WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: AUGUST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 KATHMANDU 001614 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OPRC PGOV PREL KMDR NP SUBJECT: WEEKLY NEPAL MEDIA REPORT: AUGUST 19 TO 25, 2003 - STATE FOR NP, AC, PM - STATE FOR IN/R/MR - STATE FOR SA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO - STATE FOR SA/PPD ¶1. PEACE TALKS -- Dr. Bhattarai for no less than constituent assembly: The Maoists warned (8/24) the government that the ongoing talks would cease automatically if the latter declined to come up with its revised agenda by Tuesday and accept the Maoist condition for unconditional constituent assembly elections. "We do not see any possibility on our part to compromise on our demand for constituent assembly elections as it is the only way to fulfill the people's requirements and address the present political imbalance," said Bhattarai in his statement. "The government's attempt to institutionalize the feudal monarchy and the authoritarianism of the royal army and give continuity to them through the backing of foreign forces is the main cause for the present obstacle in the process," said Bhattarai. (Centrist "Kathmandu Post," E/D, 8/25) -- September 4 would be historic: Leaders: Leaders of five agitating political parties said (8/24) a protest program on September 4, centralized in Kathmandu, would compel the king to hand over sovereign power to the people. The September 4 agitation would be historic, they said, with protestors moving towards the Royal Palace and also initiating a gherao (surrounding) of the Singha Durbar [Parliament building], affecting life and paralyzing the whole capital city. (Pro- India "Himalayan Times," E/D, 8/25) -- Back to war: "King in London Maoists in jungle C.P. [C.P. Gajurel, senior Maoist leader recently arrested in India for possessing fake passport] in jail Fourth round of talks not to take place Country again heading toward civil war." (Headlines in centrist "Tarun," V/W, 8/25) -- No further talks if no constituent assembly: Maoists: The government is preparing for either to hold the constituency elections or rewrite the constitution. The Maoists have adamantly said that the talks will not continue if the constituent assembly is not agreed. (Leftist "Sanghu," V/W, 8/25) -- Maoists' rigid stance ploy to usurp power: Lohani: Finance Minister and chief government negotiator for the ongoing peace talks, Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani, said (8/23) that the rigid stance of the Maoists 
for constituent assembly election was merely an attempt to control state power. (Media reports, 8/24) -- Ceasefire will hold: Prachanda: The Maoists will in no way back off from the ceasefire, Maoist top leader Prachanda said. ("The Himalayan Times," 8/24) -- "Go to Kathmandu, save democracy": Five political parties are set to launch a decisive movement from September 4, with a strength show of around 6 to 7 hundred thousand people in Kathmandu, which will bring life to a standstill in the capital. The UML alone is set to mobilize around one hundred thousand people. (Centrist "Deshantar," V/W and leftist "Chhalphal," V/W, 8/24) -- Prachanda appeals for Gajurel's release: Maoist President Prachanda has appealed to the Indian government for release of its politburo member C.P. Gajurel, who was arrested by the Indian security personnel at Chennai Airport in India on August 20 [for possessing fake passport.] "The release of Gajurel would not only prove the Indian government's will for maintaining peace in Nepal but also give a new shape to our diplomatic relations," the Maoist leader said in his statement. (Media reports, 8/24) -- U.S. hails third round of talks: The U .S. government has welcomed the third round of talks between the Nepalese government and the Maoist insurgents. A press statement issued by the U.S. Embassy said that the political proposals advanced by the government of Nepal during the third round of talks with the Maoists directly address a number of the Maoists' proclaimed socio- economic concerns and thus offer a realistic vehicle for productive discussions between the government and the Maoists. The Embassy called on the Maoists to abide by the ceasefire and urged both sides to respect the code of conduct and to remain engaged in the all-important process of forging in good faith a peaceful solution of this conflict. (Government-owned "Rising Nepal," E/D, 8/23) -- Demand for constituent assembly "unjustified": Chief government negotiator Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani said (8/22) the Maoists' demand for a constituent assembly elections was unjustified and also made it clear that the government still wanted amendment to the present constitution, or rewrite a new one based on it. One of the facilitators of the ongoing government- Maoist talks, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, said the dialogue is very likely to break in the fourth round if both sides stuck to their respective stances as in the third round of talks. ("The Kathmandu Post" and others, 8/23) -- Government, Maoist peace talks on deathbed: The third