The CPN (UML) on Sunday called upon the CPN (Maoist) to stop violence and announce ceasefire at the earliest.
The UML made its call to the rebels after the meeting of the Standing Committee today. The party said the violent movement being waged by the Maoists had put the lives of the people to greater difficulty.
A statement issued by the party after the meeting said the ongoing Maoist violence had also been “badly affecting the movement of the seven political parties for total democracy, sustainable peace and progress.”
The party also took the government to task for executing killings and arbitrary arrests every day and creating an environment of fear in the country. Incidents of violence involving the state have been rising in the country of late, according to the UML.
The UML also condemned the manhandling of over 100 innocent villagers in Routeli Bichuwa area of Kanchanpur by the security forces and said that the incident was the latest example of ‘state terror’.
The Standing Committee meeting, which was chaired by acting general secretary Amrit Bohara, also discussed the upcoming protest program announced by the parties in the second week of April, leaders said.
The 12th edition of the annual IT fete, 12th CAN Info-Tech, is underway in the Birendra International Convention Centre showcasing different IT related products but it has failed to accomodate the exposition on Nepali software Nepalinux.
Talking to Nepalnews Kedar Sharma, an official with the Nepalinux, said that despite various rounds of correspondence with the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN), the organizer of the gala IT event did not provide space to set up a stall for the Nepalinux.
“Though we got assurance from CAN for space earlier but they denied the space to us even after we agreed to pay for the space,” Sharma added.
The Nepalinux is providing service to the Nepali software lovers from open space outside the BICC complex.
“The number of visitors is very encouraging, but we were unable to operate it for seven whole days and stopping the exhibition from Sunday due to resource crunch” he said, adding, “We have to spend more money while operating independent stall outside the BICC premises.”
The CAN Info-Tech will last till Tuesday.
110 different companies including four Indian companies working in the different fields of information and communication technology are participating in the exhibition.
However, coordinator of CAN Info-Tech C N Upadhaya informed that they (Nepalinux) did not place the stall in the space provided by the CAN and took out in street.
“We offered them space but were unable to provide them as demanded by them so they preferred to go outside the BICC premises,” Upadhaya added.
He dismissed the allegations that CAN did not provide space while paying money as well, saying “They asked us space free of cost so we did not provide them as per their demand.”
Official at the CAN Ganesh Dhungana informed that nearly 200 thousand people visited the annual gala IT event till date.
The Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) on Sunday constituted a team to investigate into the alleged manhandling of over 100 local residents of Routeli Bichuwa area of Kanchanpur district by RNA men inside the barrack on Saturday.
The state-owned Radio Nepal said the RNA’s Far-western divisional headquarters in Dipayal formed an inquiry team chaired by Colonel Ram Krishna Adhikari of No.24 Briade of the RNA.
The probe team was constituted after media reports said that RNA soldiers, who were in the area to inquire about the killing of a RNA soldier on Wednesday by suspected Maoists, physically assaulted more than 100 innocent villagers – mostly elderly people, women and children -after bringing them to the barrack.
Political parties and human rights organizations were quick to denounce the alleged manhandling of the innocent local people.
At a time when the Nepal police is getting criticism from all walks of life for misconduct of police personnel Nepal police has said that it is fully aware and committed to ensure human rights in the country.
“Nepal police has responded to all the queries so far made by the Nepal-based United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR) on reported cases of disappearance and other abuse of human rights,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Keshav Baral speaking at a press conference in the Capital on Friday.
“We responded to all 1371 queries of OHCHR,” he said, adding, “The police was sensitive to prevent the cases of disappearance and other human right abuses.”
The police responded to 135 out of 861 queries made by the NHRC and the remaining numbers of cases are under our investigation, he added.
He said that the headquarter had punished 109 police personnel including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and 6 Police Inspector in the year of 2062/63 for abusing human rights.
“Some persons with criminal mentality might have entered into Nepal Police,” he said. “But, we are committed to punish those police personnel who committed crimes as per the law and media should also persuade to do the same,” he added.
He informed that 1,462 police personnel were killed during a decade long conflict of the country.
Country director of the World Bank for Nepal Ken Ohashi has said that the reform process is getting slow, due to various reasons including political instability and intensified conflict.
Speaking at a talk programme on ‘Political Economy of Reforms’, jointly organised by Management Association of Nepal-Management Development Centre (MAN-MDC) and The World Bank, in the Capital on Friday, Ohashi said, “The bank is concerned about the country’s low growth rate and has made a slight shift towards growth agenda.”
