Former Maoists declare war on Indian gang

Kathmandu: A group of former Maoists have declared war on an Indian gang preying on businessmen in the border towns of Nepal, warning that they would attack gang members lodged in a key prison if it did not stop criminal activities.
The Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), a band of former Maoist guerrillas that was recently banned as a terrorist organisation by the US government, has decided to take on the gang of Indian warlord Chhotelal Sahani, that has been unleashing terror in Nepal's frontier town Birgunj and its neighbouring areas.
Though Sahani was captured by the Indian police and is now behind bars in Bihar's Motihari district, people calling themselves his henchmen have continued to extort businessmen, resorting to broad daylight attacks on those who refused to pay up.
Last week, a Birgunj businessman of Indian origin, Vijay Shankar Hada, was shot by miscreants. He is currently under treatment in Kathmandu's Maharajgunj Teaching Hospital.

A month ago, Hada is said to have received threatening phone calls from a man calling himself Sanju Baba, allegedly the right hand of Sahani.
Most of the extortion calls are made from mobile phones with Indian numbers.
Though the beleaguered businessmen have been urging both the Nepal and Indian governments to crack down on the marauding gangs, the security situation continues to be lax in the border towns.
A private radio station, Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation, Sunday said more than 20 businessmen had wound up their activities in Birgunj and shifted either to India or capital Kathmandu.

With the government failing to combat the menace, the JTMM, who are demanding an autonomous state for people of Indian origin in Nepal's southern terai plains, has now taken it upon itself to play Robin Hood.
Pahal Sinha, a JTMM leader in Birgunj, has issued a warning asking the Sahani gang to stop its activities in the town, the radio station said.
Else, it has warned that it will take revenge on the gang members awaiting trial or imprisoned in Birgunj jail, the report said.
The plummeting law and order situation in the plains last month caused Nepal's Election Commission to say it would not be possible to hold the elections for a constituent assembly on June 20, as promised by Nepal's eight-party government.
Though Nepal's 10-year Maoist insurgency formally ended last month with the Maoist guerrillas joining the government, criminal gangs, bands of former Maoists and other armed groups have kept the plains simmering.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

YCL friends or foes of Nepali people??

KATHMANDU, May 7 - The Young Communist League (YCL), a newly created Maoist body, on Sunday seized "illegally imported" mobile phones and electronic goods worth more than Rs 30 million in Kathmandu.
The goods include: 1,415 mobile phone sets, 25 LCD monitors and 30 photocopy machines, 288 units of memory cards, 387 units of chargers and 265 units of earphones.
At least seven people, including three drivers, Navin Shrestha, Dilip Balami and Shekhar Bhattarai and others on board - Mahesh Karki, Mohan Karki, Shiva Raj Kandel and Navin
Shrestha - were also taken in. They have been handed over to Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Hanumandhoka for further investigation.

Jwala, Kathmandu district chief of YCL, told The Kathmandu Post that the goods were brought into the country via Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) and were captured at Shahid Gate. "We later handed over the goods to the Revenue Investigation Department (RID)," he said.
Laxman Kumar Pokharel, deputy director general of RID also confirmed that the YCL cadres had handed over the handsets, LCD monitors, photocopy machines, memory cards, chargers and earphones to RID stating that the group had captured three vehicles full of mobile phone sets and other electronic goods at Shahid Gate. "We are currently investigating the matter," he said.
Sources informed that the goods were brought into the country in the name New Hariyali Traders, Siddhi Binayak Traders and New Cyber International. "These companies had produced invoices for only two handsets, a charger and an adapt0r worth Rs 31,708, while releasing the goods," the source informed.

YCL threat displaces locals

Nine people including political leaders, activists and business entrepreneurs from Kusumba bazaar at Sanoshree VDC in Bardiya district have been displaced from the area due to threats by cadres of Maoist youth wing, the Young Communist League (YCL).
Former Member of Parliament Khag Raj Sharma and former chairman of Sanoshree VDC Tanka Oli are among those displaced. They are staying in the district headquarters, Gulariya. YCL cadres threatened them in revenge for the local business community and others had protested against Maoist-called frequent banda (general strikes), according to local businessman Dhana Nath Yogi.
Oli said he came to the district headquarters for security "after YCL cadres threatened to kill us". "The Maoists blamed us for campaigning against their agitation," Oli said.

