The All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU) affiliated to CPN-UML and the Nepal Students’ Union (NSU) affiliated to Nepali Congress won the majority of seats in the Free Students’ Union (FSU) election in campuses affiliated to Tribhuvan University and Mahendra Sanskrit University held across the country.

In results obtained so far, ANNFSU bagged 54 FSU chairman seats followed by NSU with 37 top posts and NC-D with 4, according to reports.

The candidates of the Nepal Students’ Council, student wing of Keshav Sthapit led Praja Parisad Party, won elections at the Koteswore Campus.

In many campuses, mixed panels comprising both the student unions won the election.

NSU’s Bhim Shris won the post of president at the TU Central Campus while all other posts went to the ANNFSU.

But the ANNFSU snatched the presidential post of Balmiki Bidhyapeeth, which is considered an NSU stronghold.

Report quoted NSU vice-president Pradip Poudel as saying that the NSU will have representation in as many as 47 different FSUs throughout the nation and will have presidents in 35 colleges.

The ANNFSU chief of the central department of press and publication said the union has won 43 panels throughout the nation and was involved in mixed panels at another 23 colleges, among which, the ANNFSU won the presidency at 11.

The overall voter turnout was 85 percent in the FSU election, against the voter turnout of 20 percent in the recently held municipal election.

The agitating student unions took the election as a part of their ongoing agitation for complete democracy and took part in a friendly manner.

India has reduced the assistance to Nepal in its budget for the year 2006-2007 unveiled in New Delhi on Wednesday.

According to the proposed new budget presented by the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, Nepal would get the financial assistance of IRs 650 million for this year. The Indian assistance to Nepal has gone down by more than IRs 50 million within the last two years.

The decline in Indian assistance has been observed as indication of India’s displeasure towards derailment of democratic process in Nepal.

The Indian assistance to Bangladesh has also been reduced to IRs 500 million this year from IRs 520 million last year. Indian assistance to Bhutan and Maldives has also been reduced while assistance to Sri Lanka has been kept constant.

The total budget for the Ministry of External Affairs- which oversees all foreign assistances– has been reduced to IRs 36,950 million, which was IRs 41,820 million during the last fiscal year.

Assistance for Central Asia and Myanmar has, however, been increased. Central Asia would get IRs 110 million of assistance and Myanmar would get IRs 250 million. Last year Indian assistance for Central Asia stood at IRs 90 million and for military-ruled Myanmar the sum was IRs 220 million.

India is one of the major donors in Nepal’s development since 1950s. It has halted the military assistance to Nepal after the royal take over of Feb. 1, 2005 and has been demanding that the king restore democratic process as soon as possible.

Amid pressure from rights organizations not to send any Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) personnel involved in human rights violations to the United Nations or other international missions, Nepal’s special representative to the United Nations (UN), Madhu Raman Acharya, has said that the government had a “mandatory policy” of excluding soldiers involved in human rights violation at home from UN peacekeeping missions, reports said.

Delivering his statement to a meeting of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations, Acharya said, “It has been a mandatory policy of His Majesty’s Government of Nepal not to include any security personnel, who has been found guilty of human rights violation at home, in any peacekeeping mission of the United Nations.”

He claimed there is not even a single instance where security personnel committing a rights violation have not been brought to book.

A report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal released on February 16 had urged that perpetrators of violations be made accountable within their ranks. “[They] should be excluded from participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations,” the report had said.

Commenting on OHCHR report, chief of the legal department of the RNA, Brigadier General B A Kumar Sharma told Nepalnews on February 17 that the RNA has already adopted the policy of not sending its personnel found guilty of human rights violations to the UN peacekeeping missions or any other missions abroad.

Despite the political unrest in the country, tourists arriving via air in February increased by 13 percent as compared to same month last year.

According to data of the Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Ministry, a total of 15,776 tourists visited Nepal this February as compared to a total of 14,001 last year.

Of the total tourist arrivals, 4,393 tourists were from India compared to 3,266 last February. Similarly, tourists arriving from third countries increased by six percent.

The number of Japanese tourists entering in the country has increased by a striking 130 percent. Likewise, Austrian tourists increased by 29 percent, Spanish by 63 and Swedish by 30 percent.

However, tourists from Netherlands decreased by 29 percent, while tourists from Britain , Italy and New Zealand decreased by 47, 20 and 16 percent respectively, according to the ministry.

The number of tourists visiting the country decreased by 2.54 percent in 2005 as compared to 2004 due to the political instability and conflict in the country.

Tourist arrivals by air inched down by 3.9 percent in 2005. Some 277,129 tourists visited the country by air during this period, as compared to 288,356 tourists in 2004.

