Seized properties will be returned: Nepal PM Dahal

TGW

Nepal’s first Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has once again assured that the forcibly seized properties by the Maoists party will soon be returned to their lawful owners.

This the Prime Minister said only after repeatedly grilled by the media men present at the Pokhara Airport on Monday.

Prime Minister Dahal on his return to Kathmandu was forced to land in Pokhara- Nepal’s tourist town, as the helicopter carrying him and his team ran out of fuel, say reports.

PM Koirala on Monday attended “Dolpa Fest” in the district of Dolpa.

“After we bring the government’s policies and programs, we will return the seized properties”, said the Prime Minster talking to the reporters.

Prime Minister Dahal has been making similar assurances in the past however, let alone returning seized properties at times of the Maoist led rebellion, the Maoists cadres have recently seized 11 bighas of land, including a 16-room building worth Rs. 80 million, belonging to Birendra Saha of Kalyanpur-6 at Ramnagar in Siraha District.

Immediately after assuming the post of the prime minister, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had publicly assured that his party will return the illegally seized properties and create favorable atmosphere for the displaced people to return home within 15 days.

However apart from giving lofty assurances the Maoists has not done any thing tangible so far.

2008-09-09 09:44:16

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Nepal to free slaves trapped by ancestors' debts

5 hours ago

KATHMANDU (AFP) — Nepal's Maoist-led government vowed Monday to end slave-like conditions for around 150,000 bonded labourers in the far west of the country who have been paying off debt for generations.

Under the "Haliya" (land tiller) system, children inherit debt accrued by their parents and grandparents and have to work in the fields for moneylenders and landlords.

"This practice will be scrapped after a committee we have appointed submits its report," Krishna Bahadur Mahara, the Maoist government spokesman, told AFP.

Nepal officially abolished all forms of slavery in 2001, but the Haliya system -- which traps people in a cycle of debt -- lives on in remote areas, said activists.

"It has continued in our region because landlords forced poor people to continue with this age-old tradition," Gorak Sarki, a Haliya from Doti district, 440 kilometres (275 miles) west of Kathmandu, told AFP.

"When we complained the authorities just ignored us, and we were compelled to stick with the tradition to survive," said Sarki.

Haliya labourers say they want a minimum wage and an allocation of land.

"We have high hopes of the new Maoist government. They have promised revolutionary land reforms so we hope they will address our issues," Dambar Bishwokarma, another Haliya activist from Doti district, said.

Nepal's Maoists are now leading the country after signing up for peace in 2006 following a bitter, decade-long insurgency.

They emerged victorious in landmark polls in April for a body that abolished the unpopular monarchy and is now due to write a new constitution for the world's newest republic. Sphere: Related Content

Indians unsafe in Nepal: Senior Police official

Indians unsafe in Nepal: Senior Police official
TGW

Nepal Police has nabbed five men alleged for their involvement in the bombing of the personal residence of Nepal’s vice-President Parmananda Jha, situated in Gaurighat, Kathmandu.

A group called as National Liberation Army (NLA) had immediately taken the responsibility for carrying out the explosion talking over telephone with a local Television Channel. The men who were nabbed by the police as per the reports have accepted that they are indeed the members of the said group.

The explosion took place on August 17, 2008 in the aftermath of Mr. Jha’s excessive love for Hindi language which became evident when he preferred to deride Nepal’s National Language Nepali and his own mother tongue Maithili by taking oath and secrecy of the office in Indian language Hindi.
Jha was heavily criticized in the country for taking oath and secrecy of the office in the alien language Hindi- a language spoken in the northern part of India only, after his election as the country’s first vice president.
Mr. Jha belongs to the ethnic Madhesi communtiy whose ancestors hail from Kushweshorsthan of Dharbhanga district, northern India.
In addition, reveals a weekly newspaper, Parmananda Jha’s own brother Dhanananda Jha owns a bi-cycle repairing center in Darbhanga District, India.

A Plastic Hand Grenade, high explosive ranges of 3600-4200 splinter and double bearings were used to carryout the explosion where a security guard of the Nepal Army was severely injured.

Nepal’s Police Force has taken it as a huge success and has pledged to continue its efforts towards nabbing several other criminal groups operating in Kathmandu and bringing them behind bars.

Metropolitan Police Crime Division Office (MPCD), Hanumandhoka had on Sunday organized a press conference.

Speaking on the occasion, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Upendra Kant Aryal said that this underground group survived basically on extortions and ransoms mainly form the Indian entrepreneurs and people of the Indian origin in Nepal.

The mastermind of the said explosion, Mohan Karki is a Bachelors Degree Holder form the Ratna Rajya Campus Tribhuwan University, Kathmandu.
2008-09-08 09:02:56 Sphere: Related Content

Where Are They?

FROM GORKHAPATRA

By Nandalal Tiwari

Recently, different human rights organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), made public a list of those who were made to disappear during the 10-year armed conflict, from 1996 to 2006. They have shown that the whereabouts of nearly 1,300 people are still unknown. Of course, this is not the first time that the human rights organisations have come up with a list of the disappeared and demanded that the government take the issue seriously as well as steps, including setting up of a powerful commission, to establish the status of the disappeared. However, successive governments have so far been trying to evade the issue.

Cases of disappearances

The act of disappearing people started after the government began arresting people suspected of being members or sympathisers of the CPN-Maoist that launched an armed rebellion in February 1996. There were cases of disappearances during the 30-year Panchayat period, too, but they were few compared to the insurgency period. The numbers suddenly increased after the army was deployed to quell the insurgency in 2001. This is made clear by the National Human Rights Commission, which in 2005 said that it had received nine complaints of disappearance in 2000 whereas the number rose to 584 in 2003 alone.

