University teachers organised a pen down strike throughout the country on Tuesday expressing solidarity to the general strike called by the seven agitating political parties and demanding restoration of complete democracy in the country.

“We boycotted classes showing solidarity with the seven party alliance’s struggle for democracy,” report quoted a professor at the Central Department of Political Science, Tribhuvan University as saying.

Meanwhile, a report from Pokhara said teachers at Prithivi Narayan Campus covered their mouths with black bands in protest of what they call autocracy.

Similarly reports from Myagdhi said teachers wore black bands round their wrists and staged a pen down at Myagdhi Multiple Campus on Tuesday.

Similarly, teachers of Bhojpur Campus and Mahendra Ratna Campus in Ilam also boycotted the classes and vowed to support the political parties in their upcoming general strikes.

Nepal University Teachers’ Association and Tribhuvan University Teachers’ Association jointly called on members to stage the pen-down.

The major political parties are organizing a four day long general strike from tomorrow for restoration of complete democracy in the country. nepalnews.com pb Apr 05 06

In a bid to prevent activists from taking part in the capital-centred demonstrations of the agitating parties, the local administration in Charikot, Dolakha, instructed bus owners to stop plying their vehicles on the Dolakha-Kathmandu and Ramechhap-Kathmandu routes from Tuesday afternoon, reports said.

Security personnel stopped passenger buses at Satdobato in the evening, report quoted officials at the Arniko Transport Committee, Dolakha, as saying.

According to reports, hundreds of passengers have been stranded after the buses were stopped mid-way.

Security personnel have beefed up checking of vehicles carrying goods to ensure no passengers were onboard.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Dhadingbeshi after forces barred their vehicles from heading to Kathmandu. The local administration, Mahottari, also barred buses from plying to Kathmandu from Jaleshwor.

Likewise, the local administration in Baglung, Parbat, Kaski and Myagdi districts of western Nepal have also ordered transport entrepreneurs not to ply long-route passenger bus services that connect to Kathmandu, as well as major cities in the country, from Wednesday, according to reports.

Meanwhile, local administration in Pokhara has impounded dozens of transport vehicles, with a view to operate them during the upcoming general strike called by Seven Party Alliance (SPA). The administration has also warned of stern action against businessmen pulling down shutters during the strike. nepalnews.com pb Apr 05 06

The first jute mill of the country, Biratnagar Jute Mill, has been unexpectedly closed from Tuesday citing scarcity of raw materials.

The closure of the mill in the eastern district of Morang has left over 3,500 workers unemployed.

The mill was being run by the Arihant Multi Fibers, a member institution of Golcha Organisation, on a contract of five years since November 17, 2002. The company had agreed to inform the management board of the industry three months before it decided to withdraw from the contract. However, the workers say that the company had informed them only 15 days before the closure.

According to the agreement, the government would receive a sum of Rs 9.5 million as an annual payment from the Arihant group. The company has not finalised the payment of the workers as well.

However, Raghupati Jute Mill and Arihant Fibers mill owned by the company have been operating.

Former contractor of the mill Nirmal Kumar Byas had also closed the mill before the completion of tenure of the agreement with the government. nepalnews.com ia Apr 05 06

Reports say that there have been clashes going on between the security forces and the Maoist insurgents at Surunga in the eastern district of Jhapa on Wednesday morning.

According to security sources, the clash ensued when the rebels attacked the vehicle carrying security personnel who were on their way to a local SLC examination center at around 7 a.m. The SLC examination at Surunga Secondary School has been postponed after the incident.

Unconfirmed reports say some six security personnel were killed in the incident. Security sources claimed that there are heavy casualties on the rebel side.

Officials at the Directorate of Public Relation (DPR) of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) said they were still waiting for the details of the incident.

Details are awaited. nepalnews.com by/ia Apr 05 06

It was complete disarray as Brunei, in 199th position in the FIFA world ranking, denied Nepal an easy passage into the quarter-finals with a surprising 2-1 victory in their Group B match at the MA Aziz Stadium in Bangladesh on Tuesday.

With a 1-0 victory over Bhutan on Tuesday, Sri Lanka is leading the group with six points, followed by Nepal and Brunei with three points each.

The Nepalese team played sluggish while Brunei started aggressively and bore fruit in the 10th minute when Adie Mohammed Salleh headed home the opener on a Sallehuddin Damit corner. The lead boosted the players’ confidence and captain Riwandi Wahit doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute on a freekick from Sallehuddin. Brunei took the lemon tea break up 2-0.

Lady luck was not favoring Nepal from the start as Surendra Tamang’s freekick hit the post in the 4th minute while Brunei goalkeeper Azman Ilham Noor made a brilliant save on a Bijay Gurung shot in the 35th minute.

Nepal dominated the second half and made some beautiful moves but failed to score. Nepal’s Tashi Tsering cut the deficit in the 60th minute when his header off a Bijaya Gurung corner found the back of the net.

Nepal coach Shyam Thapa blamed the defeat on his defenders. “It was our bad luck today. We dominated throughout the match and three of our shots hit the post. Despite this, my defenders conceded goals,” he said. “But we are still alive,” Thapa added. “I will motivate my players for the final game against Sri Lanka on April 6 and I have confidence in them that we can make it to the second round.”

Brunei coach Ali Haji Mustafa was pleased with his team’s performance. “I am proud with this show today. Nepal played very good football, but in the end result counts.”

Nepal will play its last league match against Sri Lanka to eye an quarterfinal berth tomorrow. nepalnews.com bt Apr 05 06

At least six security personnel have been killed when improvised explosive device placed by the Maoist rebels exploded near Surunga in Jhapa district Wednesday morning.