US President George W Bush, who is currently in India, said on Thursday that the Nepal King should reach out to the political parties to restore democracy in the Kingdom.

Speaking at a joint press conference in New Delhi following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Bush said he and the Indian premier “agreed” that the King Gyanendra should restore democratic process.

“On Nepal, we agreed that the Maoists should abandon violence and that the King should reach out to the political parties to restore democratic institutions,” AFP quoted the US president as saying.

A Nepali journalist based in New Delhi told Radio Sagarmatha that the US Pesident told the press conference that the US and India also agreed to work for protection of human rights in Nepal and Myanmar.

Bush arrived in New Delhi after a stopover in Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Along with India and the United Kingdom, the US has suspended its military supplies to Nepal after the royal move of February 1, 2005, and has been reiterating for reconciliation between the King and the parties.

Recently, US ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty, blasted the 12-point agreement between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists and called upon the parties and the King to mend fences.

Situation of press freedom in districts is not like what is has been assumed by media personnel and freedom of expression activists based in Kathmandu.

Journalists displaced from various districts said they had to live under the pall of terror and intimidation from both sides- the security forces and Maoists rebels.

Addressing an interaction organized by the Media Services International (MSI) in the capital on Wednesday, Krishna Hari Ghimire, associated with Jana Prabhat weekly published from Sindhulimadi, the headquarters of Sindhuli district, alleged that a Royal Nepalese Army colonel publicly warned him and his colleague, Dwarika Kafle, on December 4 last year that he was waiting for a ‘suitable time’ to take ‘appropriate action’ against the journalist duo.

Ghimire quoted the army colonel as saying that they would be thrown into nearby Gwang River if they acted against the ‘will of the army’. Movement of journalists are closely observed by security personnel after the last year’s royal takeover, he said.

Kafle said children used to tease them why didn’t they have a guard if a security man in civil dress with a gun in hand was not following them. “We were afraid if we would be shot at and declared dead in ‘fake’ encounters,” he said.

Royal Nepalese Army says it has no policy of threatening the journalists and that it is quite aware to honor constitutionally guaranteed rights to press freedom.

Local journalists say they have been facing threats to their life from security forces and Chief District Officers (CDOs) after the royal takeover. “Through frequent telephone calls at midnight, security personnel used to wish me to ‘sleep forever’,” Ghimire said. He said he was unable to sleep for weeks. He said that the Sindhuli CDO has warned local NGOs of deregistration if they provided any advertisement to the local papers that did not support the king’s seizure of power last year. “As a journalist, we are supposed to write what is truth. But we were compelled to write ‘what we were told to write,'” added Ghimire.

Another journalist from remote, mid-western district of Dailekh, Yagya Raj Thapa, said that security men in civil dress closely followed what journalists were talking with the local people. He was offered a job with the state-owned Radio Nepal after the murder of his brother, Dekendra Thapa, by the Maoists. But he was sacked only after five months when he refused to join the pro-government National Federation of Journalists (NFJ).

Harassments from rebels are also a hash reality for most of the reporters working in the districts. Rebels warned dozens of journalist from Dailekh and Sindhuli of ‘physical action’ a few months back if they reported against their atrocities in the area. But the situation looks more relaxed after the CPN (Maoist) entered into a 12-point agreement with the agitating political parties in November last year.

Interestingly, journalists are also working as human rights defenders, as hapless local people approach them to negotiate with the rebels for the release of abductees as well as with the officials and security personnel to ensure release of detainees.

Journalists said they were yet to be paid by some of the big media houses for their stories sent from the districts.

“So-called big media houses do not care how we live or work. We have been wandering for the last two months in Kathmandu seeking help but no one has turned their ears,” said Ghimire and Kafle. Even the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) did not take care of our voices, they said.

In most of the districts in western Nepal, journalists are restricted to leave the district headquarters without the permission from district security officials or CDO. Out of 18 papers being published in Sindhuli, only two – Jana Prabhat and Sindhuli weeklies – have been able to continue their publication regularly after the royal takeover. A few other weeklies supporting king’s action come in the market as and when they get advertisement from the government authorities. Government advertisements to all other papers have been stopped. Out of 32 journalists working in Sindhuli, three have left their profession, four have been turned unemployed and over half-a- dozen journalist have been displaced to Kathmandu or other towns.

As long as the government and rebels remain intolerant towards the ‘fourth estate,’ such stories will continue to pour in.

Nepal Police has half-heartedly defended its chief, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Shyam Bhakta Thapa, after a leading private sector daily alleged that the police chief was protecting his P. A., police inspector Suresh Kumar Dhungana, against whom there were allegations of corruption, dacoity and manslaughter.

