Their Majesties King Gyanendra and Queen Komal visited eastern district of Ilam on Friday as part of their on-going visit of the eastern development region.
Their Majesties King Gyanendra and Queen Komal being welcomed by people of Ilam in course of Their Majesties visit of the Eastern region, Friday, Jan 06 06. Photo Courtesy : Basanta Chitrakar (DOI)
Eastern regional administrator, Jagadish Khadka, nominated head of District Development Committee (DDC) of Ilam, Lila Devi Shrestha, and other high ranking officials welcomed Their Majesties upon their arrival in Ilam, according to reports.
On the occasion, Their Majesties were felicitated at a programme organized at Tundikhel of Ilam district. His Majesty was attired in the military fatigue. Queen Komal was in bright red sari and cholo.
DDC president Shrestha briefed Their Majesties about the security situation and status of service delivery in the district. She apprised His Majesty that there was the need to upgrade facilities at the Ilam district hospital, among others.
Their Majesties interacted and listened to local people with keen interest after the felicitation.
Local people urged His Majesty King Gyanendra that their paramount concern was restoration of peace in the country.
His Majesty the King is acquiring information about the law and order situation and service delivery status in the districts of eastern development region.
Their Majesties flew back to the ‘Purvi Pritana’ (Eastern regional headquarters of the Royal Nepalese Army) at Itahari in Sunsari district Friday afternoon.
Their Majesties had left for the eastern region on January 1 and are scheduled to return to the capital on January 22. This is their second visit to the region after the Feb 1 royal takeover.
Mahendra Police Club (MPC) and Nabil Three Star Club (NTSC) played to a 2-2 draw in the match played in the ANFA Martyrs’ Memorial “A” Division League Football Tournament today.
MPC scored first in the 26th minute through Jumanu Rai. NTSC then equalized in the injury time in the first half (45+2) when Bijaya Gurung scored off a superb pass from Pradeep Maharjan.
After the re-start, the match went neck-to-neck and both teams tried to notch the victory. NTSC rode on the winning wheels in the 54th minute through Surendra Tamang who headed in a goal. But, Suman Subedi, a U-19 defender, scored the much-needed goal in the 63rd minute off Parbat Pandey’s corner kick.
The draw means MPC is on top of the league table 34 points, two ahead of Manang Marshyangdi Club while defending champions NTSC is in third position with 32 points. The Army team is in fourth position.
But there are limitations on Nepal’s use of the China card
By Kunda Dixit in New Delhi
A week before King Gyanendra took over on 1 February last year, he got Sher Bahadur Deuba to close down the Dalai Lama’s office in Kathmandu.
Ever since, the royal regime has been bending over backwards to lean on China. The king himself traveled to the Boao Summit in April, Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey has been commuting to Beijing, COAS Pyar Jung Thapa was there in November. And there has been a procession of Chinese delegations in Kathmandu, including a high-level Tibetan visit and one by senior PLA officials this month.
By trying to ingratiate itself to Beijing. King Gyaenendra is using his father’s policy of playing India off against China. Critics point out that policy was made at a time after Nepal’s two giant neighbours had just fought a bruising war in 1962. Today, they add, China and India are bhai-bhai again this strategy is hopelessly outdated.
Is it? Going by the shrill sinophobia in sections of the New Delhi chatterati, military, business and political establishment it looks like the king’s effort to use residual Indian paranoia about China as leverage to build support for himelf is working. The benefit may be short-term, but that is all the king needs to ride it out. This ‘inside track’ into Indian policy-making circles is probably why the monarch exudes so much confidence despite his international isolation and unpopularity at home.
Last week, the New Delhi papers prominently extolled the virtues of Bhutan’s King Jigme’s announcement that he was stepping down in 2008. Every Indian paper made unfavourable comparisons with King Gyanendra. ‘There are kings and there are kings,’ said the Times of India. The general refrain: here is Bhutan’s king taking his country towards democracy while Nepal’s king is taking his country away from it.
This week, the papers are full of $25 million unpaid RNA arrears to various Indian companies for military hardware. The underlying message is: we could overlook it but not if you keep taunting us.
But the divergence of Indian policy towards Nepal is often played out in the media with the pro-democracy line espoused by the Ministry of External Affairs and leftist politicians and the counter opinion pieces that portray the king and the army as bulwarks against a Maoist takeover of Nepal.
India’s lingering memory of being ‘stabbed in the back’ in 1962 is so strong there is growing alarm that South Block’s diplomacy towards Nepal is ‘pushing Kathmandu into the Chinese fold’. There is worry this would ‘diminish India’s standing in the region’.
