A Japanese journalist, Kiyoko Ogura has beautifully chronicled the People’s Movement of 1990 that ushered in the multi-party democracy in Nepal. Nepalnews brings to you selected chapters from the book “Kathmandu Spring: The People’s Movement of 1990” by Ms. Ogura published by Himal Books in 2001 and reprinted in 2004.
Patan declared a Free Zone
By Kiyoko Ogura
The idea of Patan as a Free Zone was welcomed by everyone. Anti-establishment feelings had sunk deep among Newar community of Patan, and they liked the idea of preventing any intrusion by the police.
As soon as the meeting ended, work on barricading the main entrances to the old city (Patan) began. On the road in front of the Ganesh temple in Chyasal, a one-meter deep trench was dug within an hour. At Patan Dhoka, a big garbage container was used to block the road. On the main road coming from Pulchok, that is the western entrance of the city, trenches were dug and barriers of logs and pipes were put up.
After sunset the streets became completely dark. Only dim candle lights could be seen through the windows. Inside, the women waited for their men to come back, sitting up till later than usual. On the streets, old tyres and straw heaps were burnt here and there and the men on the guard roasted corn and soyabeans while they sat around.
On the very day that the people of Patan announced their city had become the Free Zone, a delegation of eleven officials from the Indian government arrived at Kathmandu ‘s Tribhuvan International Airport. Among those who received them were the foreign secretary Narendra Bikram Shah and the Indian ambassador to Nepal S. K. Sinha. The delegation led by the Indian foreign secretary, were visiting Kathmandu for four days to discuss the problems that had cropped due to the expired trade and transit treaties.
It had been three days since Patan had been declared a Free Zone. An unexpected outcome of this declaration (change of prime minister) was that over one hundred policemen in Mangal bazaar had been trapped in their police station. They could do nothing but sit around quietly, without supplies of food or water, and without contact with outside world except through radio. The government did try to enter the old city areas with food supplies using a crane, but without success. Such was the situation when, on the morning of April 3, the chairman of ninth ward, Hari Krishna Byanjankar, got a telephone from the Rastriya Panchayat member from Lalitpur, Keshar Bahadur Bista. Bista was known as liberal pancha and he had strong connection with political party activities. He told Hari Krishna, “I have heard the government is ready to call in the army to rescue the policemen in Mangal Bazaar. If this happens, something serious can take place.”
In Kathmandu, it was clear that the function of the state was in disarray. The government decided to close all the schools in the valley from 1 April until further notice. On the same day, as if keeping in step with the government, medical workers in hospitals and clinics all over the country went on strike responding to the appeal by Nepal Medical Association.
As soon as he heard this, Hari Krishna went into consultation with other chairmen and local party activists. They agreed that it would be better for the policemen to leave, and Hari Krishna and others went to the police station. As they stood talking to the policemen, people gathered around them and began making angry noises. It seemed they could go out of control. So, the negotiators decided to let the policemen go immediately. Amidst crowds of locals thronging the streets, the demoralized and exhausted policemen left on foot along the road to Lagankhel.
They boycotted all functions except emergency services. At the same time, 250 lawyers of the Nepal Bar Association went to see the prime minister and asked him to accede to their ten demands, foremost among which was the immediate release of 64 lawyers detained in jails over the country. They handed over a memorandum to the prime minister, who was himself busy with the cabinet reshuffle and the delegation from India.
The government had warned civil servants not to go on strike, but this order only succeeded in increasing their resentment. The Staff of the Agriculture Development Bank went on a ‘pen-down strike’, and boycotted their duties for two hours. In the Nepal Food Corporation as well, lower grade officials oppose working. On the Kathmandu streets, even children had begun shouting slogans against the establishment, the king and members of the royalty. After the blackout programme of March 29, people began coming out openly against the government in the old city areas like Asan. Patan’s declaration of a Free Zone had galvanized the Kathmandu Newars. They could not remain mere spectators any longer.
A Japanese journalist, Kiyoko Ogura has beautifully chronicled the People’s Movement of 1990 that ushered in the multi-party democracy in Nepal. Nepalnews brings to you selected chapters from the book “Kathmandu Spring: The People’s Movement of 1990” by Ms. Ogura published by Himal Books in 2001 and reprinted in 2004.
