#176 26 December 2003 - 1 January 2004 16 pages Rs 25

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Weekly Internet Poll # 117. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ. Now that their leaders have been released, shouldthe students call off their agitation?

Total votes:1,494

Weekly Internet Poll # 116Q. Is a military solution the only way to resolveNepal�s insurgency?

JANUARY: After months of secret negotiations, aceasefire is declared. The government withdrawsthe terrorist label and bounty on capture ofMaoists.FEBRUARY: Maoists organise mass meetings invarious cities, including Kathmandu. BaburamBhattarai and Ram Bahadur Thapa make publicappearances for the first time. Governmentforms negotiating team headed by MinisterNarayan Singh Pun.MARCH: First formal peace talks between thegovernment and Maoists begin in Kathmandu.Despite the ceasefire, Maoist extortion andthreats continue throughout the country althoughthere aren’t any major clashes.APRIL: Tourism in the peak trekking season is

hit by the effect of SARS, China sealsborder. A Himalmedia poll on Nepali new yearshows 70% of Nepalis think Maoist demandscan be met by peaceful means and 20percent would vote for them if they laydown arms.MAY: Five parties launch first phase ofagitation to force the king to reverse his 4October move. Their demand: either restoreparliament or form an all-party government.The United States lists Maoists as a terroristorganisation, prompting the rebels to hardentheir anti-American stance. Nepal benefitsfrom worldwide publicity at the EverestGolden Jubilee celebrations. New records andtraffic jams on the world’s highest mountain.

JUNE: Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chandresigns, setting off a scramble to replace him.King Gyanendra asks parties to recommendcandidate, but opts for Surya Bahadur Thapainstead of Madhab Nepal. Parties close down8,000 schools all over the country for a week.JULY: In response to a Maoist demand, thegovernment frees three rebel leaders to resumepeace talks. Agitating parties come up with an18-point program aimed at curtailing royalpowers. There are no signs of reconstructionand rehabilitation as the period of no war nopeace drags on.AUGUST: Children are declared a zone of peace.Army kills 17 Maoists in Doramaba just as talksare being held in Dang. Maoists declare an end

2003 2004to the ceasefire, government restores terroristtag. Maoists begin urban assassination killingsenior army colonel in Kathmandu.SEPTEMBER: Nepal joins the WTO in Cancun.Conflict escalates with heavy Maoistcasualties. Maoists take attacks down to thetarai. Kathmandu-based ambassadors lean onparties to patch up with king, they tone downagitation.OCTOBER: Under pressure from civil societyMaoists declare a 9-day unilateral Dasaiceasefire. Security forces continue operations.The CIAA arrests former Nepali Congress andRPP ministers for corruption. Global Nepalidiaspora holds its first ever conference inKathmandu.

NOVEMBER: The government sets up a‘unified command’ under the army and says itwill arm villagers to resist Maoists. Bothmoves condemned by rights groups anddonors. Maoists use landmines to targetsecurity patrols with devastating effect.Interpol once again issues red corner noticeagainst 11 Maoist leaders. Despite insurgency,tourism rebounds.DECEMBER: Five parties resume agitation,arrest of three student leaders angersprotestors. Government announces amnestyand rehabilitation for Maoists who surrender.National Human Rights Commission issueslist of more than 808 people disappearedby both sides.

As 2003 draws to a close, neither the palace and the parties, nor the army and the Maoists showsigns of negotiating. What is in store for 2004?

Best case scenario: Palace and the parties agree on a national government that will riseabove vested interest to agree on a ceasefire, while working towards local elections. The Maoistscould be persuaded to join the political mainstream and contest parliamentary elections in twoyears.

Worst case scenario: The king and parties carry on as sworn enemies, pushing the parties tojoin the Maoists in a republican cause. The parties’ agitation merges with the insurgency and thecountry sinks further into anarchy, the insurgency takes on an ethnic edge, there is greatermilitarisation, more human rights violations and at least another decade of worthless conflict.

Best and worst case scenarios

This year wasbloodier than

last year. Whatwill next year

be like?

2 EDITORIAL 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd,Chief Editor: Kunda DixitDesk Editor: Trishna Gurung , Design: Kiran MaharjanWebmaster: Bhushan Shilpakareditors@nepalitimes.com, www.nepalitimes.comAdvertising: Sunaina Shah advertising@himalmedia.comSubscription: Anil Karki subscription@himalmedia.comSales: Sudan Bista sales@himalmedia.comSanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 01-5543333/ 5523845 Fax: 01-5521013Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hattiban: 01-5547018/17

L E T T E R S

STATE OF THE STATE by CK LAL

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T A fter storming into the history ofNepal with the Kot Massacre, JangBahadur did three things. First, he

acquired social legitimacy by forcingintermarriages between the Shah clanswith their Kunwar soldiers. Second, hereinforced it by either butchering orexiling the competition. Third, heacquired political legitimacy from the EastIndia Company by offering the services ofthe Gorkha Army for activities likecrushing the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny forwhich Karl Marx gave Jang theappellation �British dog�.

These shrewd moves served Jang�sextended clan for well over 150 years,even though his sons had to enjoy theirprosperity in exile when his brothers didto each other what he had done to hisillustrious uncles. The cross-marriagesbetween the Shahs and Ranas fused the

Boom, gloom and doomtwo into the single ruling family of Nepal.

Rai, Magar and Gurung youngsterspaid with their lives in Flanders Field,Mesopotamia and the Burma Front sothat Nepal�s rulers would continue toprofit from their ties to the British. Hadsuccessive Rana cousins been lesstyrannical, perhaps the bravery of Gorkhasoldiers would have been much lessdesperate. Nepali rulers got used to a�permanent war economy�: living as ifthere was no tomorrow.

Lord Krishna says in the Gita thatpeople emulate what their �superiorbeings� do, so the present generation ofNepalis has also learnt to live for the day.Kathmandu�s rulers live their sepia colourlife reminiscing about the good old pre-1990 days when the downtrodden knewtheir place and stayed there. The neo-elitelived off the glory of the Jan Andolan of

We live in the present with the memories of our past, and undermine our future.

ROYAL RESOLVEThe World Bank countrydirector in Nepal, Ken Ohashi,wrote in a local English dailyrecently that the ManagingDirector of the World Bank,Shengman Zhang, had anaudience with His Majesty theKing during which the monarch,sharing “the sense ofimpatience” (of the WorldBank), asked the visiting officialto “insist on specific and tightdeadlines” (with thegovernment) in implementingreforms.

In the mid-80s, as a jointsecretary in the NationalPlanning Commission we had topersuade the World Bank’sStructural Adjustment LoanMission to make usermanagement of forests one ofthe conditionalities for the loan.They obliged and it worked,paving the way for thevigorous regeneration offorests in our country. I had toresort to the ploy because Iwas too small a fry in thebureaucracy to successfully

prevail over the recalcitrantMinistry of Forest at the time, andthere was no other help around.

But not the omnipotent king ofNepal. Zhang probably wentaway a disappointed manbecause the king did not tell himthat he would direct thegovernment to fulfil itscommitments, or else.

This particular episodecertainly did not add to the dignityof the monarchy. The monarchshould surround himself withadvisers not only withdemonstrated loyalty but also theknow-how to make the statemachinery work more efficiently.More than the World Bank, it is thevast multitude of poor andpowerless Nepalis who arelonging for such royal resolve.

The monarch has anunenviable but historic role todischarge as he presides over thecountry’s current politicaltransition. This challenge is mademore complex and paradoxicalbecause after elections the reinsof state power have to be handedback to the same genre of

politicians whose sustainedmisuse of popular mandatebrought about the catastrophethat the country suffers atpresent.

The king will not earn laurelsfrom the people if he has tomeekly surrender power to themas being demanded at present bythe opportunistic coalition of theotherwise highly unlike-mindedpolitical parties. As difficult as theproposition might sound, the kinghas to engineer such changes sothat the politicians, once restoredto power, will find that they cando no harm to the country.

The issue at stake is thedevolution of authority tostakeholders at the grassroots sothey are sufficiently andinalienably empowered to plan,implement and manage their owndevelopment initiatives. It is thisprinciple that worked in the robustresurgence of our forest wealth,despite chronic bad governanceperpetrated by stinkingly corruptpoliticians during the last dozenyears of democracy.

The priority for the country

today is to replicate thisexperience across all socio-economic arenas that directlyaffect the peoples’ welfare:education, health, agricultural,development and populationcontrol among others. While suchdevolution promises the building ofa stronger Nepal, it is frustratingthat the international community,interested in Nepal’s security,have not found it necessary toadvise the country along this line.

Bihari Krishna ShresthaKathmandu

ROYAL NEPALYour puff piece on Royal NepalAirlines (‘Royal Nepal Airlinesbattles battered image’, # 175)does nothing to mitigate thesuffering of thousands ofpassengers who have beeninconvenienced and treated likedirt by Nepal’s flag carrier. Nordoes it force the airline to takeresponsibility for its dismalperformance. The airline’smanaging director youinterviewed in the same issue isright when he says the airline

IT’S NEVER TOO LATEhere are times these days when the sense of déjà vu is so acute itgets unbearable. The appearance on state television news of PrimeMinister Surya Bahadur Thapa at the airport on Tuesday flanked by pre-

1990 faces to warn protesters on the streets that he would tolerate all criticismexcept condemnation of the monarchy was straight out of another era.

It is when once self-evident truths have to be restated and enforced bypolicemen dressed like ninjas that you know the polity has entered anotherage. The more things change in Nepal, the more they remain the same.

To be fair to the prime minister, this erstwhile warrior against ‘undergroundextra-constitutional forces’ during the Panchayat period is still a bulwarkagainst the rise of the hardline right. Having been consistently centristthroughout his career, he apparently sees familiar ghosts from 20 years agolurking again in the corridors of power.

The day after returning from his second SAARC tour, Thapa reversed thepotentially disastrous decision to put three student union leaders behind bars.That short-sighted move had carried all the hallmarks of a bygone era, andwas proof to many of the ascendance of Panchayat-era throwbacks inKathmandu. We get vertigo just watching them struggle to grab the steeringwheel as the bus with all of us in it careens to the edge.

There are now too many signs of democratic reversal for this trend to be afluke: the belief that nominating a new prime minister is some kind of a solution,the announcement of yet another royal civic reception in Nepalganj next month,a familiar sycophantic ambience in the air.

There is a reckless disregard forpublic will and national sentiment. Whenyou see power as a zero sum game, thereis a 50-50 chance you will lose. To win atall cost, it is tempting then, to usemilitarisation, religious fundamentalism, orrevert to authoritarianism. But it is novictory if you haven’t addressed thegrievances that set all this off in the firstplace: we don’t want this to escalate froma class war to an ethnic or separatistconflagration.

It is already too late to set some thingsright. But future Nepalis will never forgiveus if we don’t try, even at this late hour, towork towards a Nepal where power isdevolved to the periphery—the onlyguarantee of lasting peace.

Time is unrelenting, it moves on. Timeheals, time manages itself, it takes care ofthings. We in Nepal have always let timetake its course. It is the fatalistic excuse ofthe feckless to let things drift. Let us, inthis new year, take time by its horns. Letus lift ourselves from this quicksand, froma gathering miasma of apathy andhopelessness, to restore faith in our ownability to set things right.

1990 that made them what they are.The Maobadis draw their inspirationfrom the China of 1960s, a period intheir history that Chinese themselves aretrying hard to forget.

A society lives in the present, withthe memories of its past, withoutrealising that it is undermining its ownfuture in the process. After successiveyears of stagnation, the governmentpredicts that the economy will grow byover 4.3 percent, exceeding thebudgetary target set for this year. TheWorld Bank reports that Kathmandu�sair is the dirtiest of all 17 Asian cities thatit surveyed, perhaps proving the linkbetween economic growth andecological suicide.

Such a rosy forecast from the FinanceMinister makes one wonder if he hastaken note of the poverty reductionequation that says it takes 6.8 percentgrowth in the GDP to create 2.5 percentmore employment. It is unlikely that 4.3percent economic growth will lead toany poverty reduction�especially givenour present exponential growth inmilitary spending.

The boom in Kathmandu amidst aclimate of doom and gloom envelopingthe rest of the kingdom is reminiscent ofthe early 20th century when the Ranas,rewarded for their loyalty to the British,competed to outdo each other bybuilding extravagant palaces. History istestimony to what happened later. Theparadox of plenty amidst poverty isinherently unsustainable.

These are some of the questions thatwe should be worrying about at the endof another year. Over time, the anti-monarchy slogans that rent Ratna Parkwill become redundant. Maobadis willultimately peter out. There is no doubtthat the people will finally prevail. Suchis the march of history. As the Rig Vedasays: �All things will pass.� t

reflects the state of the country.Look at the way he is passing thebuck on past mismanagement andpast corruption, blaming everyonebut himself. He sure is talking likea Nepali politician.

JN Singh,New Delhi

l Mohan Khanal is right (‘Theairline develops if the countrydevelops’, #175) when he saysthat it is political interference bycorrupt politicians in the past 12years that has ruined his airline. Ipersonally have watchedhelplessly as hundreds of peoplewere forced into the airline’s staffroll every time there was a new

tourism minister. The politicosnever allowed the airline to buythe kind of equipment it required,but arm-twisted them tonegotiate exorbitant lease rateson unsuitable aircraft andpocket vast sums in kickbacks.‘Lauda’ is now synonymouswith corruption because of this.The politicians not only ruinedthe airline, but they also ruinedthe country. And they are backon the streets burning tyresbecause they want to get backto plundering the country.

Name withheld on requestKathmandu

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KISHORE NEPAL

alls limit our freedom, said poetBasu Sashi in another age. Thoselines make more sense today

than when it was penned: the higher andthicker our walls, the more insecure webecome.

In the villages, where many youngNepalis die at the hands of the Maoists orsecurity forces, the sense of insecurity isacute. Most deaths never get reported.Dead husbands and sons, daughtersslaughtered become mere statistics. Thelist of disappeareds grows every day.

The few stories that do reachKathmandu, are either untrue ordistorted. A fortnight ago, nationalnewspapers reported the case of 20-year-old Suresh Baral, a student in Pokhara,who was reportedly killed in the crossfirebetween the Maoists and security forceswhen the rebels started firing from acrossthe lake in Raniban. Only later, it wasrevealed that there were no rebels at all,only a rumours of Maoists on motorbikes.Two innocent young people were shotwhen panic-stricken sentries sprayedsurrounding residential buildingswith gunfire.

It�s time that we started asking for thetruth, straight from the horse�s mouth.It�s time we let the villagers, farmers,students, bus passengers and localteachers speak. As a journalist, I wasalways trying to find a way where my rolewould be minimal, how we in the mediacould give a forum to the people.We hit upon the idea of a rovingfield-based television talk show.We would broadcast the voice of thepeople with minimal editing.

Voice of the people

Four months ago, when we startedbroadcasting �Mat Abhimat� on NepalTelevision every Tuesday night, itseemed like a bold step because, unlikeconventional Kathmandu-centred talkprograms with studio guests, we took ourstudio right to the people. We thoughtknew it would not be easy gatheringpeople in places where speaking the truthon camera was suicidal. But weunderestimated how brave people can bewhen they have suffered and havenothing to lose.

