Move to ban arms on planes

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal is drafting a bill that will ban air passengers carrying arms while travelling. CAAN deputy director general Bharat Dhakal said this at a programme organised by the CAAN here today. He also said that all airports in Nepal are unsafe.
Weapons carried by security guards of the Prime Minister, ministers and other VIPs will be allowed inside the plane only after the ammunition has been taken out, Dhakal said. Currently, security guards of VIPs carry loaded weapons while boarding the plane.
The bill will require everyone to remove ammunition from weapons before boarding the aircraft. The ammunition will be stored in a safe place.
Those attending the programme underscored the need to come up with a code of conduct for air travelling. Suggestions were offered by participants on whether to allow inebriated passengers to board a plane.

$1.69 lakh WWF grant for hydel project

The WWF Nepal will provide a grant assistance of $1.69 lakh to the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area Management Council (KCAMC) for the execution of a 35-KW micro-hydro project.

Tseten Dandu Sherpa, chairperson of the KCAMC, and Anil Manandhar, country representative of the WWF Nepal, signed an agreement here today to fund the 'Micro-hydro Project for the People and Biodiversity in the Kanchanjanga Conservation Area'.

The local community will also contribute nearly $16,000 through labour and local transportation. Once executed, the project will light up 77 households in Ghunsa and Phale.Work on the project will start from July and end by June.According to officials at the WWF Nepal, the micro-hydro project aims to promote sources of renewable energy in order to enhance technical and managerial capacities of local institutions.

They said the community will assume ownership of the project. The project will generate income from enterprises that will raise the living standards of the locals and help in the conservation of the area. On September 22, 2006, the government had decided to hand over the management of the KCA to the KCAMC.

China’s Everest road plan draws experts’ flak

China's plan to build a highway on the side of Mount Everest today drew sharp criticism from experts in Nepal and India.Country representative of WWF Nepal Anil Manandhar said in Kathmandu that China's plan to construct the highway is the result of the country's total disregard to the world's tallest mountain and its environmental and cultural values.

China's state media on Wednesday said that the country plans to build a highway on the side of Mt Everest to pave way for the Olympic torch's journey to the peak of the world's tallest mountain. "China's idea of reaching the mountain top by road is a foolish one and driven by a total disregard to world environment," Manandhar said. He added that road at the sacred and serene area would usher in human activities that will cause an irreparable damage to the atmosphere on the mountains, which is already suffering from pollution.

"I cannot believe it. I don't know whether it was a government policy or some enthusiastic development worker just wanted to see the world react to the idea." Spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology Khumraj Punjali said it is too early to comment on the plan. In New Delhi, experts and analysts voiced serious concern about the highway plan. They said the proposed road would invite pollution and result in the collapse of the eco-system.

Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr SD Muni, said Nepal should worry more about the adverse effects the road would have on the country. Secretary of the Indian Mountaineering Federation PC Rautila said rare and endangered flora and fauna are already under threat in the fragile eco-system and the road would make matters worse.

A senior official of India's Centre for Policy Research said all countries should protest the move. Meanwhile, sources in the Indian capital said Chinese authorities in charge of the project are likely to hold talks with Nepal on the project.

Minister Ask Professors to Stay Above Politics

Minister for Education and Sports Pradeep Nepal on Monday said that mere educational policies would not help develop the education sector, but professors should stay above politics to realise actual development.Speaking at a programme on Higher Education in National and International Context, Nepal said, "We talk of new Nepal but we have yet to replace our old attitudes with new ones."

However, he said that the professors should be politically conscious but not guided by politics.He underlined the need of technical, vocational and employment oriented education. "If we want to build a new Nepal, we need human resource with capacity and calibre to bring about changes in society, for which we need technical and vocational education," he said."If the country continues with the old educational policy, we better not expect any changes. There is a need of a complete overhaul of the current education policy," he said.

Prof Dr Mana Prasad Wagle presented a paper on academicians in higher education. In his paper Prof Wagle emphasised the active role of professors in higher education. Prof Dr Harsa Narayan Dhaubadel and Basudev Kafle had commented on his paper.Gobinda Raj Gajurel presented paper on Nepali examination system and Prof Dr Tirtha Parajuli commented it.