King Birendra dissolves the cabinet
By Kiyoko Ogura
The king’s proclamation began exactly at 6:45 a.m. It began with the usual opening words ‘Beloved people’. He then went on: “Respect for the ideals and values of democracy has always guided us in the conduct of the affairs of state. It was in this spirit that we held a national referendum in 1980 to allow the people to choose the kind of changes they wanted in the polity of the country. It is the government’s duty also to maintain law and order. Regrettably, since the present council of ministers has not been able to do so, resulting in the loss of life and property, we have, in consonance with the popular will and in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal, dissolved the present council of ministers. In view of special circumstances arising in the country, we have, through this proclamation, in accordance with Clause 1 of Article 81 of the Constitution of Nepal, entrusted honourable Mr Lokendra Bahadur Chand to form a council of ministers. This council of ministers will also consult people holding different political views. The Rastriya Panchayat will also be summoned into session. No polity can be an end in itself. Rather, it should serve as the institutional framework to promote the rights, interests, and welfare of the people. As it is the popular will which has always guided the nature of our polity, we will accordingly be constituting a constitutional reforms committee to make recommendations for political reforms which the Nepali people desire. A Commission will also be set up to investigate the unfortunate incidents that had taken place in different parts of the country involving the loss of life and property. Finally, at a time when the country has yet to recover from the economic hardships inflicted over the course of the past year, the Nepalis more than ever have to act in unison and in self discipline to help maintain peace and tranquility in the country. May Lord Pashupatinath bless us all. Jai Nepal”
It was a proclamation fraught with ambiguity. What most people understood was only that instead of Marich Man Singh Shrestha, another pancha had become the prime minister. Complex though ran through people’s minds. Umesh Shrestha did not know how to judge the proclamation, so he contacted the other parties and they decided to meet immediately. The emergency meeting was attended by representatives from the Ma-Le, i.e. the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxists Leninists), the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal (Fourth Congress), and the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxists), and they were to decide whether they should lead Patan’s demonstration to Kathmandu. There was no question that they would protest against the proclamation, it was only whether they should head towards Kathmandu or not.
As soon as he heard the king’s broadcast, Sanu Raja Shakya rushed out of his house with a flag in his hand. He got his friends together and began a speech at the temple of Jaisidewal. He announced, “The king’s proclamation this morning is a deception against the people. We have to continue this movement until we overthrow the Panchayat system and restore freedom of political activities.”
Scores of people who had been drawn by his speech clapped their hands in appreciation. Sanu Raja did not talk for a long and instead led the listeners north towards Naradevi. When they reached there, seeing a police truck coming towards them, they turned right to go towards Bhedasing. Unfortunately, they were caught between two groups of policemen. What took place there was day’s first clash.
Ishwar Pokharel, one of the main persons in Ma-Le’s Kathmandu Valley Action Committee, heard the king’s proclamation at the headquarters of the Central High Command with this party’s general secretary, Madan Bhandari, and another member of the High command, Madhav Kumar Nepal. Although it was indeed the party headquarters, it was a small and simple room they have rented at the floor of a private house in a shabby area in Teku.
After the broadcast over, Ishwar and Madhav Kumar left for the nearby office of Shangarsha Bulletin that their party had been publishing. They wanted to use the telephone there to get information on what was happening elsewhere. The first one with news for them was Binda Pandey, a central committee member of the ANNFSU who was also in charge of Ma-Le’s information center during the movement. “Demonstrations are happening in many places, but the people seem to be at a loss, for there is nobody to lead the demonstrations,” she reported.
Ishwar then got in touch with Raghuji Pant, a journalist and a member of the party’s publicity section, to tell him to lead people to the demonstration in Kathmandu. Next he called Modnath Prashrit in Chyasal and told him to bring the Patan demonstrations to Kathmandu. Ishwar also tried to contact Radha Krishna Mainali, Ma-Le’s representative in the United Left Front and the main link with the Nepali Congress, but without success.
In a house on the south side of the square at Nakbahal, the representatives of four parties had finally reached a conclusion and they came out into the square where many people were waiting to hear what they had decided. Upendra Bhattarai from the Nepali Congress stood up in front of the crowd and made the announcement: “To protest the king’s proclamation this morning, we have decided to demonstrate in Patan. Please gather here at Nakbahal at exactly twelve o’clock.”
The people got really angry when they heard that and began shouting, “Why do we demonstrate only in Patan? Why don’t we go to Kathmandu?”
