HM felicitates Queen Elizabeth II KATHMANDU, Apr. 21: His Majesty the King has extended cordial felicitations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on the occasion of Her Majesty's birthday. In a message, His Majesty has expressed best wishes for Her Majesty's personal health and happiness as well as for the continued progress and prosperity of the people of the United Kingdom. Congratulations KATHMANDU, Apr. 21: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand has extended sincere congratulations to Tony Blair, Prime Minster of the United Kingdom, on the occasion of the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II . In a message, Prime Minister Chand has wished for Prime Minister Blair's good health and happiness and as well as for the progress and prosperity of the people of the United Kingdom. Talks with Maoists today By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: Formal talks between His Majesty's Government and the CPN-Maoist begins tomorrow (Monday) to convert the cease-fire into a permanent peace. The talks will begin at 8 A.M. at Hotel Shanker, Lazimpat. Minister for Information and Communications, and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey said at a meeting with journalists today that Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand had sent letters to leaders of all the political parties represented in the dissolved House of Representatives to name their representatives to the directives committee. The committee if being formed to give suggestions and recommendations to the government's negotiating team. The Prime Minister also contacted them on the telephone, said Pandey. The government always wanted the participation of the political parties so that multi-party democracy could take root and function properly, he added. Minister Pandey, who is also a member of the government's negotiating team, said both the government and the CPN-Maoist were serious about the talks and committed to convert the 11-week-long ceasefire into a permanent peace. "The government is earnest about the talks," he said and asked all, including the media, to extend their cooperation for the success of the talks. To a query about the legitimacy of the negotiating team, Minister Pandey said that the government team had the authority and the power to negotiate because the deputy prime minister himself is leading the team and ministers are its members. The government's team is serious, legitimate and is aware about the needs of the country and the aspirations of the people, which is to establish permanent peace at present, he said. Answering another query on whether the government will put forth its agenda tomorrow, Minister Pandey said let the talks start first. To the comment made by president of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala that the government's negotiating team was a mere 'show-piece', Minister Pandey said that a 'show-piece' is very important to the market economy. "It is the life-line of the market economy." Bandh paralyses life across country By A Staff Reporter KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: Students affiliated to the different political parties enforced a total Nepal bandh Sunday, shutting down academic institutions and forcing vehicles off the roads. Life in all the major cities of the country was paralysed as even vehicles carrying tourists were not spared by the students out in the streets bent on vandalism and destruction. With the streets swept clean of vehicles, brides and grooms in full wedding attire were seen walking to the Bhadrakali temple to tie the nuptial knot. Home Ministry Spokesman Gopendra Bahadur Pandey said the agitating students vandalised four vehicles in the capital, including one carrying tourists. A driver was injured when the agitating students pelted stones at his vehicle. This is the first general strike that has been called since the government and the CPN (Maoist) announced a cease-fire almost three months ago. Seven student unions affiliated to the different political parties called the strike today to protest the death of a student, Devi Lal Poudel, of Butwal Multipurpose Campus, in police shooting the week before. The student unions are also protesting the postponement of the student union elections in Tribhuvan University scheduled for April 21. The election was rescheduled Thursday after the student union affiliated to the CPN (Maoist) went on a rampage to force its postponement. The students set fire to the storeroom of Tribhuvan University in Kirtipur after spraying kerosene. This is the third time the students have attacked the storeroom in the last few days. On Friday, important documents, papers and question papers meant for distribution on April 28 were destroyed. In Pokhara, Kaski District Education Office has been damaged. So have the office of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the District Forest Office in Gulmi. And a security guard of the Agricultural Development Bank in Ghorahi of Dang was injured as demonstrators tried to close down the bank. In Nepalgunj, the headquarters of Banke district in west Nepal, life came to a standstill as students belonging to the different unions of Mahendra Multiple Campus burnt tyres in different parts of the town and vandalised a jeep with