Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tsutomu Hiraoka handed over Hashimoto Foundation Scholarships worth US$1,000 each to four students of Kathmandu University (KU) amidst a function at KU, Dhulikhel on Tuesday.

Mahesh Bhattarai, Naula Singh Gharti, Bhagwan Aryal and Prativa Joshi of the Faculty of Education received this year’s scholarship.

Prof. Suresh Raj Sharma, Vice Chancellor of KU, Dr. Kedar Nath Shrestha, Dean of the School of Education, Yukiko Okawara, Liaison with Hashimoto Office and faculty members of KU were present on the occasion.

A press release issued by the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu said the Hashimoto Foundation has been providing scholarships to the students of Kathmandu University since 1998. So far, the Foundation has granted scholarships to 34 outstanding students of KU.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Hiraoka expressed his hope that the students upon completion of their studies will contribute to the most important task of nation-building.

Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) has regretted the incident of padlocking the office demanding resignation of the chief executive officer, Tek Bahadur Dangi.

A press statement issued by Dangi on Tuesday said the NTB was saddened by the incident of Democratic Tourism Society and added that such work will have negative impact in the deteriorating tourism industry.

The statement alleged that the programme was organized by some ex-employees and employees of the NTB, whose job contract is near expiry to fulfill the personal interest of rather than the interest of the tourism sector.

The statement further said that the NTB was working for the development of the tourism sector since its inception and ruled out the allegations of irregularities in the NTB.

The statement asked the concerned parties to show proof that the NTB has distributed money to vigilantes to suppress the pro-democracy movement of the country.

On Monday a rally was organized by Democratic Tourism Society, reached the NTB office chanting slogans against Dangi and padlocked the office demanding Dangi’s resignation. Few officials of the NTB had also joined the movement.

They accused Dangi of supporting the royal regime and not working for revival of the ailing tourism industry. They also asked for fair and inclusive participation of all sectors of tourism in the NTB.

Nepalnews has once again become an interactive site with its Chat services and Discussion Boards reopening.

The most popular chat site, Nepalnews Chat (chat.nepalnews.com) has been online for the past 10 days. The number of registered visitors has reached 2,800 with over 7,000 visitors daily.

Along with fun with Chat, various discussion forums are also online. Visitors can now go to the general forum (forum.nepalnews.com.np) where topics like Art & Photography, Sports, Music & Movies and others can be discussed.

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The above services above along with the ‘International Coverage on Nepal’ (lower half of the Nepalnews index page) was closed after the Royal takeover of Feb 01 05.

Visiting Special Advisor to the United Nations Undersecretary General for Political Affairs, Samuel Tamrat, met with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala at the latter’s official residence at Baluwatar Tuesday to discuss the latest political developments in Nepal and ways to establish peace here.

Prime Minister GP Koirala shaking hands with Samuel Tamrat, Political Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General after a meeting at the PM residence, Baluatar, Tuesday, May 09 06. nepalnews.com/rh

PM Koirala and the UN envoy are said to have discussed about the world body’s offer to mediate in the Nepal’s peace process.

Tamrat had after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Sunday said that the UN was ready to extend any help in the peace process. He, however, said it would be “too early to discuss” the UN role in arms management in Nepal.

He has already held discussions with CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, Home Minister KP Sitaula and senior officials at the UN office in Kathmandu over the current situation in Nepal.

The UN envoy, who has already visited Nepal several times in the past as the special representative of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, arrived in Kathmandu on Saturday on a 10-day visit.

Putting forth their four-point demand including release of all ‘prisoners of conscience’, Maoist leaders and cadres detained at various jails in Kathmandu have started hunger strike.

Ten Maoist inmates each of Nakkhu Jail, Central Jail and Sadar Khor (prison), Dilli Bazaar, have been carrying out hunger strike from Sunday demanding the scrapping of the anti-terrorism law, immediate release of all political detainees, disclosure of the condition of involuntarily disappeared persons and action against those involved in ‘war crimes’.

Maoist leaders Krishna KC, Kailash Yadav and Tara Bhandari have been leading the hunger strikes in Nakkhu Jail, Central Jail and Sadar Khor respectively. Saying that the government has not started the process to address these demands even after the declaration of ceasefire from the both sides, the detained Maoists have warned of starting fast-unto-death from Saturday if the demands were not met.

Maoist women activists detained in these three jails and Bhadra Hriha have also been carrying out relay hunger strike since last two days expressing solidarity to the protest of detainees of Nakhhu Jail.

Meanwhile, Maoist politburo member Matrika Yadav who has been detained at Nakkhu Jail for some months has declined his release order saying he would not come in the open unless all 68 political prisoners kept at the jail were freed.

The Home Ministry had recently issued the release order of Yadav only.

The meeting of council of ministers on Tuesday has decided to annul three controversial ordinances promulgated by the erstwhile royal government.

Talking to reporters at the Prime Minister’s official residence after the cabinet meeting this evening, Minister for Land Reforms and Management Prabhu Narayan Chaudhari said the government had decided to scrap or review all the ordinances issues by the 15-month-long royal regime.

