By Indra Adhikari

Life in Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, seemed in hurry and haste as soon as the ten-hour-long curfew was relaxed at 6:00 on Friday evening.
People were anxious to know what had happened throughout the day. People lined up along the main streets. Radios were close to their ears to hear news form local FM stations. Many of them were waiting for vehicles but there were only private motors, motor cycles and taxis plying in the streets.

Cadres of political parties and students of Nepal Commerce Campus, Minbhavan, began their protests rally at Baneshwor chowk just a few minutes before it was 6 p. m. Security forces deployed in the area tried to disperse the crowd. Thank God, they did not use force to control the situation.

Large number of security personnel had gathered near Old Bus-park, Ratnapark, Bhotahity and Jamal areas to dismiss the possible agitation by political parties and their allies. Over a dozen private trucks and a fire fighter were kept ready in the area as the people were speeding off to their houses after beating the day-long curfew.

Life was suffocating. Few shops along the main streets opened for evening businesses. Buyers were queuing before them with fear that they would not be able to collect daily consumable items. Most of the medical clinics and vegetable shops were open in the evening while many others remained closed.

People looked unsure of what was going on around them. As this reporter tried to get their comments, most of them slid away. They feared talking to strangers and looked as if some spies were following them.

People who had come out of their 10-hour “confinement” within their houses feared to go near agitating mobs and instantly rushed towards safe destination once agitators were dispersed by security forces.

A student of Ratna Rajya Campus, Dinesh, said he spent all day watching TV. He said that a government that is responsible and accountable could not impose curfews just to foil peaceful mass meetings.

The rush was obvious. All have to reach their residence before the re-imposition of curfew only a couple of hours away– at 9 p.m.

By Indra Adhikari

Life in Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, seemed in hurry and haste as soon as the ten-hour-long curfew was relaxed at 6:00 on Friday evening.
People were anxious to know what had happened throughout the day. People lined up along the main streets. Radios were close to their ears to hear news form local FM stations. Many of them were waiting for vehicles but there were only private motors, motor cycles and taxis plying in the streets.

Cadres of political parties and students of Nepal Commerce Campus, Minbhavan, began their protests rally at Baneshwor chowk just a few minutes before it was 6 p. m. Security forces deployed in the area tried to disperse the crowd. Thank God, they did not use force to control the situation.

Large number of security personnel had gathered near Old Bus-park, Ratnapark, Bhotahity and Jamal areas to dismiss the possible agitation by political parties and their allies. Over a dozen private trucks and a fire fighter were kept ready in the area as the people were speeding off to their houses after beating the day-long curfew.

Life was suffocating. Few shops along the main streets opened for evening businesses. Buyers were queuing before them with fear that they would not be able to collect daily consumable items. Most of the medical clinics and vegetable shops were open in the evening while many others remained closed.

People looked unsure of what was going on around them. As this reporter tried to get their comments, most of them slid away. They feared talking to strangers and looked as if some spies were following them.

People who had come out of their 10-hour “confinement” within their houses feared to go near agitating mobs and instantly rushed towards safe destination once agitators were dispersed by security forces.

A student of Ratna Rajya Campus, Dinesh, said he spent all day watching TV. He said that a government that is responsible and accountable could not impose curfews just to foil peaceful mass meetings.

The rush was obvious. All have to reach their residence before the re-imposition of curfew only a couple of hours away– at 9 p.m.

Journalists have protested the government’s bid to introduce ‘Broadcasting Authority Ordinance’ saying it is against the rights to press freedom guaranteed by the constitution.

Speaking at an interaction in the capital on Wednesday, they said that the Ordinance will make FM stations impossible to run with the hike in licence fees of upto 20 percent.

Speaking at the programme, President of Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) Bishnu Nisthuri said, “The Ordinance is being intoroduced at a time when the government has publicly said that the media ordinance was not strong enough to control independent media.”

Coordinator of Save Independent Radio Movement (SIRM) Raghu Mainali said that the intention behind the ordinance was to make the FM stations financially weak, thereby stopping their operation.

A few FM radio activists were invited last month to give their nod to the ordinance, but no one has been provided with a copy of the ordinance.

