The Nepal Telecom and Spice Nepal Pvt Ltd have resumed their pre-paid cellular phone services that remained stalled since January 19 from Thursday morning.

The mobile phone service had remained suspended prior to municipal polls citing security reasons.

The NT had stopped its pre and post-paid mobile services from January 19 as per the directive of the government. Landline telephones – which went down as police raided houses and arrested over 100 opposition leaders and rights activists – resumed functioning after a few hours. The post paid mobile service resumed from January 23.

The pre-paid phone services have been resumed following protest programs launched by the Telecom employees for the last few days.

The employees had announced phase wise stir against the closure of pre-paid service saying NT was facing heavy losses due to closure.

The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) filed a charge-sheet against joint-secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Nagendra Prasad Ghimire, at the Special Court on Tuesday in connection with corruption.

The CIAA has claimed that he amassed property worth Rs 16,976,538 through illegal means and deposited it in his wife’s name.

The charge-sheet demanded that the amount be collected and fine imposed on Ghimire. The CIAA has also called for the imprisonment of Ghimire.

The CIAA said Ghimire and members of his family jointly own approximately Rs 2.4 million deposited in different banks, adding, the amount showed up after Ghimire became the director-general of the Department of Civil Aviation.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), global organization of journalists has expressed “extreme concern” over actions taken by Maoists on journalists.

IFJ President Christopher Warren (File Photo)

IFJ President Christopher Warren (File Photo)
A letter issued by IFJ President Christopher Warren addressed to Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara expressed serious concern over the action of Maoist district people’s court against journalists Yekandra Kumar Kunwar and Birendra Rawal.

The rebels had called both the journalists to appear before their court to answer for critical news reporting.

“Both journalists have been called to appear before their court to answer for critical news reporting, and have suffered ongoing persecution by the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist) as a result of their professional activities,” said IFJ President Warren.

Warren has also urged the Maoists to uphold their commitment to a free and independent press and immediately cease all action, legal and otherwise, against the duo.

Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC) has said that it would install 14 more tube wells to meet the shortage of drinking water in Kathmandu valley.

Annapurna post quoted the Managing Director of the corporation as saying that it plans to pump over 30 million liters of water from these newly installed tube wells.

However, only four of them would be installed – in Bode of Bhaktapur and Bansbari, Koteshor and Gangabu of Kathmandu – before the dry season begins this year. He informed that all tube wells would begin pumping water by the end of this fiscal year.

According to the corporation, the government has approved budget of Rs 155 million for the project.

Shortage of drinking water supply during the dry season is a serious problem in Kathmandu valley. The corporation has been able to supply drinking water to only half of the 1.8 million population. The demand has been increasing at 6-7 percent annually.

Ian Martin, head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal speaking to journalists at a press conference at Chauni, after making public report of the OHCHR that will be presented in the forthcoming 62nd session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Thursday, Feb 16 06. nepalnews.com/rh

Ian Martin, head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human…
The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal has called upon the Nepali authorities to hold accountable what it called perpetrators of human rights violations within the security forces and exclude them from participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

This is the first time that a UN agency has asked the Nepal government to bar its security personnel who have been involved in rights violations from peacekeeping operations. Nepali rights groups as well as the Amnesty International had recently demanded that the UN prohibit recruiting Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) personnel in its peacekeeping operations in view of what they call gross human rights violations by RNA.

RNA brass refute such allegations and say the army is committed to uphold human rights of the people. They say over 100 soldiers and officers have already been punished in connection with incidences related to human rights violations.

Participation in the UN peacekeeping missions has been a matter of great repute and a source of substantial revenue for the RNA.

Making public report of the OHCHR– that will be presented in the forthcoming 62nd session of the Commission on Human Rights—in Kathmandu on Thursday, head of the OHCHR mission in Nepal Ian martin said (the UN) was concerned that aerial bombardments could not distinguish between military and civilian targets. He cited the example o a four year child killed in Makwanpur district during aerial bombardment by the security forces. “The number of such incidents known to us are not large but we urge them not to engage in bombardments that harm civilian lives,” he said.

The 62nd session of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva is to be held from 13 March to 21 April this year.

The OHCHR has also called upon the CPN (Maoist) leadership to ensure that its cadres act in accordance with its commitment that it will observe humanitarian law and respect human rights. “Violations by CPN (Maoist) cannot excuse breaches by the State of its international legal obligations,” the report said.

The 25-page report said the recent clashes between the security forces and Maoist rebels in various districts including Syangja, Palpa, Makwanpur and Kavre occurred in highly populated areas, placing the civilian population in grave danger, and combatants made use of civilian buildings, including schools.

Children in particular have been placed at risk, including as combatants within the CPN (Maoist), by indiscriminate action by the security forces, including aerial bombardment, and by the placement or abandonment of explosive devices.

Martin further said OHCHR continues to be concerned about restrictions or attempted restrictions on fundamental rights including freedom of expression and freedom of association. He said the great majority of detainees who were arrested (between 20 January and 8 February this year) had been arbitrarily arrested for exercising their right to freedom of assembly or expressing their political opinion.

“Some have now been detained in unsatisfactory conditions for four weeks. In every case brought before the courts their detention is being found illegal, and the authorities should not be waiting fro court orders before releasing all those against whom there is no evidence of involvement in violence,” he added.

Referring to the firing by Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) personnel on political demonstrators early this month at Ghorahi in Dang in which UML activist Umesh Chandra Thapa was killed and half a dozen others were injured, Martin said OHCHR was investigating the circumstances, and had sought information from the Home Minister, the RNA and the police about official investigations. “We do not believe that investigations are being undertaken with the seriousness and independence that is required,” he said.