The state-run Nepal Television said the government has decided to annul ordinance to amend media related laws, ordinance related to non-governmental organisations and ordinance related to local administration. It said the council of ministers has also amended the Labor ordinance.

Details were not immediately available.

The royal government had issued the ordinance amending half a dozen media related laws banning broadcast of news over FM radio stations and raising license fee of the FM radio stations, among others.

The ordinance related to the NGOs had incorporated the controversial code of conduct for NGOs while the local administration ordinance had made provisions for the appointment of zonal administrators.

The CPN (Maoist) has said it has started the process to return the properties of activists of various political parties, which were “unjustly seized” in the past.

Issuing a statement Tuesday, spokesperson of the CPN (Maoist), Krishna Bahadur Mahara, said, “As agreed in the 12-point understanding, the process to return the lands and houses of various persons and activists of political parties, which were unjustly seized, has started.” The party has given directions to the party men to discuss with the concerned persons and the political parties and start returning the seized properties, he said.

Notably, the statement hinted that the rebels have realized that the act of seizing the houses and lands of political activists was not just.

The Maoist spokesperson also said his party was committed to the ‘historic’ 12-point understanding first reached with the seven parties in November last year and assured to abide by the code of conduct made public by his party to make the talks process and the ceasefire easier.

Saying that the government on its part should also show commitment towards the same, Mahara demanded that the process to release all Maoist leaders and cadres imprisoned in various jails of Nepal and India should be initiated at the earliest.

Mahara’s statement comes as the government gears up for holding dialogue with the rebel side. Deputy Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli a few days earlier said the government had been working to finalise the code of conduct and form a team to negotiate with the Maoists.

It will be a pity if the seven party alliance leaders, good at agitation, turn out once again to be poor managers of peace

Murari Raj Sharma

Winston Churchill, a very successful wartime prime minister of the United Kingdom, fell from his pedestal as soon as World War II ended. His great oratory that prepared the Britons for many sacrifices during the war was not enough to manage a broken state limping back from the ashes of the war.

The United States has learned the hard way in Iraq that while changing a regime could be a cakewalk, building a nation is not. The lesson of these experiences is two-fold: One, winning war is easier than winning peace. Two, great wartime leaders could be poor peacetime managers.

As the seven-party alliance (SPA) in Nepal tries to bring the country back from the brink of civil war, its leaders face the challenge of transforming themselves from perennial agitators to accomplished managers. Unfortunately, our political leaders have been better in fomenting protests against the state than managing the state. They successfully led the first people’s movement that brought down the decaying Panchayat system in 1990 and ushered in the multiparty system of democracy. Thereafter, they used their skills to bring down elected governments they did not like. And recently, they dislodged the autocratic royal regime.

“The Seven Party Alliance must insist that the Maoists substantially disarm and totally demobilize their fighters and militias before the elections. The government should be prepared for any eventuality, for the rebels can use the dialogue as a tactical ruse to advance their innate agenda, as they have done in the past.”
In the post-1990 period, our political elites proved themselves to be a bunch of incompetent managers, often susceptible to venality. Engrossed in holding on to power, micro-managing the administration and enriching themselves, these leaders lost sight of the larger picture. As a result, they lost public confidence quickly and paved the way for the regressive palace to dissolve Parliament and ditch them by the wayside in 2002.

Thanks to the royal regime’s broken promises and draconian repression, the citizenry has, through a massive movement, handed back the country’s reins to the political parties. The new democracy is fragile and under mortal threat from the extreme left and right. At this stage, democratic leaders need to keep their vow not to repeat the past mistakes and to avoid making new ones that can jeopardize the new found freedom from repression.

Counter-revolution starts on the day a revolution succeeds, and it has already begun in Nepal on two fronts. The Maoists tried to incite people to continue their agitation soon after the parliament was restored under the SPA six-point road map; their abductions and extortions continue despite their three-month ceasefire; and Maoist chairman, Prachanda, has refused to disarm his fighters until after a new constitution is drawn up by a constituent assembly. On the other hand, the monarchy has already mobilized its supporters to lobby the international community to save itself, and it would be naïve to assume that the palace will quietly wait for the assembly to decide its fate.

SPA has the obligation to grapple with these twin threats to democracy, and it must consolidate its power to be able to do that. The following six short-term measures will help consolidate SPA’s hold on the state, and should be urgently undertaken. First, develop a modus operandi to quietly sort out differences within SPA and maintain strong unity. The recent public brawl over ministerial portfolios has undermined the authority of the alliance and emboldened its opponents. All differences within SPA should be resolved through quiet negotiations.

Secondly, make the civilian, police and military bureaucracies loyal to the people and accountable to their representatives. Loyalty takes time and a well-calibrated system of reward and punishment to build. SPA should start this long-term process by reinstating the officials removed by the royal regime for their democratic leanings and by removing the tainted senior bureaucratic leaders, complicit in imposing and sustaining the repressive royal rule. Particularly, weaning the military away from the palace and bringing it firmly under the democratic government should receive the topmost priority. Key to this will be for the government to appoint a full time defense minister, bring the military management– recruitment, transfer, promotion, etc. – under its full control, and introduce a security sector reform program to reorient and professionalize the army. Parliament, too, should set up an active oversight mechanism on defense matters.