One retired Indian official summed it up: “To counter American policy of containing China, Beijing is containing India.” He is convinced China engineered the Nepali veto at SAARC in Dhaka.
Till recently, conventional wisdom was that rapprochement between China and India and closer economic ties meant the two weren’t competing with each other in Nepal or elsewhere. While many still adhere to this view, some aren’t so sure any more. In fact, those who talk about a benign China are now often labeled in the Indian press as ‘Beijing apologists’ and part of a ‘pro-China lobby’.
King Gyanendra’s strategy of obtaining military aid and buying arms and ammunition from China and Pakistan has worked brilliantly to stoke fears in New Delhi about Nepal going over to the other side. Sections of the Indian military establishment who have all along been against the arms embargo take this as proof the MEA’s policy is pushing Nepal to China. Even though the recent $1 million military grant and the 18 trucks of grenades and bullets last month may not have been substantial, its prominent coverage in the Indian media stoked suspicions again.
Nepal’s strategy of needling India by brandishing the China stick, however, is fraught with dangers and is already triggering a backlash here. Even some hawks now think King Gyanendra has gone too far.
“He’s pulled a fast one, and we mustn’t allow him to get away with it,” a policy adviser usually sympathetic to the monarchy told us. Indeed, an op-ed piece recently in the Indian Express characterised the sentiment among a segment of the establishment New Delhi thus: ‘This too-clever-by-half king has to be taught a lesson he won’t forget in a hurry.’
The sinophobia here is also restricted to a relatively small section of the military-intelligence establishment and the political opposition. Political and business opinion in favour of increasing trade and other links with China is much bigger.
his section is more worried about how India can keep pace with China’s blistering economic growth and emulate its success in wooing foreign direct investment China is already India’s second-largest trading partner and it is unlikely that New Delhi will want to jeopardise its future relations with Beijing by quibbling over Nepal. Neither side would benefit if Nepal’s conflict raged out of control. Besides, New Delhi and Beijing demarcated their spheres of influence long ago. One former official in Kathmandu told us senior Chinese have been telling Nepali officials for the past 25 years to “sort it out with India”. The only issue that could worry the Chinese now is persistent talk among American hawks about ‘containing China’ and how the Indo-US strategic alliance will pan out in the future.
The royal regime thinks it can stoke this primordial distrust to its advantage. It must see Burma’s junta as a role model: getting away with crushing democracy for 35 years despite international outrage and western sanctions. And the fact that New Delhi tolerates and does business with Burma’s junta is probably not lost on Nepal’s ruler.
Courtesy : Nepali Times
(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected] and your comments/suggestions to [email protected])
Tribhuvan Army Club (TAC) soundly defeated Manang Marshyangdi Club (MMC) 2-1 while Armed Police Force (APF) played to an impressive 3-0 win against Machhindra Football Club (MFC) in the matches played in the ANFA Martyrs’ Memorial “A” Division League Football Tournament today at Dashrath Stadium today.
TAC started with a high tempo and attacked relentlessly around the goal-mouth of MMC. Ram Kumar Biswash could have scored in the 11th minute but his jumping header was denied by Nabin Neupane from the goal line. Then TAC could have celebrated in the 16th minute but right winger Shiva Choudhary missed another close chance. Finally, their relentless attack paid off in the 21st minute through skipper Janamat Karki. Karki put TAC ahead through a beautiful volley kick utilizing the pass off Raju Tamang, a national mid-fielder. The Army team took the lemon break up 1-0.
The real threat from MMC came from promising Sandeep Rai in the 49th minute but his shot hit the top bar. Then Chakra Tamang of TAC scored an unbelievable goal in the 54th minute utilizing the blunder of Bikash Malla. Malla went ahead to collect the ball from a defender but Tamang made a quick move and flicked the ball over the head of goalie, which rolled down slowly to kiss the net. MMC skipper Kumar Thapa finally scored a face saving goal in the 90+1 minutes with his solo effort.
Despite an impressive win, TAC stayed at the forth position with 31 points.
In the other game, Armed Police Force stepped up to fifth position with 25 points following an impressive 3-0 win against Machhindra FC.
APF rode the crest of skipper Jibesh Pandey, Dhanbir Chowdhary and super-sub Bhim Shrestha to thrash the Red Lion’s. Dhanbir Chowdhary found easy header in the 42nd minute when Ganesh Lawati set him a superb pass off Chandra Rana’s corner kick.