They had already news that the people of Kathmandu were coming to Patan and they too wanted to demonstrate in Kathmandu. The party representatives huddled together again. They felt they could not ignore the will of the people and sent out words all over Patan: “Gather at Nakbahal at once.”
By Mohan Khadka
Normal life in the Kathmandu Valley and elsewhere has been crippled as the government’s curfews and the general strike carried out by the seven opposition parties continued on the sixth straight day on Tuesday.
Seven party supporters staging a protest rally in the first day of their four-day long general strike at New Baneshwore, Thursday, Apr 07 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Transportation service, both long and short route, has come to a halt in almost all parts of the country and education institutions, businesses including banks and markets have been closed.
Tens of thousands of people going to the districts remain stuck in Kathmandu while those on their way to the capital city have been stranded at various places as transportation services have come to a complete halt from last Thursday when the general strike called by the seven-party alliance (SPA) started.
Reports said dozens of tourists who were to return to Kathmandu have been stranded in the western resort town of Pokhara and various other places.
In the meantime, a group of over 100 carried out a candle rally in Pokhara to protest the manhandling of a Japanese tourist by the police on Monday. The Japanese visitor whose name appeared in media reports as Toksang had gone out of his hotel at Lakeside to dine at a nearby restaurant when he was stopped by the policemen and beaten up along with the hotel owner who had accompanied him.
Tourism is one of the many sectors hard-hit by the continuous curfews and the general strike of the parties. Says Bishnu Soti of Nepal Tourism Board, “Although we have been doing our best to arrange emergency services for tourists, the curfew and the ongoing general strike have badly affected the tourism industry.” He, however, said no there were no reports of tourists caught in violence.
People rushing to buy vegetables at Baneshwor ahead of the 13 hour-long (7 a.m. – 8 p.m.) curfew in Kathmandu valley, Sunday morning, Apr 09 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Meanwhile, due to continuous closure of markets and transportation service, the prices of necessary goods have skyrocketed and shortage of food items, especially vegetable, is looming large in Kathmandu. “The price of vegetable has almost doubled while we don’t see fresh vegetables in the market,” a shopper at Kalanki vegetable market said.
Crowds were seen at vegetable markets around Kathmandu in the morning as the night curfew imposed within Ring Road ended at 4:00 a.m. but shops in busy areas remained closed due angry protests ensuing in different parts of the city. In interior areas, retail shops looked busy as the local residents rushed to store goods.
For most city dwellers compelled to stay indoors in daytime due to curfew, it’s been a terrible experience. “I’m feeling choked staying indoors for days while my work has been affected. Worse still, there are no signs of immediate respite from this situation,” says Narayan Kandel of Baglung, who runs an English language institute at Sohrakhutte, Kathmandu. “Things are getting worse. Life of people depending on daily earnings has become tougher,” a seemingly frustrated Kandel told Nepalnews.
What frustrates him more is the prospect of further confrontation between the agitating parties and the royal government. “We have had too much of anarchy, violence and wrangling. Now time has come for the King to listen to the agitating parties and start reconciliation process. This can be the first step towards establishing peace in the country,” he added.
Says Soniya Sharma, an MA student, “Everything has come to a halt due to the curfew and the strikes. Educational activities have been disrupted for over a week now as colleges are turning into battlegrounds. How long will this situation continue?”
In the meantime, mobile phone services have been snapped in Kathmandu and many other districts since Thursday morning. The workers’ union of the Nepal Telecom said the company has already suffered a net loss of Rs. 2.5 billion due to frequent disputation of services by the government.
Telecom employees chanting pro-democracy slogans in support of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) protest at Nepal Telecom Head Office in Kathmandu, Tuesday, Apr 11 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Including the telecom workers’ union, trade unions of civil servants, bank employees and doctors seem unhappy with the ways of the royal government. Now, they have expressed solidarity to the ongoing pro-democracy movement. Doctors and nurses working in major hospitals in Kathmandu like TU Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital, Gangalal Heart Center and Thapathali maternity hospital carried out dharna (sit-in protest) in support of the movement and against the government clack down.