However, Maoist area in-charge "Akash", refuted the charges. "This is a propaganda meant to disparage this organization (YCL)," he claimed.
Meanwhile, cadres of Thrauwan National Liberation Front (TNLF) burnt an effigy of Chief District Officer (CDO) Shiva Prasad Nepal. Chunnu Devi, Treasurer of the Front, said they would stage sit-in protests at the offices of land revenue, district administration and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), if the authority did not immediately release all YCL members detained by police on Saturday.
Also, Jhak Bahadur Malla, regional YCL chief, said they would launch nationwide agitation from Monday onward, if the government did not release them immediately without condition.
However, CDO Nepal informed that the administration was planning to sue them for arson charges.
Curfew lifted

The local administration lifted curfew order in Sanoshree VDC of the district effective from 5 am on Sunday. Following clashes between Armed Police Force personnel and YCL cadres, the local administration had been imposing curfew in the area for security reasons since Monday.
Parties concerned
In Kathmandu, issuing separate statements on Sunday, various political parties have denounced the violent activities including arson, vandalism, beating and other excesses carried out by YCL members at Sanoshree in the name of freed kamaiyas (bonded laborers) and landless squatters. "Continuation of such activities by the wings of the ruling party (CPN-Maoist) is itself unreasonable behavior," said a statement issued by the Nepali Congress (NC).
Likewise, issuing a separate statement, NC-Democratic denounced Maoists for issuing threats against nine local political activists including five members of NC-D. Also, National Human Rights Foundation (HURFON) denounced vandalism by the YCL.

Source: The Kathmandu Post, May 6, 2007

Hope And Optimism

Ian Martin, head of the UN Mission in Nepal, has expressed his optimism over the peace process in the country. Speaking with reporters at the UN Headquarters in New York Saturday, chief of the UN Mission in Nepal who has been involved in supporting the peace building process in the country, shared his unrelenting hope and maintained that the people of Nepal had taken their future in their hands, with strong determination not to allow Nepal slip into conflict. Referring to the deferral of the polls to the constituent assembly, he affirmed that the timetable for the election had been delayed because regulations governing the process had not been readied. The postponement of the constituent assembly polls, according to Ian Martin, would allow more time for the political stakeholders in the country to prepare a better and constructive environment for the polls. As has been consistently articulated by the chief of the UN mission, Nepal's peace process is fairly on track because following the success of the people's movement in April last year, the country has navigated along the way for building peace and democracy in the country.

The comprehensive peace accord has been signed, and essentially very meaningful has been the formation of the interim parliament and the government in which the Maoists have appropriated a lion's share. The Interim Parliament has seen completely new faces of a progressive political genre with women, Dalits and janjatis occupying a relatively fair share of seats in the total composition of the national legislature. The Maoists should be credited for conceding more seats to the subordinated sections of the society, which should be emulated by others especially when allowing more room for the marginalised in legislating the destiny of the nation. The Election Commission has worked enthusiastically to ensure that the polls to the constituent assembly are held in a fair and free manner. This indicates that Nepal's peace building process, as said by Ian Martin, has moved ahead in a smooth and constructive manner. Though political differences surface time and again, these are managed and handled in a deft manner. Thanks to the Nepalese political leadership, the country has been able to demonstrate a very appreciable model of peace building. The political leadership should work in this spirit to hold the polls to the constituent assembly and accomplish the unfinished task of peace building and democratisation.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 7, 2007

Luring Chinese Tourists

Raju Adhikari

TRAVEL and tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in China. China is the single largest consumer market in the world and has the sixth largest share of the global gross national income. Because of its unprecedented economic growth, China has become a source of potential tourists not only for the Third World but also for the developed European and North American countries.

Revenue

Chinese expenditure on travel is currently growing at 27 per cent per year. According to a recent report issued by one U.S. tourism firm, China is the world's fastest growing tourism market in the world, with total revenue from China's tourism industry reaching more than $67.3 billion. As China's economy grows and stringent travel restrictions are relaxed, urban middle and upper class Chinese are increasingly looking beyond their borders for travel.