Thirdly, scrap the royal regime’s all constitutional and political appointments as a matter of policy. These appointments are ab initio unconstitutional, made without observing the due process of law and without respecting the constitutionals checks and balances. The royal regime had selected the appointees on the basis of their loyalty to it. Among them, ambassadors who defended autocracy and repression one day and supported democracy and freedom next day have lost credibility and trust with their host countries and institutions. Those appointed before February 1, 2005 and found working as active instruments of autocracy should also be dismissed.

Fourthly, break the culture of impunity. The SPA government’s decision to appoint a high-level commission to investigate into the human rights violations by government officials during the peaceful protests is welcome but what matters more is to bring the culprits to justice in order to deter them from supporting the revanchist palace or insurgent Maoists without the fear of consequences and to begin the process of healing for the loss of more than 20 lives and injuries of several thousands in peaceful protests in the hands of the royal regime. Those officials would have been more careful this time had the Mallik Commission Report been implemented earlier.

Fifthly, remove the legal obstacles to the implementation of the SPA’s six-point road map before the steam of the people’s movement runs out. No one should underestimate the monarchists’ intention to challenge SPA decisions in court. If the government loses the case, it will have to either insist that it does not care for the rule of law or abandon its decision. To prevent this ugly choice, Parliament should either amend the present constitution and remove the obstacles or convert it into an interim constitution that will not stifle the formulation of a new law of land. All those laws created or amended by royal decrees should be rescinded as well.

Finally, start dialogue with the Maoists without letting the guards down. As the government has removed the terrorist tags from the Maoists and they have declared three-month ceasefire, peace talks should begin right away. Any further concession to the rebels should be linked to the progress in negotiation. To make Constituent Assembly elections free of fear and intimidation, SPA must insist that the Maoists substantially disarm and totally demobilize their fighters and militias before the elections. The government should be prepared for any eventuality, for the rebels can use the dialogue as a tactical ruse to advance their innate agenda, as they have done in the past. It will be a pity if SPA leaders, good at agitation, turn out once again to be poor managers of peace. The United Kingdom’s democracy was safe when Churchill lost the post-war election. It is doubtful if Nepal will remain a democracy if SPA leaders fail to deliver this time.

Sharma is a former ambassador of Nepal to the United Nations. He wrote this article before the government’s decision to recall ambassadors to 12 different countries became public. Please send your comments to [email protected] or [email protected]

(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected])

People’s Front Nepal (PFN), one of the seven constituent parties in the ruling coalition, has decided to join the government.
Sunday’s Central Committee meeting took the decision in principle to join the government and play constructive role in settling the current problems.

However, the party is yet to decide the names to represent it in the cabinet. “We will decide the names after discussion with other coalition partners,” said Lila Mani Pokhrel, vice chairman of People’s Front Nepal.

PFN also elected the party’s vice-chairman, Pari Thapa, as its parliamentary party leader. Sunday’s meeting, through majority decision, endorsed the 12-point understanding reached between the seven-party alliance and Maoists on November 22.

Former National People’s Front group in the PFN had opposed the third clause in the understanding that calls for UN or other reliable international body’s supervision of the arms of Royal Nepalese Army and the Maoists’ army.

Another party in the coalition, Nepal Workers and Peasants’ Party, however decided not to join the government. “We won’t join the government but play a positive role of a constructive opposition, party Chairman Narayan Man Bijukchhe informed the House of Representatives on Sunday.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution directing the government to draw up a code of conduct for both the government and the Maoists to be implemented during the ceasefire and talks between the government and the Maoists.

Sunday’s session of the house passed the resolution put forth by MP Rajendra Kumar Mahato seeking a code of conduct for both parties to make peace talks between them a success.

Participating in Sunday’s session, NC MP Benup Raj Prasain said since talks between the government and Maoists have failed twice, it would be better to prepare beforehand. He also urged the government and the Maoists to lay down arms.

NC(D) MP Purna Bahadur Khadka said since the government was accountable to the parliament, it was essential to take the right steps while sitting for talks.

UML MP Ghanendra Basnet asked the parliament to form a peace talks monitoring committee to monitor the activities of both parties and to put pressure on them if they do not stay in line.

NC MP Tank Rai urged the government and the Maoists to manage their arms and abide by the 12-point pact between the rebels and the seven parties.

Answering the MPs’ questions, Minister for Land Reforms and Management Prabhu Narayan Chaudhari said that the government would inform the House about the progress of peace talks.

Speaking during the meeting of the parliament, MPs asked heads of various constitutional bodies to resign or face impeachment.

“The infamous heads of various constitutional bodies – especially the Election Commission – should be impeached,” said UML’s Dr Bansidhar Mishra, urging the government to immediately sack Chief Secretary Lok Man Singh Karki.