In four months we visited 24

districts, and we were overwhelmed bythe extent of local participation.Numbers grew from 30 participants inGorkha to 100 in Dadeldhura. Peoplewalked for days to be on the show andpour out their sorrows and shared theirhopes. The format is open: everyone getsan opportunity to speak as long aspossible. They are intelligent and speakwith simplicity about violence, extortion,threats, corruption and hopes for peace.There is no manipulation orsuperficiality. Without fear they expresstheir frustrations towards both the army

and the Maoists. At times, it is us in theediting rooms who have to think twiceabout including statements that could getthem into trouble.

As a journalist, this is satisfying work:we are pushed into the background andthe medium takes over. It bringssatisfaction and also tears of sorrow tohear the suffering of the Nepali peoplewho have been made childless, widowsand orphans.

Jaykishor Laba, a lawyer in Janakpur,has been living on the street for the pastfew months. He describes what his son,Sanjib Karna, looks like to anyone whowill listen. His wife, Bimala Debi, runstowards every familiar face and weepswhen it is not her son. Every time thephone rings, both hope it�s their boy atthe other end. They don�t know where heis, or even if he is still alive.

In Parsa, the Maoists killedPhulkumari Debi�s husband, a policeman,and she tells us on camera she doesn�twant to live anymore. �What is left forme now? It doesn�t make any differencewhether I live or die.� In Gorkha, abrother laments the loss of his sister butfeels nothing for his other sibling whojoined the rebels and died in anencounter. �He died for his politicalcommitments but my sister had nothingto do with the Maoists, she wouldn't evenhurt an ant,� Rudra Pokhrel, principal ofa local school, said on Mat Abhimat.

Jasoda Sharma in Baglung exists in alimbo. Her husband was disappeared andalthough the village regards her a widow,she still walks around with sindoor. �Forhow long do we have to live in misery likethis?� asks Bhuyuman Ligal, 84, from

A television program shows that Nepalis still havethe courage to speak up. The nation listens.

Palpa. He says that he has seen too manyyoung people die and disappear. Thetears running down his wrinkled face saythe rest.

Through Mat Abhimat, the unheardvoices of Nepal�s rural population fromthe most violence-ridden districts arenow on record. Of course there are risksinvolved. Just two days before Dasai, inSaule Bazar at Doti, we arrived at anencounter and found three policemenbleeding to death on the ground. Thatsight left me and our crew sleepless formany nights. At Dipayal, a Maoistdisguised as an army officer tried to forcea police constable to pressurise us intogiving him a ride in our car. And on ourway back to Dhangadi, we foundourselves in the middle of a shootout.

The 21 talk shows we have broadcastso far made me realise that the peopleare still optimistic and aspire to a betterfuture. The people of Nepal, away fromthe cities and big towns, are honest,hardworking and don�t have big dreams.They want peace and understood veryclearly what�s at stake. We all stand tolearn more by listening to what they haveto say. t

Mat Abhimat airs at 9PM every Tuesday onNepal Television .

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Participants at a Mat Abhimat program in Pokhara.

4 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176CITY

by DANIEL LAKHERE AND THERE

P onder, if you will, the importance of time. Not the magazine,which at its best is a prop for not showing fear on airplanes. No,I want to think this week about the time that governs when we

sleep, work, travel and live our lives.We can�t control its passage. At best, we can try to manage time.

But, contrary to what quite a few foreign residents of this capital citymay believe, we can�t stop time. It rolls on, even when you�re wearingsandals and a dashiki. One of the most effective techniques of managingtime came to us from a Canadian named Sanford Fleming. A railwayengineer by profession, Fleming got to thinking about the passage oftime when he missed a train in 1878.

Less than 10 years later, the entire world had adopted his notion ofUniversal Standard Time, based on the British imperial notion that theworld was centered on London.

It was a simple enough idea. A single system of time for the entireplanet that began in the village of Greenwich and marched away eastand west in one hour intervals, encircling the globe and ensuring thateveryone got to do their daily activities in�well�daylight.

This was an especially important concept in a place like NorthAmerica. Canada and the United States are wide countries and thanksto Sanford Fleming�s idea, New Yorkers and Los Angelinos, along withCanadian fishermen on both coasts, work in the daytime, not at night.

Alas for the people of China and India, it appears that Fleming isconsidered a dangerous radical there. Both of Asia�s behemoths arealso wide countries, China is almost as wide as the United States.India�s extremities�from the Rann of Kutch to the mountain jungles

A new year is as good a time toponder the benefits of time zones.

Time passages

of Arunachal Pradesh�are as far apart as, say, Los Angeles and Atlanta.That�s four time zones in America. As for Russia, the land of Rasputinsneers at North America�s puny time zone count. You have to resetyour watch 11 times as you fly from Vladivostok to the border ofByelorussia.

But India? China? Nope, just the one time zone for us thanks. Soif you�re in Beijing or Delhi, all is well. You get up at dawn, go to thefields or the office when the sun is warming the sky and head home atdusk. No problem. But how about the people of Urumchi in distantXinjiang province? They awake and start their day�s labor when there

are still five hours of darkness left. And they take their first drink offermented mares� milk at high noon, figuratively speaking. The samedisconnects plague people in Dibrugah, Assam or Bhuj, Gujarat minusthe mares� milk.

Simply put, some pinhead in the recent history of both countries hasdecided that �National Unity� matters more than the convenience and safetyof citizens so the entire country will follow the capital�s schedule.

Ironic, methinks, that the British Empire found ways toaccommodate both the imperial center and the fringes of its far flungpossessions but modern, ostensibly anti-colonial nation states can�t.

This idea of time zone nationalism spills over into Nepal as well. Inthe scheme of things, we could be two different times if we followedinternational norms. The country is wide enough. And that pesky 45minutes that has to be added to any time given in almost every otherpart of the world. Confusing to the innumerate, present companyincluded.

Given that standardised time is a Canadian invention, I am honorbound to urge India, China, Nepal, and all other holdouts from themarch of Flemingesque progress, to reconsider their stance on thequestion of time. If only so we can get in a few extra pegs at the end ofa long day. Mares� milk anyone? t

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NARESH NEWAR

t�s late night at Putali Sadak.The busy street is quiet andthe good citizens of the capital

have gone home to sleep. But thisis the best time of day for BhimPariyar and his friends�nopolicemen, no shop-keepers ortaxi drivers to harass them.

Under the ghostly yellowglow of the halogen lamps, theymake a bonfire of cardboardboxes and huddle around theflames for their favourite pastime:listening to Bhim spin stories ofimpossible exploits. He is the 10-year-old prince of Putali Sadak�srag world, and the richest amonghis peers. He makes an enviableRs 400 a day selling plastic.

It�s almost 9PM now, time forBhim, the youngest and mosthard-working in the group, toscour the dirty innards of

Kathmandu to find recyclablerubbish. �There�s no competitionat night because all the others areasleep,� says Bhim. With aheadphone over his head and awalkman tied securely to his waist(�You don�t really want to knowhow I got this,� he says with alaugh), he walks into the darkwhile his friends spread their thinblankets on the pavement. �Thatone�s crazy, I wonder why heworks so hard,� says one of hisfriends.

�I wish I was home even if itmeant living with my cruelstepmother and father,� says 14-year-old Rajen Subba who ranaway from his home inKakaribhitta. He has been livingon the streets since he was eight,and believes it�s too late for him togo home now. Rajen is weak,having recently recovered from a

severe chest infection. Now, livingin the cold with no warmclothing and little food to eat,Rajen seeks escape from the coldand loneliness by inhaling fumesfrom carpet glue that has beensqueezed into an old milk bag.The adhesive contains toluene, asweet-smelling neurotoxichydrocarbon, which depresses theappetite and takes the edge offthe winter.

�I forget everything. I won�tfeel cold and hungry and cansleep easily,� Rajen explains. Thenuerotoxin dissolves the cellmembrane of the brain cells andalso causes hallucinations. �Lastnight, I saw one god but don�tremember which one,� MilanTamang, 14, jokes with hisfriends. �I got so furious when Icouldn�t see anything last night,�says Rabi Gurung, 16. He is

admired in his circle for hisaddiction to glue.

Sniffing glue is a short �trip�with an immediate high. Thepleasure is temporary, and thechildren are unaware that sniffingcauses permanent neurologicaldamage, kidney or liver failure,paralysis and even death. A reportlast year by the child welfareorganisation, CWIN, found thatnearly 95 percent of allKathmandu street children werehooked to glue. Researchersfound some children use as manyas 15 tubes a day�a single tubecan last five sessions.

The cheapest glue is made inNepal and is easily available in allhardware shops. A tube costsanywhere between Rs 20-40 for25mg. �I was really surprised bythe number of street childrencoming to buy carpet dendrite

from my shop, now I know,� saysRamesh Shrestha who owns ashop in Jawalakhel.

�The government shouldmake it illegal to sell the dendritesto minors,� says activist SumnimaTuladhar of CWIN. CWIN andanother group, Sath-Sath,organised an awareness workshopfor shopkeepers with KathmanduValley Police but this hasn�t leadto a decrease in the problem.Some shopkeepers increased theprice of glue to discourage thechildren, but the demand is toohigh. There is also a lack of in-depth research and no longtermstudy of the health problemsfaced by users. �This is anemerging problem. If we don�ttake it seriously, then a lot of liveswill be at stake,� says BisoBajracharya of Sath-Sath.

A surprising number of

activist groups working for childrights contacted during theresearch into this article seemunaware of the epidemic.Kathmandu Valley Police haspaid serious attention, but sinceglue sniffing is not consideredillegal they have problems incontrolling shops that sell glue tochildren. �The best we can do israise awareness among shopowners and the street children,�says Assistant Sub-InspectorSalina Gurung from Valley PoliceWomen�s Cell.

Sniffing glue is relatively newto Nepal but is rampant in LatinAmerica, Southeast Asia, SouthAfrica and now in South Asia.According to reports, out of 40million street children in LatinAmerica, more than half sniffglue. Their numbers are rising inThailand, Indonesia, Cambodia,

The Valley�s street childrencrisis has a growing new

dimension: glue addiction.

Gluedto thestreets

I

From l-r: Bhim Pariyar (extreme left) with other street children in Putali Sadak. A street childplayacts at sniffing glue during a street drama. All you need for easy addiction.

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DOMESTIC BRIEFS

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WB pollution report flayedA World Bank report presented at an environmentalmeeting in Manila last week that named Kathmanduas the most polluted city in Asia has been flayedby air quality experts in Nepal. The report thatwent out internationally on the wire services lastweek lists New Delhi and China’s Chongqing assecond and third.

But Nepali environment experts, including thoseinvolved in air quality monitoring, say the report isunprofessional and has distorted the real picture.A World Bank consultant appears to have takenraw data of three-hour averages during rush hourfrom Kathmandu’s worst-polluted streets andcompared it to annual averages of other cities.That survey of Kathmandu air was carried out bythe ESPS project in Kathmandu to determine thelocation of its monitoring meters, and measured theworst areas of Kathmandu during the most-polluted peak hours during winter.

The World Bank report cited Kathmandu’s PM10concentration (particles smaller than 10 micronsper cubic metre) at more than 500, while the actualannual average is about 150. The World Bankreport compared the worst pollution in Kathmanduto average levels for other cities. “This has doneincalculable harm to Kathmandu’s image,” said airquality researcher, Toran Sharma at Aja ko Kuradiscussion program on Radio Sagarmatha onTuesday. “Sure, Kathmandu has a pollution problembut you can’t extrapolate data from non-standardised measurements.” Kathmandu Valleyambient air pollution is now being measured by sixmonitoring stations and is posted on the Ministry ofPopulation and Environment website(www.mope.gov.np) and weekly averages arecarried in this newspaper (page 14).

The World Bank cited the case of Bangkok,where the visibility at the city’s airport improvedfrom about five km in 1996 to nine km in 2000. And,in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, the phase-out oftwo-stroke engines on motorcycle taxis hasslashed concentrations of fine airborne particulatematter by 41 percent.

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LoanThe Asian Development Bank this week approveda $20 million loan to Nepal to improve levels of foodsecurity, nutrition, incomes and employment fromlivestock production and small-scale livestockrelated enterprises for 164,000 families in 48districts of Nepal. The main focus is on developinglivestock production, processing and marketing in22 districts.

“The livestock subsector is one of the keyentry points for programs to reach the rural poorand, if correctly oriented to small animals, itsdevelopment favours disadvantaged groups, suchas women and poor farmers,” says Brian Fawcett,ADB Principal Project Economist. Livestockaccounts for 31 percent of agricultural GDP.

Malaysia, Pakistan, India and thePhilippines, which has the largestpopulation of street children.

One country has dared to takeextreme measures to control thetrend: Kenya. In Nairobi this yearthe government criminalised thesupply of harmful substances tominors as well as child glueaddicts. The new law states anyperson found distributing suchsubstances faces three yearsincarceration.

Here in Nepal, the trend isleaving the streets and enteringschools. �It�s time for us to takethis issue seriously because thetrend is spreading to classrooms,�says Bajracharya who has seenstudents sniffing glue on thepremises of a private high schoolin Lalitpur. �We found a lot ofschool girls are pasting glue ontotheir ties and sniffing it duringclass,� says Tuladhar.

The immediate danger to glueaddicts on the streets is being runover by cars. Recently, a teenagerjumped from a bridge and brokehis leg. He did not know what hewas doing. Another 10-year-old

boy walked straight into amotorcycle and nearly died. A14-year old girl was cut in atraffic accident.

Nepal�s basic drug law is theNarcotic Drugs (Control) Act,2033 (1976), under which �thecultivation, production,preparation, manufacture,export, import, purchase,possession, sale or consumptionof most commonly abuseddrugs� is illegal. The NarcoticDrug Control Act, amended in1993, implements most of theUN Single Convention and the1972 Protocol by addressingnarcotics production,manufacture, sales, import andexports. In association with theUnited Nations Drug ControlProgram (UNDCP), Nepal hasdeveloped a master plan fordrug abuse control.

While all this legalese looksgood on paper, what BhimPariyar and his friends on PutaliSadak need this holiday season isa little kindness, a lot ofawareness and a chance ofrehabilitation. t

Happy New Year2004

NOTICE

The Alliance Françaiseof Kathmandu is shifting from

1st January 2004 from Thapathali to Tripureshwor(previous JICA office) opposite of the Hotel Janak

NEW PRODUCTS

SA

TH

SA

TH

A SPECIAL DERBY: There’s nohorsing around with whisky andalthough plenty of it is available,Nepal Liquors and McDowell believe“the unique blend and impressiveaesthetics” of their recently launchedDerby Special Premium will put their product in a classapart. The blend of superior Scotch and finest Indianmalts is available in 180ml, 375ml and 750ml bottlesand are priced between Rs120-470.

TAKEN PLACES: Whether you need scheduled cargotransportation or a specialised charter to ship autoparts, live animals, delicate high-tech goods orprecious perishables, no other carrier promises todeliver like Martinairwhich began itscargo service inNepal from 22December. Nearly 10 tons of cargo can be taken tothe Martinair cargo hub at Sharjah, bound forworldwide destinations. Marco Polo Travels, theMartinair Cargo GSA in the kingdom, say the companyemploys the most dedicated professionals, providespersonalised and efficient service anytime, anywhereand sets the industry standard for cargomanagement. The B767-300 ER aircraft flights will flyfrom Amsterdam to Kathmandu via Sharjah.

