Landmines Being Defused Nationwide: Poudel

 The government has started the work of identifying, mapping, fencing and marking landmines in different parts of the country, planted during the decade-long insurgency, said Ram Chandra Poudel, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction, on Wednesday.

The government had formed a directional and technical committee under the coordination of Poudel on June 21 to start mine action works. Poudel, speaking at a National Conference on Landmines organised by Ban Landmines Campaign Nepal (NCBL), said the committee has started identifying, defusing and excavating the landmines.

He also urged the Nepali army, Maoists, experts and related organisations to help in the committee's work to minimise the probable death and destruction due to the landmines in the future.

Purna Shova Chirakar, coordinator of the NCBL, said over 26,000 people have been handicapped due to the landmines and almost 14,00 have lost their lives in the last 12 years. She accused the government and the political parties of lacking dedication to tackle the risk posed by landmines.

In the peace accord signed on November 22, 2006, the government and the Maoists had expressed commitment to assist each other to mark the landmines by providing necessary information within 30 days and de-fuse and excavate them within 60 days. But the commitment is yet to be implemented.

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Matthew Kahane said there is an urgent need to destroy the landmines. He added that the government should address the problems of those injured and handicapped by the landmines.

Tamrat Samuel, deputy special representative of the Secretary General, called for the formulation of a mine action policy. He also called for the protection of rights of those injured and handicapped by the landmines.

Sunita Ghale, who lost her right leg and Krishna Bahadur Ghising, whose lower body has been paralysed due to a landmine explosion, accused the government of showing indifference to their plight. "We have been finding it difficult to continue medications and fend for the family and children," they said and urged the government to support them. It takes $3 to $10 to produce a landmine, while it takes anywhere between $200 and 1,000 to destroy it, according to the NCBL

Maoists' Acts Ridiculous: Rana

From THT Online

 

Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana on Wednesday said that the Maoists' threat to declare the nation a republic through people's action was "contrived and ridiculous".

Speaking after inaugurating the fourth district convention of his party's Morang chapter, Rana said that the Maoists were still acting as if they were taking action on people's behalf. He said that the Maoists were voicing threats of people's action only to stall the constituent assembly (CA) polls.

"Attacking other parties' offices, disrupting their general assemblies and assaulting chief district officers, these acts are all part of the Maoists' so-called people's action," said Rana. "What more limit do they want to cross? All their talk of launching a people's action drive seems contrived and ridiculous."

The RPP chief also blamed the Nepali Congress for failing to create a proper electoral atmosphere though the date for the CA polls was fast approaching. He added that the nearer the CA polls were coming, the more remote the chances of a good electoral atmosphere were getting.

"Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has been expressing his commitment to hold the CA polls, but there are no signs of his party taking up his stand in earnest."

Rana said it was necessary to provide reservations to the Madhesi community to solve the problems in the Tarai region. He added that the Madhes region might not go to the polls as the government had failed to address the Madhes issues and had instead shown indifference towards the Madhesi people's demands.

"Half the country lies in the Madhes region. It is absolutely necessary to solve the problems of the Madhesi people in order to resolve conflict," he said

Nepal flags cut to Everest climbing fee

Authorities in Nepal are planning to slash the permit price for climbing Mount Everest by up to 75 per cent outside the main spring climbing season.
The current cost of a Nepali permit to tackle the world's highest peak is $87,600 for 10 people, but this could soon change.
"We are thinking about reducing the fees by 50 per cent during the autumn season and by 75 per cent during the winter season," Minister for Tourism and Culture Prithvi Subba Gurung said.
Most climbers tackle the 8,848-metre mountain during the spring season in late May just before the monsoon sweeps across the sub-continent.
"We don't have any plans to reduce permit price for climbing Everest during the spring season," the minister added.
This year's peak season was a record breaker with 530 people summitting Everest from the southern approach in Nepal and the northern route through Chinese-controlled Tibet.
"We think that the reduction in fees will attract more mountaineers," Ang Tsering Sherpa, president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said.
"At the moment, no expedition teams have applied to climb Everest in autumn and winter. Usually people come for the spring season as this is when they have the best chance of summitting," he said.
Home to eight of the world's 14 tallest peaks, Nepal has hosted trekkers and mountaineers for years and Mr Sherpa hopes to persuade the Government to open more mountains to foreign climbers.
"In Nepal there are over 1,792 peaks above 5,500 metres and only 326 are open for climbing. In our proposal we will also ask the government to allow climbing on more mountains," he said.