A growing number of Mainland Chinese are travelling overseas as their living standards keep improving and purchasing power rise. China is expected to see more than 100 million outbound travellers in 2010, making China one of the largest contributors of travellers in the world. The World Tourism Organisation has predicted that China will be the world's largest tourist market by 2020. After its accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), China is obliged to abide by many trade regulations of the world trade body. The travel industry is one of those Fast developing public service and advertising sectors have contributed a lot in the rapid development of tourism in China. Going overseas is no more a dream for many city dwellers in China. Big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou contribute more than half of all Chinese outbound travellers. In 2005, more than 20,000 travellers from Beijing alone visited different countries during the golden week holiday in October. There were 31 million Chinese travellers in 2005, compared to just 8 million in 1998.

Nepal's tourism industry accounts for 8 per cent of Nepal's gross domestic product and is the third-largest revenue generator after agriculture and industry. Nepal's tourism is dependent mostly on Indian, Europeans and U.S. tourists, who together contributed 160 million dollars to the nation's economy last year. In recent years, Nepal has started attracting Chinese tourists as well. According to the Nepal Tourism Board, a gigantic leap in the number of Chinese tourists was registered in the month of February this year (2007) as compared to last year (281 per cent). These Mainland tourists represent an enormous source of revenue for countries that can attract them over the coming decade. Even if Nepal can grasp only a portion of the outbound Chinese tourists, it will be very crucial for raising the national economy. Since Nepal became the first South Asian nation to gain Approved Destination Status from the Chinese government, it has drawn significant numbers of Chinese tourists. But due to lack of direct flights from major cities and the high ticket cost, the number of Chinese travellers was limited in the past. Now there are directs flights from two major cities - Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The increase in visitor numbers from China is a result of direct air connectivity in the recent months with the addition of new airlines between Nepal and China. But to attract more and cut travel cost through free market competition, more airlines need to operate direct flights between Nepal and China.With the vastly improved situation in the country, the rising confidence of international travel trade and consumers has paved the way for more travellers to visit Nepal. The Nepalese embassy in China has exempted visa fees for Chinese tourists. Nepal tourism authorities are training more Chinese guides, and improving accommodation to suit the needs of the Chinese tourists, which are positive signs towards attracting more Chinese tourists in the future.

But there are certain things to consider. Chinese tourists are quite different compared to conventional US and European tourists. For the Chinese, the concept of the outside world is still vague. They expect a similar environment and food in the countries they visit. Most of the Chinese tourists like to travel in groups. Good televised programmes can do wonders in preparing them to visit Nepal. Though Nepal borders China, many Chinese even do not know where Nepal lies. Chinese are most responsive to televised advertising especially on the national broadcasting and television channel. Inviting Chinese television channels to Nepal to film the different attractions and preparing promotional advertisement would greatly boost tourism.?As Nepal is a cheaper and close destination, the possibilities of visiting Nepal for a couple of days are high. Chinese are attracted by beautiful scenery and exotic lifestyles. Nepal possesses both of these. Besides, Chinese love shopping during travel. Research suggests that as much as 20% of their total travel expenses go to shopping.

Language

Chinese expect their hotels to be equipped with entertainment centres, hair salons, bowling alleys, karaoke bars and the like. Even a thermos bottle inside the hotel room to serve themselves green tea adds to their satisfaction. A Chinese restaurant is an indispensable place inside the hotel, and Chinese speaking TV channels are also necessary. Language is a major barrier for most Chinese. So Chinese speaking guides and other materials must be provided to win their trust.As a growing powerhouse, both economically and politically, China is reshaping the global travel market. If Nepal can attract more Chinese outbound travellers, it will certainly contribute to the economic prosperity of the nation.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 3, 2007

Delayed Election To Constituent Assembly

Madhavji Shrestha

NOW that the proposed election to the constituent assembly has been delayed, a political quandary has set in. Indeed, it has dampened the enthusiasm for putting the democratisation process on track. Knowledgeable people have even cast doubts as to whether the eight-party coalition government will be able to agree on a date for the election. Pessimists think that the history of the early 1950s, when the much-promised election to such a constituent assembly was derailed, will revisit Nepal. In such a scenario, Nepal's democratic journey would face an insurmountable roadblock.

Blame game

Soon after realising that the elections can't be held in June, the political parties, especially the eight coalitional partners, began blaming one another for not preparing well for the democratic exercise. An understanding reached in New Delhi in November 2005 on the issue had indeed provided enormous impetus to the political parties to overthrow the authoritarian royal rule last April. At present, the same political parties don't share the same views nor do they act in unison to realise the long cherished CA polls.