A committee formed after the reinstatement of democracy in 1991 under the chairmanship of Hiranyeshwor Man Pradhan, who was additional justice of the Supreme Court, had submitted a report to the government a year after. This is the first committee in Nepal’s history set up to probe into the disappearances. The committee had probed into the cases of 61 persons who were kept in custody and made to disappear for acting against the partyless Panchayat system. The committee had reported that 37 of the disappeared were killed in custody whereas the status of the 26 persons remained unknown. The committee had recommended that the government take action against the security personnel involved in the act of disappearing. Unfortunately, the government never took steps to that effect, instead it promoted those police officers found guilty by the committee.

With the escalation of cases of disappearances by the state, the families of the disappeared had held a fast unto death in 2004, demanding that the government make the status of their kin public. Following it, a committee was formed under assistant secretary Ram Gopal Malego of the Home Ministry during the premiership of Sher Bahadur Deuba. Although the committee made public a list of the disappeared many times, it never showed the status of those disappeared. It only made public the names of those who were taken into custody and then released. The other committees formed later, including one headed by Baman Prasad Neupane, now Defence Secretary, fared no better.

Thus, not a single committee formed to investigate into the disappearances during the armed conflict has been effective. The reasons being that, first, the government was insincere; second, the committee lacked specific power; third, there was lack of legal provision; fourth, the security wings were unwilling to admit their mistakes and bring the guilty to book.

It is obvious that the previous governments never wanted to work towards making public the status of the disappeared. Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai in 2000, for instance, in response to a query about the whereabouts of Milan Nepali and Dandapani Neupane, had bluntly admitted, “They have been killed.”

The NHRC mentions that both the army and police act very irresponsibly in relation to its queries on disappearances. It must be noted that the ICRC in Nepal had stopped working on disappearances in 2004, on the ground that the government and army refused to cooperate. A report of the UNOHCHR in Nepal in 2006 on the disappearances of the 49 people held at the Bhairabnath battalion barracks at Maharajgunj in Kathmandu also stated that it never got any response from the army. The government had labelled the CPN-Maoist a terrorist organisation in 2001and imposed a state of emergency and enacted the Terrorist and Disruptive Act to curb the rebellion. This Act was instrumental in enabling the security mechanisms to arrest any individual and keep him/ her in detention for a year without observing any legal procedures that included notifying the family members or the human rights organisations. This Act was scrapped only in 2006.

Facts, fiction and fate

Maina Sunuwar, a girl of 15, was arrested from her home at Kharelthok in Kavrepalanchowk district on the morning of February17, 2004 by a covert team dispatched by the Birendra Peace Operation Training Centre in Panchkhal. Under the pressure of the HR organisations regarding her whereabouts, the army first stated that she had been shot dead while trying to escape at Hokse area. But later on, after a year, it admitted that she had died of electrocution and been buried at the Centre.

At midnight of July 15, 2004, a team of the army took away Sarala Sapkota from her home at Jeevanpur-1 of Dhading district. Her father tried best to locate her status, but got himself detained. However, on January 11, 2005, a team of the NHRC accompanied by forensic experts exhumed a human body from a field near Sarala’s village. Sarala’s relatives as well as the villagers were sure that the skeleton was that of Sarala. However, the NHRC wanted a DNA test and sent the sample to India, but there has been no report on the findings.

Krishna Sen ‘Ichchhuk’, the then editor of Janadisha’ daily and a renowned literary figure, was arrested on May 20, 2002 at Naya Baneswor in Kathmandu. He was detained at the Mahendra Police Club. Eyewitnesses say he was badly tortured. He died five days later and was cremated at Pashupati. However, the government then claimed that he was killed in an encounter at Gokarna, north of Kathmandu.

The ways ahead

The CPN-Maoist, now the party in the government, and the then government headed by

Koirala had agreed in the Comprehensive Peace Accord to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate into the disappearances and make public the status of those who were made to disappear. However, two years have elapsed since then. In addition to the unwillingness of the previous governments, the commission was not set up due to the deficient legal framework. Therefore, the government should immediately make the necessary legislation to that end.

In the meantime, it is imperative that the government provide relief to the families of the disappeared. And the relief should not be less than it provides to the families of those who were killed during the period. In fact, it should be more because the families of the disappeared have suffered more. Sphere: Related Content

Prachanda told to discuss ‘unfair treaties’

Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
Prerana Marasini

KATHMANDU: Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Janardan Sharma on Saturday said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal alias Prachanda should discuss the “unfair treaties” Nepal has signed with India, during his ‘first political’ visit to India.

Mr. Sharma said: “India should positively think about Nepal and the ‘unfair’ treaties should be re-evaluated, including the 1950 Treaty. We will advise the PM on the issues that need to be raised in his India visit.”

Mr. Prachanda will visit India on September 14. Earlier, when he visited the flood-affected area in Sunsari, Mr. Prachanda had said the Kosi Treaty was a ‘historical mistake’.

Coalition fissures

Referring to the Maoists’ youth wing — Young Communist League — collecting donation from citizens, CPN (UML) leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, in a TV interview, said: “I hear that YCL is collecting donation even today. How can I, then, say that the alliance is strong?”

Another ally, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, has called an indefinite transportation strike in Siraha district for the past three days.

Protesters said the Maoists have not fulfilled their commitment as stated in the Common Minimum Programme.

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Waters in India recede, but officials warn flood danger still high

13 hours ago

PURNIA, India (AFP) — Some villagers began trying to return to their flooded homes in eastern India on Saturday as waters slowly receded, but officials warned the move was risky with a month of heavy rains still expected.

Almost 900,000 people have been evacuated to higher ground since flood defence walls broke upstream in Nepal almost three weeks ago, shifting the flow of the Kosi river away from its normal course and east onto farmland.

Large swathes of the impoverished state of Bihar were flooded. About 100,000 people remain marooned in village islands by the river, with most refusing to leave, while some evacuees are trying to head home.