Pavlovian response to abdicate-soon remark

Himalayan News Service
PM downplays it; royalists tight-lipped

Kathmandu, June 18:

 

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala's widely-reported comment that if king Gyanendra and his son, crown prince Paras, abdicated, the ruling establishment could think of a minor as the monarch, triggered a knee-jerk reaction today, and Koirala, according to reports received by the newsdesk, downplayed the import of his remarks.
Reacting to Koirala's reported "suggestion" to the king and his son, Maoist generallisimo Prachanda said Koirala was trying to protect the monarchy by going against the decisions of the eight-party alliance.

"This indicates that the Nepali Congress is against the eight-party unity and it wants to see
the monarchy continue," Prachanda told reporters after addressing Maoist MPs in Singha Durbar.
His remarks undermine the second amendment of the Interim Constitution and also intimidate the importance of the decision the parliament has taken," Prachanda said.
Prachanda said his party does not want monarchy in any form.

Prachanda also accused the government of not showing eagerness to hold a Constituent Assembly election.
"Our leader (Prachanda) called upon us to prepare for Jana Andolan-III as Jana Andolan-II could not meet our demands in reality," Maoist MP Khim Lal Devkota said.
Prachanda said that the 12-point agreement between the seven-party alliance
and the Maoists was very clear on bringing in a republican set-up.

His deputy Baburam Bhattarai called upon the MPs to create an environment that would be favourable for state restructuring.
But Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala claimed that the remarks were "misreported by the media due to low English comprehension level."
He said this while talking to a group of reporters who had gone to Koirala's residence to cover the Nepali Congress (NC) Parliamentary Party (PP) meeting.
"I was misquoted. May be the problem was I had spoken in English and the mediapersons who disseminated my views had low English comprehension level," Koirala said, whenreporters asked him about his remarks reported in THT and other dailies.

Members of a delegation which had accompanied visiting Pakistani journalists to the PM's residence yesterday had said that Koirala had told them that he had told King Gyanendra and his son Paras "to abdicate before the elections, if they were keen to see that monarchy continued in Nepal." Koirala was also reported to have said that since Gyanendra and his son Paras were unpopular among the masses, they should leave the country before the elections, or stay on as businessmen, pure and simple.

Koirala also denied having said that a minor could be picked up as the monarch if king Gyanendra and his son abdicated. Meanwhile, talking to representatives of the striking teachers, Koirala said that he was committed to holding elections by mid-December and that the nation and the people could come under a worse scenario if the elections were not held. "I have taken the responsibility of my lifetime. I will see to it that elections take place."
AFP reported UML leader Jhala Nath Khanal as saying: "The PM's attempt to save the monarchy is unacceptable. Our party has always been in favour of abolition of the monarchy and will not review our decision in the future," he said.

A thorough scanning of the Internet and news agencies failed to provide any response by the royalists or yesterday's royalists to the PM's widely-reported 'abdicate-soon' suggestion.

Koirala, Prachanda smoke the peace pipe

Maoist chairman Prachanda and his deputy Dr Baburam Bhattarai met Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter's residence this morning. They sorted out differences that had surfaced after the PM's comment on the activities of the Young Communist League (YCL) last week.

The trio agreed to form a committee under the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction to make cases of disappearances public.

A Maoist source told this daily that the PM "realised" that he should not have publicly branded the Maoists' youth wing as a criminal league. Koirala called the YCL a criminal league after the latter captured businessman Sitaram Prasain and handed him over to the police.

Prasain was wanted by the Nepal Rastra Bank for irregularities in a financial institution he chaired.
The source said the PM was "positive" on institutionalising the agenda of a republican order through constituent assembly election for which he expressed his "firm commitment."

The meeting mainly focused on the issue of republic through the election, the source added.
The leaders agreed not to make public issues on which they differ, and committed themselves to resolving those issues through dialogue.

They also agreed that the eight-party unity must be kept intact until a new constitution is drafted.
Poudel also said that a committee would be formed to make public the cases of disappearance.
According to the Human Rights Year Book, 2007 published by Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), 783 people were disappeared by the state and 105 by the Maoists.