Indian registration number and seven motorcyles. In a bid to see that no untoward incident occurred, the army, armed police and civil police were mobilised in this sensitive district. People from various walks of life have denounced today's Nepal bandh as it is expected to impact the ongoing exercise at restoring peace and reviving the country's ailing economy. "Such unwanted strikes are helpful only to those who do not want to see political stability and economic development," said Narendra Tamrakar, 74, a resident of Dallu in Kathmandu. The bandh also affected the National Vitamin A Programme (NVAP) as well as the tourism, industrial, educational and health sectors. The bandh hindered the supervision of the administration of Vitamin 'A' to children, according to Ram Kumar Shrestha, executive director of the NVAP. "As the supervisors were unable to go from place to place to see how things were going on, Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) will be mobilised tomorrow (Monday) to administer capsules to the children who were unable to receive them today," Shrestha said. Under the NVAP, the government had a target of administering Vitamin A capsules to about 3.3 million children aged between six to sixty months throughout the country on April 19 and 20. 'All should work for successful peace process' KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: Former minister and joint general secretary of Nepali Congress (Democratic) Bijaya Kumar Gachchhedar has said that question has been raised against Parliamentary system considered to be the best political system of the world due to inefficiency and incompetence of political leaders. Speaking at a Chintan Manan programme of Nepal Television he said sustainable peace is the need of the country and for that all should work to make the peace process successful. He said that the street protest of the students couldn't resolve any problem of the country. The former minister said those who say to be the supporter of Constitutional Monarchy, Constitutional Monarchy is inevitable and also threaten saying to go for republic type of system in Nepal, these are contradictory statement. His party wants that the Maoists problem should be resolved through dialogue, the former minister and joint secretary of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) said. POL prices reduced KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has, as instructed by His Majesty's Government, reduced the price of some petroleum products with immediate effect. Minister for Information and Communications, and General Administration Ramesh Nath Pandey made the announcement while talking to journalists at the Prime Minister's official residence at Baluwatar today. The NOC has been told to reduce the prices in view of the declining trend in the prices of petroleum products in the international market and also with the war in Iraq heading towards an end, he said. The price of diesel has, thus, been reduced by Rs.2 a litre from Rs. 35.50 to Rs. 33.50 that of subsidised kerosene by Rs. 3 per litre from Rs. 23 to Rs. 20 and of kerosene in the open market by Rs.1 from Rs. 28 to Rs. 27; and of the aviation fuel by Rs. 1 per litre from Rs. 34 to Rs. 33. The price of petrol remains unchanged. Minister Pandey, who is also the spokesman of the government, said that the government would constitute a monitoring and fixation committee to keep a watch on the price in the international market and on the import and sale of petroleum products. The committee will include representatives of Consumer Forum Nepal and Forum for the Protection of Consumers' Rights, he said. The prices of the petroleum products were increased on March 25, citing price adjustments. Since prices failed were not increased for a long time, Nepal Oil Corporation, the sole authority importing and distributing POL products in the country, was suffering huge losses. Minister Pandey said that the subsidy that the government has been giving to the consumers since a long time makes POL products cheaper in Nepal than in India, leading to their smuggling in huge quantities across the border. "The subsidy in the POL products has benefited smugglers more than the people here," he said. Cooperation from all necessary to ensure peace RSS POKHARA, Apr. 20: Minister for Population and Environment Kamal Chaulagai has said it is regrettable for the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML to seek to make the Maoists, who have come to the negotiating table, take to the street, and that the present situation of confrontation shows that the political parties are not cooperating in the peace talks. Speaking at a workshop here today concerning population management organised by the Ministry of Population and Environment and Kaski District Development Committee (DDC), Minister Chaulagai said that cooperation from the political parties, the Maoists, civic society and the government is necessary to ensure peace. As the people, fed up with violence for the last seven years, wanted peace, a progressive political resolution could be reached only through cooperation from one and all, he added. Joint secretary at the Ministry Bal Govinda Bista and under secretary Laxmi Raj Koirala also expressed their views at the programme. Meanwhile in Birendranagar, Assistant