RITZY SNACK: Crisp, lightly salted and light, Ritzbiscuits could be the newcontender for the favouriteaccompaniment to your morningcuppa. The Golchha organisation inassociation with Hulas Biscuits andConfectionaries are banking on thequality and the packaging of their product that isavailable throughout Nepal in 75gm boxes.

RETAIL LENDER: Everest Bank Launched their flexiloan scheme under the retail lending segment thatentitles loans to individuals and business housesagainst a mortgage of immovable properties up to 150percent of the loanamount. The bankhas been makingsteady and sustained growth of over 50 percent in itsoperating profits for the first quarter of the currentfinancial year.

COOL RIDER: A new and affordable Hero Smartmotorcycle has entered theNepali market. Manufacturedby Hero Motors Company ofIndia, the supply is madethrough Nepal’s SNSAutomotives. With an Americanengine and Italian design, thisfour-stroke engine 75cc motorcycle has one the bestmileage—100km on a litre of petrol, making it a budgetinvestment for Nepali bikers.

6 NATION 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

ountries need to buildhydropower projects forenergy and economic gain,

but their construction has to bebalanced by local needs.Understanding this balancemakes all the difference betweengood projects and bad.

This is the main lesson fromthe 144MW Kali Gandaki A, thelargest hydropower project inNepal (See: �Kali Gandakiinauguration may be delayed�,

by KAVITA RAIFEEDBACK

Dam development

Nepali Times, #174). Ten VDCsare affected by the power plant,dam site and reservoir which arespread over four districts:Syangja, Palpa, Gulmi andParbat. The most seriouslyaffected 250 families live in ShreeKrishna Gandaki VDC in Syangja.

Despite large politicalfactions in the main project area,there was overwhelming supportfrom the local people when theproject was first announced.

Bikas had finally arrived, andlocals were promised jobs,electricity, school and roads.People would no longer have togo to work in India or the MiddleEast. The Nepal ElectricityAuthority (NEA) speedily builtthe road, and electricity waspromised to most VDCs.

Nepal�s adolescent democracyand civil society was heralding anew era of openness. Thecancellation of the 402MW ArunIII project in East Nepal by theWorld Bank and other donors in1994 had favoured Kali Gandakias an attractive alternative. ButArun also forced projectdevelopers to use new democraticprocesses for more publicconsultation. Cash compensation

How local support frittered awayon Nepal�s largest hydropowerproject, the Kali Gandaki A.

was provided to families who lostland to the access road for thefirst time. Local political leadersdid not have higher education,lacked negotiation skills and wereunable to raise important vitalquestions. Their support wastotal, they did not envisage anynegative effects.

Families living in the dam siteat Mirmi and the power housesite at Beltari remember theirnaivete. It was only when landacquisition details were printed inGorkhapatra that they startedseeing flaws in the deal. Thenpowerful locals startednegotiating with project staff forgood jobs on the site.

Rival local alliances sprangup. The Italians who were the

main contractors paid high ratesand salaries for even junior jobs.People were therefore supportiveof them, but those who did notget the jobs were angered andthis lead to divisions in thecommunity. Power was playedout in small circles as peoplenegotiated at all levels. Roadsand electricity were replaced byother priorities.

When their expectations werenot fulfilled, the people resortedto negotiation through constantagitation. They were starting tolearn about the intricacies oflarge projects, and that the onlyway to have a say was to followthe �mass can create an effect�rule. Some of their demands weremet, others not. Projectdevelopers used local powerchannels to make it difficult forthe agitations to be successful.

The high rate of employmentduring the construction periodmade locals relatively cash-richand they found new ways tospend it. But the absence ofeconomic vibrancy after theconstruction finished forcedthem to look for alternatives orreturn to agriculture.

Migration to urban centreswithin Nepal or outside (bothtemporary and permanent)increased. People accustomed toincome and a heightened cost ofliving found it difficult to adjust.Those who had learnt technical

skills moved to jobs in the MiddleMarsyangdi project in Lamjung.People realised that politicaldealings are not the only means togain benefits and economicactivities have to be takenseriously as well.

Having lost their land andresources, most don�t take risksanymore. In mid-2003, local landwas up for acquisition to build anarmy camp. Although the localswere bitter and resentful, theycould no longer revolt, as thecrucial negotiation advantage theyhad when the project was beingbuilt did not exist. Land pricestripled over the years. Incomparison to other projects, thecompensation rates were betterbut it could not match the rise inprices after project intervention.Most of the powerful have eitherbought small farms in the tarai orshifted to Kathmandu.

The rampant small-scalecorruption during the projectperiod made locals antagonistictowards the project. They nowrealise that with betterinformation and communityorientation, they could havebargained for more support such asdrinking water facilities. But mostare now resigned to their fateagain. All for the sake of bikas. t

Kavita Rai is an anthropologist,currently pursuing her PhD at the

Center for Development Research,University of Bonn, Germany.

C

New issue ofHimal South Asianahead of theSAARC Summitin Islamabad.

726 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176ECONOMY

�Media competitionwill ensure quality

advertising.�

Nepali Times : How come such a big company is interested in arelatively small market like Nepal?Sanjeev Roy: We have some Indian and global clients who need specificattention in Nepal, some have asked for it, some have not. But we see it asan opportunity, it is a market which doesn’t require very high expenditurefor you to get any reasonable rate of returns. One thing that I am sensing isthat Nepal and indeed all of South Asia is predominantly young, andthese young people are not going to be caught up with borders. They aremuch more international and because there is so much happening, it isgoing to create a lot of desire, whether the economy grows or not. There isgoing to be very high levels of competition within media in Nepal, andthat means a much bigger role for quality advertising. Irrespective of whatthe market looks like now, it is going to be rapidly professional and beforewe realise, it is going to change. That is why we are here with our Nepalipartners, Outreach Nepal.

How about your India operations?Euro RSCG started in India in 1996, and I was one of the start-up members.The key thing was that this was going to be a young, modern entity. All mylife I had worked with these large established networks, and something thatbothered me is this ‘one shoe fits all’ was not the way the world was goinganyway. Euro RSCG promised to be very different. For example, from thestart we went completely digital, in 1996 that was unheard of in India. Westarted with globally aligned clients like Intel, and we picked local clientsalong the way and today we are among the top 10 in India.

Isn’t the market in India already crowded?But it’s growing all the time. That is the beauty of it, some sector maystagnate, but there are new sectors that get added on every year. So if it’snot the cars that fuels growth, then it’s the durables or the financials. Andthe advertising market is growing at anything between 8-12 percent. Thissometimes defies logic, but it is growing rapidly.

How much has television impacted on this growth?It has changed the picture dramatically. And it has also changed thingsaround, so that more budgets have moved towards satellite, especially forbrand advertising. Newspapers are still big for corporate or informationadvertising, but satellite television has really hit the magazine market. Butit has also created an opportunity for a whole lot of marketers to expand,like the sari manufacturers. Suddenly they became brands because oftelevision. This means media planning, buying and scheduling functions,which used to be backroom till about five years ago, is up-front.

How has the readership survey and ratings industries reacted? Is theremore accuracy?How do you get anything accurate in a country like India? It’s so huge.Something like the National Readership Survey had a sample size of100,000 and was one of the largest surveys in the world, but it is difficult tosay what the right sample size is to guarantee accuracy.

Isn’t there a contradiction that the satellite channels have regionalfootprints, but the content and indeed the advertising is aimed primarilyat the Indian market?There are some channels where regional advertising happens a lot, likeCNBC. But any seasoned advertiser who has been to India recognises thatthere are better bangs for the buck if you plan for India, so a lot of peoplego through this learning process by going through Singapore or HongKong. For most of them, India is the dominant market, and any regionaladvantage is a happy spillover because the numbers in India are a lotlarger. Also, the people in the region who are accessing the Indianchannels are predominantly Indian.

Sanjeev Roy is Director for the region ofFrench-based Euro RSCG, the fifth-ranking advertising agency in the world.He was in Kathmandu this week to lookat the Nepali market and is excited bythe prospects.

by ASHUTOSH TIWARISTRICTLY BUSINESS

epali artists are worried aboutthe declining prices of theirpaintings in Kathmandu.

�Works that have taken years to finishare being sold at dirt-cheap prices,�artist Kiran Manandhar told Kantipurthis week. �[gallery owners] do notunderstand that once the prices arelowered, it�s hard to raise them again.�

The report indicated thatManandhar and other artists wereexpressing their anger at the waySrijana Art Gallery had carried out itsrecent clearance sale of paintings. Thesale, meant for raising overheadexpenses by attracting price-sensitiveNepali buyers, included works byboth senior and junior artists.

Fortunately, from a business pointof view, the market for paintings inKathmandu is no different fromelsewhere in the world. The art markethere too bows to the laws of supplyand demand.

Supply: In recent years, Kathmanduhas seen a proliferation of art galleries,from Patan and Naxal to Thamel. InLazimpat alone, two excellent gallerieshave come up in the last year. Moregalleries mean more space to displaypaintings. And more display space

Art for mart�s sakeencourages artists to supplypaintings for exhibitions and sales.This is good for buyers who nowhave choices in terms of subjects,prices and types of paintings.

But more paintings in themarket also means the price of eachpainting goes down, even to such anextent that sooner or later a fewgalleries are forced to hold clearancesales to turn excess stock into money,which they can use to pay bills. Thisproblem is compounded all themore by a general economic climatethat does not encourage people tospend money on art.

Reputation: A painting is a riskyinvestment. A serious collector wantsto make sure that the paintingbought today goes up in value overtime�the artist�s critical reputationmust increase and appreciate infuture. Unfortunately, in Nepal, onecan never really be sure about howgood a particular Nepalicontemporary artist is or gauge theirpotential. Some well-known artists,even from within the baristha fold,could be mere media stars withfawning press coverage for everythingthey do, despite work that is

predictable and pedestrian�something their Nepali friends andcolleagues are too polite to tell them.

And so, in the absence of art-related journals, critics and expertswho can assess the work and offerinformed judgement, seriouscollectors, Nepali or foreign, rarelywant to take chances on the work ofcontemporary Nepali artists otherthan as an expression of goodwill,friendship and charity�hardly thefoundations on which to build athriving art market.

What, then, can an individualcontemporary Nepali artist do? Hecan start by accepting that the marketfor art is a highly volatile one. Hecan then lower the supply of hispaintings while looking for ways tosignal his critical, as opposed topopular, reputation to themarketplace.

Failing that, he can takeinspiration from Vincent van Gogh�slife: Van Gogh sold nothing whenhe was alive. Other artists who soldmuch more are largely forgottentoday. But aided by the work ofhistorians and critics, Van Gogh�s

reputation has become such that hispaintings, the supply of which isfixed, are now sold for millions ofdollars.

For Nepali contemporary artiststoo, rather than complaining about thewildly fluctuating current prices oftheir paintings (that could be resoldfor higher prices later on), the morepressing challenge is to look for waysto establish a critical reputation so thattheir paintings continue to pull inmoney long after they are gone. t

Marrying art with business.N

8 PEOPLE

Happily ever after○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

SRADDHA BASNYATf the demographics of newNepali couples these days isany indication, Nepal is wellon its way to becoming anintegrated society. King

Prithbi Narayan Shah described thekingdom he united as a garden ofmany flowers. Well those flowersare getting cross-pollinated likenever before.

Judging by an informal poll wecarried out over the last marriageseason, Nepali men and women areincreasingly venturing beyond theircaste-mates to find mates. Andlooking around Kathmandu it�s notall that easy anymore to fit peopleinto neat categories of caste andethnic orientation based on facialfeatures and accents anymore.

Today�s intercultural couplesare taking urban society by storm,even those that condonesegregation. Two years ago whenMonica Rizal, a Bahuni, married aTamang, Chandan Lama, she recallsmost people came to the marriageout of curiosity. �Things arechanging. Now everybody is gettingmarried intercaste. It�s such anaccepted part of society in thecity,� Monica muses. The Rizal andLama households have readilyaccepted their children�s choice.Luckily, Monica�s family was not

strictly Brahmin and Chandan�sown mother is a Bahuni and fatherTamang, so there was precedencefor inter-ethnic wedlock.

Monica and Chandan are wellaware of the tolerance and leniencythat urban life affords them. �Iknow there are still strong socialbarriers especially in the villages.But Kathmandu is becoming amelting pot and I don�t feel likewe�ve broken any barriers exceptthe conditioning that society hasimposed on us since childhood,�says Chandan.

Couples whose parents hadmixed marriages feel it�s easier to gothrough with it themselves for avariety of reasons, but at the core,it�s family support that make allthings possible. Just ask Sheri andSatendra Thapa. Sheri�s father isNigerian, her mother a Magar andher brother is married to a Sherpa.After they tied the knot, Satendra�sfamily did not demand the couplestay with them.

Recalls Satendra: �Growing upin Dehradun, I didn�t know aboutcaste. Maybe because we were aminority, no one needed to knowmy father�s jath or thar. I married aNepali and that's it. It�sridiculous�people have gone tothe moon and come back and we�restill stuck on the jath thing.�

The concept of saving, keepingand maintaining �face� is integral toNepal�s collectivist social structure,and personal life is gossip for theneighbourhood. Villages are lesstolerant of those who don�t live bythe rules (see box, p9). In the orderof things, almost all traditionalistsview inter-racial marriages as evenmore galling than inter-caste unions

�Families surely provide thefoundation of a relationship.�

George Varughese

�Nepalis have to becomeone, and inter-ethnic marriages

will do this.�Madankrishna Shrestha

�It's ridiculous- people have gone tothe moon and come back and we're

still stuck on this jath thing.�Satendra Thapa

I

926 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

Inter-caste,inter-ethnic,inter-racial. Nepalisare getting marriedall over the place.

but that�s precisely what�shappening as more Nepalis traveland live abroad.

Kala and George Varughesethink of their union ascomplementing each other. Kala isthe daughter of a Gurung soldier inthe British army, born and raised inBrunei. George�s parents areKeralan Christians and educators.The only prerequisite they hadregarding George�s wedding wasthat it be a Christian ceremony. Influent Nepali, George says,�Nepalis are surprised I am marriedto a Nepali, but I was born inGorkha and brought up in Nepal,so when I explain it to them, theyare impressed.�

For Kala and George, thegreatest obstacle hasn�t beensociety�it is governmentbureaucracy. Their Christianwedding led to 10 months in andout of government offices for amarriage certificate. With Kala inthe final trimester of her pregnancy,they have to face anotherunpleasant reality: �My childrenwon�t be eligible for Nepalicitizenship regardless of how muchwe contribute to Nepal because mychild�s father is a foreigner.�

Chandra Gurung had his

family�s support and belongs to aculture that not only accepted hisJapanese wife, Tokiko Sato, butimmediately made her feelcompletely comfortable. Duringtheir small wedding ceremony inChandra�s home village of Siklis inLamjung, Tokiko wore traditionalGurung garb and family and friendscame to celebrate their union.When Chandra went to visitTokiko�s family in Japan, he foundthem very similar to the Gurungs.

