Reality World

Woman Killed in Rolpa Landmine Explosion THT Online Rolpa, June 24 A woman was killed when a landmine that was planted in the area of Naya Gorakh Battalion of Nepali Army exploded in Rolpa district today. Bhunti Gharti Magar, 26 who was collecting grass in the restricted area of the battalion at Satdobato of Khumel VDC-5 died when the landmine exploded at 8:15 am today, inspector at Rolpa District Police Office, Pawan Kumar Bhattarai said, adding, "Though entrance of civilians has been restricted in the areas of the battalion, Magar entered there to collect grass hiding herself." Primary details of the incident have been collected and preparations are on to take the body to district hospital for post-mortem, inspector, Bhattarai said.

Yadav Says Deadlock Should End Soon THT Online Kathmandu, June 25 Chairman of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum Upendra Yadav said that there should be enough mechanisms to check ruling party's monopoly in national Security Council - a major point of discord between the Maoists and Nepali Congress. "It was wrong from the very beginning not to have representation of opposition party in the national Security Council and therefore we should change this provision of the constitution," he said in an interaction organised here today. He also clarified that the induction of major opposition in the NSC was not the only option and the political parties should explore other mechanisms if they deemed necessary. CPN-Maoists and CPN-UML are saying that induction of opposition party in NSC is against accepted norms and tradition whereas NC is insisting that in a post conflict country like ours, such mechanism is imperative to maintain checks and balances. Yadav said polarisation between some pa

One Killed, 16 Injured in Mishaps THT Online Nepalgunj, June 24 One person was killed on-the-spot and 11 others injured when an over-speeding Indian bus (BR 30 A. 2255) carrying marriage-procession met with an accident in Banke of the district last night. The bus was heading towards Janakpur from Son Barsha of India. Identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained, said Superintendent of Police Ganesh KC. Of the injured, condition of Ram Das Bairagi of Bhadsar of the district and Oli Mahamad, Devana Saha, Nagendra Saha and Chandreshawr Mahat of India is reported critical. Meanwhile, five persons were injured seriously in a truck accident occurred at Jungepulesa of Surunga in Jhapa district today. A truck with the registration number Na 2 Kha 2249, heading towards the East overturned suddenly in the Mahendra Highway and thereby injuring five people in it, said the Area Police Office, Birtamod. Those injured in the incident are Peshal Khatiwada of Okhaldhunga, Suraj Chaudhari and Nabin

Five Tourist Vehicles Vandalized in Pokhara THT Online Pokhara, June 24 Agitating transport entrepreneurs vandalized five tourist vehicles which were heading to Kathmandu from Pokhara at Bijaypur of Lakhnath at 7:30 am today. Tourists traveling in the vehicles sustained minor injuries from the vandalism, Kedar Sharma, second vice chairman of Nepal Association of Tours and Travels Agents (NATTA) said. The vandalism smashed glasses of the vehicles run under NATT and tourists sustained injuries in their heads and hands, NATT said, adding, the tourists returned back to Pokhara in the respective vehicles after the vandalism. There were total of 110 tourists of Korea, Spain and India were traveling in the vehicles, NATTA said, adding that some of the tourists flew to capital and some of them forced to stay in hotels here following the incident. The NATT blamed that persons affiliated to Prithvi Highway Bus Entrepreneur Committee vandalized the vehicles as per their pre-plan. "We have no

PM May Quit Soon: Mahat THT Online Kathmandu, June 24: NC leader Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat on Monday said PM Girija Prasad Koirala may announce his resignation when the process of amending the interim constitution begins on Wednesday's CA meeting. Addressing a talk programme in the capital, Mahat said Mahat also made it clear that his party would sit in the opposition at the time when Maoists and CPN-UML have decided to elect the PM and the President on the basis of the "mathematical strength" of the CA. Mahat said opposition party's representation in the NSC was necessary in the "transitional period" to bring the peace process to a logical conclusion.

Iranian National Held With Drugs THT Online Kathmandu, June 2:4 Narcotic Drug Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU) on Friday seized 1.8 kg of methamphetamine from Iranian national Farzad Amaniyat Doust at the Tribhuvan International Airport, police said. The contraband was seized for the first time in Nepal, according to the NDCLEU. The anti-drug body said that the Iranian national was arrested when the police carried out a regular check at the departure terminal. Doust was scheduled to fly on a Quatar Airways flight to Doha. "The production and smuggling of narcotic, which is defined as 'ICE' in the world of narcotics is rapidly growing in the world and the seizure is the first of its kind in Nepal," a press release issued by the NDCLEU stated. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Crime Division yesterday arrested five persons from different parts of the valley on charge of involvement in a series of robbery. Those arrested include Sher Bahadur Kathayat, 27, of Kailal