They also condemned the government decision to impose curfew and issue prohibitory orders inside the valley, saying that government was forced to make the “crazy decision” as it was afraid of increasing public pressure.

The FNJ has also urged all the concerned parties to defy the unconstitutional orders of the government and continue their movement for democracy.

The government suspended mobile and UTL telephone services from Thursday ahead of the mass meeting of the seven political parties.

Seven political parties are organizing mass meeting in the capital on Friday.

This is the second time the mobile service has been disrupted following the February 1 royal takeover. The government suspended telephone and mobile service immediately after the February 1 royal takeover.

However landline telephone services of Nepal Telecom resumed at 8:30 a.m. Landlines and mobile phones went dead early this morning. On Monday, the government imposed curfew in Kathmandu and Lalitpur and prohibited rallies and mass movement inside the Ring Road.

However the political parties have vowed to continue the agitation despite the government’s prohibition.

Patan Appellate Court on Wednesday began hearing on a case filed by RPP chairman Pashupati SJB Rana seeking the court’s stay order to the Election Commission not to recognise the breakaway RPP led by Kamal Thapa as the legitimate RPP.

A division bench of chief judge of the court Rana Bahadur Bam and judge Durga Prasad Uprety began the hearing. A number of lawyers pleading on behalf of the petitioner argued that the claims made by Thapa faction of being genuine RPP were baseless, according to reports.

Senior advocates Radheshyam Adhikary, Bishwa Kanta Mainali, former attorney general Badri Bahadur Karki and advocates Madhav Banskota and Ram Prasad Bhandari pleaded on behalf of the RPP.

They asked the court to issue a stay order as “the writ petitioners would face irreparable losses, if the court did not issue a stay order.”

According to them, the court should order to the EC not to give RPP’s election symbol to the Thapa-led RPP and not to recognise its candidates as the official candidates of the RPP.

RPP led by Pashupati Shumsher Rana had filed a writ petition at the Appellate Court requesting a prohibitory order against the EC to prevent issuing of the party’s election symbol (plough) to the dissident group led by Home Minister Kamal Thapa.

Three children recruited by Maoists forcefully surrendered to the security forces on Monday, a press release issued by Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Wednesday said.

The Maoists had recruited Keshar Subedi alias ‘Bikash’ from Jaljala area of Sankhuwasabha district, Parsu Rai alias ‘Shakti’ from Sisuwa area of the same district and Sal Bahadur Adhikari alias ‘Dharatal’ from Bahrabise area by undermining the Geneva Convention.

Three of them surrendered with socket bombs, the statement adds.

The MoD statement said three Maoists including an Area Committee Member (ACM), have surrendered to the security expressing dissatisfaction over the Maoists’ activities.

Those arrested are ACM Mohan Kumar Dhamala alias ‘Gees’ of Khursanibari of Dailekh district, Hari Bahadur Nepali of Salleri of the same district and Khadga Bahadur Rokaya alias ‘Rajeev’ of Manakot of Bajura district.

One person was injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Maoists went off at Ganga Pipariya Road, five kilometers north of Gaur on Wednesday, the statement said.

Continuing with their abductions, the Maoists have kidnapped 36 teachers and students from different schools of Rupakot VDC of Lamjung district on Tuesday. Their whereabouts is not known, according to MoD.

A day after the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) sought clarification from the government regarding ban on peaceful demonstrations in the capital, a senior government official has clarified that the order has been enforced considering what he called “the grave situation” in the capital Valley.

The Office of the Council of Ministers claimed that the government had enforced prohibitory order in various parts of the Valley since Tuesday as per the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966.

Official news agency, Rastriya Samachar Samiti (RSS), quoted, Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, Diwakar Panta, as saying that Nepal ratified the ICCPR in 1976 and the necessary measure taken by the government at present in adverse circumstance was in accordance with Article 21 of the ICCPR.

Article 21 of the ICCPR states that, the right of peaceful assembly shall be recognised. No restriction may be placed on the exercise of this right other those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security or public safety, public order, the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedom of others.

“The decision made in a compulsive situation was as per the Constitution of Nepal and the international law,” he said.