The state-run The Rising Nepal daily on Wednesday quoted Police headquarters as expressing “serious concern over the news reports involving two policemen, carried in serials by a vernacular daily and some other newspapers, and implicating the Inspector General of Police (IGP).”

”In response to a petition relating to a case of robbery in the involvement of Inspector Suresh Dhungana and Sub-inspector Kiran Joshi, IGP’s office had instructed Kathmandu District Police Office for necessary investigation. The investigation found the two police officers along with Bal Kumar Luitel, jamadar of Bhairabnath Battalion, Nar Bahadur Siwakoti, an assistant level employee at Dolakha District Development Committee, and Pemba Dorje Sherpa of Boudha to have been involved in the case. The police authorities have forwarded the case to the Office of Kathmandu district attorneys Tuesday,” the TRN news report said quoting the police HQ. her house at Nakatirayapur, Saptari

Jahari Yadav with her grandson in front of her house at Nakatirayapur, Saptari (Photo courtesy: Kantipur daily)
The official daily quoted police headquarter as saying that in relation to a case of road accident involving Dhungana at Nakatirayapur of Saptari district that resulted in the death of two individuals, Jahari Devi and Rita Devi, the spouses of the deceased have been provided a compensation of Rs. 160,000 following necessary investigations. The police authorities had sent the case to the Office of Saptari district attorneys who filed a case at Saptari District Court. The driver of the vehicle Tul Bahadur Gurung was released on bail as per the provision of Transportation Act, 2049 B. S. The police authority has also expressed commitment to conduct necessary investigations on all the complaints involving police personnel and punish the guilty, the news report further said.

On February 16, Kantipur daily reported that famous mountaineer Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who set two-world records while summitting Mount Everest, was taken into custody acting upon the complaints of the victims of a swindling scandal triggered by police inspector Suresh Dhungana who works at the secretariat of Inspector General of Police (IGP).

“I have been cheated. I have no involvement in this scandal. Inspector Dhungana forced me to sign the paper by threatening me with a pistol on my temple,” Khim Ghale of the daily quoted Sherpa as saying. “I had actually gone to IGP office to lodge a complaint regarding continuous death threats given to me and my uncle’s death,” he added.

Sherpa said he had also received threats after he set record by climbing Mount Everest in 12 hours. He had gone to IGP office to keep the IGP abreast of all these things, he said.

A day later, Kedar Ojha of the same daily wrote a front-page news report alleging that IGP Thapa was utilizing his clout to ‘save’ Dhungana. The daily also quoted sources as saying that IGP Thapa had hidden his property in the name of Dhungana.

Police headquarters neither confirmed nor denied these news reports.

On Feb. 22, Kantipur daily again followed up the story and reported that sort of “cold war” was going on between the District Police Office (DPO), Kathmandu and the police headquarter. Upon knowing that Dhungana had already obtained a visa for the US, DPO informed the security posts at the Tribhuvan International Airport and Thankot check post not to allow Dhungana to venture out of the capital. The daily quoted a highly placed senior police officer as saying that he was baffled to see IGP Thapa keeping mum at a time when the scandal had brought bad name to the entire police force.

Spacious bungalow bought by police inspector Dhungana in Kathmandu

Spacious bungalow bought by police inspector Dhungana in Kathmandu (Photo courtesy: Kantipur daily)
A day later (on Feb. 23), the leading daily reported that Inspector Dhungana had bought a huge bungalow worth Rs 9.3 million at posh Bishalnagar area of the capital within four years of joining the police service. A day later, the daily published the photo of the bungalow in its front page (See: pic). The same day (on Feb. 24), Kantipur published a front page news report by its Biratnagar-based reporter, Binod Bhandari, saying that IGP Thapa intervened to protect his P. A. Dhungana once again when the latter opened fire at fellow policemen right in front of deputy inspector general of police Ashok Shrestha in Biratnagar.

According to the daily, a Tata Sumo jeep (with plate no. Ba 4 Cha 435) being driven by inspector Dhungana knocked down and killed Sitaram Yadav, 50, and his 26-year-old son Bachhan Yadav near Rayapur chowk along the Mahendra highway in the eastern district of Saptari on Dec. 28 last year. Dhungana was taken into custody and was produced before DIG Shrestha a day later where he warned the senior police officer not to take any action against him and left the regional police office. He reportedly opened fire at two policemen who were following him but nobody was injured. Police later recorded that the vehicle was “being driven” by one Tul Bahadur Gurung, who was also traveling in the same vehicle. In a box news, the newspaper report said that Dhungana was the son of priest of IGP Thapa and was heading towards Koshi barrage and Paterawa police post allegedly to raise money.