Later, Chandra challenged thetraditional role of the father inJapan where he was a�househusband�. �I would be sotired when my wife got home, but Ienjoyed it,� he recalls. �In any

�I had to makecompromises and

he had to makesome too, we try to

balance.�Subarna Rai

marriage give and take is important,and maybe more so in an inter-racial marriage.�

Compromise is somethingSubarna Rai understands. Herhusband Rajendra Rai is Catholic.A Catholic priest officiated theirwedding ceremony in 1992, inwhich Subarna chose to wear a redsari, sindur and pote, in keepingwith her Newari roots. Her in-lawscame to ask for her hand inmarriage for Rajendra, afraid thecouple would elope, and her familyaccepted with no problems. �Myfamily is nuclear, independent andvery liberal,� says Subarna. ThoughSubarna did not convert toChristianity, their son was baptised.

One half of Nepal�s favouritecomic duo, Madankrishna Shresthamet his better half Yashoda atwork. She was a Bahuni and he aNewari. They were worried theirfamilies would not accept theirunion so they had small ceremonyat Suryabinayak with just friendspresent. It took two weeks for theirparents to come around which wasfollowed by a traditional weddingwith all the trimmings. �My fatherwas understanding,� recallsMandankrishna. Inter-castemarriage was the focus of

Madankrishna and HaribangshaAcharya�s telefilm Pandhra Gate.�My children know people are allthe same, which is a very importantattitude in today�s world,� saysMadankrishna.

Then there was another famouscouple: he a PhD in architectureand she a lecturer at PulchokEngineering Campus. She camefrom an affluent Newari clan, hefrom a landed Bahun family inGorkha. Later, he joined politicsand she became a social activist.Hisila Yami and Baburam Bhattaraihave a daughter: Manavi YamiBhattarai. They live underground,but not because of their inter-ethnic marriage. t

�In any marriage give and take isimportant, and maybe more so in

an inter-racial marriage.�Chandra Gurung

10 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176WORLD

by EMMA BONINO, GIANFRANCO DELL’ALBAANALYSIS

Judging Saddamow that Saddam Hussein hasbeen captured, the world�sattention has turned to his

trial. Should Saddam be tried byIraqis in Iraq, or should he face aninternational tribunal? Theforthcoming conference ondemocracy, human rights and therole of the International CriminalCourt in Yemen on January 10-12will provide a forum to debate thesequestions.

It is, of course, certain thatSaddam Hussein will not escapetrial for the extra-judicial, extra-legaland summary executions, torture,and systematic persecution ofhundreds of thousands of Iraqisthat marked his decades ofmurderous misrule. However, theaim of his trial should be not onlyto bring to justice the dictator andhis accomplices, but also to fosternational reconciliation through theaffirmation by Iraqis of universalprinciples such as non-discrimination, fairness, andtransparency.

For years, Iraq has onlyknown the brutal laws of forceand intimidation. If judgingSaddam Hussein and his regimeis to become a cornerstone in thebuilding of a free, democratic,and reconciled Iraq, then the US,as the leader of the coalition thatousted him, should do everythingin its power to pursue thisopportunity and set a very highstandard of justice.

President George W Bush hasstated that he would �work withIraqis to develop a way to try[Saddam Hussein] that will

International participation is neededfor competence and impartiality.

withstand international scrutiny.�The best way to address thatscrutiny and avoid accusations of�victor�s justice� is to involve otherinternational players in the exercise.

To address the systematicviolations of the laws of war and thecrimes against humanity committedin the former Yugoslavia, in theGreat Lakes Region of Africa, or inSierra Leone and Cambodia, theinternational community, with theinvolvement of the United Nations,set up international andinternationalised courts. Theseinstitutions have finally establishedthe principle that major violations ofhuman rights and dignity are of

universal concern and that theinternational community shouldactively participate in the quest forjustice and reparation for victims.

While no one doubts thewillingness of Iraqi judges to trytheir former �head of state� in anational court, the novelty of such aneffort and its political implicationssuggest some type of internationalparticipation for the sake ofcompetence and, most of all,impartiality. Thirty years of brutaldictatorship have destroyed the veryconcept of justice in Iraq. For justicemust mean more than the cries of�Death to Saddam� that now echo insome quarters around the world.

It is important that the US takethe lead in this crucial aspect ofstate-building. It should reach outto the UN in an exercise similar tothose that, without providing forcapital punishment, have brought tojustice Slobodan Milosevic and theleaders responsible for the Rwandangenocide�and that tomorrow mightbring to the dock Liberia�s CharlesTaylor and dozens of Khmer Rougeleaders.

An added benefit ofinternationalisation would perhapsbe to make clear to the currentAmerican Administration thatwithholding endorsement of theInternational Criminal Court isfundamentally against its owninterests. It could also facilitate theprocess of internationalising theburden of rebuilding Iraq, whichcannot be shouldered entirely by theUS and its allies.

Before elections can be freely andfairly held, huge efforts must be madeto establish a truly open society inwhich all individuals and groups canexpress their political opinions.Establishing a system of justice thatprotects these rights is indispensable;otherwise, there will never be adurable and lasting peace in Iraq. Aninternationalised court in Iraq for theprosecution of crimes againsthumanity would contribute to thedevelopment of a national justicesystem that will actually deliver justicefor all Iraqis, and will thus assist thealready encouraging efforts of the IraqiGoverning Council towardsdemocracy. t (© Project Syndicate)

Emma Bonino, a former EUCommissioner, is a TransnationalRadical Member of the European

Parliament. Gianfranco Dell’Alba is aTransnational Radical Member of theEuropean Parliament and the director

of the NGO No Peace Without Justice.

Harsh justice○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

SUVENDRINI KAKUCHI in TOKYOeports about rising statistics of crimes committed byforeigners in Japan has put the spotlight on the vulnerabilityof non-Japanese in their host country’s justice and criminal

procedures. “Foreigners committing crimes often do not get a fairtrial in Japan due to language and cultural disadvantages. Withmany of them lacking proper visas, they are already criminalswhen arrested, making them extremely vulnerable in this country,”says Yasushi Kigashizawa, a human rights attorney. He says thatforeigners tend to get heavy sentences as a result of poor

interpretationduring criminalproceedings andthe use ofconfessionsduring policeinterrogations,where lawyersfor the defendantmay be absent.

Activists alsopoint to Japan’snegligence incomplying withhuman rightsstandards forprisoners—including the lackof medical careand theimposition ofstrict discipline. Anew survey inOctober revealsthat more than 34percent ofinmates inprisons havebeen assaulted,and thatforeigners aremost affected bythis. MikikoKyakuno, anactivist, says her

work with foreigners in prisons shows “deep-rooted racialxenophobia in the country against non-Japanese”.

Kyakuno belongs to the Govinda Support Group, a group of 12Japanese volunteers supporting a Nepali man who wassentenced to life imprisonment in October for a murder hevigorously denied committing. The case is seen as a clear exampleof discrimination and hardship faced by foreign convicts in Japan.Govinda Prasad Malinali (pic, above) is a suspect in the 1997robbery and murder of a Japanese woman. He was arrested in1997 supposedly on the grounds that he overstayed his visa butwas later charged for the crime.The Tokyo District Court declared him innocent owing to lack ofevidence in 2000. But before he could be deported home, he wasre-arrested without explanation and thrown back in jail. He wasthen retried—and sentenced to death in October. Kyakuno saysshe decided to join Govinda’s support group because she isconvinced that he is innocent. “His lawyers have long complainedagainst the final judgement and accused judges of making averdict at the expense of a foreigner,” she points out. With hislife sentence, Govinda faces a future that he has described as a“living hell”. Kyakuno says the strict discipline meted out inJapanese prisons, has caused Govinda, like other foreigners, tolanguish behind bars without much hope. Govinda cannot evenspeak to family members when they visit because they must useJapanese or English, the languages understood by his prisonguards. Letters between prisoner and family are also governed bythe same rule.

In addition, says Kyakuno, Govinda’s family does not have thefinancial means to spend long periods in Japan and must relyheavily on the support of Japanese activists who also do not havelarge budgets for such expenses. At the same time, she saysGovinda is still lucky. “He has a strong support group and asympathetic media in Japan. Compare that to the thousands offoreigners who face the same severe conditions but mustlanguish in jail with no support at all,” she points out.

The National Police Agency reports that more than 7,600foreigners were arrested for crimes in 2002, up from 7,150 theprevious year. Although the number of foreigners make up only aminute figure in the overall number of arrests in 2002, theperception of foreigners being more responsible for crimecontinues. With prominent politicians in tow, the Japanese policehas launched a widespread campaign to crack down on entrantsfrom overseas. t (IPS)

Foreigners like Govinda Mainali serve astiffer prison sentence in Japan.

RN

1126 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176ASIA

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BHAGIRATH YOGI in LONDONne of the major political featuresof 2004 is going to be majordemocracies exercising fresh

mandates of their people in all areas,especially trade. Following the debacleof the WTO talks at Cancun, the DohaRound too could collapse if the Northdoesn�t open its markets to the South.While the big fish tout the Third Ageof Globalisation, the fate of millionswho go hungry every day will probablyremain neglected.

The new year should herald inchanges with a spate of nationalelections right across the globe, andwhoever wins the one in the US, thatcountry will plunge on as anunparalleled unilateral force. Startingclose to home with India, the largestdemocracy in the world will holdparliamentary elections in October.Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee,who is all set to become the first non-Congress chief executive to spend fiveyears in office, could bring datesforward if he succumbs to pressuresfrom the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)to cash in on the recent poll resultswhere they swept three out of four stateelections. New Delhi�s pre-eminence inthe SAARC constellation will not beeclipsed in 2004.

Pakistan will have its moment ofglory as the host of the SAARCSummit in January. While everyonewill make nice for the media circus anddespite easing of bilateral tensions, it�suncertain whether the two antagonisticneighbours will make a lastingbreakthrough. In Sri Lanka, the powerstruggle between President ChandrikaKumaratunga and Prime MinisterRanil Wickremsinghe is not going toabate. But at least the Tamil rebelscontinue to observe the ceasefire despitetensions with the Sri Lankan army. Therest of Southeast Asia will also see aspate of elections: presidential in thePhilippines and general elections inIndonesia and Malaysia, the first inMalaysia after the departure of thecharismatic Mahathir Mohammad.

One of Nepal�s major donors, theEU, will expand to 25 members fromits current 15 on 1 May 2004. Thenew EU will debate on a newconstitution while France and Germanytry to emerge from under the USshadow in foreign policy and defenceaffairs. Britain is expected to register amodest economic growth of 2 percentwhile keeping the inflation at around1.6 percent. The Labour government islikely to crack down on illegal asylumseekers but open doors for skilledmigrants.

In Russia, bolstered by the

World view 2004

parliamentary poll victory late last year,President Vladimir Putin is all set tomarch into a victorious reelection inMarch. While he may have to facepopular discontent in the wake of theslow economy, analysts say a Putin winis a foregone conclusion, especially withno serious rivals.

If nothing happens between nowand then to mar the triumphalismfollowing the Saddam capture,President George Bush will go on to asecond term. Elections 2004 will be areferendum on Bush policies,including his decision to go to waragainst Iraq. Though nearly threemillion people lost their jobs sinceBush Jr came to power, his strongRepublican ideals is still supported.Nepali garment exporters may need tohold their collective breaths a whilelonger.

In the Middle-east, Iraq will take awhile to stabilise. The reconstructionboom is projected to push the economyup by as much as 20 percent, whichmeans Nepalis could soon be lining upoutside the Iraqi Embassy foremployment opportunities. The Israel-Palestine conflict is likely to prolongthough both sides continue to pay lip-service to the road map for peace. The

main threat to global peace anddevelopment will still be terrorism.While chances are slim that Osamabin Laden will be �smoked out� by USforces, al-Qaeda and its allies will stillwreak havoc in insidiously effectiveways and the democratisation of Islamwill continue to top the world publicdebate forum.

2004, China, the other emergingglobal power, will enjoy strongeconomic growth (8.2 percent) whileattempting to maintain politicalstability. The country�s constitutionwill guarantee some sort of private-property rights in March and peoplewill be issued passports more easily,possibly resulting in a huge outflow ofChinese tourists. Nepal, however, willbe unprepared for the boom, despitebeing the first South Asian country tobe declared an outbound destinationfor Chinese nationals.

Nepal�s biggest bilateral donor,Japan, is likely to register a modesteconomic growth between 1-2 percent.Having won parliamentary polls,Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumiwill be preoccupied with the securitypolicy. Though one-fifth of theJapanese population will be 65 orover, there is still strong resistance toopening its labour market toforeigners. The perception thatoutsiders cause trouble is gainingground (see p11).

The economic boom will continuein the Gulf, and this will maintain theoutflow of Nepali migrant workers.Our government had better regularisethe foreign employment sector andprotect the interests of nationalsworking abroad. The other destinationfor Nepali workers, Malaysia, will see acontinued upswing with acceleratedgrowth. Nearly 100,000 Nepalis nowwork in Malaysia, and it�s time tothink aboiut upgrading the averageincome of the workers with skillstraining.

Away from political wrangling,global competition and nationalisticzeal will reach Olympic heightsduring August in Athens. This mayjust prove to be too much temptationfor the Nepali squad who are wont todisappear once on foreign soil. t

Bhagirath Yogi works at the BBC NepaliService in London.

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MB NAQVI in ISLAMABADhis month�s narrow escape by Pakistan PresidentGen Pervez Musharraf of an attempt on his life hasmade him even more important to the international

coalition in its �war on terror�. The incident could not butalarm US and several European governments that seeMusharraf, the country�s embattled military dictator, as alynchpin in this Western-led war.

What is disconcerting about this bomb attack was itssophistication. It was an expertly assembled operation thatmust have taken experienced bombers at least an hour ormore to attach to a bridge and was timed to go off at exactlythe time when Musharraf�s motorcade was to pass over thebridge. That Musharraf escaped is said to be due to adevice fit in the cars he uses: it jams the electronic timingdevice, and it successfully jammed the timer for a minuteor so during which the vehicles passed over the bridge.

Speculation is rife: either the Islamic terrorists havepenetrated the official security apparatus or it was anelaborate drama staged to impress the US administrationabout the perilous circumstances that Musharraf is in,while stoutly defending Western causes. Going by thistheory, he would thus earn more understanding, supportand aid from US President George W Bush.

This is addition to recent and ongoing developmentsin the India-Pakistan relationship, which apart from Iraqand Afghanistan have made Musharraf even moreimportant to the international coalition fighting terror thatnow badly wants Pakistan to make up with India.Musharraf, as it happens, is engaged in just that effort. Heis also the key asset that the West possesses for fruition ofits schemes for South Asia as well as Central Asia.

For that, it is essential that his regime is consolidated athome and threats to it eliminated. But inside Pakistan,Musharraf is beleaguered, though he has supportfrom the United States, British, Chinese, Russian, someEuropean and even the Indian and Israeli governments.How or why is his support at home so patchy anduncertain while all major nations are ready to keep hisregime afloat?

The reasons are several. First, the manner of hiscoming to power and the nature of his regime have forced

PresidentMusharraf is

more valuablenow than ever

in the�war on terror�.

Sheriff Musharaffthe Commonwealth to keep Pakistan�s membershipsuspended. He violated his country�s constitution inseizing power the way he did: he was a dismissed officerof the Pakistan Army, dismissed by competent authority.Instead of obeying the prime minister�s orders, he stageda coup, overturned the organic law of the land andimprisoned the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif.