One-third Population Facing Risk of Kala-azar: Report THTonline Rabin Giri Dharan, June 24: One-third of Nepal's population faces the risk of kala-azar with numbers going upto 8,007,323 in 2007 from what was 5,616,489 in 2006, a government report states. In 2001, some 5,500,113 persons were at the risk of this disease. The report has been published by the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD). Earlier, the disease, which is spread by sand flies, was prevelant in the Tarai but these days the disease has been found in the hilly region too. In the last three years Nepal, India and Bangladesh have jointly agreed to eradicate kala-azar by 2015 and several donors have pledged and invested more than Rs 40 million in Nepal only but, surprisingly the number of kala-azar patients and people vulnerable to the disease has been constantly rising. Special anti-kala-azar projects are underway in 12 districts including Sunsari, Morang, Jhapa, Saptari, Siraha, Sarlahi, Bara, Parsa, Mahot

CA to Decide All Issues: Gurung THT Online Kathmandu, June 24: Maoist leader Dev Gurung on Monday said his party has decided to take up the issues related to amendment to the interim constitution in the Constituent Assembly meeting. He said this decision was taken after series of meetings of the Seven-Party Alliance (SPA) failed to find a way to the protracted political deadlock. Speaking at a programme, Gurung said all the constitutional issues would be discussed in the CA, where Maoists would table a bill to make the fifth amendment to the interim constitution. He accused the Nepali Congress of coming in the way of finding a solution to the political deadlock and of putting preconditions before the formation of a post-election government. "After we agreed on most of the seven preconditions set by the NC, the party came up with a new one that the main opposition party must have representation in the National Security Council (NSC)," Gurung said. He said the NC did not want

City Stinks, Strike Hits Garbage Collection THT Online Kathmandu, June 24: Due to transport strike, garbage collection in the Valley has yet again been halted, just five days after the collection resumed. Earlier, garbage collection was hit after Sisdole folks obstructed the Kathmandu Metropolitan City from dumping the garbage in the Sisdole Landfill Site. Piles of garbage have been left uncollected alongside the roads in the capital with the Environment Management Department (KMD) of the KMC failing to collect garbage on Monday as well. The KMD held the transportation strike responsible for the situation. According to the KMD, the Valley generates more than 350 tonnes of garbage, which is first taken to the Teku Transfer Station before transfering it to the Sisdole Landfill Site. "The collected garbage has been dumped in the transfer station for the last two days and we have not been able to transport it to the Sisdole site due to strike," said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of K

UK to Provide $ 55 Million for Roads THT Online Kavre, June 22 United Kingdom (UK) has agreed to provide financial help worth $55 million (Rs 3.74 billion) to Nepal for road constructions over the next four years. "The United Kingdom has agreed to provide $55 million over the next four years to help the government link all of rural Nepal with roads," said UK Minister for International Development for Asia Shahid Malik who is on a three-day visit to Nepal. Malik was speaking during his inspection visit to a section of a rural road constructed with British aid in Kavre. Malik is in Kathmandu to observe development works carried out with British support and to meet political leaders. Over the past five years the government and donors have invested around $300 million in developing over 3,000 km of road network and connecting six million people. In the next five years, donors will provide an additional $550 million to upgrade almost 2,500 km of rural roads and provide around 40 m

Maoists Grab Land in Sunsari THT Online Itahari, June 22 Maoist cadres have grabbed two bighas and five kathhas of land belonging to the Shankaracharya Guthi in Madhesa VDC of Sunsari district and started farming in it. They also distributed portions of the land to a few Musahar and Batar families for building houses. According to Maoist district leaders, the land was seized to "upgrade the living standards" of under-privileged communities.

Thapa Against PLA's Integration Into NA THT Online Kathmandu, June 22 Former prime minister and Rastriya Janashakti Party chairman Surya Bahadur Thapa on Saturday said the Maoist army should not be integrated into the Nepal Army. Issuing a press statement, Thapa said the Maoist army should be integrated into other state organs, but not the national army, and they should be gracefully rehabilitated in the society. He said it would be a historical blunder if the Maoist combatants were integrated into the Nepal Army. Thapa also criticised the three big parties -- CPN-Maoist, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress -- for minimising the role of the Constituent Assembly. "The three big parties discuss national issues in private rooms or hotels and take those issues to the CA only for final approval. This tendency has minimised the importance of the nation's supreme body," the statement said. Thapa also sought clarification from the Prime Minister on Forest Minister Matrika Prasad Yada

Indigenous People Seek 26 CA Seats THT Online Kathmandu, June 22 Indigenous rights activists have demanded that the remaining 26 Constituent Assembly members be picked from the ethnic and indigenous communities. Speaking at a programme in Kathmandu on Saturday, Om Gurung of the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) said, "The remaining 26 CA members should be appointed from the indigenous groups." He said that indigenous people in Nepal were marginalised and that they should be incorporated well in the new federal democratic order. President of NEFIN Pasang Sherpa said, "Indigenous people need to unite themselves for the protection and promotion of their culture, language, religion, custom and tradition." The entire indigenous population needs to be represented in the CA to ensure a proportional development of all the castes, Sherpa added. He said there was no sign of an indigenous group member to be appointed the President or Prime Minister in the pr

