The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said mutual relation between the workers and employers would enhance the economic prosperity of the country in the new political environment.
In a press statement released on the occasion of International May Day on Monday, the CNI has said the workers and employers have been given additional responsibilities for economic inclusiveness by the roadmap of the current people’s movement.
The organization has further said the cordial relation between the employees and employers would be justifiable in equitable and inclusive social environment only.
May Day is celebrated worldwide on Monday.
A meeting of top leaders of Seven Party Alliance (SPA) decided on Monday to send representatives of all seven parties in the Council of Ministers.
Talking to reporters after the SPA meeting, president of United Left Front Prabhu Narayan Chauudhari –one of the constituent of the SPA– said all seven parties have decided to join the government keeping in view the aspiration expressed during the recent people’s movement.
He said the cabinet would have 21 members at the maximum and names of the some of the members would be announced today.
Chairman of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, Narayan Man Bijukchhe, said the SPA has asked the Council of Ministers to work in accordance with the spirit of the people’s movement.
He said, “It is up to the government to choose the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM).” “The DPM should be someone who works together with the PM,” he added.
The nearly 3-hour long meeting took place at Koirala’s residence at Maharajgunj this morning.
May Day is being celebrated throughout the country amidst various programmes on Monday.
Trade Union leaders have said that unlike in the bygone years, this year’s May Day is going to radiate new hopes among the Nepalese laborers and all the trade unions.
Trade unions leaders admit that the popular democratic movement that restored the rights of people would create a better environment for the laborers regardless of their political ideologies.
Sunil Manandhar, president of the Nepalese Federation of Trade Union (NTUF), said the Nepalese trade union movement has been much influenced by partisan interests.
He further said that the majority of workers in the country are yet to be brought in the formal sector.
More than eight million agricultural and construction workers who constitute over 95 percent of the total labor force in the country are still unnoticed in the main economic domain.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) – out of 11 million labour forces in the country, only 3.6 percent workers are employed in the formal sector that involves some form of social security. But over 96 percent labour forces in the informal sector are deprived of any security.
Nepal is signatory to most of the International Labor Organisation (ILO) Conventions and it has expressed its commitment for uplifting the condition of all sorts of laborers. However, nothing seems to have done in practice so far, say labour relation experts.
Workers in agriculture and construction sectors are getting almost the same rate as they used to receive some ten years before. An agriculture worker receives Rs 73 (less than a dollar a day) and a construction worker gets Rs 90/- (US $ 1.21).
The agricultural sector, which has more than 41 percent contribution in the national economy, is largely influenced by the traditional system of employing workers.
According to the Labour Act, an institution with less than Rs. 50,000/- investment and having less than 10 employees are treated as informal sector.
Mohammad Jahagir, an Indian national, who was badly injured in police firing during a demonstration at Tripureshwor on April 22, has died while undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Model Hospital in Kathmandu.
26 years old Jahagir, who comes from Sitamadi of India’s Bihar state, died at around 3:00 Monday morning during treatment, the hospital said. He was shot in the head.
Jahagir had been living at Baneshwor with his wife, three sons and mother for the last ten years. He is the first foreign national to become martyr of Nepal’s democratic movement.
His family has sought government’s help to take his body to Bihar for cremation, hospital officials said.
With his death the number of the people killed in during government clampdown on the pro-democracy movement has reached 19.
Pradhyumna Khadka of Syuchartar, Kathmandu, who was shot at by the police during a demonstration in Kalanki on April 20, had died at All India Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Friday.
Reports say thousands of injured persons are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Kathmandu and outside. At least 5000 people were injured in clashes with security forces around the country during the democratic movement.
The grilling of photo journalist, Kumar Shrestha, a contributor to Nepalnews.com, by Maoist cadres in Kathmandu has been condemned by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), senior media personnel and free expression groups.
On Friday, Maoist cadres grilled, threatened and harassed Kumar Shrestha as he was covering a mass meeting organized under the banner of ‘United Democratic Front’ at Shahid Mancha, Tundikhel. President of Maoist-affiliated student body, ANNFSU (Revolutionary) Lekhnath Neupane, and chairman of Maoist-affiliated trade union, Shalik Ram Jamarkattel, appeared for the first time in more than three years in the Nepali capital to take part in the public function.