“Though reforms in the medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) through pro-poor spending has risen from 28 per cent in 2003 to 31 per cent in 2005 and 34 per cent in 2006, there are some negative developments such as dissolution of elected local bodies (2002), dissolution of the parliament (2002), intensification of the conflict, February 1 move, control of press freedom, slowing of reforms in 2004-05, tendency for central control and lack of focus on the development agenda after February 1,” he added.
He further said that WB may lend about $100 million every year starting from 2006 to 2008, which is likely to be linked with reforms in sectors like higher education, poverty alleviation, irrigation, agriculture, HIV/ AIDS, community electrification, infrastructure and social sector operation.
Dr Bimal Koirala, former chief secretary and chief of MAN-MDC, presenting a paper on the political economy of reforms discussed about reforms before 1985 and after.
He said that the state has failed to build infrastructure which has become a big burden for national treasury.
Dr Koirala also said that politics of uncertainty has gripped the country since the elected local bodies and parliament were suspended in 2002. “It not only hindered reforms, but also arrested development,” said he.
He stressed for negotiated settlement of conflict in order to attain harmonious balance among peace, democracy and development.
Talking about the slow reform in the two largest banks of the country, Koirala said, the government has failed to clarify with whom it stands – thousand of depositors or a handful of defaulters when talking about reforms in the largest banks – Nepal Bank Ltd (NBL) and Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB).
Dr Shankar Sharma, vice chairman of National Planning Commission and Madhukar SJB Rana, former Finance Minister also shared views at the program.
Various political parties have condemned the arrest of CPN-UML general-secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal and seizure of communications equipment from his house.
Issuing separate press statements on Friday, Nepali Congress-Democratic (NC-D), Rastriya Prajatantra Party and Rastriya Janashakti said the government’s action has made a mockery of rule of law in the country and urged the government to immediately release him.
In a statement acting president of NC-D Gopal Man Shrestha said, “I strongly condemn the act of arresting Nepal in abduction-style and seizure of his communications equipment in an inhuman manner.”
RJP chairman and former Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa termed the arrest as “uncivilized”, adding, “Searching of his home and those of his relatives and seizure of communications equipment were detrimental to government talk about dialogue with the parties.”
“I express my deepest objection to this disgraceful act personally and on behalf of the party,” Thapa said in the statement, also urging the government to release Nepal immediately.
Terming the arrest of a leader, who was already in preventive detention, as “irrational”, RPP chairman Rana urged the government to immediately release Nepal out of respect.
Friday’s meeting of the CPN-UML’s standing committee also condemned the government for putting party general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal under preventive detention for three months on “fictitious charges”. The government had accused Nepal of “spreading rumours” against the government.
“It is unconstitutional, illegal and autocratic on the part of the government to put Nepal under preventive detention on fictitious charges,” said a press statement issued by the party after the meeting.
The meeting also condemned the government for confiscating communication equipments from Nepal’s residence on Wednesday.
General Secretary of the CPN-ML CP Mainali also condemned the government for putting Nepal under preventive detention for three months under “false charges”.
The government on Thursday transferred senior opposition leader, Madhav Kumar Nepal, who remained under house arrest since January 9 from “house arrest” to armed police force detention center in Kakani.
On Wednesday, Armed Police Force personnel had raided the house of Mr. Nepal and seized communications equipment including a telephone set, fax machine and a computer.
One security person was injured in a blast carried out by suspected Maoists in front of the District Traffic Police Office in Ghorahi, Dang district, Saturday morning.
Royal Nepalese Army soldier, Dambar Damu, who was on duty in the area, was severely injured in the blast, reports said. He has been taken to the local Mahendra Hospital for treatment.
International media groups have expressed grave concern over the systematic attacks, intimidation, harassment, sexual abuse in custody and arbitrary detention of media professionals by the security forces, especially out the Kathmandu Valley.
Releasing its final report about the situation of press freedom in Nepal at the end of its week-long visit to Nepal Saturday, the International Media Mission said, “Intimidation, harassment, attacks and detention of media professionals, particularly in the districts, have continued and furthermore, government pressure on independent media, especially through ‘one-door advertisement policy’, and self-censorship as a result of the actions of the national authorities, security forces and combatant parties have increased.”