The OHCHR also condemned the murder of two election candidates, death and injury to others in attacks on candidates or their homes, and the murder of a taxi driver during the Maoist-declared ‘bandh. Martin also called upon the Maoists to release all the people, including three Surya Nepal executives, who have been taken hostages by a trade union affiliated to the CPN (Maoist).

“It is a tragedy for the people of Nepal that full-scale conflict has now resumed,” said Martin. He quoted his boss, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour as saying that those on either side of the conflict who commit violations must be held accountable. “This office would be closely monitoring the conduct of both parties,” he said.

Famous mountaineer Pemba Dorje Sherpa, who set two-world records while summiting Mount Everest, is languishing in police custody in Kathmandu for the last 11 days, reports said.

Famous mountaineer Pemba Dorje Sherpa (Photo courtesy: www.time.com)

Famous mountaineer Pemba Dorje Sherpa (Photo courtesy: www.time.com)
Everest summiteer Sherpa has been kept at Hanumandhoka police office on charges of being involved in a swindling scandal.

Sherpa, 28, however has refuted all the charges labeled against him.

Sherpa 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). However Sherpa said that inspector Suresh has threatened him and forced to do the work, reports Kantipur daily.

“I have been cheated. I have no involvement in this scandal. Inspector Suresh forced me to sign the paper by threatening me with a pistol on my temple,” said Sherpa, adding, “I have actually gone to IGP office to lodge a complaint regarding continuous death threats given to me and my uncle’s death.”

According to Sherpa, his uncle Dwang Sherpa was allegedly killed ten years ago by a Tibetan named Tamding Sherpa. Following this incident, Pemba has been threatened many times.

Sherpa says 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.

Pemba set the first world record by ascending Mount Everest in 12 hours three years ago and also set second world record by climbing the Mount Everest twice in five days.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called upon the Maoist rebels to demonstrate that they respect the international human rights standards, laws of war and (are ready to ) end abuses against civilians.

The New York based human rights watchdog stated that ten years of armed insurgency has subjected Nepalis to severe abuses by Maoist rebels and government forces and placed the country on the verge of a humanitarian disaster.

Research director of the organisation’s Asia division, Sam Zarifi, said that the Maoists must accept their share of blame for the country’s present crisis.

Maoist threats to aid and development workers, combined with strictly enforced prohibitions by the rebels against movement of vehicles, have greatly hampered delivery of humanitarian assistance to Nepal’s isolated countryside, further increasing the suffering of the most vulnerable segments of one of the poorest populations in the world, the release by Zarifi stated.

It’s Nepalis living in rural areas who have suffered the most from the abuses carried out by the Maoists and the army over the past ten years, the release added. It also warned that if the conflict intensified, or even continue as before, there is a real risk of a breakdown in Nepal’s already strained healthcare, education system and basic economy.

International human rights groups including HRW have sharply criticized the movement of Maoists on the grounds that the conflict has increased the human rights violations that has taken lives of 13,000 Nepalis in the last ten years.

Maoists have called off their indefinite blockade on the western section of the East-west Highway from Thursday.

A press statement issued by Ramesh Koirala, spokesperson of ‘western military command’ of the Maoist party, said the blockade has been withdrawn following requests by the local people, human rights organisations and media persons. He said vehicular traffic would be allowed on the highway from today itself.

Transportation had been badly affected since last few days after the rebels put barriers and planted landmines on the highway. Security forces had cleared some barriers but vehicles could not ply on the western section of the highway due to rebel threat.

The European Commission (EC) has pledged six million Euros from its humanitarian aid budget to step up its natural disaster preparedness efforts in South Asia, including in Nepal.

A press statement issued by the EC stated that the funds will be channeled through the Commission’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO) under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel.

The assistance provided by ECHO action plan is aimed at improving the response capacity of the local population in one of the most natural disaster-prone regions of the world, the statement adds.

The statement quoted Louis Michel as saying, “Recent disasters in the region – the most violent being the tsunami on 26 December 2004 and the earthquake in Pakistan on 8 October 2005 – have clearly demonstrated the importance of disaster preparedness. Simple actions can save lives, speed up recovery and reduce the impact of new disasters. We are far from helpless in the face of natural disasters. Disaster preparedness is helping people help themselves.”

“Nepal, a country in the throes of a conflict ignored by the media, has come out as being in need of more substantial support. It is victim to disasters all year round and lives under constant threat of a major earthquake in the Kathmandu valley,” the statement adds.

This initiative will also cover Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, countries also frequently hit by natural disasters.

Shrish Shumser Rana (File Photo)

Shrish Shumser Rana (File Photo)
Minister of State for Information and Communication Shrish Shumshere Rana, who is also the spokesperson of the government, has said that the government is mulling over formation of a new media council to make the media sector more dignified and disciplined.

Receiving a memorandum from National Journalists Federation (NJF), State Minister Rana made it clear that formation of a new media council is not to control the media sector but to regulate and uphold the dignity of the media sector.

He informed that the council would be formed within four months.

State minister Rana also informed that there would be a separate body to coordinate government advertisements and a separate law for print and electronic media. He however claimed that the new law is not aimed at controlling the media but to make them more professional.

The NJF also demanded for the dissolution of the Press Council Nepal citing partiality in the classification of newspapers.

The memorandum asked for formation of independent and powerful Media Council comprising experts from law and people related to media sectors.