Secretary Panta, however, said that the Council of Ministers had not received any official information regarding the clarification sought by the UN OHCHR from the government, as reported by the newspapers.

Issuing a press statement on Tuesday the OHCHR in Nepal has expressed regret at the government’s decision to impose ban on peaceful demonstrations in various parts of the capital and sought clarification from the government in this regard.

“OHCHR-Nepal regrets that the sweeping restrictions now imposed to ban all assemblies, processions and sit-ins in most of Kathmandu and Lalitpur represent an extreme limitation on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, which the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the authorities to respect,” the statement said.

The government on Monday imposed curfew in Kathmandu and Lalitpur and prohibited rallies and mass movement inside the Ring Road of the capital beginning Tuesday until further notice.

The government’s ban came days before the protest rally and mass meeting being organized by the seven party opposition alliance against the royal takeover on Friday.

The Government of Japan has provided 1,976,000 doses of oral-polio vaccines (OPVs) worth about US$233,000 to the Government of Nepal at the request of the Child Health Division, Department of Health Services, of the Ministry of Health and Population.

The OPVs will be administered to children under five during the Sub-National Immunization Days (S-NIDs) on January 21st and 22nd, this year.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Tsutomu Hiraoka

Japanese ambassador to Nepal Tsutomu Hiraoka (File Photo)
Japanese ambassador to Nepal, Tsutomu Hiraoka, handed over the oral polio vaccines to Ram Chandra Man Singh, Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Population, amidst a function at the Department of Health Services.

A press release issued by the Japanese embassy in Kathmandu Thursday said that the OPVs will be administered to more than 1.8 million children living in the communities of fifteen districts of the Eastern, Central and Far-Western Development Regions of the country.

The targeted districts are Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Udayapur (partial), Bara, Chitwan, Dhanusha, Parsa, Rauthat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Kailali and Kanchanpur.

“The main objective behind providing the OPVs is to contribute to making Nepal a polio-free zone and safeguarding the lives of Nepalese children from the crippling disease in the targeted high risk Terai districts,” the statement added.

Japan has been providing Nepal with one third of the total requirement of OPVs in coordination with various international agencies since 1997 after Nepal joined the campaign for global polio eradication in 1996. Japan has provided Nepal about 30 million doses of polio vaccines worth approximately 2.5 million US dollars as of January 2006, according to officials at the Japanese embassy in Kathmandu.

Speaking at the function, Ambassador Hiraoka highlighted the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan.

He also informed that the embassy will organize various cultural programs in Kathmandu throughout the 2006 to celebrate 50 years of friendship and to look forward to another 50 years of good relations, the statement said.

Amid speculation that he was placed under house arrest, top leader of the CPN (UML), Madhav Kumar Nepal, came out in the open Thursday afternoon to address a gathering of media personnel at Anam Nagar in the Nepalese capital.

CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal

CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal (File Photo)
Addressing a ‘Face to Face programme’ organized by the Kathmandu Branch of Press Chautari Nepal, a media group said to be close to his party, the UML leader said the seven party opposition alliance would stage demonstrations in Kathmandu Friday at any costs. He also called upon people to attend the protest rally and mass meeting.

He spent nearly an hour in the programme. He was, however, watched closely by security personnel in civil dress during the programme, according to a journalist associated with South Asian Free Media Association, Nepal chapter where the programme was held.

Nepal returned to his residence at Koteswore after the programme.

Dozens of political leaders and rights activists were arrested early Thursday morning in what has been described as the move by the government to foil mass meeting and rally being organized by the opposition parties on Friday.

Talking to Nepalnews this morning, UML leader said dozens of his party comrades had been arrested by police and that his residence was ‘searched’ by the security personnel.

Nepal FM 91.8, a private sector radio station, resumed its transmission from Thursday after over 17 hours of suspension from Wednesday evening due to technical failure.

A statement issued by the FM station said that transmission resumed at 10: 12 a.m. The FM’s management claimed that the technical failure was a result of the government’s refusal to install new equipment.

The FM has been operating 24 hours since its establishment a year ago. Its programs are based on news and entertainment.