Citing possible violence and loss of properties in the agitations, the district administrations of Kathmandu and Lalitpur clamped night curfew from last Wednesday. On Thursday, the first day of the nationwide general strikes, 13-hour daytime curfew was imposed from 7:00 a.m. Since then day curfews have become a regular phenomenon and so has violence. Seven-party protesters came out on the streets to defy the curfew. On Tuesday, the authorities relaxed the day curfew by two hours – starting from 12:00 in the afternoon till 5:00 in the afternoon.
Outside Kathmandu, Kaski, Chitwan and Kavre districts have witnessed growing tension following the death of three agitators, one each in three districts, when security forces opened fire at the protesting crowds. Curfews continue in these areas while reports of clashes between the protesters and the police pour in from other parts of the country as well.
Over a thousand pro-democracy activists have been arrested and hundreds others injured during protests across the country in the last six days. Those injured and detained also include journalists, human rights defenders, professionals and civil society leaders.
The government says the Maoists have infiltrated the protests and are triggering violence while the SPA has said this is a lame excuse for the government to crackdown on what call ‘final push’ for total democracy.
A Japanese journalist, Kiyoko Ogura has beautifully chronicled the People’s Movement of 1990 that ushered in the multi-party democracy in Nepal. Nepalnews brings to you selected chapters from the book “Kathmandu Spring: The People’s Movement of 1990″ by Ms. Ogura published by Himal Books in 2001 and reprinted in 2004.
Leaders-King hold dialogue
By Kiyoko Ogura
(Nepali Congress leaders) Krishna Prasad Bhattarai and Girija Prasad Koirala had agreed to the conditions in the draft presented by the government and had also agreed to meet the king. But (supreme leader of the movement and the seniormost leader of Nepali Congress) Ganesh Man Singh had not changed his stance that the king should first publicly declare the restoration of a multiparty system, and only after that would it be right to talk to the government.
In the mean time, Ganesh Man began reminiscing about the old times with the two ministers. He told them what had happened to Mohan Shumsher, (Pashupati Shumsher) Rana’s grandfather, in 1950. Seeing that nothing more substantial was possible with him, Rana and (Achyut Raj) Regmi took their leave.
The three leaders of the Nepali Congress were assembled in the room of Ganesh Man once again to begin their second meeting of the day. Ganesh Man had been resolute in his stance and did not change it even when Prime Minister (Lokendra Bahadur) Chand had called on him at around 2 pm. “After so many people have become victims of the movement, how can we compromise now? Our demands are quite clear. Unless all of them were realized, there is no point in talking to the king. We have been betrayed by the palace many times. How can you say that it won’t happen again? As I have told you many times, unless the king declares the restoration of multiparty system, I will neither accept any talks nor see the king.”
Supreme leader of the movement and the seniormost leader of Nepali Congress, Ganesh Man Singh
(File Photo)
In a sense, Ganesh Man was only one among the Nepali Congress leaders who knew how the people felt. As he had looked closely at the demonstration of April 6, he had felt that the movement was not only for people belonging to various parties but for the Nepali people as a whole, and what they had been demanding was far more than what was being offered.
(Then premier Lokendra Bahadur) Chand had also told him that the king wanted to meet him for a talk that day, but Ganesh Man stood firm. He, however, told the party’s acting president (K. P. Bhattarai), following which Chand and Regmi had left for Bhattarai’s place. After a while, they all came back to the hospital. It was around half past five when Ganesh Man, who had been stubbornly resisting the government offer, was finally persuaded to give his approval to a meeting with the king. Even so, Ganesh Man himself would not go; instead, Bhattarai and Koirala would represent the Nepali Congress. Ganesh Man still did not fully trust the palace. He thought he should remain uninvolved, so that he would be the last trump card in case the talks with the king did not go well.
It was then that the four leaders of the United Left Front arrived at Bir Hospital. The prime minister and Koirala had both left and only Regmi and Bhattarai remained. RK immediately lashed out at the Nepali Congress. “The conditions presented by the government don’t include the abolition of Panchayat institutions. We can’t accept the incomplete conditions. Moreover, why did you decide to see the king by yourselves without consulting us?”
Bhattarai answered, “If we have all the things today, we won’t have to do them tomorrow, or will we? As they say they will be introducing the multiparty system, we accept for that today, and we can keep one or two things to be done in future.”
The leaders of the United Left Front persisted in demanding the abolition of Panchayat institutions. Ganesh Man listened their conversation without saying a word, and only in the end he said, “Certainly they are right. At least you should demand that the king abolish the Rastriya Panchayat.”