Minister for Population and Environment Gopal Dahit has said that the indigenous people, classes and communities should never forget the contributions of the monarchy. Spaking at a felicitation programme organised by the Tharu Welfare Assembly, Surkhet, Assistant Minister Dahit expressed the confidence that equal participation of all the classes in the political, economic and social field would help support lasting peace in the country. At the programme, president of Tharu Welfare Assembly Jaguram Chaudhari felicitated Assistant Minister Dahit by draping him with a shawl. Convenor of the felicitation committee Pyara Lal Chaudhari presided over the programme. CPN (United) stresses unity among parties KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: The CPN (United) central committee, at its 31st meeting held here today, decided to take initiative towards unity among all the political parties opposed to regression and in favour of a progressive solution in order to form a front and agree to a working unity. The meeting put forth its political stance that formulation of a new constitution has become necessary for a progressive political resolution. Adopting resolutions on a progressive political resolution, the meeting supported the ongoing student agitation and objected to the recent hike in the price of petroleum products and the action against the students. General secretary of the party Vishnu Bahadur Manandhar presided over the meeting. Storm, lightning kill six in eastern region RSS ITAHARI, Apr. 20: The devastating storm that has hit Sunsari district claimed three lives and damaged property worth millions of rupees. The storm which occured at 6 a.m. today killed Sampatiya Rabiraya, 70, Sabita Mochi, 6, and Ram Kumar Mandal, 5, of Chimadi VDC. They died when their house collapsed, it is learnt from police sub-inspector Dhak Bahadur Budhathoki. The high velocity wind blew away the roofs of 150 houses at Chimadi Bazaar and many head of cattle also perished, the police said. The storm has disrupted power supply and damaged standing crops, it is also stated. Meanwhile in Biratnagar, Gagan Singh Bhandari, a police constable at the Eastern Region Police Office, was killed in a storm that lashed the region at about 6 this morning. Bhandari, who was struck by a falling sirish tree on the office premises during the storm, died on the way to hospital. The storm has affected public life in districts of the Eastern Development Region including Morang. electricity supply has been knocked off, some telephone lines have been damaged and tin roofs of hundreds of houses blown away by the storm, it is learnt. Road transport has also been blocked at several places due to trees uprooted by the storm. The supply of drinking water has also been hampered by the breakdown of power supply. Likewise in Bhadrapur, eighteen-year-old Tika Devi Chaulagain of local Garamani VDC-9 died due to lightning this morning. Chaulagain, who was injured when struck by lightning in a fierce storm, was admitted to Mechi Zonal Hospital. She succumbed to her injuries while undergoing treatment. Durga Subedi and Bimala Subedi of the same locality who were also injured in the incident are undergoing treatment. Both of them are in an unconscious state at present, according to police. Her husband Dev Narayan Yadav sustained grievous injuries in the incident. Both husband and wife were going to their field when lightning struck. Yadav has been rushed to Janakpur for treatment, it is learnt from the police. Condolences on Hagen's death KATHMANDU, Apr. 20: Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA), in a press statement, today expressed deep condolence on the demise of Dr. Toni Hagen. "Late Hagen was very close to Nepal and always regarded Nepal as his second home. His death is a irreparable loss to Nepalese tourism," it said. Dr. Hagen, who played an important role in putting Nepal on the world map, died Wednesday in Switzerland. He was 86. He had been suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. He travelled 14,000 kilometres from 1950 to 1959. He started from the Terai, the plains, that was infested with malaria at that time, walked up the midlands upto the high Himalayas. He was scheduled to arrive here Monday to attend a three-day conference on the Agenda of Transformation. On Friday, Hagen was to present a documentary featuring the audio visual images that he filmed while travelling in the remote parts of the Himalayan Kingdom between 1950-1961. In a condolence message issued today, RPP president Rana has stated that the Nepali people would for ever cherish the contributions of the late Dr. Hagen, a very close friend of Nepal. Praying for eternal peace to the departed soul, he also extended heartfelt condolences to the late Dr. Hagen's two daughters and son. Similarly, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala has said that no one will forget the contributions of Dr. Toni Hagen, a thorough scholar who knew the land, the people and the heritage of Nepal and made others familiar with Nepal and who loved the Nepaleses and respected this country as his own motherland. In a condolence message, Koirala has prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and also extended heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved family. |