"We have reached a stage where people in the thousands are still left, but they are now refusing to come out," state disaster management official Pratyaya Amrit told AFP.

"People think the flood is over. In a lot of the camps people have started moving back. In the last two to three days, at least 10,000 to 15,000 have gone back."

But India's monsoon season, when much of the country receives more than 90 percent of its rain, does not end till the close of September, and officials say the river could rise again.

About 1,100 square kilometres (440 square miles) of villages and farms remain underwater, even though levels have decreased by a foot (30 centimetres) or more in parts.

In areas surrounding Birpur town, on the border with Nepal, an AFP photographer accompanying an Air Force relief flight said more than 80 percent of the area was under water.

On Saturday, some 2,000 people could still be seen Saturday sheltering on rooftops and dry strips of land, waving to the helicopter for emergency food supplies.

The helicopter was dropping red and orange water-resistant packages containing beaten rice, lentil flour, palm sugar and water purifying tablets, a relief official said, adding that the relief sorties would be reduced Sunday.

"Right now we have nine helicopters," Deepak Kumar Sahu, an official coordinating flood relief efforts told AFP.

"Tomorrow we'll withdraw two. The focus is on the evacuation and the rehabilitation camps."

Army officials running boat rescue operations this week said the receding water was making it harder to reach distant villages, where people have been without food or water for weeks.

"Beyond 15 to 20 kilometres (nine to 12 miles) it is hard for us rescue," said one army official, asking not to be named.

"We're trying to get as far as possible."

But with frequent stops to pull boats across shallow sections of water, they can only get as far as nearby villages where people want to stay put, asking instead for supplies to be sent to them.

On a road in Bihar's Purnia district, 350 kilometres from state capital Patna, rescued villagers unloaded from boats trudged towards the town and camps all week.

But as reports circulated that water levels were falling, just as many villagers were walking the other way, to check how much water was on either side of the road and decide what to do next.

With camps running out of room for the tens of thousands of people who have left their homes, many of the freshly evacuated villagers are living on the road.

But local administrative officials say new camps were being set up and more medical teams were being deployed.

"We're increasing capacity by putting up tented accommodation," said Purnia's top administrative official C. Sridhar.

"Some people who are coming with cattle are setting up on the side of the road. We are persuading them to move towards camps."

Disaster official Amrit said rescue boats would ferry food to villagers as well as try to convince them to evacuate.

"We have another 25 days (of monsoon) to go. What if the levels go up again?"

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Impaired Accountability: State of Disappearance in Nepal

Impaired Accountability: State of Disappearance in Nepal

Type :	Report
Title :	Impaired Accountability: State of Disappearance in Nepal
Source :	Informal Sector Service Centre
Date Added:	3-Sep-2008
Publication Date :	1-Aug-2008
URL :	http://www.humansecuritygateway.info/documents/INSEC_Nepal_Disappearances.pdf

Enforced or involuntary disappearance is a complex criminal offense that involves violation of a number of fundamental freedoms and basic human rights, including the right to personal freedom and security, the right to have legal remedy, the right against torture or other cruel, inhuman and degrading behaviour, and the right to life as such.

The government of Nepal has not created any mechanism as to probe into the cases of serious crimes such as the act of disappearance and to punish the offenders. Such inaction has crippled the lives of hundreds of victims and some thousands of their family members and relatives who are living traumatised life for years. In other words, the victims and their families have been re-victimized by the deepened culture of impunity and the mercy of inaction.

Families of the missing persons, independent experts of the United Nations (UN), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal), a number of national and international human rights organisations and their networks have been raising concerns over alleged cases of disappearance and culture of impunity in Nepal.

The human rights community has been urging the government to, among other things, make a law defining 'disappearance' an act of criminal offense and provide for substance mechanisms to bring the perpetrators to justice, and form a high-level probe commission on disappearance charged with a broader and strong mandate. In this report, situation of disappearance has been analysed in particular reference to the implementation of recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) following the Group's visit to Nepal in December 2004.

In addition, the status of national and international mechanisms has also been discussed with particular focus on those providing for human rights of disappeared persons. A number of recommendations have been made for the government, international community and civil society organisations drawing their attention, among others, to prioritize their actions towards putting an end to impunity and take steps to make public the whereabouts of allegedly disappeared persons and to protect those persons' basic rights and fundamental freedoms. This report is expected to be useful for diverse sectors of individuals and organisations, including the WGEID, that concern with the situation of disappearance in Nepal. Sphere: Related Content

10 Maoists arrested in Andhra Pradesh

Updated: 09-05-2008

The arrests were made in Warangal district in Telangana region, which was once the stronghold of Maoist movement.

Four of those arrested were from CPI-ML Praja Pratighanta faction. The remaining were suspected to be cadres of Communist Party of India (Maoist).

The police recovered 16 weapons and 1,200 bullets from the arrested Maoists.

The arrests were made at a time when the state police were anticipating increased Maoist violence in the state, especially in areas bordering Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

Maoist violence in the state has drastically come down over last couple of years but the police anticipate that the extremists could step up their activities before the elections scheduled to be held in March next year.

The police sources said Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakahapatnam district, which share borders with Orissa and Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar districts having border with Chhattisgarh could see violence in the coming days in view of the relatively stronger Maoist movement in the neighbouring states.

In the biggest-ever attack, Maoists had killed 38 personnel of the elite anti-Maoist force Greyhounds by launching a surprise attack on their motor boat in Balimela reservoir in Orissa near the border with Visakhapatnam district in June this year.

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There’s been massive flooding across Bihar province in Northern India and into Nepal. 250,000 homes have been wiped out.