There was no surprise when the eight political parties held the sinister activities by the regressive forces responsible for the delay of the election. Some political parties did not lag behind in blaming foreign interference working visibly and invisibly against the election as scheduled. However, shrewd political observers have blamed the eight political partners for the omission of timely political actions and the commission of excesses, both not contributory to creating an atmosphere convenient for holding the election. They further blame the political parties for hoodwinking the people with their non-obliging acts and activities. The political parties knew well about the prevailing situation in the country and held frequent interactions among themselves. Despite having such intimate knowledge and information about the political situation, why the political parties decided on holding the polls on June 20 is anyone's guess. Immediately afterwards, this instigated the Election Commission to tell the people about the practical difficulty of holding the election. This looks like an orchestrated phoney drama to be enacted before the common people. As political co-travellers for 18 months, the political leaders of the eight parties must shoulder the responsibility for not fulfilling their promise.

However, a series of political events in the recent times appear to have led to the polarisation between the leftist political forces and the centrist-cum-rightist political groups. This, in turn, will have a visible effect on the political developments taking place in the near future, indicating competitive politics, which, if it develops into a principled stance, can contribute to the democratisation process and also toward a mature multi-party system. However, the political parties need to remain cautious and cagey to see that the polarisation stays within the limit of the modern party system. Divisive forces and unwanted elements need to be checked to foster modern democracy. Meanwhile, the stalled election process should give the political parties sufficient time and opportunity to educate the masses of Nepal about the enduring importance of the election to the constituent assembly. More than three-fourths of Nepal's population is ignorant of the historically significant functions of the constituent assembly. To translate this into reality, the political parties must gear up their mechanisms and spread their tentacles nation-wide to mingle with the grassroots people, especially in the rural areas. Well-trained cadres and material resources are badly needed to move ahead in this direction.

The delay would also enable the government and the Election Commission to prepare the requisites to hold the election in an atmosphere of peace and security. This, in turn, would attract and enable the maximum number of people to participate in the election, which will help the political parties gain greater confidence and influence in moving ahead in enacting a democratic constitution. Election to the constituent assembly should not be held in haste and under an unruly situation. Loss of a few months will not be that damaging.Postponement as far as it is done with justified reasons has indeed sent a good message to the democratic countries and the international and regional organisations like the UN and the EU, because they would have sufficient time to help and observe the election process in Nepal. Naturally they think the time would bring in a favourable condition to heal the wounds and to reduce the rancour stalking in Nepal. The above presents a positive side of the political picture. However, the other side of the picture reflects the grimmer situation in the country. Regrettably, judged by the performance of the coalition government in the past one year, there is little good to hope for. The dismal failure to maintain the much-desired law and order for peace and security has had its negative effects. To make things worse, the government never exhibited any eagerness or took any initiative to give a ray of hope for the socio-economic uplift of the poverty-grilled people.

Discontent reigns supreme in Nepal. This has reduced the popularity of the political parties and their leaders. Just a year ago, after the resounding success of the people's movement last April, their popularity with the people was at its zenith. Now it is coming down to its nadir. Their inability to guide the society towards accommodative democracy has become greatly visible. Their only indulgence in political wrangling and the rent-seeking attitudes are costing them dearly. With the visible decline of their popularity has come the question of the legitimacy of the political leaders staying at the helm. This has become a far greater dilemmatic concern for those in power and also those in frontal politics. They will, for sure, lose their moral influence and political authority to remain in power in view of their failure to deliver what the masses have expected. As a consequence, frustrations will only rise if some far-reaching improvements cannot be made to win them to their side.

Democratic destiny

If the delay in announcing the date for the CA election becomes unduly long, then it will defeat the purpose and deviate from the democratic destiny. A conducive environment must be created to elect people-oriented representatives to frame a democratic constitution that can nurture the desires and meet the demands of the people, who have long cherished to send genuinely people-serving representatives to replace the ventriloquists who are hardly able to realise what they have promised. The people need only those who can transform words into deeds. Let political ingenuity and visionary statesmanship come their way to rescue the political leaders from the thorny political impasse.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 3, 2007