As the Maoist-affiliated leaders were delivering fiery speeches at the Open Air Theatre, which is juxtaposed to the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) pavilion, Maoist ‘volunteers’ pushed Kumar and two of his friends aside and started questioning them regarding their affiliation. They later singled out Kumar and alleged that he was a ‘spy’ who would later give the photos of the Maoist leaders to the RNA. Kumar showed his photo I-D and introduced himself as a professional photo-journalist but to no avail.
The ‘revolutionaries’ then forced him to a close alley at the backside of the Open Air Theatre, which was under their control, and grilled him for over two hours. They took all his footage, searched his mobile entires and warned him of dire consequences. “It was a nightmare,” Kumar later told us. “I have visited Maoist strongholds including Rolpa in the past. But nowhere I was treated so badly,” he added.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said Kumar Shrestha from Himalayan Films, Amit Sthapit of Yuva Hunkaar and Bimal Raj Gautam, a colleague of Kumar were interrogated by the members of the Maoist-affiliated students’ union, ANFSU (Revolutionary) at the Open Air Theatre on Friday. “When FNJ talked to the President of the Union (Lekhnath Neupane), he said that they were interrogated because the Union members couldn’t recognize them,” the statement added. FNJ office-bearers have condemned the manhandling of all three journalists.
Commenting on the incident, editor of Himal Southasian magazine Kanak Mani Dixit said, “The Maoists have to learn very quickly to operate in an open society where media is free and professional.”
Dixit further said Kumar Shrestha represents the finest of photo journalists who have professionally covered the movement for return to peace and democracy in Nepal. “Let the rebel leadership educate its cadres as to the requirements of free society where ideas rather than the threat of violence will open up the path to above-ground politics,” he added.
Condemning the incident, editor of Nepalnews.com Bhagirath Yogi said, “Such an act is simply unacceptable. At a time when the media, civil society and the entire population of Nepal are lending helping hands for the safe-landing of the decade-old insurgency, the Maoists must prove that they are worthy to operate in a free and civilized society.” He further said mistreatment and intimidation of a photo-journalist at a public function right in the heart of the capital shows the extent of threat Nepali journalists are facing both at the hands of the state as well as the rebels.
While he was covering the infamous Gongabu incident in the capital on the fifth day of the pro-democracy movement (April 11)—when security personnel crossed all limits to suppress the pro-democracy activists—Kumar was hit with a rubber bullet on his arm. He was left unconscious, was later taken to a hospital and was discharged the next day (See: Pic). He is back in action in the streets of Kathmandu with the bullet still in his arm.
In a statement issued Monday, the Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES)—a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group—condemned the misbehaviour against Shrestha and called upon the Maoist leadership to probe into the incident and punish the guilty. “As Maoists are coming out in the open thanks to the people’s movement 2006, they must not repeat past mistakes of harassing, abducting and even killing the journalists. Freedom of expression is the corner stone of an open society which the Maoists must respect,” the organization added.
Even after four days, there has been no clarification from the side of the Maoists regarding the incident.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called upon the Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala to ensure he shows respect for the human rights of individual journalists and the Nepalese press.
Issuing a press release the IFJ has asked the government to cease any arbitrary use of the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance (TADO) and the Public Security Act to detain journalists.
The IFJ supported the reinstatement of Nepal’s parliamentary democracy bringing an end to 14-month long direct rule of the King. “This latest development means the Nepalese people will now be sovereign in a true sense and can decide the future of the nation by constitutional assembly,” the press statement quoted IFJ president Christopher Warren, adding, “Yet the conditions of the Nepalese press remain unfavourable and of serious concern to the IFJ.”
The IFJ called for the release of three journalists that are still being detained by authorities in the capital.
“We must remember the democratic movement would not have achieved the gains it has without the consistent campaigning by Nepalese journalists, who vow to continue the struggle until journalists’ rights are recognised and full press freedom is entrenched in Nepal,” Warren added.
The statement further said the IFJ vehemently condemns the acts of any individual seeking reprisals against journalists working for government media outlets.
This comes after violent attacks on government press agency journalists by militants for alleged bias towards King Gyanendra’s dictatorial regime during the coverage of the pro-democracy movements.
The Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) examination committee on Sunday decided to conduct the postponed examinations of grades 11 and 12 from June 2 and May 21, respectively.
The HSEB postponed the exams of grades 11 and 12 slated for 12th May and 30th April citing difficult circumstances in the country.
A total of 320,000 students are appearing for the board examinations this year.
Regular classes resumed at all campuses affiliated to Tribhuvan University (TU) from Monday after a disruption for about three weeks due to the people’s movement.
Schedules for conducting the examinations of different levels under the University, which were stalled due to the people’s movement, will also be announced by the end of this week, report quoted the TU Office of the Controller of Examinations, Balkhu as saying.
The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), the umbrella organization of non-resident Nepalis living around the world, has welcomed the restoration of the dissolved House of Representatives through a royal proclamation.
“The Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), representing Nepalis living across the globe, welcomes the restoration of the ‘Pratinidhi Sabha’, the House of Representatives,” a press release issued by Bhim Udas, the international coordinator of NRNA, said.
The statement further said, “The recognition that the source of state authority and sovereignty is inherent in the people is a step in the right direction to democracy. We strongly hope the new developments taking place will lead to a de-escalation of the violence and reconciliation leading to a lasting peace in the country.”
Appealing to the leaders in Nepal to rise above personal and partisan interests and use this historic opportunity to restructure the state and the Nepali society in line with the people, NRNA also urged the political parties not to repeat their mistakes and maintain transparency and internal democracy.
The association also urged the Maoists to renounce violence and agree on a negotiated settlement. “We call upon the CPN (Maoist) to unequivocally renounce violence as a means of pursuing a political ideology and the transformation of society and come forward for a negotiated settlement in the light of the changed circumstances. They, like all others, must abide by the universally accepted norms of democracy and human rights,” the press release stated.
It further said, “We are hopeful that the King and the armed forces will abide by the principle of the supremacy of the people and not create any obstacles to democracy in Nepal.”
Reiterating its commitment to democracy, human rights, economic development and social transformation in Nepal, the association made clear that it was ready to offer any assistance required in the peaceful resolution of problems in Nepal.
Nepalis living in the UK and British nationals have organized a protest in front of the Royal Nepalese embassy in London calling upon the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) to listen to Nepali people’s voices.
The participants said reinstatement of the dissolved parliament was an unfinished business and that the movement should continue until ‘complete democracy’ is restored in the country.
Non-resident Nepalis and Nepali students had also organized protests in the UK in support of the pro-democracy movement in Nepal last month.
Unconditional elections and the release of all political prisoners are among the terms that the Maoists have set as a precondition for dialogue with the new government headed by Girija Prasad Koirala, a leading Indian newspaper reported.
Immediately after his formal appointment as Nepal’s new Prime Minister, Koirala appealed to the Maoist rebels to begin talks and the militants responded by laying down their terms.
Times of India quoted Dr Baburam Bhattarai, one of the top leaders of the underground rebels, as saying that his party would be ready to begin dialogue with the new government if it met key conditions.
Speaking from an undisclosed location, Bhattarai said the new government would have to commit to holding unconditional elections to choose a constituent assembly that would write a new constitution for Nepal and eventually decide if the Himalayan kingdom would retain monarchy or become a republic.
The government would also have to release all political detainees, including Maoist leaders and cadres, and remove the terrorist tag on his party, Bhattarai said.
The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist and its sister organisations were declared terrorists in 2003 by the government of then Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa after peace talks between the rebels and the government broke down.
Since then, there has been a red corner notice – a high international alert – for the arrest of its top leaders, some of whom even have a reward offered for their capture.
Though the war between the Maoists and the government turned bitter in early 2000 when Koirala was Prime Minister, Koirala’s Nepali Congress and six other opposition parties last year reached an understanding with the guerrillas.
Immediately after his official appointment on Thursday, Koirala issued a statement, telling the rebels the new government would honour the pact with them and hold constituent assembly elections.
The Maoists have called a three-month ceasefire from Wednesday midnight to show their eagerness for peace and returning to mainstream politics. However, they have warned they would enforce a blockade of Kathmandu and key cities if the new government wavered on its commitment, the news report said on Friday.