There’s been massive flooding across Bihar province in Northern India and into Nepal. 250,000 homes have been wiped out. More than 2 million Indian and Nepalese people have fled their homes and are now utterly dependent on food aid. Many are on the brink of starvation. Others are injured. Still others are falling ill and developing infections. CHRISTIAN BLIND MISSION'S partner is working flat out to deliver food, water purification tablets and hygiene kits to thousands of families. We’re also giving medical care to those who are injured and sick, and at immediate risk of life-long disability. In these situations, people with disabilities are too often overlooked. cbm is making sure this doesn’t happen by giving families relief and medical care.

Needs Assessment

cbm's partner, Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) has identified Madhepura and Murliganj block as some of the worst affected locations. Our team in Bihar have identified the following needs to rescue and restore families in these areas:

• food
• hygene
• temporary shelter
• medical assistance

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Flooding leaves 3 Million people homeless in India and Nepal

US is sending A BILLION DOLLARS to Georgia for aid ...
What is the US doing for these 3 million flood victims from the Koshi River???

Rupak De Chowdhuri

As a result, on August 21 , U.S. Ambassador Nancy J. Powell issued a disaster declaration due to the impact of flooding in Nepal . In response, USAID is providing $50,000 through USAID/ Nepal to Save the Children/U.S. and the NRCS for the local purchase and transport of emergency relief supplies, including blankets and shelter materials, to populations affected by the flooding.

According to the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi , due to the sudden onset of floods, evacuation activities were slow to start and rescue equipment and boats are in short supply. Flooding has also damaged infrastructure and inundated an estimated 90,000 acres of agricultural land, destroying crops.

As a result, on August 28 , U.S. Ambassador David C. Mulford issued a disaster declaration due to the impact of flooding in India . In response, USAID is providing $100,000 through USAID/ India to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Catholic Relief Services to support rescue efforts and the procurement and delivery of emergency relief supplies to populations affected by the flooding, among the worst in fifty years.

TORONTO, Sept. 5 /CNW/ - cbm's International Emergency Response Team has
mobilized a disaster management group to respond to the tragedy in India and
Nepal.
 Extreme flooding has caused nearly three million people in India and
Nepal to flee their homes.
 "It's almost impossible to imagine the heartache and loss experienced by
these people over the past few weeks," says Dave McComiskey, Executive
Director, cbm Canada.
 About 10 days ago, the monsoon rains hit northern India, overflowing the
Koshi river embankment in Nepal. Three million Indian and Nepalese people,
displaced or stranded from their homes are now utterly dependent on food aid.
Many are on the brink of starvation, and the spread of communicable diseases
could result in permanent disabilities.
 cbm is working diligently with its partner to deliver food, water
purification tablets and hygiene kits to thousands of families, including
those in the area of the Biratnagar Eye Hospital.
 Medical care is being given to the most vulnerable - those with
disabilities, and others who are injured, sick or in immediate risk of a
life-long disability.
 "As you know, in these situations, people with disabilities are too often
overlooked," stated McComiskey. "Experience tells us the longer a crisis
continues, the greater the long term consequences to people's livelihood.
 "People with disability are often those who suffer the most as they are
unable to flee from danger, find food when it is in short supply, and suffer
greatly from long term economic repercussions."
 cbm is asking Canadians to help the people suffering in India and Nepal
by phoning Toll-free: 1-800-567-2264 or (905) 640-6464, online donations at
www.cbmcanada.org

For further information: Lindsay O'Connor, cbm National Media, PR
Manager, (905) 640-6464 ext 289, loconnor@cbmcanada.org

cbm Canada responds to emergency in India and Nepal. (CNW Group/cbm International)

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What happens at this spot in Nepal over the next six months will decide who is homeless in large parts of Bihar, who is going hungry and who is migrat

November 4, 2006

Neelesh Misra, Hindustan Times

Email Author

September 06, 2008

First Published: 00:18 IST(6/9/2008)

Last Updated: 01:24 IST(6/9/2008)

Calming Kosi

This is where the Kosi river, like an angry goddess, smashed through the embankment at one in the afternoon on August 18, wiping away a kilometre and a half of concrete and hurtling down on its lethal journey towards the Indian plain.

No one heard a thing in this Nepal village that afternoon — until the screams began and people started to flee homes. The river had suddenly become sprawling ocean. It would soon submerge more than one lakh acres of land in India and affect more than 25 million people in the worst flooding in modern Indian history.

Indian officials are now rushing to repair the damage, and engineering nightmare that involves doing the opposite of what the river did. Over the next several months, they will try to change the course of the river all over again.

Farmer Abdul Rehman was sitting restless after lunch that day not too far from the embankment built to guide the path of the river, known for its wayward snake-like movement.

“We had all noticed the crack that morning — we went looking for the Indian officials all over but could not find them,” said Rehman. “But what could we have done that day after all? They hadn’t repaired the embankment for seven years. This had to happen.”

Rehman owned two bighas of land by the river. "I was a land owner; I am now a labourer repairing the same bridge that killed my life," he said. Behind him, the gushing river, 1.8 kilometres wide at that point, flowed with the speed of cars in an average New Delhi traffic. It has wiped away entire villages.

Dozens of other Indian and Nepali local residents echoed Rehman's view. Under a 1963 treaty between India and Nepal, the Bihar state government is responsible for the maintenance of the Kosi dam, an arm-like spurs, one of which broke and set off the disaster.

Devi Rajat, the engineer-in-chief for north Bihar, shrugged off the allegation -- though he admitted that no inquiry had yet been carried out into the breach 19 days ago.

"It is not as if repairs have not been carried out," he said. "There is an Indo-Nepal Kosi high level committee that inspects the dam and suggests repairs which are then done every year," Rajat said.

Before the end of every financial year, boulders used to be kept in giant wire meshes to reinforce the concrete and protect it from the frequent lashing of the river. "For 7-8 years, I have seen that no repairs were done. Earlier, they were done every year," said Surya Prasad Yadav, 41, a local Nepali Congress leader who lives nearby.