In addition, he has arbitrarily amended theconstitution to permit himself to remain army chief andpresident, able to dismiss all elected governments andassemblies. Most major parties refuse to recognise thelegitimacy of his presidency or that of this amendedconstitution.

This confrontation, dubbed by many as a fixed fight,is not likely to bring any significant change in thesituation even if all the demands of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA)�the alliance of six religious parties�aremet by Musharraf. He would remain in power with all oftoday�s powers. The MMA now controls 20 percent ofthe parliament, has its own government in the NorthWest Frontier Province and comprises a large chunk ofBalochistan�s provincial government as a result ofOctober 2002 polls.

The two, for political purposes, are seen as partnersin the army�s major enterprises. This is one reason whymany say MMA stands for �Military-Mullah Alliance�and why the harsh MMA rhetoric of opposing theMusharraf regime lacks credibility. The MMA�s rise isoften said to be Bush�s gift to Pakistan. In all sevenelections in Pakistan until 2002, religious parties, allcombined, never got more than eight percent of thenational vote. Thanks to 11 September and the USinvasion of Afghanistan, the toppling of the Talibanregime made a darling of all religious parties. Buttoday, Musharraf is opposed by all the majormainstream parties.

It is actually a three-way division among the majorparties: the largest party to emerge from the October2002 polls, under a controversial legal framework, wasthe Pakistan Peoples Party led by self-exiled former PrimeMinister Benazir Bhutto, then by the Pakistan MuslimLeague of exiled former prime minister Sharif. t (IPS)

World trends in the new year that Nepalisneed to know, and worry, about.

O

T

12 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176FROM THE NEPALI PRESS SELECTED MATERIAL TRANSLATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Name District ByBhaghi Damai Pariyar Accham StateDil Bahadur Shah (Shital) Achham StateHarka Bd. Saud Achham StateJanak Bahadur Bista Achham MaoistKrishna Prasad Haishi Achham StatePrem B. Rawal Achham StatePurana Prasad Khanal Arghakhachi StateTarapati Pokharel Arghakhachi StateTej Prasad Pokharel Arghakhachi StateRam Prasad Kafla Baglung StateSurya Prasad Sharma Baglung StateUba Raj Kharel Baglung StateNobraj Nap Baitadi StateSurendra Singh Thakuala Baitadi StateBharat Bahadur Thapa Bajura MaoistTula B. Thapa Bajura StateBhangi Tharu Banke StateBikau Lal Koiri Banke StateBishnu Kumar Aryal Banke StateCharan Das Dhobi Banke StateDevi Prasad Adhikari Banka StateDhan Bahadur B.K Banke StateDhan Bahadur Chhetri Banke StateDhan Kumari Chaudhari Banke StateGopal Thama Chhetri Bake StateHari B. Khatri Banke StateHari Prasad Subedi Banke StateHari Prasad Sudedi Banke StateHikmat Bista Banke StateHom Bahadur Bhandari Banke StateHukum Bahadur K. C Banke StateJahir Kha Banke StateJuhariya Lal Tharu Banke StateKaman Singh Kanal Banka StateKhil Prasad Bhusal Banke StateKripram Murai Banke StateKrishna Bahadur Tharu Banke StateKuber Rijal Banke StateLal B. Dangi Banke StateMahandra Bikram Oli Banke StateMishri lal Bhudhathoki Banke StateMohammad Jakir Shek Banke StateMohan Bikram Aryal Banke StateMohan Lal Oli Banke StateMukunda Singh Bali (Ajit) Banke StateNanha K. Ansari Banke StateNarayan Prasad Acharya Banke StatePawan Tharu Banke StatePenta B.K Banke StatePhool Raj Chaudhari Banke StatePrtima Gautam Banke StateRahish Kha Banke StateRaj Bahadur Chaudhari Banke StateRaja Ram Tharu Banke StateRam Milan Balmiki Banke StateRam Prasad Pokharel Banke StateRam Prasad Pokhrel Banke. StateRam Prasad Tharu Banke StateRashi Raj Pokheral Banke StatShajir Kha Banke StatSher Bahadur Wali. Banke StatShubha Bahadur Bhandari BankeShuleman Kha Banke StateTeeka Ram Giri Banke StateTeju Ranabhat Banke State

Tek Bahadur B. K Banke StateTika Jung Shahi Banke StateTil Bahadur Rijhal Banke StateYagya Bahadur Budha Banke StateBhola Guragain Bara StateBikash Chaulagain (Jhamka) Bara StateDependra Karki Bara StateIrsad Hussan Ansari Bara StateJyoti Guragain Bara StateKamala Guragain Bara StateLaxmi Dhakal Bara StateSita Guragain Bara StateSuraj Guragain Bara StateTika Nepal Bara StateBabu Ram Tharu Bardia StateBadhu Tharu Bardia StateBhudhi Tharu Bardia StateBhuvan Kumar Chaudhari Bardia StateBudhi Tharu Bardia StateBum B. Shai Bardia StateChillu Tharu Bardia StateDarwari Tharu Bardia StateGovra Tharu Bardia StateHim B. Bista Bardia MaoistHira Singh Budhamagar Bardia, StateJanaki Chaudhari Bardia StateKali Bista Bardia MaoistKamala Chudhari Bardia StateKamala Kumar Lamichhane Bardia StateKaser Bahadur Basnet Bardia StateKimlal Tharu Bardia StateKrishna Prasad Chaudhari Bardia StateLahanu Chaudhari Bardia StateLahanu Chaudhari Bardia StateLauti Tharu Bardia StateLaxmi Ram Tharu Bardia StateLok Ram Tharu Bardia StateMohan Tharu Bardia StateMukh Lal Tharu Bardia StateNim Prakash Tharu Bardia StateNuwa (Dhani Ram) Tharu Bardia StatePalta Tharu Bardia StatePati Ram Tharu Bardia StatePatiram Tharu Bardia StatePriya Tharu Bardia StateRaghuwa Tharu Bardia StateRajan Kuamar Chaudhari Bardia StateRam Bahadur Chhetri Bardia StateRam Chaudhari Bardia StateRam Chaudhari Bardia StateRamesh Bahadur Tharu Bardia StateRamghor Tharu Bardia StateRohina Tharu (Chuka, Gova) Bardia StateSantaram Tharu Bardia StateShanu Tharu Bardia StateSom prasad Tharu Bardia StateSonia Tharu Bardia StateSuraj Kumar Bhattarai Bardia StateSuraj Tharu Bardia StateSuresh Kumar Wali Bardia StateSuresh Tharu Bardia StateSurya Tharu Bardia StateThagga Tharu Bardia StateTirtha B. Thapa Bardia StateTribhuvan Giri Bardia StateTulashi Ram Tharu Bardia State

Yagya Bahadur Rawal Bardia StateYogendra Tharu Bardia StateJeet Bahadur Chaudhari Bardia StateAnu Shai Bhaktapur StateBuddi Narayan Tyaadhana Bhaktapur StateDil Bahadur Taj Bhaktapur StateGangaram Shrestha Bhaktapur StateHari Prasad Suwal Bhaktapur StateJagat Krishna Pokhrel Bhaktapur StateNavaraj Dulal Bhaktapur StateRajendra Regmi Bhaktapur StateRam B. Khadka Bhaktapur MaoistSagna Taj Bhaktapur StateSahadev Ghimire Bhaktapur StateShree Shyta N. Prajapati Bhaktapur StateUdisha Shai Bhaktapur UnknownYam Bahadur Shodari Bhaktapur StateBharat Karki Bhojpur StateBhishnu Shrestha Bhojpur MaoistDeepak Rai Bhojpur MaoistIswor Rai Bhojpur MaoistMadhav Prasad Neupane Bhojpur StateNabin Rai Bhojpu StateNavin Kumar Rai Bhojpur StateOm Kumar Shrestha Bhojpur MaoistShalikram Adhikari Bhojpur UnknownSuman Shrestha Bhojpur MaoistDambar Bahadur Gurung Chitawan StateDil Bahadur Adhikari Chitwan StateGyanandra Tripathi Chitwan StateHari B. Tamang Chitwan StateKarma B. Tamang Chitwan StateKrishna K.C. Chitwan StateMegnath Sharma Chitwan StateMiss. Ambika Mudbhari Chitwan StatePrakash Khanal Chitwan StateRajan Neupane Chitwan StateRatna K. Tamang Chitwan StateSharda Shrestha Chitwan StateShusma Khanal Chitwan StateDal Bahadur Dhami Dadeldhura StateDan Bahadur Bohora Dadeldhura StateDil Bahadur Jagri Dadeldhura StateLal Bahadur Bohora Dadeldhura StatePrem Bitalu Dadeldhura StateThagi B.K Dadeldhura StateDhirendra bahadur Rawal Dailekh StateNagmal Bista Dailekh StateArjaun Kumar Adhikari Dang StateBhim B. Chaudhari Dang StateBir B. Thapa Dang StateBishow Raj Acharya Dang StateDeepak Kumar Chaudhari Dang StateDhaniram Chaudhari Dang StateDhruba Kumar Adhikari Dang StateGanesh Thapa Dang StateHari Lal Chaudhri Dang StateJhuma Kumari Sen Wali. Dang MaoistKedar Nath Chaudhari Dang StateKhem B. Nepali Dang StateKuiera Chaudhari (Ram) Dang StateObiraj Dagi Dang StatePrem B. Chaudhari Dang StatePushkar Raj subedhi Dang StateRajeeb Basnet Dang MaoistResam B. Gharti Dang State

Shoman chudhari Dang StateShomraj Chaudhari Dang StateUdaya Ram Chaudhari Dang StateUttar Kumar Shrestha Dang StateYub Raj Shrma Dang MaoistYubaraj Sharma Dang StateDenesh Kuwar Darchula UnknownGagan Singh Kuwar Darchula UnknownBadrilal Tamang Dhading StateBasudev Banskota Dhading StateChatu Man Gurung Dhading StateDeewakar Luitail Dhading StateDiwakar Luitail Dhading StateGyanendra Prasad Bidari Dhading StateHari Lamsal Dhading StateJanak Lamichhane Dhading StateKrishna Kumar Regmi Dhading StateMukunda Prasad Panta Dhading StatePhoolmaya Tamang Dhading StatePradesh Chandra Lohani Dhading StateRam P. Tripathi Dhading StateRam Prasad Acharya Dhading. StateRamhari Rupakheti Dhading StateThan P. Lohani Dhading StateAchut K.C. Dhanding StateBaikuntha BhujelDhanding “ StateChandra Bd. Poudyal Dhanding UnknownDhanshyam Adhikari Dhading StateGyanendra Prasad BIdari Dhading StateHari Pd. Acharya Dhading StateIndra Bahadur Aryal Dhading StateIshwori Prasad Regmi Dhading StateMukunda Prasad Panta Dhading StateNavaraj Thapa Dhading StatePuspa Thapaliya Dhading StateShyam Pd Rupakheti Dhading StateSudersan Regmi Dhading StateThakur Pudasaini Dhading StateBhagati Mandol Dhanusa StateDurgash K. Lama Dhanusha StateHaridev Mandal Dhanusha StateJetendra Jha Dhanusha StatePramod Narayan Mandal Dhanusha StateRaj Kumar Yadav Dhanusha StateSanjaya Raya Dhanusha StateSanjeev K. Karma Dhanusha StateShailandra Yadav Dhanusha StateShobhit Yadav Dhunusha StateHari Shankar Bhandari Dholakha StateDil Bahadur Bhudhathoki Dolakha MaoistSunil Rajbhandari Doti UnknownBadri Bahadur Pandy Gorkha StateBudhi Silpakar Gorkha StateChandra P. Khanal Gorkha StateDeepak Lamichhane Gorkha StateDipendra Pant Gorkha StateDipendra Panta Gorkha StateGita Thapamagar Gorkha StateHom Bahadur Thapa Gorkha MaiostKemar B. Nepali Gorkha StateKumar Dhakal Gorkha StateLila Yadav Gorkha StateNirmala Bhaihata Gorkha StatePampha Kumal Gorkha StateRajendra Dhakal Gorkha StateRajendra Kanel, Gorkha State

Rajendra Prajuli Gorkha StateRajendra Raman Khanal Gorkha StateRaju Gurung Gorkha StateRam Bahadur Ghimire Gorkha StateRudra Khanal Gorkha StateSanjaya Dhakal Gorkha StateSarada Prasad Adhikari Gorkha StateSuman Dhakal Gorkha StateTanka Prasad Devkota Gorkha StateThakur Prasad Kandel Gorkha StateTula B. Nepali Gorkha StateBimal Gyawali Gulmi StatePadam Neupane Gulmi MaoistAdaan Singh Thapa Humla MaoistChhaka Bahadur Lama Humla StateNetra Phadera Humla MaoistPuspa Raj Neupane Ilam StateTirtharaj Kathiwoda Ilam StateAsagar Ali Motihari (In India) StateKhamba Lal Gautam Jajarkot StateBirendra Jhapa StateDeepak Budhathoki Jhapa StateDeepak Chindra Acharya Jhapa StateDepak Bhudhathoki Jhapa StateGopal Dhakal Jhapa StateKrishna Bahadur Limbu Jhapa StateMilan Khadka Jhapa StatePuspa Raj Besnat Jhapa StateSantiram Bhattarai Jhapa StateSuresh Kumar Pokharel Jhapa StateBhim Giri Kailali StateBinod Chaudhari Kailali StateBishnu Prasad Gawali Kailali StateJanki Chaudhari Kailali StateKaran Singh Gartimagar Kailali StateKhadka Bahadur Thapa Kailali MaoistKumari Damai Kailali StateKumari Nepali Kailali StateKusum Kumari Chaudhari Kailali StateLahuram Chaudhari Kailali StateNarayan Prasad Chaudhari Kailali StateNarayan Prasad Chaudhari Kailali StatePromod Uprati Kailali MaoistSehotri Chaudhari Kailali StateSudhir Chaudhari Kailali StateKulman Shai Kalikot MaoistParek Bahadur Shahi Kalikot StateDan Shinga Thapa Kanchanpur MaoistNirmal Kumari Meenu Kapilvastu StatePradeep Khanal Kaski StatePurna Poudel Kaski StateRaju Chhetri Kaski StateRam Chandra Subedi Kaski StateShom Bahadur B. K Kaski StateShree Ram Subeki Kaski StateYash P. Subedi Kaski StateAaite Muktan Kathmandu UnknownAbdual Gumar Kathmandu StateAlexender Grabhenicraya Kathmandu StateAmrit Maharjan Kathmandu StateAnil Maharjan Kathmandu StateArjun Maharjan Kathmandu StateArjun Thapaliya Kathmandu StateArun Maharjan Kathmandu StateAruna Tadal Kathmandu StateAshok Lama Kathmandu State