No question of doubting India, says Prachanda

Maoist supremo Prach-anda today said his party has no doubts on India's intentions. Prachanda had rapped India after reports appeared in the media that India favoured an alliance between the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML.

Those reports had said that Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during a recent meeting with a UML delegation in New Delhi, stressed the need for a permanent alliance between the NC and the UML to ensure democracy and lasting peace in Nepal.

In a a statement issued here today, Prachanda denied his party's involvement in hurling stones at a vehicle carrying US Ambassador James F Moriarty in Jhapa. He said his party did not target any foreigner even during the decade-old conflict and it was unimaginable to do so at the time of the peace process.
"I would like to remind all that we had asked the government to investigate the Jhapa incident immediately after it occurred, "he said Prachanda and another Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai also met United Nations secretary general's personal representative, Ian Martin at his residence today and discussed the verification process of the Maoist combatants in cantonments. They agreed to start the second round of the verification at the earliest. The process has been stalled due to differences between the government and the Maoists over payment of monthly allowance to the fighters.

In the statement, Prachanda stressed the need to create a new basis for political unity among the parties. "People will not be assured of the assembly election unless the date is fixed," the statement said.

Prachanda said the government was reluctant to release political prisoners, make public the status of the disappeared, provide relief to victims of the conflict, reconstruct destroyed infrastructure and manage cantonments and combatants' allowances.

According to IANS, Prachanda also recalled India's positive role during the ongoing peace negotiations as well as New Delhi's pledged assistance to the CA election.

SC Told to Fight Corruption in Judiciary

The Nepal Judicial Employees' Concern Committee (NJECC) on Sunday called the Supreme Court to investigate and punish the corrupt officials in the judiciary.
"The Supreme Court should act seriously on the issues mentioned by the Global Corruption Report of Transparency International-2007 and the reports published in newspapers," the NJECC said at a press conference on Sunday to make public the six-point declaration of the two-day NJECC conference.
The conference formed a new executive headed by Binod Adhikary.

"The apex court should think about how to deliver justice effectively and to keep the judiciary clean," press release issued by NJECC chairman Adhikary, said.
The conference also called the Supreme Court to provide salary sufficient to manage their livelihood and demanded an additional 50 per cent of their salary as incentives because "they have been assisting the judges in delivery of justice."

They also demanded housing allowances and sought security for public servants and stressed on the need to promulgate the Civil Service Bill and respect Trade Union rights as guaranteed by the Interim Constitution 2007

Nepali Tourism Promotion in SE Asian Countries

The stakeholders of Nepali tourism industry are organising South East Asia Sales mission in three countries beginning from June 5.

The mission, which is targeted at the outbound travellers potential in the South East Asia Region, is being jointly organised by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and PATA Nepal Chapter in cooperation with Nepali embassy in Thailand, Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC), and Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) in three countries - Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The event will last till June 8.

The programme is scheduled for June 5 in Bangkok, where Lumbini- the birthplace of Lord Buddha and Buddhist pilgrimage sites are going to be highlighted as the major attractions. Likewise, being also a pioneer country in adventure activities, Nepal will be focusing its soft adventure attractions, too. The sales mission also aims to promote the idea of - exchange the tang of mountain with beaches - among the visitors' experience of the two countries.

In Malaysia and Singapore, the road show will be graced by Prithvi Subba Gurung, minister for culture, tourism and civil aviation. Madhav Prasad Ghimire, secretary of ministry of culture, tourism and civil aviation is scheduled to address the road show in Singapore.

During the road show, Mt Everest summiteers from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia will be felicitated. The organisers say that the event would help fetch more tourists to Nepal from this region.

Recently, numerous international airlines have increased flight frequencies to Kathmandu, and some new ones have also started their operations to Nepal. The positive trend in international visitors' arrival to Nepal continued with a staggering growth of 78.8 per cent in April 2007.

This is a record high growth by air route in April since 2002. Asian countries (Japan, China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand) have contributed a substantial growth of 137.4 per cent.

The Nepali delegation will be led by NTB and PATA Nepal along with 12 private companies during the event.