On Friday, trucks packed with large boulders drove in on the narrow embankment leading to the river. Labourers worked like clockwork, handing each other boulders that were then wrapped up in wire and placed by the swift current. The water is too strong; hundreds of rocks have been swept away and a motorboat with engineers just could not fight the current Friday on a reconnaissance and turned back.

Engineers will now cut through the silted bank of the river, where it flowed until last month, to create a 10-metre wide, 3-litre deep alternate channel for the river. The river is then expected to widen that with its own force over one month, bringing down the force of water in its current path. When 60 per cent of the river is diverted, engineers will begin an equally tough task, rebuilding the embankment. The entire process is expected to take six months. "We are fighting a battle against the current," said KP Sharma, a project engineer at the site. "But we cannot predict the mind of the river."

(With inputs from Amitabh Jha in Purnia)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print.aspx?Id=9062a6d6-28d5-4f7f-abbf-946e4ce81664Biharflood_Special

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Maoist, NC leaders give opposite views on army integration

nepalnews.com ia Sept 03 08

A senior commander of the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) has warned of further conflict in the country if the parties fail to merge the two armies - Nepal Army and PLA - as per the peace accord.

Speaking at an interaction programme in the capital Wednesday, deputy commander of the PLA Nanda Kishor Pun 'Pasang' said the process of integration between the two forces would begin within three months and complete in six months. The peace process will not be successful if the two armies are not integrated, he said.

However, Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat strongly opposed the idea of merger of PLA into Nepal Army saying it would politicise the national army. He threatened that his party would take to streets if the two forces were merged. He claimed the merger of politically indoctrinated militants into the national army is against the prevailing military ethics and practices.

Retired army General C. B. Gurung said serious debate and concrete security policy are required before taking any decision on the future of two armies since the issue is a sensitive one, which is linked with national security.

Another retired Nepal Army General Gopal Singh Bohara suggested leaders to look for alternatives than to merge PLA into national army. However, security expert Indrajit Rai, who is a constituent assembly member representing CPN (Maoist), said there is no alternative to merging two armies if Nepal needs lasting peace. nepalnews.com ia Sept 03 08

VIDEO: Political leaders and security experts participating ...

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Nepal keen on restoring peace and economic development

Submitted by Sahil Nagpal on Mon, 09/01/2008 - 08:15.
Kathmandu, Sept 1 : Nepal’s Prime Minister Prachanda has said restoring peace, economic development and formulation of a new Constitution are the main challenges for the new government.

Speaking at an economic summit on ''Double Digit Growth: A National Commitment'' organized by Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) here on Sunday, Prachanda said, "We are committed to bring the peace process to a logical conclusion within six months and the new Constitution will have to be drafted in two years, then we will concentrate on economic development."

"The new constitution will be a document against feudalism," he added.

Prachanda said the Maoists Government was committed to made efforts to spur economic growth.

He said there was need for equal private and public sector involvement in economic development.

"We have no dearth of resources, what we need are vision and planning for investment. We are committed to creating conducive environment for investment," Prachanda said.

Jhalanath Khanal, General Secretary of CPN (UML) highlighted the need to devise long and short term measures to achieve economic growth in a short span of time.

He said the hydro power, tourism, agriculture and industrialization are the tools for economic development. (ANI)

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Prachanda wants ’50s treaty renegotiated

KATHMANDU, Sept. 3:

Ahead of his proposed visit to India, the new Nepalese Prime Minister, Prachanda, has said that the historic 1950 Indo-Nepal trade and transit treaty needed to be reviewed. “Nepal has now become a republic after big political changes, therefore the 1950 treaty needs to be reviewed,” Prachanda told the BBC's Nepali service. This were his first comments on the treaty, but he did not give details as to what needs to be changed.
The Nepalese premier, whose recent visit to Beijing had been perceived as a snub to New Delhi, said he would visit India before going to attend the annual session of the UN General Assembly, without specifying any dates.
However, the foreign ministry sources said the tentative schedule for a visit was 17-18 September.
In an effort to curb the movement of criminals across the porous border, Nepal's Maoist-led government has placed the renewal of the extradition treaty with India on top of the agenda during Prachanda's New Delhi visit. Nepal's new government will probably look into the details of the draft of the agreement, which was to have been signed earlier during the Nepali Congress-led coalition government, before taking up the matter with New Delhi, home ministry sources said in New Delhi.
It is likely that besides other matters the issue relating to the extradition treaty will come up during the Prime Minister's forthcoming visit to India later this month, the ministry sources said. Nepal Home Minister Mr Bam Dev Gautam did not give he details of the treaty that Nepal planned to ink with India. n PTI

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Nepal's new Maoist prime minister, Prachanda gives his first interview since taking up the post.

Wednesday, 3 September 2008

Prachanda's first interview as Nepal PM

Nepal's new Maoist prime minister, Prachanda gives his first interview since taking up the post. Excerpts from the interview, with Rabindra Mishra editor of the BBC's Nepali service, are reproduced here

_________________________________________Prachanda says he wants socialism established by democratic means

___________

In the past Maoist leaders had vowed not to keep any private property. They handed over their private properties to the party. Now, what will you do to your salary that you will be drawing as prime minister?

That (money) will go to the country and the people. It will be deposited in the party treasury. Except some amount for the general upkeep, the salary will be deposited in the party treasury.

Then, how can one be assured of the right to private property under your government when you are yourself are not keeping private property?

We do not believe that private property should be abolished. But we believe that the leadership must keep away from making money to ensure that the properties of the people are protected and promoted.

What three things you will do in the next three months that will make a difference to the people?