Bandhu Pandy Kathmandu StateBasudev Aryal Kathmandu StateBhasu Lal Shrestha Kathmandu UnknownBhata Ram Lamichhne Kathamandu StateBhim Raj Marjan Kathmandu StateBhiv P. Gautam Kathmandu StateBindhu Pandy Kathmandu StateBipin Bhandari Kathmandu StateChatnath Dangal Kathmandu StateChhabilal Gautam Kathmandu StateChhatra B. Shrestha Kathmandu UnknownDalak Bd. Tamang Kathmandu StateDanda Pani Neupane Kathmandu StateDeepa Rokaa Kathmandu UnknownDeepak Amatya KathmanduDeepak Pokharel Kathmandu UnknownDev Bahadur Maharjan Kathmandu StateDil Bahadur Rai Kathmandu StateDil Bahadur Rai Kathmandu StateGanga Prasad Tiwari Kathmandu StateGopi Krishna Thapaliya Kathmandu StateGyan Bahadur Maharjan Kathmandu StateGyanandra Nepal Kathmandu UnknownHari Pd. Gautam Kathmandu StateHari Sharan Shrestha Kathmandu UnknownHaridwaar Kuwar Kathmandu StateHarsha Man Maharjan Kathmandu StateHem Pd. Ghimire Kathmandu StateJamil Ahamad Kathmandu UnknownJanak Pd.Adhikari Kathmandu StateJayanti Thapa Kathmandu StateKabir Kumar Shrestha Kathmandu UnknownKaji Nepal (Krishna Nepal) Kathmandu StateKamal K.C Kathmandu StateKarmawal Tamang Kathmandu UnknownKedar Prasad Gautam Kathmandu StateKiran Gurung Kathmandu StateKrishna K.C Kathmandu StateKrishna Sen Iechhuk Kathmandu StateLoknath Chaulagain Kathmandu StateMadav B. Ghimire Kathmandu StateMadav Dahal Kathmandu UnknownMaha Prasad Amgain Kathmandu StateMamaraj Agrawal Kathmandu StateMaya Lama Kathmandu StateMohammd Yunus Ansari Kathmandu StateMukunda Prasad Phuyal Kathmandu StateNanda Prasad Tiwari Kathmandu StateNani Maiya Maharjan Kathmandu StateNarayan Adhikari Kathmandu StateNarayan B. Thapa Kathmandu StateNarayan Khadka Kathmandu StateNaresh Maharjan Kathmandu StateNirmala Bhandari Kathmandu UnknownNischal Nakarmi Kathmandu UnknownPrabesh B. Bista Kathmandu StatePradip Karki Kathmandu StatePrakesh Khadka Kathmandu StatePramid Kumar Baniya Kathmandu StatePrem Sagar Karmachrya Kathmandu StatePro. Ram Chandra Bhandari Kathmandu StatePurushottam Sapkota Kathmandu StateRadhe Dangal Kathmandu StateRai Pradad Kanal Kathmandu StateRaj Kumar Karki Kathmandu StateRajan Yongan (Tamang) Kathmandu State

The disappearedIn the eight years since the Moaist insurgency began, the bell has tolled for thousands ofNepalis. For families of those who have gone missing, there is no closure, no permission togrieve�nothing but the hollow feeling of not knowing where their loved ones are. The followingis a list of 808 disappeared since 2000 by both sides. It is based on information fromfamilies, friends, relatives and other organisations and does not include those not reported toNHRC. A few from this list have been released, but others disappeared in the past weeks needto be added. A majority (663) were abducted by the state, and 69 of the total were women.

Kantipur, 21 December

“It is not possiblewithout the Sherpas,”is a cliché amongmountaineers. But assoon as they get backto their countries theyforget about them.Other than a few likeEdmund Hillary andJunko Tabei, mostsummiteers usuallyride the glory of their climb without a thought for those whomade it possible. Now there is one more person who isshowing his thanks in concrete ways. British mountaineerDoug Scott is involved in building a porter shelter inMachermo in Gokyo valley, three days’ walk from NamcheBazar.

Scott saw that porters suffer the most when they arehired by disorganised and cheap agencies. Since there arevery few houses in Machermo, there isn’t enough room forthe porters. “We started the shelter to protect the portersfrom the cold and other hardships,” says Scott, “The coldand high altitude endangers their lives.”

According to the International Porter Protection Group(IPPG), in the last decade at least three porters died eachyear in the Himalaya. The proposed shelter will cost Rs 5.8million and is at about 5,420m on the route to Cho La peak,considered one of the toughest trekking passes. Twohundred trekkers go there annually despite the high risk ofextreme cold coupled with high altitude. “This shelter willreally be of great relief for the porters,” says Ang Tshering,president of the Nepal Moutaineering Association, whichhad also helped set up a similar shelter in Lobuche andthe Island peak area. Scott plans to hire a medical doctorand a nurse for the peak tourist season and has beenhelping porters through Community Action Nepal.

Scott and the Sherpas ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Second chanceNepal Samacharpatra,20 December

Orphaned by the insurgency, thefate of Nepali children hangs in hebalance. Their rehabilitation hasbeen restricted to lip service. A fewgirls have been lucky enough to bein school, even though it ishundreds of miles away from home.Eleven Nepali children are enrolledin the Michael Jop Memorial andMedical Institute in the southIndian city of Chennai. Five ofthem are from Humla, one eachfrom Kabhre and Kathmandu andfour from the Bhutanese refugeecamps in eastern Nepal. Thirty moreNepali girls who have been orphanedby the ongoing conflict will beenrolled in the school by mid-2004.

Seven-year-old twins Sita andSapana were left orphans after theMaoists slit their father�s throatnearly two years ago. Soon after,their mother�s disappeared, leavingthe girls with no one but an agedgrandmother, who managed to getthem admitted to the Indianschool. The school was establishedthree years ago by PP Jop inmemory of his son who died in acar accident, and provideseducation to 400 girl children fromconflict areas around the world.

The Sagarmatha YouthAwareness Group in Lalitpur,which coordinates enrolment fromNepal says it is finding it difficultgetting proof that the girls arevictims of the ongoing conflict.

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Faux pasDeshantar, 21 December

When Prime Minister SuryaBahadur Thapa deplaned at DhakaAirport earlier this week, hisBangladeshi counterpart BegumKhalida Zia and other seniorofficials were there to welcomehim. The Bangladeshi primeminister advanced to offer Thapa abouquet. Immediately after that,she greeted him with her handsjoined to offer namaskar. In themeantime, Thapa passed thebouquet to one of his aides andoffered a handshake. The Bangla-deshi chief executive was stillstanding with her namaskar, whileThapa kept his hand out. Neitherknew what to do next, when anaide whispered something inThapa�s ears. Thapa then returnedthe namaskar and gave up the ideaof shaking hands. This little flustertook about 30 seconds and state-controlled Nepal Television airedthe full footage without cuts in theevening.

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Open secretChief Election CommissionerKeshab Raj Rajbhandari inSpacetime, 22 December

"My duty is to hold elections butthe responsibilities of politicalparties and the government areequally crucial to create the rightenvironment for these elections totake place. I have not held

discussions with both of theseparties till date. The ElectionCommission is there to holdelections but only after dates forthe polls are fixed after thegovernment, political parties andsecurity agencies show they areready.

They could be doing just thatat the moment. The electioncommission has already starteddoing the necessary homework.We have focused on increasingour offices in the districts. So far,

we have branches in only 30districts. I am also studying theinternal structure of thecommission. Once this iscompleted, I will start working ina concrete manner for theelections.

I have nothing to say to thosewho oppose me. I am an opensecret. I am grateful to theconstitutional council thatrecommended me for the post ofelection commissioner and to theking who appointed me.�

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

Rajdhani, 21 December

"Sa'b, he's got a bomb""Unh-huh.""Sa'b he's got a gun."Unh-huh."Sa'b he's shouting rousing slogans."WHAT?!"

�Maoists are not just Nepal�s problem, they are also achallenge to Indian security.�

Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Shyam Saran inRajdhani, 21 December

1326 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176HISTORY AND CULTURE

Rajandra Gautam Kathmandu StateRajesh Maharjan Kathmandu StateRajesh Shrestha Kathmandu StateRajman Shrestha Kathmandu StateRam Krishan Shrestha Kathmandu StateRam Pd. Bhattarai Kathmandu UnknownRam Prasad Gautam Kathmandu StateRamchandra Bhandari Kathmandu StateRamesh Gautam Kathmandu StateR.Shomsher Rupakheti KathmanduRamhari Chaulagain Kathmandu StateRatna Prasad Thapaliya Kathmandu StateShanta Shrestha Kathmandu StateShanta Shrestha Kathmandu UnknownShanti Ram Bhattarai Kathmandu StateSharda Mahat Kathmandu StateShiva Raj Gautam Kathmandu UnknownShiva Tiwari Kathmandu StateShival Prasad Tiwari Kathmandu StateShom Bahadur Tamang Kathmandu StateShuva Shankar Kandel Kathmandu StateShyam Bhatta Kathmandu MaoistShyam Kumar Shrestha Kathmandu StateSonam Tashi Kathmandu 2002Suchendra Shrestha Kathmandu StateSudindra Bhudamagar Kathmandu StateSujindra Maharjan Kathmandu StateSumitra Shrestha Kathmandu StateSumpurna Adhikari Kathmandu StateSurendra Maharjan Kathmandu StateSuresh Shrestha Kathmandu StateTejnarayan Sapkota Kathmandu StateUdav Prasad Wadal Kathmandu StateUdya Prsad Shah Kathamandu StateUdya Raj Gautam Kathmandu StateUpendra Timalsina Kathmandu StateYub Raj Mainali Kathmandu StateAshok Tamang Kavre StateBheem Prasad Chaulagain KavreBhim Bd. Tamang Kavre MaoistChturam Lama Kavre StateDevi Pd. Bajgain Kavre MaoistKebhab Chaulagani Kavre StateKhadga Singh Tamang Kavre StateKul Prasad Humagain Kavre StateLok Pd. Bajgain Kavre MaoistMan Bahadur Tamang Kavre StateNeema Dorje Lama Kavre StatePunya B. Lama Tamang Kavre StateRajandra Gautam Kavre StateRam Krishna Thapa Magar KavreRemash Gautam Kavre StateReshaya Bahadur Tamang Kavre StateSanta Bahadur Tamang Kavre MaoistSanu Maya Lama Kavre StateShiva Prasad Gautam Kavre StateSubas Chandra Mainali Kavre StateTanka Prasad Tripathi Kavre StateTej Prasad Gautam Kavre StateThakur Gautam Kavre StateYaknath Chaulagain Kavre StateYog Prasad Thapaliya Kavre StateKumar Prasad Panta Kavre StateYog Prasad Thapaliya Kavre StateBadri Rai Kotang StateNabin Rai Khotang Maoist

Aasta Raj Bajracharya Lalitpur StateRam Maharjan Lalitpur StateAmir Lalitpur StateAmrit Man Shrestha Lalitpur StateAnuman Shrestha Lalitpur StateDharma Raj Dongol Lalitpur StateDr. Rishi Raj Adhikari Lalitpur StateGopal Nagarkoti Lalitpur StateKhadka B. Ghartimagar Lalitpur StateKrishna Dahal Lalitpur StateKrishna Man Shrestha Lalitpur StateMachhe Narayan Shrestha Lalitpur StatePadam Narayan Nakarmi LalitpurParsuram Thapa Lalitpur UnknownPrem B. Maharjan Lalitpur StateRajendra Mali Lalitpur StateRam Chandra Maharjan Lalitpur StateRam Khadgi Lalitpur StateRam Maharjan Lalitpur StateRupa Raj Maharjan Lalitpur StateSita Karanjit Lalitpur StateSurendra Khadgi Lalitpur StateSuryaman Maharjan Lalitpur StateThal Prasad Timalsina Lalitpur StateUjjwal Jhukla Lalitpur StateBal Krishna Shrestha Lamjung StateBishnu Prasad Tiwari Lamjung StateChandrakanta Poudel Lamjung StateChelnath Ghimire Lamjung StateKrishna Neupane Lamjung StateKrishna Prasad Phokharel Lamjung StateLilaraj Kadal Lamjung StateManoj Regmi Lamjung StatePadam Pd. Neupane Lamjung UnknownShaker Nath Ghimire Lamjung StateShakernath Ghimira Lamjung StateSundar Raj Poudyal Lamjung StateChabilal Yadav Mahottari StateChandeshwor Chaudhari Mahottari StateJagadish Mahato Mahottari StateKishori Raya Yadav Mahottari StateManoj Kumar Shah Mahottari StatePushkar Raj Subedhi Mahottari StateRam Shewok Shah Sonar Mahottari StateRam Singh Shah Mahottari StateRamadrya Yadav Mahottari StateRambhis Shaha Mahottari StateSailendra Kumar Rai Mahottari StateSharan Mandal Mahottari StateShyam Sundar Kushwaha Mahottari StateSunil Yadav Mahottari StateGynendra Kanlakhati Makawanpur UnknownKumar Karki MakawanpurNobraj Dahal Makawanpur MaoistPrabin Syatal Makawanpur MaoistSanta Bahadur Baiba Makawanpur StateDilli Pd. Dangal Morang StateGopal Karki Morang MaoistHari Bahadur Karki Morang StateHari Dangal Morang StateKalpana Morang StateKamala Dhahal Morang StateLaxman Prasad Ghimire Morang StatePrakash Karki Morang StateTek B. Bista Morang StateDurga Bahadur Nepali Nawalparasi State

Parishit Regmi Nawalparasi StateSudersan Poudel Nawalparasi StateArjan Khatiwada Nuwakot StateArjun Pokharel Nuwakot StateChola Prasad Dhakal Nuwakot StateDenesh Nepali Nuwakot StateDhruva Prasad Mishra Nuwakot StateDinesh Nepali Nuwakot StateDipendra Nepal Nuwakot StateHit B. Sudedi Nuwakot StateJanak Prasad Adhikari Nuwakot StateKeshab Prasad Bhatta Nuwakot StateKeshab Prasad Bhatta Nuwakot StateKousalya Pokharel Nuwakot StateLaxman Neupane Nuwakot StateMalika Shrestha Nuwakot StateMeera Adhikari Nuwakot StateNab Raj K.C Nuwakot StatePasupati Dhungana Nuwakot StatePiman Singh Tamang Nuwakot StatePradip Adhikari Nuwakot StateRaj Kumar Karki Nuwakot StateRajan Bajganie NuwakotRamashower Dhungana Nuwakot StateSankar Nepali Nuwakot StateSaroj Tamang Nuwakot StateShyam Raj Acharaya Nuwakot StateTara Bhandari Nuwakot StateTara Bhandari Nuwakot StateTirtha Pande Nuwakot StateBimal Kaji Karki Okhaldhunga StateChakra B. Katuwal OkhaldhungaDeepak Pokharel Okhaldhunga MaoistDeepak Pokharel Okhaldhunga UnknownDhro Prasad Bhattrai Okhaldhunga StateDhron Prasad Bhatarai Okhaldhunga StateHaran Bhatarai Okhaldhunga StateHom Prasad Gautam Okhaldunga StateMohan Luitail Okhaldhunga StateOm B. Thapa Okhaldhunga StatePadam Prasad Dahal. Okhaldhunga UnknownPrachanda Katawal Okhaldhunga StateRajan Dahal OkhaldhungaShambhu Katuwal Okhaldhunga StateThatraj Wagla Okhaldunga StateBal Krishna Shrestha Parsa StateBal Krishna Shrestha Parsa MaoistBimal P. Ghimire Parsa MaoistJagan Nath Nepal Parsa StateRam Chandra Shrestha Parsa MaoistRamakant Giri Parsa MaoistRita Yadav Parsa StateShobhit Pun Parsa StateShyam Sundar Dhungana Parsa StateBijula Kuwar Parbat MaoistSarita Devi Sharma Parbat StateBadri Khadka Ramechhap StateBinod K. Khadka Ramechhap MaoistDenesh Chaulagain Ramechap UnknownGovinda Ghimire Ramechap StateGyan Bahadur Chhetri Ramechhap MaoistJeev Nath Gautam Ramachhap MaoistNar Bahadur Thapa Ramechap StateNarayan Pathak Ramechhap MaoistNirmal Pathak Ramechhap MaoistNokhraj Gautam Ramachhap Maoist