After the re-start, skipper Jibesh Pandey led his goal tally to 10 scoring an excellent header in the 66th minute off Man Sajan Rajbhandari’s cross. Super-sub Bhim Shrestha put the issue beyond doubt scoring in 90+2 minutes. Shrestha netted beautifully utilizing the left flank cross from Raghu Prajapati.
Dr Satish Kumar
Lecturer, MMH College, Ghaziabad
After his Nepal visit, Foreign Secretary Shayam Saran hinted that India’s relations with Nepal have resumed after a deep freeze of almost 10 months, but it would not be normal unless the democratic set up is restored. At a press conference Saran said, “Peace stability and economic progress in Nepal are not only in Nepal’s interest but also in India’s interest.” Observers interpret this statement as India’s deliberate attempt to downplay the importance it attaches to democracy in Nepal. According to this argument, Saran did not want to make his visit seem like a reaction by India to the royal regime that is increasingly playing the China card. But, the reality is China did trigger Saran’s visit. One, India is alarmed by China supplying the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) with arms and ammunition. Two, the debate is already growing whether India should have helped the RNA ‘to ward off China from meddling in its backyard.’
Indian security and military officials are concerned that Nepal may seek Chinese support to offset India’s negative role after the coup. China’s close ally Pakistan has significantly expanded its embassy in Kathmandu over the last decade. King Gyanendra’s tilt towards China during the 13th SAARC Summit reinforced Nepal’s equidistance policy between India and China. King Mahendra, father of King Gyanendra, harboured anti-India sentiments and played the China card during the 1950-1960s. King Gyanendra is doing the same, counterbalancing India by wooing China.
China recently announced a raft of economic and trade measures with Nepal, including a bus service from Kathmandu to Lhasa, and an expanded transport link with the southern Himalayan region. China is building a second road link with the southern Himalayan region, King Mahendra constructed the first one in the 1960s between Kathmandu and Tibet, which will move through the Rasuwagadhi and Kerung Pass. This will shorten Hindu Nepal’s access to Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar, among Hinduism’s holiest sites. Beijing also plans to enhance connectivity between Nepal and Tibet through fibre optic links and energy pipelines and bring the strategic China-Tibet railway closer to the Himalayan Kingdom.
It is an established fact that China has a well thought out strategic plan for the Himalayan states. China’s Nepal policy was based on Tibet’s safety and security along its southern front. Therefore, China has certain vested interests in Nepal. The shifting of the buffer zone between India and China from Tibet to Nepal highlights the increasing strategic importance of Nepal. Earlier, China did not have direct contacts with Nepal. It was connected via Tibet. Nepal and Tibet share a long contiguous border of more than 1,400 kilometres. Until the 1950s, Nepal was not a part of the strategic frontiers of China. Following the reassertion of Chinese military control over Tibet, Nepal came to share a common boundary with China. Diplomatic relations were established in 1956. After China occupied Tibet, Nepal became important to India and both countries signed a special friendship treaty. China has been keen to keep India embroiled in the quagmire of South Asian politics. India’s liberation of Bangladesh and peaceful nuclear test disturbed this Chinese strategy for South Asia. It co-opted Nepal into this strategy. The late King Birendra proposed that Nepal be declared a zone of peace to ensure the security and ensure non-interference guarantees from India.
Pakistan has become another security concern in Nepal. The Pakistan embassy in Kathmandu is allegedly providing financial assistance, transit facilities and fake passports to Kashmiri militants. It is involved in large-scale counterfeiting of Indian currency. The ISI is said to have purchased benami land in the Terai from where anti-India activities are carried out. India’s security concerns are growing with smugglers, militants, terrorists and criminals misusing its open border with Nepal. Stricter vigilance on the Indo-Pak border and concerted anti-terrorist activities in various parts of the country has made Nepal a favourite refuge for extremists. Pakistan’s Nepal policy is actively trying to create a wedge between India and Nepal and use to its advantage.
Keeping these security concerns in mind, India has decided to engage at present regime in Nepal. Shyam Sharan’s visit is a clear indication of this change. Pakistan has already made a heavy-handed offer to replace any aid withdrawn by India. Now security factors have become more important for India than the restoration of democracy in Nepal.
(The above article has been reproduced courtesy of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (www.ipcs.org) website and was posted in it on January 03 06.)
(Editor’s Note: Nepalis, wherever they live, as well as friends of Nepal around the globe are requested to contribute their views/opinions/recollections etc. on issues concerning present day Nepal to the Guest Column of Nepalnews. Length of the article should not be more than 1,000 words and may be edited for the purpose of clarity and space. Relevant photos as well as photo of the author may also be sent along with the article. Please send your write-ups to [email protected] and your comments/suggestions to [email protected])
The central regional conference of the Rajparishad has tabled a proposal urging all its members to be ready for confrontation if the seven agitating political parties try to lead the country into conflict, a news report said on Thursday.