First, a special committee will be announced to facilitate the integration (of the army) and rehabilitation within six months as part of moves to take the peace process to a logical conclusion. Second, the process of constitution making will be expedited in three months. Third, programmes to provide immediate and long-term relief will be announced.

Given that the army integration is being seen as a very sensitive issue will you let the current army chief General Rookmangud Katawal complete his tenure?

The demand of the time is to exercise maximum restraint. The country will suffer by any move that breeds bitterness at this juncture.

So the suspicions about the army chief being sacked are misplaced? He will not be sacked, will he?

That will not happen. As long as everyone including the army, the police and the other officials remain committed to the people's mandate on democracy, peace and change, no one needs to feel insecure. There will be no prejudice against any.

How will you handle the army integration? The Nepali Army seems to have its own ideas about this. How will you merge your combatants into the national army?

Now that I have become prime minister I have been travelling with the army security. I have found a serious commitment and sense of responsibility in the Nepali soldiers. I don't think that we will face any problem in taking this (integration) process to a conclusion.

If you had so much faith in Nepali Army, why did you distrust the NA and, instead, induct your combatants of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for your personal security?

I never showed such distrust. I never wanted to show any bit of distrust towards NA or police or PLA or armed police. Since last two years armed police and PLA personnel had been providing security to my residence in Naya Bazaar. This was an issue that needed a technical solution. I do not want to suspect anyone or make anyone feel humiliated. The PLA also should not feel that they have been orphaned now that I have become Prime Minister. I am quite sensitive on this matter. Both PLA and NA understand the issue very well.

Among the 20,000 Maoist combatants in the cantonments, how many will be accommodated into the Nepali Army. What happens to the rest?

The PLA combatants who are staying in the cantonments and who have been verified by the United Nations are all eligible for rehabilitation and integration. According to our latest understanding each and every PLA combatant will be given the freedom to choose whether he/she wants to return home or engage in other professions. Therefore, I am not in a position to say how many PLA combatants will be integrated and how many of them will return home.

How long will the ex-King Gyanendra be allowed to stay in the Nagarjuna palace?

We are discussing this matter. The cabinet has just been expanded. It will take up the issue soon.

Will you re-open the probe into the palace killings (of 2001)?

This issue will be raised at the Constituent Assembly. There have been no satisfactory answers yet to the people's serious questions about the incident.

Perhaps the people could raise similar questions about you also?

Maybe. But the people of Nepal have already justified our action - you call it civil war or people's war - through the constituent assembly verdict. Have the people ever justified the palace killings?

Do you ever feel that you hands are stained with blood?

Sometimes in the event of grave mistakes on our part, I was emotional. But what is more important is the great process of transformation and the class, ethnic, regional and gender consciousness which have come about through our movement. So I do not feel the need to repent.

Would you have visited China first if it had not hosted the Olympic Games?

Let's not get into hypothetical questions. Since China is our neighbor and since we could not attend the inaugural ceremony of the Olympics I went there for the closing ceremony. Anyway, it would not have been easier for me to go there first if there had been no Olympic.

Since China is the land of your inspiration Mao Zedong, you must have harboured wishes to travel there?

I would be lying if I said no.

What do you want to do with the 1950 Indo-Nepal treaty?

Nepal has become a republic passing through big changes since the Rana regime. So, the 1950 treaty should be clearly reviewed. It cannot be kept in the present form.

What are the provisions that you do not like in the present treaty?

I am engaged in consultations on my visit to India soon. So, I do not want to reply to your question at this point.

When are you visiting to India?

I am going to attend the UN General Assembly. I will travel to India before that.

You used to claim that different power centres were blocking your ascent to power. Have you defeated those centres now?

I cannot use the same language as I am Prime Minister now. I have said on many occasions that had any other party won the election, nothing would have stopped the formation of a new government within a week. It took four months for us.

You have defeated the King and elbowed out Girija Prasad Koirala. Do you feel that you have mastered the policy of 'use and throw'?

I am pained by the allegations that we engage in 'use and throw'. I never think that I have cheated anyone. But in course of advancing my cause, I might have made compromises and come closer to one or another at different times. But there was never any conspiracy there. It was our philosophy of cooperating with others to defeat the primary enemy.

There are two schools of thoughts within your party - one favouring the People's Republic and the other favouring the Democratic Republic. Which one will prevail?

That is not the case. There is no illusion within our party regarding our ultimate goal of establishing a Socialist Communism. However, in the current national and international circumstances, we have decided to move ahead by institutionalising the federal democratic republic.

So, you want to establish a People's Republic by means of the state of the democratic republic?

We will definitely attempt to establish a People's Republic by institutionalizing democratic republic and through the legitimate means like elections. Once we attain that, we will then work to achieve socialism and communism.

Will there be a people's republic if your party wins a majority in the next election?

Let's not understand this in a provocative manner. We will definitely try our best to ensure that the new constitution will be as close to the ideal of People's Republic as possible. I believe that the constitution would pave the way for a People's Republic, Socialism and Communism.

How can it pave the way for communism when you have said there will be guarantees of all kinds of political freedom?

We have concluded that socialism without multiparty competition and political freedoms cannot survive. We have learned this from the experiences of Russia and other countries.

What are you talking about, socialism or communism?

I am talking about socialism. A lively society can be built only if there are political freedoms and competitions within socialism. Communism is something like a heaven where there is neither a class nor a state nor an army. It will take hundreds of years to reach there.

You are not in a mood to step down as party chairman even after becoming PM. Why?

Certainly since I will not be able to devote adequate time and energy for the party after becoming the PM, other comrades will have to take more responsibility. But there is no rule anywhere in the world that the party chief has to step down when he becomes PM. Besides, ours is a party that believes in central and unified leadership. So there is no question of abandoning one responsibility when taking up another.

You once publicly said that top leaders will not join the government and act like Mahatma Gandhi?