Despite the claims of Minister of State for Information and Communication and Home Minister that the government was committed to press freedom, twelve international organisations participating in the mission said they noted that an alarming number of cases of harassment, intimidation, illegal detention, torture, restrictive directives, destruction and seizure of equipment, and attacks on media houses by all parties to the conflict.
The mission also criticised the Maoists for not respecting the press freedom and harassing media professional while in work fields.
The mission also pointed out that increasing involvement of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) and armed police forces in incidents of press freedom and freedom of expression violations, as well as interference in the media sphere.
The report publicised by the mission states that broadcasting authority and the Media Council will further endanger the survival of the independent media and freedom of expression in the country. It said the media ordinances introduced by the government were in contradiction to the principles of the Constitution of 1990.
The mission also objected the government’s admission to supporting an alternative journalists’ association. “The dismissal of state media practitioners for refusing to join this state-supported association demonstrates direct interference in the free choice of association,” it stated.
“The refusal of the government to respect freedom of expression and press freedom erodes 15 years of development for the media community in Nepal, as well as undermines democratic and economic progress and the chances of a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the country,” the group of international media experts added.
The international organizations stated that all combatants in the conflict have been responsible for abusing and contravening media practitioners’ rights.
The mission demanded that the anti-terrorism legislation like TADO must not be used to curb freedom of expression and immediate release of journalists including Shyam Shrestha and investigation into the killing of journalist Maheshwor Pahari in custody.
The media organisation stressed that all media practitioners who have undergone maltreatment and torture by the security forces must be compensated, reiterating that media practitioners are protected under national and international law and agreements and that those who violate these must be held accountable and prosecuted.
They demanded that media professionals in districts be allowed to report independently without facing pressure from the government and the Maoists to reveal sources of news.
The government should refrain from introducing any new ordinance or provisions that would alter or override media rights as enshrined in the 1990 constitution and international obligations, the mission members said, demanding the withdrawal of one-door advertisement policy which “has threatened the financial viability of media”.
The international media monitors further said the government must reverse the exuberant fees levied in postage of small and medium sized newspapers in the districts and demanded that they should be allowed freely to use public methods of transportation to distribute their publications without interference.
The mission also demanded the withdrawal of restriction imposed on few online news portals and FM radio stations from broadcasting their news.
The mission also asked the international community to continue to address the violations of press freedom and freedom of expression in Nepal, and seize every opportunity to promote these rights.
Twelve international media organisations – ARTICLE 19, Free Voice, International Federation of Journalists, International Freedom of Expression Exchange, International Media Support, International News Safety Institute, International Press Institute, Reporters sans Frontières, South Asia Press Commission, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters and World Press Freedom Committee participated in the mission.
During their stay in Nepal, the members of the mission met with a broad cross-section of the national media community to discuss the press freedom and freedom of expression situation. They met national authorities, political parties, law experts, civil society representatives and ‘combatant parties’ to stress the need for unconditional respect for press freedom.
The Mission visited Pokhara, Surkhet and Birtamod and met with local civil authorities and representatives of the local media.
In view of the possibility of attacks by motorcycle-borne the Maoists, the authorities on Friday requested motorcyclists in the Kathmandu Valley not to carry pillion riders from Saturday onwards.
The district administrations of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur, issuing separate public notices, asked the motorcyclists not to carrying pillion riders until April 13.
The local administrations in the Valley had banned pillion riding on different dates in the past as well.
Even as the there are reports of motorcycle-borne Maoists making targets on security men and others in various parts around the country, no such incidents have taken place in the Valley in recent past.
Senior media experts have said that Nepalese media can help to resolve the problems dogging the country by presenting analytical news.
Speaking at a seminar in the Capital on Saturday organized by Reliance International Academy, they said that though journalism sector of the country is facing hard days with the political situation of the country, media should give analytical news to resolve the problems of the country.
Speaking on the occasion, media expert, Rama Krishna Regmi said that Nepali media is facing problem as the bureaucrats are not serious about media sector of the country and they did not know the importance of media.
Bishnu Nisthuri, president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists, said that journalists have been fulfilling their responsibilities towards people and the society despite various restrictions imposed by the government.
He said that media is playing a role of mainstreaming the deprived people and actively advocating for the social change.
Babita Basnet of Sancharika Samuha said that women are facing hardships than their male counterparts in the profession.
She complained that papers are facing economic crisis in absence of clear government policies.
Presenting paper on the occasion Mohan Nepali said that Nepali media are not giving proper space to analytical news related to media.