Rajparishad Standing Committee member of the Rajparisahd and convenor of the conference, Satchit Shumsher JB Rana, tabled such a proposal keeping in view of the call of seven political parties to boycott the municipal polls slated for February 8, reports Kantipur daily.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the conference on Wednesday, Rana said that all the members has warned the political parties to take part in the elections to activate the democracy or face dire consequences, the report adds.
He also said that all the members of the Rajparishad are ready to fight if the parties opt to go for confrontation.
Stating that Maoist pressure in the cities including Kathmandu has decreased 11-months after the royal takeover, he said that if there was any delay in the proclamation, the independence and sovereignty of the country could have been hurt.
He also claimed that Maoist activities in the villages have also come down and corruption control has improved and that elections are being held with the improved situation during the period.
He said the political parties could not hold polls in their times and that they should participate in the elections now.
He marked the 12-point agreement between political parties and Maoists as unnatural coalition for the sake of power.
The conference will submit its report to His Majesty the King. Such conferences have already held in four development regions.
Speaking on the occasion were Rajparishad member ‘rastrakavi’ Madhav Prasad Ghimire, members Bhadra Kumari Ghale, Shamshul Haq and Standing Committee member Kulraj Sharma.
Speaking at the same programme, Chairman Parashu Narayan Chaudhari said that Rajparishad is a glorious constitutional body to present suggestions to His Majesty the King and called on all to cooperate with their minds and hearts with nation as the focal point as declared by His Majesty the King.
He said the road map of His Majesty is for promotion of nationalism, law and order, corruption control and it should not be misinterpreted.
The three day conference will collect suggestions regarding the royal proclamation of February 1, rationale of the zone of peace proposal, corruption control and media policy and security, among others and working papers will be presented, according to members of Rajparishad.
Speaking at the same program, Vice Chairman of the Council Ministers Kirtinidhi Bista charged the political parties for making unnecessary coalition with the Maoists.
Bista said that the seven political parties have been losing their credibility after making coalition with the Maoists.
Referring to the call of seven opposition alliance to boycott the municipal polls, Bista said the government will continue its duty notwithstanding such minor things.
He asked as to why the political parties are making doubts even as His Majesty has said time and again that His Majesty is committed to multiparty democracy. This will only harm the political parties in the end, he said.
Vice Chairman Bista also said that the foreigners are putting unnecessary pressure to the government without realizing the ground reality of the country.
Three people were injured when suspected Maoists opened fire at them at the highway check-post at Bhanu Chowk Thursday morning.
Assistant Sub Inspector of Police Bir Singh Bhandari informed Nepalnews over telephone that they were shot at while the policemen were changing their shift.
He further informed that two policemen Thaman Oli and Krishna Budha and a civilian Durga Prashad Joshi were injured in the shoot-out.
“The police have started search operation in the area to arrest the shooters,” Bhandari added.
Nine civil society organisations, including NGO Federation of Nepal, have accused the Social Welfare Council of trying to implement the controversial code of conduct for NGOs by what they called ‘misinterpreting’ the recent verdict by the Supreme Court.
File photo of Supreme Court of Nepal
Addressing a press meet in the capital, Kathmandu, on Wednesday, civil society groups leveled serious accusation against the Social Welfare Council of ‘misinterpreting the verdict’ of the Supreme Court regarding the NGO code of conduct. They blamed the SWC of trying to implement the controversial code unilaterally in a `conspiratorial way.’
President of NGO Federation of Nepal Dr. Arjun Karki (File Photo)
President of NGO Federation of Nepal Dr. Arjun Karki (File Photo)
President of NGO Federation of Nepal—an umbrella organisation of over 2,600 NGOs across the country, Dr. Arjun Karki, alleged that the SWC’s statement was tantamount to “contempt of court” since the case was still sub-judice. He said the SWC had no right to “interpret” the court verdict to suit its own interests.
Talking to Nepalnews on Tuesday, member secretary of the SWC, Sharad Sharma, said that the interim order was automatically lifted as the order was effective until the Ministry for Women, Children and Social Welfare and the SWC presented written reply to the SC.
“’The Supreme Court on December 26, 2005 gave continuity to the stay order not to implement the code of conduct until the defendants in the case submitted their written reply to the court. As the written replies have been submitted, the Supreme Court has lifted the interim order making way for the SWC to implement the code of conduct till the final hearing on the case takes place and a verdict is announced,” Sharma said.