What I said that that will happen only after a people's constitution and a stable government are put in place. We believe that a leader does not need to stick to the position of a prime minister or a president once the revolution is completed, constitution is written and the country cruises on a stable course.

Politicians are smart in playing with words, aren't they?

Not at all, I have only tried to reply in a very direct manner.

How long will your government survive?

It will continue till the constitution is written and the peace process is completed. I believe our party will win majority, even two-thirds majority in the next election. Then, our government will continue for another five years. We will improve our performance during that period. There will come a situation where people will start thinking that Maoists alone can run this country. In the subsequent election, we expect to win 90 percent votes and we will continue in power for many decades.

You have high expectations. Do you believe they will be fulfilled?

Definitely. We have strong faith in people. We are devoted to the nation and the people. No one can severe our relation with the people.

Interview translated from Nepali by Sanjaya Dhakal and Sushil Sharma.

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Prospects of Coalition Government in Nepal

Thursday, 4 September 2008, 11:35 am

By Siddhi B. Ranjitkar

Finally, Maoist Chairman Prachanda put together all political parties willing to be partners in the coalition government and gave a full shape even though some small parties might join in the government in the future. Three major parties such as Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist), Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist and Leninist (CPN-UML), and Madheshi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) are major players in the coalition government. The CPN-UML could have sent better persons than those sent to join the government. The swearing-in ceremony was held on August 31, 2008.

The swearing-in ceremony for the newly inducted ministers did not go off without a hitch. Obviously, the presidential-residence administration did not make the reporting arrangement properly. First, they did not let the reporters in to the presidential residence where the ceremony was to be held soon. Reporters took it as an insult to them. So, the reporters boycotted the ceremony laying down their cameras and reporting equipment at the entrance to the presidential residence. Even the Minister for Information could not persuade the reporters to cover the swearing-in ceremony. The Minister assured the reporter of not repeating such incident in the future. The presidential administration set up a committee to investigate the snag in administering the reporting system and to report it within five days.

Prime Minister Prachanda administered the oath of office and secrecy to six ministers including Bamdev Gautam belonging to the CPN-UML and six ministers belonging to CPN-Maoist and one each minister belonging to Nepal Sadbhavana Party, Janamorcha Nepal (People’s Front), and CPN-United on August 31, 2008. The CPN-ML was supposed to join in the government but did not do so obviously not getting the appropriate portfolio for its General Secretary CP Mainali.

The CPN-UML proposed-six ministers did not participate in the first swearing-in ceremony held on August 22, 2008 saying that Bamdev Gautam did not get the position next to the Prime Minister so it was a breach of protocol. Although all of six ministers to-be in full uniform and were at the presidential residence for taking an oath of office and secrecy from the Prime Minister in presence of the President, they refused to take the oath when they found out that Dr. Baburam Bhattarai was next to the Prime Minister in the hierarchy of the ministers.

However, the Prime Minister went ahead of administering the swearing-in ceremony for eight ministers belonging four each to the CPN-Maoist and MPRF on August 22, 2008; he could not call off the ceremony, as he was going to China for attending the concluding ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Game on August 24, 2008.

One of the ministers to-be Vishnu Poudel coming out of the presidential premises and talking to the reporters said in a belligerent tone that Bamdev Gautam did not get the second position in the cabinet; it was a breach of protocol; Gautam had been a Deputy Prime Minister in the previous government; so, he needed to get the second position in the cabinet otherwise the CPN-UML would not join in the cabinet. General Secretary Jhalanath Khanal simply repeated what Mr. Poudel had said to the reporters.

In 1997 after the defeat of the coalition government of the Nepali Congress (NC) and Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) headed by Sher Bahadur Deuba in the no-confidence vote during the period of the hung parliament, Bamdev Gautam became the Deputy Prime Minister of the coalition government of the CPN-UML and RPP headed by Lokendra Bahadur Chand. Mr. Gautam as a Deputy Prime Minister also had the portfolio of Home. He held the local elections and made his party the most successful one in the local elections making sure that most of the members of his party were elected to various positions in the local governments. In addition, Mr. Gautam could not keep his image clean and left negative impression on the people. Maybe, these are the few reasons why he lost the election held on April 10, 2008, for the seat on the Constituent Assembly.

The CPN-UML cadres had objected the selection of the losers in the election for the Constituent Assembly seats for the ministerial positions. However, the CPN-UML leadership brushed off the concerns of the cadres selecting most of the losers for the ministerial positions.

Central Committee Member of CPN-UML and Member of Constituent Assembly Bhim Rawal strongly came out against not including anyone from the far western region of Nepal on the proposed list of ministers. He even threatened that all of the members of the Constituent Assembly elected from the far western region would resign en mass from the Constituent Assembly if the CPN-UML did not reconsider the selection of ministers to join in the coalition government headed by Maoist Chairman Prachanda. However, nothing came out of his stand as well as of the CPN-UML leadership on the revision of the list of the selected persons for the ministerial positions.

Immediately after taking the oath of office and secrecy from Prime Minister Prachanda in presence of the president on August 31, 2008, Deputy Prime Minister Bamdev Gautam declared triumphantly that he would bring to an end to the anarchy and lawlessness; would also end the political protection of the criminals; he swore that he would take actions against any criminal activities of no matter whether they were the members of the Youth Force (YF) belonging to his party or Young Communist League (YCL) belonging to the CPN-Maoist.

The irony was that recently there was a fierce fighting between the cadres of the Youth Force and the YCL in Dhankuta: the administrative headquarters of the eastern region severely wounding the local leader of the YCL. The local administration had imposed a curfew indefinitely after the YF cadres severely beat up the YCL leaders. However, Deputy Prime Minister holding the portfolio of Home could not ensure the arrest of the criminals even after his words of not allowing anybody taking law in their hands breaching the rule of law were still fresh in the air.