K. P. Bhattarai
K. P. Bhattarai (File Photo)
Bhattarai could do nothing but accede to the words of the Supreme Leader.
A light rain late in the evening had left behind black patches here and there on the asphalt road. It was the night of 8 April and it had been two days since Kathmandu had been under curfew. After eight o’clock, the opposition leaders left Bir Hospital for the Narayanhiti Royal Palace and their meeting with the king. They were riding in the cars of ministers Rana and Regmi. But instead of turning in at the palace gates, they went straight to the official residence of the prime minister at Baluwatar. Regmi then left for the palace, leaving the four with Rana and Prime Minster Chand.
When the tea was brought in, with characteristic light-heartedness, Bhattarai said, “Today we should congratulate each other not with tea but with champagne, what do you say?”
Chand had been Bhattarai’s neighbour for nearly two years when he had lived in Kupandol. Because of this, he was aware of Bhattarai’s tendency to crack jokes at all times. So Chand cautioned him, “Please behave yourself with His Majesty.”
After some time they all left for the palace. By the time they reached its western gate, it was already nine o’clock. First the prime minister was called in to talk with the king alone for several minutes. Then all of them were shown in.
Narayanhiti Royal Palace: Leaders meet King Birendra and agree to end the People’s Movement on April 8 1990.
Narayanhiti Royal Palace: Leaders meet King Birendra and agree to end the People’s Movement on April 8 1990. (File Photo)
King Birendra was sitting on a chair, wearing a dhaka topi and a jacket over his daura suruwal. A tiger skin was spread on the floor under the table in front of him. Four chairs each had been placed on both sides of the king. Chand guided the four leaders to the chairs on the right side of the king, and they sat down: Bhattarai, Sahana, Koirala and RK. On the other side sat Chand, Regmi, Rana and Swanr.
Bending forward on his chair, King Birendra addressed them. “Have you come to an agreement amongst yourselves?”
Bhattarai spoke first, “It seems we have given Your Majesty some trouble.”
The words can be taken as a joke, and the king smiled.
At five past eleven, the songs were cut off all of a sudden (on the state-run Nepal Television), and the proclamation from the royal palace was read out by Durga Nath Sharma, a TV announcer, “As it was known to all, His Majesty the King has from time to time initiated political reforms in accordance with democratic norms and in consonance with the popular will. The Constitution Reform Commission will present its report to His Majesty the King reflecting the different political views existing in Nepali society, with the ‘partyless’ provision deleted from the constitution of Nepal as desired by the people of Nepal, in the international environment which exists today, and with the uppermost need for the unity of all Nepalis. His Majesty had lifted the existing ban on political parties.”
After this, images of the four leaders taking their seats in front of the king were shown. Following that brief shot, came the interviews with the four leaders. Bhattarai answered, “Of course, I declare it, so that all the people listening can understand clearly. His Majesty has proclaimed the deletion of the word ‘partyless’ from the constitution and lifted the ban on political parties, meaning that all political parties can now function freely. It means that multiparty democracy has been realized. Since the main objective of the movement has been achieved, I declare that the movement has ended.”
Bhattarai continued in lower voice, “However, we have some problems concerning the abolition of the Rastriya Panchayat, but we have demanded His Majesty to realize this as soon as possible.”
The government has continued the day-time curfew of the capital, Kathmandu, for the third day on Monday as well.
Issuing separate public notices, the district administrations of Kathmandu and Lalitpur announced 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. curfew on Monday as well, citing possible violence and loss of property during agitations being carried out by the seven opposition political parties.
The government imposed daytime curfew from Saturday, the day of major showdown of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA). The government imposed 13 hours long curfew on Sunday.
The curfew orders have been clamped within the Ring Road area and parts of Kirtipur. However local authorities lifted day-time curfew in Bhaktapur district.
The regular curfew hours, 11:00 p.m.-3:00 a.m., first announced on Wednesday, will remain effective, according to the notices.
However, protesters defied the curfew orders and staged demonstrations in several places and courted arrests. Saturday’s meeting of the SPA decided to continue the four-day long general strike that concluded on Sunday. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06
Maoists on Saturday night shot dead three civilians of Piparapurva village development committee (VDC)-8 of Saptari in the charge of their involvement in killings, looting and kidnapping.