The next day (Feb. 25) Kantipur daily published the photo of Jahari Devi of Nakatirayapur, Saptari, along with her grandson in its front page. In a moving story, Dilli Ram Khatiwada reported from Nakatirayapur that Yadav family had been in shambles following the death of their breadwinners. Sitaram and Bachhan Yadav were returning to their house from district headquarter, Rajbiraj, along with a water buffalo they had bought on that fateful day. Bachhan’s wife, 20-year-old Ritadevi, was in the fifth month of her pregnancy when her husband was killed, the news report said.

Again, the police headquarter did not respond.

On Sunday (Feb. 26), Kantipur daily reported that Superintendent of Police Rajendra Singh Bhandari, who was deployed at the IGP’s office, had been transferred. S. P. Bhandari was working as an investigation officer in Dhungana’s case and had reportedly submitted a report to IGP Thapa to take action against Dhungana. The police headquarter has also brought the Tata Sumo jeep that hit Yadav duo to Kathmandu, a separate news report in the daily said.

It was only after the series of expose that the state-run The Rising Nepal daily quoted police headquarter responding to the scandal on Wednesday. Interestingly, the clarification by police headquarter, which has not been carried by other media including the state-run Gorkhapatra, has failed to respond to serious allegations leveled by the Kantipur daily.

So, would the government’s response have been the same if there was a functioning parliament?

Talking to Nepalnews, editor of Kantipur daily, Narayan Wagle, said, “Our institutions hesitate to accept public criticism. This episode has shown very clearly that you can’t enforce existing rules and regulations in the absence of the parliament.”

Inspector Dhungana and another co-accused junior police officer in the case of dacoity remain at large as of now.

When quizzed in the capital last week (on Feb. 24) about the scandal, royal-appointed Home Minister Kamal Thapa told reporters that he will take action against police officers against whom there were charges of abduction and dacoity. “Action would be taken even against IGP Thapa if he is found involved,” said Minister Thapa.

Few would like to take the minister’s statement at face value.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide a loan assistance of Rs 1.4 billion (US$20.28 million) to the Centre for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), a government agency, to conduct employment training programmes.

Official news agency, RSS, said an agreement was signed between the ADB and the CTEVT recently.

The RSS quoted Ramesh Kumar Bakhati, director of the Plan Formulation Division of the CTEVT in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur, as saying that poor Dalits, nationalities and conflict-hit people would be prioritised in the short-term employment trainings.

With the loan assistance, the CTEVT will provide training to 80,000 Nepalis in the next five years. Trainings will be conducted in five districts Achham, Kapilbastu, Rautahat, Dhanusha and Ilam in the initial stage and will be extended to other districts gradually, Bakhati said

The District Cottage and Small Industry Offices, Labour Offices and various organisations will be coordinated for training on hair cutting, radio and TV repairing, wiring, hotel management, basic health, motor driving, sewing and weaving.

Maoists detonated bombs in the office of the World Food Programme (WFP) and three government offices in the eastern district of Jhapa Thursday morning, causing heavy loss of property.

The Maoists first bombed the Nepal Telecom’s office in Damak at around 11:00 a.m. Minutes after the blast in the Telecom office, simultaneous explosions took place at the WFP office and Land Revenue Office and Agricultural Development Bank, reports said.

The blast badly damaged the Land Revenue Office while other three offices suffered minor damages. There were no reports of human casualty in the explosions.

In collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the WFP has been providing food assistance to Bhutanese refugees living in Jhapa and Morang districts.

His Majesty King Gyanendra, who has started consultation with political personalities, granted audience to Home Minister and chairman of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (Thapa) Kamal Thapa and Local Development Minister Tanka Dhakal in Pokhara Thursday.

Minister Dhakal received an hour-long audience with the King from 10:00 a.m. at Ratna Mandir where Their Majesties are staying for the last few
days while Home Minister Thapa had one-to-one conversation for nearly two hours, according to reports.

The royal audience to the ministers follows a series of consultations by the monarch with cabinet vice-chairman duo, Dr Tulsi Giri and Kirti Nidhi Bista, and several political personalities including speaker Taranath Ranabhat, Ravindra Nath Sharma of RPP (Thapa) and Rajeshwor Devkota of RPP (Nationalist).

The King is in Pokhara as part of his three-week long informal visit to the western region.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering of party cadres in Pokhara soon after the royal audience, minister Thapa said a new political environment has been created in the country with the King opening the door for dialogue.

“The King has expressed readiness for dialogue. This has created a new political atmosphere in the country,” reports quoted him as saying.

Minister Dhakal was also present at the RPP (Thapa) function.