Deputy Prime Minister holding Home portfolio Bamdev Gautam also said he would make necessary changes in the security departments such as Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and National Investigation under his ministry to expedite in maintaining law and order; would replace the administrative or security staffs failed in their responsibility with new ones. Probably, Deputy Prime Minister Gautam is hinting that he is for removing the high-level staffs appointed or promoted by the former government and then appoint his own men to those positions so that he would be able to run the security administration as he likes.

Prime Minister Prachanda has been telling the people in public that the three main tasks of his coalition government are 1) taking the peace process to a rational conclusion 2) crafting a new people’s constitution and 3) ensuring the fast socio-economic development in the country.

Completing the peace process probably means integrating the People’s Liberation Army into the Nepali Army, setting up a truth commission and making known the whereabouts of missing people disappeared by both the Nepali Army and the CPN-Maoist.

Crafting a new constitution means the Constitution Assembly members formulating a new constitution with the provision for a federal democratic republic of Nepal in other words restructuring the State.

Ensuring the fast socio-economic development means surely removing all the social evils including the discrimination based on gender, caste, region and ethnicity and increasing the incomes of Nepalis as a whole as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Prachanda also said that the Nepalis as well as the members of the international community have both the hope on and suspicion about the coalition government led by the CPN-Maoist; the suspicion was more than hope in both the cases; the government needed the cooperation and the trust of the Nepalis as well as the international community for its success; so, the government would try its best to turn the suspicion about the government into trust in it.

Recently appointed Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai has said that the Ministry of Finance staffs have been working days and nights to prepare a new budget and submit it to the Constituent Assembly-parliament for an approval within mid September; the budget would focus on the poverty alleviation, fast economic growth and sustainable development. He also called a meeting of all donors in Nepal and presented his approach to development to the meeting and sought the cooperation from the donor community on making his approach to development a success. He also repeated his mantra: the public-private partnership for development.

The coalition government ministers would engage in triangular contest. The CPN-Maoist as the major partner in the coalition government tries to have the maximum possible credits from doing the best possible work. The CPN-UML tries to redeem its lost position; however, how the concerned ministers would do remain to be seen. If the history is of any guide then the performance of Bamdev Gautam as the Deputy Prime Minister holding the portfolio of Home in his previous incarnation is not surely enviable. He loved Home portfolio for obvious reasons, as it endowed with power and resources for ensuring to strengthen his party. The MPRF ministers were as new as the Maoist ministers except for one: Bijaya Kumar Gacchadar; their actions would tell the public whether they would work for the benefits of people or of them only.

Concerning the transforming the suspicion about the government into trust in it would be possible if the government would certainly stop all sorts of irregularities happening in the name of the YCL and do everything for the benefits of the people in general.

Regarding the fast economic development, the Finance Minister needed to be ready to turn over all sorts of profit-oriented businesses to the private so that they could make profits at the same time benefit the people. If the Finance Minister would like to see the per capita income growth in double-digit figures then he needed to be ready to scrap the prevailing Labor Act and Rules and replaced with a new business friendly Labor Act and Rules. For the benefits of the labor terminated from the jobs, the government needed to make the provision for the unemployment benefits to such laborers only for the period they did not have a new job. These are easier said than done; however, the new ministers with the new enthusiasm at least needed to try those things.

The monarchists have brought Nepal from the highest level of socio-economic development of that time to the current status of destitute during the 240 years of the monarchical rule. However, the people in the United States of America have brought it from the status of almost nothingness to the current status of the most affluent nation during the 200 years of its democratic administration. So, Nepalis could anticipate living a better life if everything would go democratically in the years to come.

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‘80-year-old’ leads war on Kosi in Nepal

Kathmandu, Sep 3 (IANS)

A man, said to be in his 80s, is leading the war on the raging Saptakosi river that has been spreading death, destruction and disease in Nepal and India since last month.

Nilendu Sanyal, a former engineer-in-chief in Bihar’s water resources department as well as Flood Control Commission, is the architect of the blueprint that could tame the errant river and beat it back to its old course.

Sanyal, who retired almost two decades ago, is still active and only last year asked the Nitish Kumar government in Bihar to use a clever American technology to plug breaches in embankments, a common hazard in both south Nepal and India’s Bihar and Uttar Pradesh states during monsoon.

He is now leading the battle to stop the Saptakosi from destroying more spurs in its barrage. Floods triggered by the waters of the Kosi - as it is known in India - have affected millions of people in the two countries.

Sanyal was flown to Nepal’s submerged Sunsari district, where the Saptakosi barrage is located, Aug 31, to assess the damage. He was flown in by helicopter from Forbesganj in India as the roads are submerged and unusable.

Sanyal and other engineers from Bihar were taken to the site where a spur was in imminent danger of collapsing by motor boats.

‘He was an inspiration to all of us,’ said Jainendra Nath Singh, executive engineer from Bihar’s water resources department, who is camping in the area along with his team.

‘He remained on the spur, discussed what’s to be done and the next morning returned to India to discuss his plans with the authorities.’

Singh said Sanyal has a master plan to restore normalcy.

He has recommended digging a pilot channel so that the excess water of the raging river can be diverted, leaving it weak and then beat back the feeble river to its old course.

The barrage on the Saptakosi river was built in 1954 after a water-sharing pact between India and Nepal.

Nepalis accuse the then prime minister, Matrika Prasad Koirala, who signed it, of succumbing to Indian pressure and acceding most advantages to the bigger neighbour.

The barrage was built by India and according to the pact, the government of Bihar has to maintain it.

However, there are allegations of corruption and negligence on both sides of the border.

Nepal’s new Maoist Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal called the Kosi pact a ‘historic blunder’ and is expected to discuss scrapping or reviewing the treaty with the Indian authorities when he visits New Delhi later this month.

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