The Ministry for Women, Children and Social Welfare and the SWC submitted written replies last week to the court presenting the justification for the implementation of the code of conduct, Sharma added.
The government had issued the code of conduct saying that it was necessary to make NGOs transparent and dignified.
However, NGOs say the code is aimed at curbing the independence and neutrality of the NGOs.
In their joint statement issued Wednesday, NGO Federation of Nepal, Federation of Nationalities Nepal, Dalit NGO Federation, Women Security Pressure Group, Community Forestry Consumers’ Federation, National Federation of Disabled, Nepal and Defend Human Rights Movement, among others, said they had serious reservations towards the content, rationale and the body that issued the code of conduct for the NGOs. They said instead of scrapping it, the government’s announcement to implement it by issuing threats (to NGOs) was nothing but a misadventure. They have also announced that they will defy the controversial code.
Association of International NGOs in Nepal, UN agencies and rights groups have protested against the SWC’s decision to issue the code of conduct. The AIN said it had reservations regarding the process by which the code was introduced. The UN agencies said code of conduct is something which the member organisations themselves adopt and should not be imposed from outside.
According to reports, on Feb. 17, 2005—days after the royal takeover, the Ministry of Defense sent a letter to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare asking it to prepare the code of conduct for the NGOs. On July 14, the government issued an ordinance to amend the Social Welfare Act, 1992, and enforce a code of conduct for NGOs. The government also appointed supporters of the royal takeover to the SWC. The new SWC team then issued the code of conduct for NGOs in November 2005.
In response to two separate writ petitions, the Supreme Court on December 23, 2005 issued an interim order to the government asking it to stay the implementation of the code of conduct for NGOs.
Four days later, the apex court decided to give continuity to its order asking the government not to implement the controversial Code of Conduct for the NGOs until it receives written response from the authorities.
Talking to Nepalnews on Thursday, advocate Tikaram Bhattarai said the SWC can’t implement the code of conduct since it is sub-judice and that the court has also awarded priority to its hearing.
The apex court is expected to resume hearing on the case from next week, according to sources.
At least two people have been injured when an explosion took place at the District Education Office, Morang, on Thursday afternoon.
According to reports, two youths entered the District Education Office at Janapath tole in the eastern town of Biratnagar this afternoon. They inquired about the district education officer. When they were told that the DEO was out of office, they left behind a bag full of explosives and asked people to vacate the office premises immediately. They also fled from the scene.
The explosion – that took place at around 1:45 p. m.—has damaged the three-storey building, according to eye witnesses. The injured have been taken to the hospital for treatment.
Nobody has taken responsibility for the explosion but police blame the Maoist rebels for being responsible for the incident.
In a separate incident, there has been an explosion near Bindhyabasini cinema hall in the western town of Pokhara today. There have been no reports of casualties due to the explosion.
Since the withdrawal of their four-month-long unilateral ceasefire on Monday, Maoist rebels have been causing minor explosions at the government offices and municipal ward offices in various districts.
The explosions are taking place at a time when the authorities say security has been tightened across the country ahead of municipal-level polls slated on February 8, this year.
The first general convention of the breakaway Nepali Congress (Democratic) Party kicked off at New Baneswore in Kathmandu this afternoon.
Acting president of the Nepali Congress (Democratic), Gopal Man Shrestha, inaugurating the 11th general convention of the party at New Baneshwore, Thursday, Jan 05 06.
Acting president of the Nepali Congress (Democratic), Gopal Man Shrestha, inaugurating the 11th general convention of the party at New Baneshwore, Thursday, Jan 05 06. nepalnews.com/rh
Thousands of NC (D) delegates from around the country have arrived Kathmandu to take part in their party’s convention.
The premises of the Birendra International Convention Center (BICC) has been decorated with the four-star flag of the party.
Acting NC (D) president, Gopal Man Shrestha, inaugurated the general convention, which the party claims to be its 11th convention.
Media reports earlier said founder leader of Nepali Congress and former premier, K. P. Bhattarai, was expected to inaugurate the convention. Bhattarai is no more taking part in active politics mainly due to ill health after the NC underwent a vertical split in 2002.
Then premier Sher Bahadur Deuba led the break away faction after NC led by G P Koirala started disciplinary action against him for dissolving the parliament the same year.
Both the parties, however, are agitating against the royal takeover of February 2005 as members of the seven-party opposition alliance.
NC (D) is likely to declare itself neutral towards the constitutional monarchy in its party statute. The 11th general convention of Nepali Congress had also decided to delete references to constitutional monarchy from the party’s statute last year in response to the royal takeover.