30-year-old Jakir Miya, 35-year-old Sharif Miya and 40-year-old Chandrasekhar Shah were killed by the Maoists, police said.
Five other locals were injured as the Maoists beat them up when they tried to save them.
In another incident, Maoists bombed the house of Pashupati Dayal Mishra, chairman of Banke District Development Committee on Saturday night.
According to reports, they looted all the properties from the house.
Likewise, Maoists abducted five employees of German aid agency (GTZ) from Doti district recently.
Reports quoted far western divisional headquarter of Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) as saying that GTZ employees were abducted when they were in Tikhatar village of the district on April 5.
They had gone there to access the feasibility of starting construction of a road from Silgadhi municipality to Ghangal village of the district. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06
The Nepal Bar Association on Sunday called the government to immediately lift curfew orders.
Issuing a press statement, the NBA called the government to immediately free political leaders, cadres and rights activists who were detained for participating in an agitation.
The government imposed night-time curfew from Wednesday and day-time curfew from Saturday to thwart the protest programme of Seven Party Alliance (SPA).
According to NBA, lawyers organized protests in all districts outside the Capital on Sunday, to protest expressing solidarity to the pro-democracy movement of the country. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06
An annual report of Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), a leading rights organization of the country has said that the human rights situation deteriorated in the country in 2005.
The “Human Rights Yearbook 2006” prepared by INSEC, held both the government forces and the Maoists responsible for gross human rights violations in 2005.
The State allegedly engaged in serious rights abuses in the name of quelling the Maoist insurgency while the latter were involved in grave human rights violations themselves, thereby violating international humanitarian laws, according to the report.
The report further said the ongoing conflict claimed 1524 lives in 2005, of which the security forces were responsible for killing 815 persons while the Maoists killed 709.
Furthermore, the “State-backed defense committees” killed 39 individuals, it said. Around 85 individuals were killed by the State and 24 by the rebels during the latter’s unilateral ceasefire.
The Maoists abducted 32,857 people last year, many of whom were school children.
The report further said that the rights situation further deteriorated after the February 1 royal takeover. “After the February 1 royal proclamation, the State completely neglected the rule of law. Prospect for dialogue and consensus was slammed shut with military might,” said INSEC’s report.
The report also criticised the judiciary for failing to take an initiative for constitutional remedy during the state of emergency. The absence of security institutions in rural areas gave a free hand to criminal groups, the INSEC report said, adding that such groups were responsible for the death of 371 persons.
Releasing the report Ian Martin, chief of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)-Nepal, said his office is deeply concerned with the ongoing action of the government to violate citizen’s human rights. He called on the government to refrain from suppressing peaceful protests.
The ongoing conflict has hit the people at grassroots hard, Martin said.
Criticising the government for imposing curfew, Subodh Pyakurel, chairman of INSEC, said the curfew was aimed at curtailing civil liberties.
He also urged the OHCHR to play an active role on the human rights front in Nepal. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06
The Tribhuvan University (TU) Office of the Controller of Examinations has postponed the Bachelor Level Third Year examinations under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and the Faculty of Science for the next four days due to special circumstances.
The examinations thus postponed are the Economics-305 examination under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences scheduled for April 10, the Optional Mathematics-333 examination under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and the Faculty of Science scheduled for April 13, the Optional Nepali and Optional English-305 examination under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences scheduled for April 16 and the Optional Mathematics-336 examination under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and the Faculty of Science scheduled for April 18, reports state run news agency Rastriya Samachar Samiti.
The remaining examinations except for the above-mentioned ones would be held as per schedule and a notice would be issued regarding the examinations that could not take place due to special circumstances, including curfew, the TU Office of the Controller of Examinations, Balkhu stated Sunday. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06
Domestic and International Flights from the Tribhuvan International Airport took place as pre-scheduled on Sunday despite the day long curfew imposed in the Kathmandu valley.
According to the Tribhuvan International Airport Civil Aviation Office, all national and international flights of various airlines left for various destinations from the capital and also arrived in the Capital.
The Sajha Yatayat, Nepal Tourism Board, Pre-Paid Taxi and security bodies had made special arrangement for facilitating transportation of the air passengers coming to and leaving Kathmandu.
The government imposed day long curfew in the capital on Sunday to check any untoward incident during the general strike of the Seven Party Alliance (SPA), citing Maoist’s infiltration in the general strike. nepalnews.com pb Apr 10 06