According to the Directorate of Public Relations (DPR) of the Royal Nepalese Army, five soldiers and a policeman were killed when the rebels ambushed a vehicle they were traveling in along the Mahendra highway. The security vehicle was on its way to a local SLC examination center carrying question papers for the SLC students.

The DPR said a civilian was also injured during firing by the rebels. It said the details were still awaited.

Similarly, reports from Sindhupalchok district said security personnel and rebels clashes at Khadichour area of the district on Wednesday after the rebels attacked a team of security personnel that was returning on foot after guarding a SLC exam center.

Details were not immediately available. nepalnews.com by Apr 05 06

Police have taken into custody 37 professionals including journalists, lawyers and professors on Wednesday morning as they were taking out a peaceful rally in defiance of prohibitory orders from New Baneshwore of Kathmandu.

Those arrested include president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists Bishnu Nisthuri, general secretary Mahendra Bista, Chairman of Nepal Bar Association Sambhu Thapa among others.

According to Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), 13 journalists, 13 lawyers, 5 professors, 3 doctors, 2 film artists and a civil movement activist were arrested from the peaceful protest rally organized by Professional Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD).

Gopal Thapaliya, President of SAFMA Nepal, who was injured during the protest programme, is undergoing treatment at Kathmandu Model Hospital, Bagbazaar.

Local authorities in Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts on Tuesday issued prohibitory orders, barring public assemblies and rallies within Ring Road area from Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in a bid to foil the general strike of seven political parties the government has started to raid the houses and arrest leaders of major political parties.

According to Nepali Congress (Democratic), police without any arrest warrant entered the houses of various leaders of the party early morning today and arrested at least 14 leaders of the party.

Among the arrested are party general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi and central members Dr Minendra Rizal, Manmohan Bhattarai and Indra Bahadur Gurung. Other arrested are Arun Singh Rathor, Dhurba Adhikari, Damodar Khadka, Chakra Thakuri, Sabuj Krishna Bania, NSU general secretary Kiran Poudel, NSU joint general secretary Kalyan Gurung, Manju Khand, Sudarshan Acharya and Bishnu Adhikari.

Police also arrested at least 22 leaders of the CPN-UML. According to the party, the arrested leaders include Shuvas Chandra Nemwang, Ram Chandra Jha, Keshav Badal, Bhim Rawal, Gopal Shakya and Raghu Pant. nepalnews.com pb Apr 05 06

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare has been mulling over amendment in 137 discriminatory legislative provisions.

Speaking at an interaction in the capital on Tuesday, Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Dr Durga Pokharel said that the amendment process will be completed within two months. “The Ministry and the National Women Commission should work jointly while formulating and implementing the laws,” she said.

Dr Pokharel also informed that the women who have been serving as development officers for the last 25 years will be made permanent. Ninety percent of the work has been completed, according to state run The Rising Nepal.

“Until the women get equal share in property, there will not be any development in the country and the concept of poverty reduction will be limited to principles,” she said.

Speaking at the same programme, vice-chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr Shankar Sharma said that it would be better to focus on the part of advocating the policies.

Dr Sharma said that the government has made provision of vocational training to those who had failed SLC in Karnali Zone and also provided scholarships to dalits and girls in the zone.

Newly appointed chairperson of NCW, Bandana Rana, said that the mandate for reforming the status of women was a challenging task. “The overall mandate of the Commission is to work towards creating a conducive environment for the protection and promotion of women’s rights, empowerment of women, gender equality, social justice and increasing women’s participation in the mainstream of national development,” she said. nepalnews.com pb Apr 05 06

The Nepal Samata Party (Socialist) has been merged into the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa.

Chairperson of Nepal Samata Party (Socialist) Dayananda Thapa handed over the Party’s flag, statue and manifesto to RPP President and Home Minister Kamal Thapa amidst a function at Lalitpur on Tuesday.

Likewise, RPP President Thapa presented the Party’s membership to central members and workers of the Nepal Samata Party.

Speaking on the occasion, RPP President Thapa expressed the view that the unification between the two parties would help RPP become the leading nationalist democratic party of the country.

Home Minister Kamal Thapa is leading the breakaway faction of RPP. nepalnews.com pb Apr 05 06

A senior member of the royal cabinet has claimed that India has beenf supporting the Maoist rebels and the agitating political parties to create political instability in Nepal.

Rajdhani daily quoted Minister for Science and Technology Prakash Koirala as saying that the seven parties have been organising protest programmes with “direct support and involvement” of India.

Koirala said the parties should not act according to the direction of foreign powers.

He also alleged India of not wanting to see peace and political stability in Nepal. India is making the parties and the Maoist rebels dance to its tune, he further said, adding that the southern neighbor has a direct hand in the pact between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists.

He said the seven parties failed to bring the Maoists into the political mainstream. “It is unfortunate that the leaders who declared the Maoists as terrorists have now signed an agreement to step up against the government. This is against the interest of nation and nationality,” Rajdhani quoted minister Koirala as saying.

Koirala, a former Nepali Congress leader, who was later expelled from the party for supporting the ‘February 1’ royal takeover, said that the government was forced to ban the movement of seven parties, though the constitution permits for peaceful assembly, because the government has received authentic information of infiltration of the Maoists.

He also blamed the parties of trying to make Nepal like Bhutan and Sikkim, run as per the interest of India.

Koirala, however, said the government was ready for reconciliation and dialogue for peaceful solution to the crisis facing the country.. nepalnews.com ia Apr 05 06