UK Minister's Call for Govt Formation THT Online Kathmandu, June 21 British Minister for International Development Shahid Malik arrived in Kathmandu on Friday for a three-day visit to help the political parties move forward to form a government. Talking to reporters at the airport, Malik said he plans to visit Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala and leaders of the CPN-UML, CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, among others, including UN representatives and civil society members. "In the next few days we will have interactions and positive discussions with the political leaders and see how we can help Nepal," said Malik. Claiming that Nepali people wanted a government more than anything else, Malik said, "There have been 13,000 deaths in the past and the violence should be dead by now. Therefore, the rule of law and respect for human rights are crucial in this new Nepal." He said that responsibility now falls on the representatives of political parties to dec

Maoists Yet to Return Seized Property THT Online Kapilvastu, June 21 The Maoists are yet to return the land, houses and property belonging to individuals, schools and industries they had seized during the conflict. Although the former rebels have repeatedly promised to return the seized property, they are yet to turn their words into actions, Maoist victims say. The Maoists have not returned the land and property belonging to 15 families, the Kapilvastu chapter of INSEC said. The displaced families said they have started doubting whether their property would be returned at all. They urged the local administration, journalists and human rights activists to press the Maoists to return the property. The Maoists have not also returned a land belonging to Harihar Sanskrit Higher Secondary School in Bandganga VDC and a land belonging to Bansbari Leather Shoes Company in Chanai VDC. However, Maoists' district in-charge Chandra Bahadur Chand said all seized property had been returned and t

CA Members Flay Govt's Failure on Security Front THT Online Kathmandu, June 21 Members of the Constituent Assembly condemned the government for failing to maintain security in the country. During a meeting of the legislature on Friday, Nepali Congress CA member Jivan Prem Shrestha called the Home Minister to provide security to the people. "The Home Minister is busy in peace process. But he cannot escape from the responsibility of providing security to the people," he said. UML's Ramji Prasad Sharma criticised the government for failing to provide security to the public. Rastriya Jana Morcha's Rashmi Raj Nepali and Rastriya Prajatantra Party's Surya Bahadur KC questioned how the government would provide security to the commoners when it failed to protect the Chief Justice. The assembly members also accused the government of being insensitive towards the demands of students and low-wage people for relief from skyrocketing prices. Nepali Janta Dal's Gayatri

SC Fiat to Home Ministry Over Attack on CJ's Car THT Online Kathmandu, June 21 The Supreme Court on Friday told the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate into yesterday's attack on Chief Justice Kedar Prasad Giri's car by agitating students at Putalisadak. The apex court told the Home Ministry to book the persons responsible for the attack and sought its clarification on why security personnel did not forewarn the CJ about the situation on the streets. "The SC asked the ministry how security lapses happened when the mob attacked the Chief Justice's car," apex court assistant spokesperson Hemanta Rawal said. "We wrote a letter to the Home Secretary urging it to find out the facts," Rawal added. Though the SC was supposed to discuss the matter with the security officials on Friday, the apex court told the Home Ministry to carry out an investigation. The apex court also told the ministry to come up with effective mechanism for the security of VVIPs.

Achham Reeling Under Severe Food Shortage Binod Thapa Achham, June 21 Achham district is reeling under severe food crisis due to a sharp fall in production of winter crops. Chief of Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) depot here Dil Bahadur Thapa said all 75 VDCs were facing food shortage and people there have been demanding food supply. People in 12 VDCs of Pandrabis area and 15 VDCs of Chhabis area have started relying on wild roots and fruits due to the lack of food grains. Production of winter crops in 25 VDCs of Bhaikh area, which has comparatively more fertile land, too, declined sharply this year, according to District Agriculture Development Office (DADO). A local of Turmakhand of Baikh, Khadak BK, said people had been buying rice from Dailekh bazaar. But supply to Dailekh, too, stops after the onset of rainy season. "It is certain that we will starve once the supply to Dailekh bazaar stops." "We are eating staple food only once a day. The rich may manage the food anyho

Govt Preparing to Ratify Law on Disabled's Rights THT Online Kathmandu, June 21 The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW) is going to organise a meeting of the secretaries of line ministries on Sunday in connection with the ratification of the Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities. The government had signed the convention on January 3. Representatives from the MoWCSW, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Local Administration and others will attend the meeting, an official at the MoWCSW said. He further said the ministries would invite representatives from different rights groups to inform them of their decision and that the matter had already been discussed with representatives from the organisations working for the welfare of disabled people. Addressing a one-day training to disabled women on independent living, president of the Nepal Disabled Women's Association Tika Dahal said the state should listen to the voices of di

Koirala Can't Lead Nation Now: Gautam THT Online Bhairahawa, June 20 Standing committee member of the CPN-UML Bam Dev Gautam on Thursday ruled out the chances of NC president and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala becoming the first President of the country. Speaking at a press conference organised by the district chapter of the Press Chautari Nepal here, Gautam said that people had had enough of Nepali Congress (NC) as it was responsible for the ongoing political deadlock in the country. "As Nepalis have been experiencing an NC-led government for the past two years, Koirala cannot lead the nation now," he said, adding, "A sick Koirala should go for treatment rather than hold the presidency." Gautam said that the UML had several personalities suitable for the post of the President. "The Maoists have agreed on Sahana Pradhan's name for the presidential post," Gautam said, "However, the UML is in favour of former party general secretary Madhav