China Outbound Seminar Concludes in Kathmandu

A two-day seminar on China Outbound organised by Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and PATA Nepal Chapter concluded in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

According to a press released issued by the NTB, the main objective of the seminar was to disseminate the most updated information on the Chinese outbound market.

Addressing the participants of the first session, John Koldowski, the managing director of the Strategic Intelligence Centre, highlighted the potential of the Chinese outbound market.

He also outlined the current state of Asia-Pacific tourism with angles that affect tourism in Asia. nepalnews.com pd July 14 04

Two shot dead in capital

Ullash Vaidhya, the spokesperson of Nepal Electricity Authority, was killed during an attempt by security personnel to entrap a suspected Maoist collaborator, Krishna Adhikari. Adhikari was also killed in the incident.

Working on a tip off, the security team reached Old Baneswor to apprehend Krishna Adhikari, who had been extorting money from Ullash Baidhaya.

According to Kantipur daily, the security team shot Adhikari after Vaidhya handed him a bogus wad of 1000 rupee notes. nepalnews.com pd July 14 04

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Indian court rejects bail to Maoist leader

The Jalpaiguri District Court in the Indian state of West Bengal has refused to grant bail to Mohan Baidhya, alias Kiran, despite being ordered to do so by the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court.

The Maoist leader has been in police custody since his arrest in Siliguri four months ago.

Kantipur daily quoting Anup Mitra, Baidhya's lawyer, has said that a petition will be filed at the Calcutta High Court regarding the district court's refusal to grant bail. nepalnews.com pd July 14 04

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191st Bhanu Jayanti observed

The 191st Bhanu Jayanti or the birthday of pioneer poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya was observed across the country amiss various programs Tuesday. 

In Kathmandu, a rally involving students, teachers and literary personalities was organized in the morning, which converged into a function in front of the statue of Bhanu Bhakta at Darbar High School at Rani Pokhari. 

Litterateurs recited poems in memory of the late poet. Speaker Taranath Ranabhat and Minister for Education and Sports Bimalendra Nidhi were present at the program.

Likewise, coinciding with the Bhanu Jayanti, the Nepali Shikchhya Parishad awarded poet Dharma Raj Thapa with the Bhanu Puraskar. The prize carries a purse of hundred thousand and one rupees. 

Sajha Prakashan and Royal Nepal Academy separately organized literary programs on the occasion of Bhanu Jayanti. Similarly, various programs were organized in the districts to mark the 191st Bhanu Jayanti. 

The day is also celebrated in India’s Darjeeling, Assam, Dehradun and Sikkim with much fanfare. 

Apart from his literary creations, Bhanu Bhakta is remembered mainly for translating he the Ramayana, the Hindu religious scripture, into Nepali from Sanskrit for the first time. nepalnews.com mbk July 13 04

One soldier, two militants killed

One Royal Nepalese Army soldier and two Maoists were killed in different incidents in Pyuthan and Bardia districts Tuesday. 

Reports said a RNA jawan was killed when a booby trap went off as the security men were trying to dismantle a welcome gate erected by the Maoists at Bagdula in Pyuthan this morning. Two other security personnel were injured in the blast. A search operation has been stepped up in the area following the incident, the reports further said.

Similarly, two Maoists were shot dead in a clash with security troops at Baisai area in Bardia district this afternoon. Reports quoting security sources said some weapons and explosives have been recovered from the incident site. nepalnews.com mbk July 13 04

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PM rules out possibility of early ceasefire 

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba Tuesday ruled out the possibility of an early ceasefire, saying the government was not ready to go for talks until the Maoists give assurance that they are serious to resolve the crisis through dialogue.

“The government is for serious talks which could give a permanent solution to the crisis. We are not going to declare a ceasefire in a hurry,” reports quoted Deuba as saying while speaking at a media gathering in Pokhara. He arrived in Pokhara for the inauguration of the newly built Military Boarding School.

He, at the same time made it known, that the government had not taken any initiatives as yet to bring the Maoists to the negotiating table. The prime minister further said the government would not compromise with the Maoists at the cost of the multiparty democracy and the constitutional monarchy.

Asked about the government’s view on international mediation in the peace process, the prime minister said that as long as Nepalis were able to solve the problems on their own, there was no need for mediation from outside. “But,” he continued, “If there is national consensus in favor of international mediation, the government would consider it.”

He also reiterated that the government was determined to hold general elections as early as possible. “It is not that elections cannot be held prior to talks with the Maoists. Take India’s Kashmir for instance where elections were successfully held even when the war was on,” Deuba maintained. nepalnews.com mbk July 13 04

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Government to unveil budget on Friday

The government will unveil the budget for the fiscal year 2004-2005 on Friday 16 July, according to sources at the finance ministry.

Deputy prime minister and finance minister, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, will present the budget at Birendra International Convention Center. nepalnews.com pd July 13 04

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Maoist bomb Madhyapur Thimi municipal office 

The Maoists detonated a bomb in a municipal building housing the offices of Ward No. 7,8,9 and 10 of the Madhyapur Thimi Municipality in Thimi, Bhaktapur Tuesday morning. 

At around 10:15AM, two suspected Maoists threw a bomb from outside the office and ran away. Though nobody was injured in the incident, some furniture and documents were destroyed, police informed Nepalnews. The security presence has been beefed up in the area following the incident. 

The Maoists had carried out a similar explosion in the office 10 months earlier. nepalnews.com mbk July 13 04

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Nepal's heritage sites at risk: UNESCO

The UNESCO world heritage committee said that the Kathmandu based world heritage sites are at risk of losing their status during a meeting held in China from June 28 to July 7.

According to RSS, the sites could lose their status as historical and traditional architecture is being destroyed due to uncontrolled urbanisation.

For the time being, the committee has decided to keep the seven sites on the endangered list and will withhold the decision to remove them entirely from the world heritage list until the 29th meeting of the
committee.

Nepal is to use the intervening time to save the seven monuments, particularly by creating 'no-build' buffer zones around them. nepalnews.com pd July 13 04

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AI-Nepal to ask China to withdraw death penalty to two Nepalis

The Nepal chapter of Amnesty International will submit letters of memorandum to the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday asking Beijing to call off the execution of two Nepali citizens, according to news reports.

The international human rights organisation will also ask China to improve its human rights situation in the provinces of Xinjiang, Uighar and the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Ishwor Kumar Shrestha of Sindhupalchowk and Rabi Dahal of Morang were recently given death sentences after being charged with drug trafficking by a court in Tibet.  nepalnews.com pd July 13 04

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