Prasun Kandel Ramechhap UnknownRam Babu Gari Ramachhap StateRamchandra Bhandari Ramechhap StatePuspa Kumar Giri Ramechhap StateKemab Man Dangol Rasuwa StateKhuwa P. Acharya Rasuwa StateRaj Kumar Acharya Rasuwa StateRajkumar Acharya Rasuwa StateMenuka Sapkota Rautahat StateMrs. Manesh Pokharel Rautahat StateRam Chandra Rawal Barai Rautahat StateRam Janma Rawot (Patel) Rautahat StateRupa Sapkota Rautahat StateSomraj Timalsina Rautahat StateUpendra Chaulagain Rautahat StateAalaram Pun Rolpa MaoistAmrita Shrestha Rolpa MaoistBegam Rana Rolpa StateBhagilal Pun Rolpa MaoistBhagiman Budha Rolpa MaoistBijaya Gharti Rolpa MaoistBudhiram B.K. Rolpa MaoistDeepak Rokka Rolpa MaoistDor Bahadur Wali. Rolpa MaoistGajaman Kunwar Rolpa MaoistGhahendra Hamal Rolpa State rGorakh Bahadur Bista Rolpa MaoistGyan Bahadur Bista Rolpa MaoistIshwor Lal Budha Rolpa MaoistJanak Oli Rolpa MaoistJudda Bdr.Daugee Rolpa MaoistJudda bir Rokka Rolpa MaoistKale Budha Rolpa MaoistKamal Pun Rolpa MaoistKausala Pun Rolpa MaoistKhagendra Prakash Malla Rolpa MaoistKhem Bdr. Khani Rolpa MaoistKhim Bahadur Giri Rolpa MaoistKul Bahadur Dangi Rolpa MaoistMadkali Khadka Rolpa MaoistMahendra Pun Magar Rolpa MaoistMan Bahadur Budhathoki Rolpa MaoistNaresh Bhuda Magar Rolpa StateOm Prakash Pun Rolpa MaoistPadam Bd. Malla Rolpa MaoistPrem Prakash Acharya Rolpa StatePunaram Chand Rolpa MaoistPunya Pun Rolpa StatePurna Bahadur Bista Rolpa MaoistPurna Bahadur Shahi Rolpa MaoistPurna Bahadur Thapamagar Rolpa MaoistRam Roka Rolpa MaoistRamu Pun Rolpa MaoistRupa Pun Rolpa MaoistSarita K.C. Rolpa MaoistShayam Lal B.K. Rolpa MaoistSun Kumari Rana Rolpa MaoistSunmaya Budha. Rolpa MaoistTara Pun Rolpa MaoistTek Bahadur B.K. Rolpa MaoistThanti Bista Rolpa MaoistThepchi Budha Rolpa MaoistTilak Ram Giri Rolpa MaoistTirtha Lal Thapa Rolpa MaoistUjar Sing Dangi Rolpa MaoistUmesh Subedi Rolpa State

Villa K.C. Rolpa MaoistWife of Sunai Budha Rolpa MaoistDevi lal Khadka Rukum MaoistDilli Bahadur K.C Rukum MaoistDilli Bahadur K.C. Rukum MaoistGopal K.C. Rukum MaoistGoverdarn Rawot Rukum MaoistKarna Bahadur Nepali Rukum MaoistLal Bahadur B.K. Rukum MaoistLaxmi Garti Rukum MaoistLok Bahadur Bista Rukum MaoistMohanlal B.K. Rukum MaoistNarbir B.K. Rukum StateToya Nath Poudel Rukum MaoistSontosh Pandy Kapilvastu StateTara Pd. Bhusal Rupendehi StateBed B. Bhohara Salyan StateDil Bahadur alis Dil R.Khatri Salyan StatePokharraj Bhudhathoki Salyan StatePoshraj Budhathoki Salyan StatePramod Kumar Shrestha Salyan StateSangita Bista Salyan StateDevrag Gurung Sankhuwasabha StateKadar Kumar Dhakal Sankhuwasabha StateBasu Shakya Sankhuwasabha StateBikash Sharma Dang StateDhwarika Timalsina Saptari UnknownNar Singh Prasad Chaudhari Saptari StateRajandra Prasad Shah Saptari StateRam Bilash Sharan Sarlahi StateBadri Koirala Sankhuwashabha StateMatrika Timsina Sankhuwashabha StateMohan Prasad Guragain Sankhuwashabha StateTej Bahadur Dhakal Sankhuwasabha StateYubraj Dhakal Sankhuwasabha StateRaj Kumar Dhakal Sindupalchok StateKrishna Pd. Kandel Solukhumbu StateManoj Rai Solukhumbu StateHari Prasad Khanal Syangja StateBasistha Koirala Sindhuli MaoistBharat Burjamagar Sindhuli StateBinod Dahal Sindhuli StateDevi Bhulon Sindhuli StateLoknath Adhikari (Ranu) Sindhuli UnknownRam Chandra Kaphle Sindhuli “Sanjya Kumar Sanjya Sindhuli “Suresh Chandra Koirala Sindhuli MaoistUddab Prasad Ghimira Sindhuli StateAakash Lama Sindhupalchok StateBasundhara Shrestha Sindhupalchok UnknownBishnu Khatri Sindhupalchok MaoistGhed B. Basnet Sindhupalchok StateKaji Gurung Sindhupalchok tateLila Dahal (Nepl) Sindhupalchok StateMadha Nepal Sindhupalchok StateNavindra Sapkota Sindhupalchok StateRam B. Basnet Sindhupalchok StateReshab B. Karki Sindhupalchok StateSaraswati Sapkota Sindhupalchok StateSaraswoti Khadka Sindhupalchok StateSubhash Shrestha Sindhupalchok StateTilak Prasad Sapkota Sindhupalchok StateTopnath Sapkota Sindhupallchok StateUnknown Sindhupalchok StateBadri Kumar Thapa Magar Siraha StateBishowendra Passwan Siraha State

Dependra Kumar Singh Siraha StateGauri Shah Siraha StateJokendra Kushait (yadav) Siraha StateNarayan Yadav Siraha StateKeshar B. Magar Solukhumbu MaoistKrishna Prasad Kandel Solukhumbu UnknownPadam B. Magar Solukhumbu MaoistPadam B. Magar Solukhumbu MaoistPrem Thapa Magar Solukhumbu MaoistChetnath Dhungana Sunsari StateChiranjivi Gautam Sunsari StateDeepak Bishowkarma Sunsari StateDevhari Rijal Sunsari StateKul Bahadur Khanal Sunsari StateLochan Dhamala Sunsari StateRatna Bahadur Rawal Sunsari MaoistSantosh Kumar Rai Sunsari MaoistUmesh Shah Sunsari StateBir Bahadur B.K. Surkhet StateRamesh Gautam Surket StateUpendra Budhamagar Surkhet MaoistBhabnath Dhamala Syangja StateMahesh Kafle Syangja MaoistNetra Narayan Bhandari Syangja MaiostRebkala Tiwari Syangja StateAtindra Neupane Tanahu StateDhan Bd. Magar Tanahu StateKeshav Sing Thakuri Tanahu StateLok Raj Joshi (Arjun) Tanahu StatePadam Bd Rana Tanahu StateShankar Joshi Tanahu StateGanesh Adhikari Taplejung StateRamesh Kumar Adhikari Taplejung UnknownGanesh Dhakal Terahthum StateRaj Kumar Khadka Terahthum StateShila Ram Bhandari Udayapur StateSitaram Bhandri Udayapur StateBam B. Adhikari Birendra Multipal CampusStateBir Bahadur Bishwokarma - StateBishnu Bhusal Peoples’ Front StateBuddi Lama ANTUF StateChakrapane Poudel Peoples’ Front StateChandra B. Rana Peoples’ Front StateDamodar Gautam Atmaa Nirval B.M. StateDhan Bahadur Magar - StateDhan Bahadur Roka StateHimal Sharma Student StateIndra B. Khadka Peoples’ Front StateKhadag Bahadur Thapa StateKrishna Shrestha Peoples’ Front StateMilan Nepali Janadesh Magazine StateNabin Bivash Yugbhod Daily StateNanda Rishi Joshi Valmiki Campus StateNil Kantha Tiwari NTC Staff StateRadha Silwal StateRam Krishna Adhikari Shangu Weekly StateSuresh Shai Shandha Times StateUmaram Acharya Peoples’ Front State

NHRC requests any information on them to be sent to:National Human Rights CommisionPO Box 9182, Harihar Bhawan PulchokTel: 5522709, 5525659, 5525920, 5525842,Fax: 977-1-5547973disapp_nhrc@nhrc-nepal.org.npwww.nhrc-nepal.org

e

arrived in Dehradun after my enlistmenton 20 October 1932. In the course of oursix-month training, war had broken out in

Afghanistan but we hadn't taken the oath ofallegiance. There were strict orders from abovenot to send recruits to the front if they hadn�tsworn allegiance. so, a few days after thatnotice, we all took our oaths at Landikotal inPakistan. The war lasted till 1934 andafterwards we were sent to Dehradun. In1934-35 fierce fighting began again atLandikotal in Baluchistan, which is now inPakistan. In that war Subedar Mehar SinghGurung of Parbat was killed. His brotherPrem Bahadur Gurung of the same regimentcame through unscathed. In 1937, we wereonce again sent back to rest.

Three notorious countries of the world,Germany, Italy and Japan joined hands tocrush England and America. Gradually, a full-scale world war started in 1939. Initially, itwas just a propaganda war. Hitler made apropaganda film depicting the sky filled withtheir planes, every inch of the land filled withtheir tanks and the sea with their ships. Thiswent to the extent that quite a few viewers couldnot bear to see the whole movie and left thecinema. For their counter- propaganda, theBritish made Gurkha soldiers shave theirheads except for a tuft at the back to resemble awireless antenna. They spread rumours thatthese soldiers ate the flesh of fallen enemies.There also was a regiment from Africa aboutwhom similar lies were spread.

The Germans showered us with leaflets inItaly and Africa from their planes, telling oursoldiers that their lives were worth only Rs 16and called us to sit and eat with them. The

greatest battle was fought in Africa. In Tunisiawe fought or three years against Hitler�s troops.His men were daredevils, brainwashed byHitler.

The Germans did not marry short womenand always looked out for tall, healthy mates.While it is customary among our men to selectand seduce women, with them it was theopposite. The women folk looked out for menwho were tall and young. In general, their menmarried by 35, the women by 25. The parentsare happy with their daughters' choice.

Only robust men were selected for thearmy. In this system the same person would, asthe occasion arose, fight from the air, fight onland, work as a clerk and cook as and whennecessary. In short, they were adept in all sortsof works and nothing remained undone.

Nobody can say exactly where and howmany of the troops died in any war. The firstwar was in Afghanistan, and even today there issome unrest there. The Pathans resorted toguerrilla tactics. A few soldiers emerge, the bulkremain hiding. The women grazed cows in theravines and the men had armed reconnaissanceexercises in the mountains. They snatchedweapons and rations from British troops andpassed the loot on quickly through their womenso none of us knew where it went. True, theyhad farms but the harvest was meagre. Theycarved out rocks to make dwellings. When sonsseparated from their parents, they carved outanother cave. Donkeys and camels were the onlyanimals they reared.

There was a United India when Britishruled for 104 years. Sri Lanka, Burma,Maldives, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan andAfghanistan were all part of United India. The

British had the notion that coloured peoplecould not run such a vast subcontinent and socarved small states out of it.

Now we will talk about the fighting thattook place at Landikotal. Altogether 22regiments were stationed there. If the officerposted there was from Gurkha, they wouldestablish Gorakhnath, Kalikamai andManakamana temples (pickets we called them)inside the barrack compound and if hehappened to be from Syangja, then the picketsbore the names of famous deities of that place.A picket was something like house made ofstones that no bullet could pierce. However,

�Man-eating Gurkhas!�

that too was attacked. There was a Jamdar calledKokale from a place called Gounda in Lamjung.He was a daring soldier who cut the ropes ofenemy tents, entered it and killed them with abayonet.

Once, Sergeant Mitralal Thapa from ourcompany captured an enemy machine gun thatcould fire 22 rounds per second. He waspromoted to Subedar Major. The fighting forcewas rotated every two years. One regimentrelieved another. Our own Gurkha regimenthad 20 battalions. They were granted leave fromtime to time but shorter leaves had to be spentin the unit. t

In this installment of thememoirs of veteran Gurkhaswe begin 89-year-old BharatiGurung�s story this week. He

fought in the NorthwestFrontier Province in present

day Pakistan andAfghanistan, and duringWorld War II. His story ispart of Lahurey ko Katha

that records the lives of 13retired Gurkha soldiers, mostof them over 75 years old.Published by Himal Books,this fortnightly column hasbeen translated from Nepaliby Dev Bahadur Thapa for

Nepali Times. Bharati Gurung(above) remembers fightingfearsome Afghans, daringGerman soldiers and how

Gurkha soldiers were thoughtto eat the flesh of dead

enemy soldiers.

I

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14 CITY 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

KATHMANDU VALLEY

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

19-03 20-02 20-03 20-02 19-02

A notable event of this week’s weather is the rapid growth of the winterfog cover in northwest Indian plain and Nepal’s western tarai. Thisannual phenomenon is caused by the infusion of cold dry air from thenorthwest over the river basin. But a high pressure zone is keeping fogconditions away from the central and eastern tarai for now. There is norespite from the two-month-long winter drought with no major westerlysystem sighted on the horizon. This means continued morning smogin Kathmandu with sunny and breezy afternoons. The first night frostwill be seen on the Valley outskirts.

FESTIVALS AND EXHIBITIONSv Divine light of Tibet Photographs by Gabriela Mayorquín till 5 January at Lazimpat Gallery

Café. 4428549v Reflections of Colour Paintings by Susan Gillerman Boggs till 9 January at Siddhartha

Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited. 4218048v The Land I Love Photographs Kim Hong Sung till 16 January at Gallery Nine, Lazimpat.

4428694v Photographs of working children by children Exhibition from 27 December at

Baggikhana, Patandhoka.

EVENTSv Sinners in Heaven New Year Eve blast at the Yak & Yeti Hotel. Details: 4248999v Style Nepal Fashion show by Sunimu Boutique and party, 6PM on 28 December at Hyatt

Regency Kathmandu. Details: 4441073, 4229123v The God’s Dance of Kathmandu Valley 7PM on Tuesdays. Tea+Ticket: Rs 400 at Hotel

Vajra.

DRINKv Cosmic Cocktails and chic home furnishings at Mitra Lounge Bar

and Mausam homestyle boutique. Above Cafe Mitra, Thamel.4259015

v Fusion at Dwarika’s for over 100 cocktails, happy hour andAbhaya & The Steam Injuns every Friday. 4479488

v Eggnog , hot rum drinks, special wines with the best steaks at K-too! Beer & Steakhouse,Thamel. 4433043

FOODv Traditional cakes , puddings, pralines and X-Mas specials at the Pastry Shop, Yak & Yeti

Hotel. 4248999v New Years Eve Dinner buffet for Rs 700 and New Years Day Brunch Rs 500 per person

at Summit Hotel. 5521810v Nepali singers and Chinese food for New Year Eve. Rs 2,000 per family (of four) at Tian

Rui Chinese Restaurant & Bar, Thapathali. 4243078v Bring your wine along every Thursday and Sunday and buy our dinner. Himalatte Café,

Thamel.v Ring in the New Year Dinner and live band Single Rs 1500, couples Rs 2500. Special

overnight packages at Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488v Celebrate at the Hyatt : 31 December - buffet with live band at The Café, seafood dinner

at Rox Restaurant, three DJs at Rox Bar with juggling bartenders. 4491234v Homestyle cooking by Japanese chef at Dan Ran Japanese Restaurant, Jawalakhel.

5521027v Vegetarian specialities at Stupa View Restaurant & Terrace, Boudha Stupa. 4480262v Café U Japanese home-cooking, cakes and coffee. Opp British School, Sanepa.

5523263v Malay, Singapore food at Singma, Jawalakhel, Lalitpur. 552004

GETAWAYSv New Year Chimes overnight stay with dinner and dance featuring The Heartbreakers.

Prior reservation recommended. Godavari Village Resort, 5560675v Golf in the Valley’s last pristine forest. Gokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa 4451212v Microlight flying adventures with the Avia Club, Pokhara.v Shivapuri Heights Cottage at the edge of Shivapuri. Email: info@escape2nepal.comv Weekend Special for Rs 3000 per couple, Park Village Resort, Budhanilkantha. 4375280v Magnificent mountains and deluxe tents at Adventure Tented Camp & Country Kitchen.

4418992v Christmas in the jungle at Jungle Base Camp. 061-532112 Email:

junglebasecamp@yahoo.comv Shivapuri Cottage, Dadagaon gourmet meals, board and transport. Highland Travel &

Tours. 4253352, 4253053

PM10 levels in Kathmandu are now approaching dangerously high levels, althoughnot as bad as the World Bank report makes it out. The concentration of particles smallenough to enter the lungs and stay there in heavy traffic areas like Putali Sadak andPatan Hospital are nearly 30 percent higher than last week. Even Bhaktapur Square isshowing levels higher than the national standard of 120 micrograms per cubic metre,all caused by winter inversion over the Valley.

Good < 60

Ok 61 to 120

Unhealthy 121 to 350

Harmful 351 to 425

Hazardous >425

What you burn iswhat you breathe.

Courtesy: Mandala Book Point, Kantipath, 4227711, mandala@ccsl.com.np

Patan H Thamel TU Bhaktapur Matsyagaun Putalisadak

Average PM10 levels at selected pointsin Kathmandu 17-22 December inmicrograms per cubic meter.Source: www. mope.gov.np

91.2

Visit Ground Zero Fine wines, designer candles, cards,gifts, stationery, wooden items, perfumes and more.Darbar Marg, opposite Hotel de l’Annapurna

Visit Femilines, the Exclusive Lingerie Store for ladiesundergarments, nightwear, bathrobes and more. Ladiesstaff. Opposite Sajha Yatayat, Harihar Bhawan, Pulchowk.Tel: 547428

To Let : Rabibhawan area two storey house 4 bedrooms 2bathrooms large kitchen dining living terrace lobby andporch and telephone. Contact: Roshani 4275180

LIVE IN STYLE! Arcadia Apartments in the heart ofThamel. Centrally located, fully furnished apartments atunbelievable rates. For details: 981026903, 4260187

Renting made easy : www.2letonline.com- Looking for aplace to stay- Log on to find the perfect house, apartmentor even a retail space that meets all your needs. Make aneasy 1000 bucks by reporting a vacant property to us.Find out how- www.21etonline.com

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Get 10 % exclusive discount on the normal subscription

BOOKWORMABOUT TOWN

KATHMANDU AIR QUALITY

by MAUSAM BEEDNEPALI WEATHER

Call for show timings. www.jainepal.com

JAI NEPAL CINEMA

JP Dutta’s LoC Kargil is based on the lives of those whofought in the 1999 Kargil War between India and Pakistan.With lyrics by Javed Akhtar and stirring music from Anu Malik,who seems to have shed his copycat image, LoC will probablyraise patriotic fervour in India to unprecedented heights bytheir Republic Day in January. Here in Nepal, most of us areprobably going to admire the cinematography, weep whenthe soldiers fall and marvel at the unwieldy star cast—somany characters to keep track of—that is rivalled only by thenumbers of the production team.

VIS -25-12-2003 04:00 GMT

Daily 2045-2115 BBC g]kfnL ;]jf

Daily 2245-2300 BBC g]kfnL ;]jf

Get ready for a brand new day with BBC World Today.

Every morning on 102.4 FM from 5:45-6:15 AM

Rise and shine

on FM 102.4

Radio SagarmathaP.O. Box 6958, Bakhundole, Lalitpur, Nepal

Tel: ++977-1-545680, 545681,Fax: ++ 977-1- 530227

E-mail: radio@radiosagarmatha.org,www.radiosagarmatha.org /]l8of] ;u/dfyf

rate of Himalmedia’s publication namely; HimalKhabarpatrika, Nepali Times and Wave magazine.Only at the Grihini Department Store limited,Baluwatar, Phone: 4415186

To Let : Flat in Jawalakhel Opp. Mahila Kendra.2bedrooms,2 baths, living-dining, terrace with woodenfloors. Contact: 5524389

Wanted : Nepali pilot, interested person should haveexperience for ultra light aircraft with Rotax 582engine. Apply with cv, photo and contact addresswithin 7 days to Avia Club Nepal Pvt. Ltd., P.O. Box13680.

WHOLESALES BAGS AND GARMENTS- Our FactoryOffers good quality products At Very ReasonablePrices, School Bags, Back Pack, Ladies, Gents AndChild’s Clothing.AMIT CRAFTS.e-mail:amitcrafts@redifff.com

Apartment For Rent : 3 Bed Rooms, Kitchen,Dinning, Living room with 24 hour hot & cold shower,in a very Prime location of Jyatha, ThamelContact: 4225319

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Call 4442220 for bookings

Eleven Minutes Paulo CoelhoHarper Collins, 2003

Rs 472Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, is left heart-broken after her first innocent brushes with

love. She becomes convinced she will never find true love, that �Love is a terrible thing that will makeyou suffer��

Coelho�s gripping and daring new work explores the sacred nature of sex and love, inviting us toconfront our own prejudices.

1526 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

lmost four decades after the last travelling Nepali art exhibition tothe west, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art is ondisplay at Los Angeles. This unparalleled collection of almost 160

Nepali, Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Mongolian masterpieces, somedating back 13 centuries, has been well received by media critics andsome 20,000 visitors have thronged to the museum.

Co-curator Dina Bangdel, assistant professor at Ohio StateUniversity, is ecstatic. “Given the political situation here, I feel that thisexhibition has established for Nepal a much needed positive presence inthe US with a very favourable response,” she told us. “With Nepal somuch in the forefront in the US, we should take pride in our culturalheritage.”

The exhibition focuses on the context of the art and translatesHimalayan Buddhist practices into physical form. Bangdel and colleagueJohn C Huntington have also published a catalogue Circle of Bliss thathelps visitors understand the artwork that flow from the HimalayanBuddhist tradition.

Modern art museums almost always leave interpretation—whetherwe invest art with meaning or not—to the viewer, so this guidedexhibition to an understanding of the display is a rarity. Meditational art isboth meaningful and with purpose: their creators knew the function ofeach piece was solely to aid the practitioner to attain enlightenmentthrough meditation.

Currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, theexhibition focuses on Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, regarded bysome as key Tantric mediation practices. The artwork is exquisite andesoteric. Using graphic and explanatory panels, the organisers have

made accessible an art form that hasonly been studied for the past 60years.

The Circle of Bliss offers ahistorical scholarship of Tantra, inparticular Chakrasamvara Tantra.Though the texts have been around,offering meditation technique forcenturies, co-authors Bangdel andHuntington have placed the art in theirreligious and social context,emphasising their symbolic visuallanguage.

While tracing the geographic andcultural development of Himalayan

Buddhism across Asia, the authors examine the role of the NewarBuddhist community in Nepal as transmitters and interpreters of tantricteachings. The Newars are reintroduced as a catalyst in thedevelopment of Buddhism. The links are apparent in the 13 works of artthat have travelled to LA from Nepal’s national collection. All told, 40international museums and private collectors from Nepal, North America,Great Britain and Europe have loaned art pieces: sculptures, thangkas,books, ritual instruments—it’s all there.

Reliefs of Buddha’s birth dating to the 5th or 6th century, lent by theNational Museum in Chhauni, is one of the oldest works on display. Atthe core of the exhibition, are various examples of the two deitiesChakrasamvara (which translates as ‘circle of bliss’) and his consortVajravarahi entwined in a love embrace.

Aside from paintings and sculptures, the exhibit’s chief attraction isthe on-site creation of the Circle of Bliss sand madala being made byTibetan monks from the Ganden monastery in India. The 8m diametersand mandala will be completed this week and then destroyed, itsconstituents sprinkled over the Pacific Ocean. t

The Circle of Bliss will leave Los Angeles County Museum of Art on 4 January and travel to Ohio.

Full circleAncient Himalayan Buddhist

art is the hot new attraction inLos Angeles this new year.

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DAVID CLOUDhe following are traffic rulesfor Kathmandu Valleyupdated in December 2003.

The following rules shall remainvalid for the next six months, unlessotherwise notified by theauthorities. Violators will beviolated.

1. The biggest vehicle has the rightof way.

2. The craziest driver has the rightof way.

3. The driver looking the otherway has the right of way.

4. Cows have the right of way.5. Pedestrians running flat out

across the road have the right ofway.

6. The motorcycle driver that goesthe farthest way across the solidwhite line has the right of way.

7. A taxi making a U-turn fromthe extreme right hand lane tothe extreme left hand lane hasthe right of way.

8. On Ring Road, a vehiclecoming around a blind curve onthe wrong side of the road hasthe right of way.

9. People walking down themiddle of the lane with theirbacks to the traffic have theright of way.

10. Motorcycles heading the wrongway have the right of way.

Trafficking in Kathmandu

11. Pedestrians walking casuallyacross the road looking theother way have the right of way.

12. Buses pulling out have the rightof way.

13. Buses pulling in have the rightof way.

14. Buses going the wrong way have

the right of way.15. Buses backing up have theright of way�unless they meet acrazy driver or a driver looking theother way or a cow or a pedestrianrunning flat out or a driver goingthe farthest way across the solidwhite line or a taxi making a U-

turn or a vehicle coming around ablind curve on the wrong side ofthe road or people walking downthe middle of the lane with theirbacks to the traffic or a motorcycleheading the wrong way orpedestrians walking casually acrossthe road looking the other way. t

Updated Kathmandu Traffic Rules.T

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16 26 DECEMBER 2003 - 1 JANUARY 2004 NEPALI TIMES #176

by Kunda Dixit

Under My Hat

CDO Regd No. 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No. 04/058/59

NEPALI SOCIETY

ushpanjali Khanal provesthat it’s not just a man’sworld. Without eventrying to be a symbol for

the sisterhood, this 34-year-oldis the only female engineer atthe Department of Roads (DOR).There are about 200 femaleengineers in Nepal, but mosthold desk jobs, draft designs orare academics. Pushpanjali,however, chose to work inmainstream engineering.“Women tend to think that this isman’s work and it’s tough beinga real engineer at constructionsites in remote areas, but this iswhat I enjoy most,” she says.

A decade ago when shejoined DOR as one of itsyoungest engineers, Pushpanjalirecalls receiving utmost respectfor her professionalism frommale colleagues. Pushpanjalididn’t have to battle a glassceiling—there wasn’t one. Her suggestions and ideas

were encouraged and accepted byher male colleagues and seniorofficers. Five years ago she bestedher male peers to win a scholarshipfor a master’s degree from theUniversity of Surrey in England.Pushpanjali’s next aim is a PhD,which will make her one of thehighest qualified engineers in Nepal.

“It’s sad that there isn’t enoughencouragement for engineers in thecountry,” says Pushpanjali,lamenting a tight job market. She isundoubtedly the most famousdaughter of her village of Gaikhur in

Ms EngineerGorkha. She was the only girl topass the SLC while most of herfriends dropped out of school ingrade five. When she moved toKathmandu and joined PulchokEngineering Campus, therewere only two girl students.After graduation, when herfriend chose to become alecturer, Pushpanjali decided tobecome an engineer. Pushpanjalihasn’t been home to Gaikhur infive years, and plans to visitsoon.

Says Pushpanjali: “As longas you can prove yourself,work hard and not show yourweakness, no one can everlook down on you as a woman.”t (Naresh Newar)

Phat is this country coming to? Do I nowhave to bribe you to read this column, orwhat?

However, since it has now been establishedthrough several readership polls that no one is actuallyreading this stuff, guess I can get away with writingthe most outrageous stuff about the pillars of oursociety, of which at last count there were four. So heregoes: BEEEEEP is a monkey, the BEEEEP is an assand so are the other BEEEEPs in the BEEEP, theLONG BEEEEEEP and ANOTHER EVENLONGER BEEP are a bunch of @$$%*/+&s.

Thank Pashupatinath that the press is stillindependent in this country and freedom of expres-sionism is guaranteed by our constitution, otherwise Iwould not be allowed to make the aforementioned x-rated comments in full view of all you underagereaders out there. It is a matter of national pride thatthe Nepali press can get away with such slanderouslibel without denting its credit rating. This is proof, ifproof is still required by the international community,

BEEEEEEEEPthat democracy in Nepal is still, if not alive andkicking, then at least crawling around on all fourswith its tail wagging between its legs.

With those formalities now out of the way, andwith permission from Madam Chairperson, I wouldnow like to turn to the next item on the agenda,which is the economic crisis triggered by a jointpledge made by top Nepali businessmen last week inwhich they solemnly swore (in language that isunprintable in a newspaper that is also read byminors) that, as a part of their belt-tightening andcost-cutting efforts, companies will henceforth notbe able to offer any more bribes to governmentofficials and politicians.

An emergency meeting of the Cabinet onWednesday looked at various ways in which thegovernment could deal with this unexpecteddevelopment that removes one of the most efficientmethods so far devised to spread the wealth around.The no-bribe policy by business has already lead to aserious shortfall in revenue for officials, and has setoff a snowball effect on consumer spending, forcingthe Finance Ministry to revise its prematureannouncement of an annual GDP growth rate of 4percent drastically downwards.

Officialdom now has no recourse but toannounce an escalating agitation beginning in thenew year starting with a dot pen-down strike at alloffices, a sit-down strike at the gates of FNCCI,culminating on a relay hunger strike at their places ofwork which will entail officials foregoing theirafternoon tea break on alternate working days. If thatdoesn�t prompt businessmen from lifting their banon bribes, then may Pashupatinath save us all.

What? The bhattas are on strike?

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