round of government- Maoist peace negotiation today (8/19) ended inconclusively after the Maoists insisted that the government should accept their demand for constituent assembly. ("The Kathmandu Post" and centrist "Kantipur," V/D, 8/20) -- Talks waste of time: "The third round of talks is just a waste of time. Eventually, the war has been invited." (Centrist "Ghatana Ra Bichar," V/D, 8/20) -- Government, Maoists agree six-point talks agenda: The government and the Maoists agreed (8/18) on a six-point agenda to move forward with the ongoing third round of talks and decided to start discussions on the political agenda from Tuesday. The six points mutually agreed upon today include political issues, overall socio-economic reforms, procedures of the reforms, settlement of the armed forces and weapons, rehabilitation of the affected people and reconstruction of Maoist-hit development infrastructure, and miscellany. Despite the Maoists' strong criticism of the government's political agenda, both parties have agreed to go ahead with the peace process. (Media reports, 8/19) -- International community lauds Government proposal: The international community has welcomed the government proposal placed during the third round of negotiations with the Maoists as a positive step forward towards finding peaceful resolution of the seven-year old conflict. The strongest endorsement of the government stand came from the United States, which has expressed full "agreement" with the three main points placed forth by the government. Speaking to the "Kathmandu Post" and "Kantipur," Constance Colding Jones, Public Affairs Officer of the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu, said, "We are in full agreement with the three main points -- sovereignty of the people, multi-party democracy and constitutional monarchy -- on which the government has reiterated its commitment." Similarly, the British government has "warmly welcomed both the new round of negotiations and the presentation of a comprehensive position by the Nepalese government". India's Ambassador to Nepal Shyam Saran said, "Now there is a document which could form the basis for future understanding between the two sides." He added that this could help in removing the uncertainty of the past. (Compiled from the "Kathmandu Post" and "Kantipur," 8/19) -- Thapa expresses displeasure over Maoist comments: Minister for Information and Communications and member of the Government negotiating team Kamal Thapa has expressed displeasure ov er negative remarks made by top Maoist leaders over the government's response. Thapa said, "I am surprised. I feel that the Maoists reaction is born out of the feelings that negative statements should be made of government proposal as soon as it was delivered to them. We were hopeful that the Maoists would study the proposal in detail before commenting on it. But they have commented on the proposal solely on the basis of going through it once as we read it out to them during the first session of talks." (Kantipuronline.com, 8/19) - - Agi cation woul d uproot regress ive force s : Nepal : Madhav Kumar Nepal , genera 1 secretary of the CPN-UML said that the political agenda presented by the government during the third round of government-Maoist peace negotiation would in no way resolve the current political stalemate. Nepal said, "The political agenda does neither address the issues raised by the agitating political parties nor the Maoists'." "If the Maoists are for fundamental change, whether it is to establish republican state, they should join our joint movement against regression," Nepal said. He asserted that the political parties would continue with their joint agitation against regression until the regressive forces would be completely uprooted. He also accused both the king and the Maoists of trying to destroy democracy. ("Kantipur," 8/19) ¶2. SECURITY FORCE, MAOISTS CLASHES -- 17 Maoists killed: Seventeen Maoists were killed in clashes between the security forces and the Maoists in Ramechap district in northeast Nepal Sunday (8/17) evening. ("The Rising Nepal," 8/19) -- Maoists declare UML enemy: It is revealed that the Maoists had declared the UML their enemy. "The UML is our enemy, we should intensify counter resistance against it and act accordingly against its leaders from district to central level," Prachanda is found quoted in the party ' s direct ives . UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, after seeing a copy of the directives, has expressed serious objection and warned the Maoi sts to apologi ze in publ ic . ( Centri st "Spacetime Dainik," V/D, 8/19) ¶3. MAOIST ACTIVITIES -- Maoists call strike to protest army excesses: The Maoists today (8/21) called a one-day general strike to protest the army's k i 1 1 ing of at 1 east 17 of their cadres , an i nc ident that scutt 1 ed key peace ta lks th i s week and raised fears a six-month truce could collapse. The Maoists called the strike for August 27 across eastern Nepal. ("The Himalayan Times," 8/22) -- Maoist's extortion: The Maoists have begun money extortion from leaders and cadres of five agitating parties, especially from Nepali Congress and UML. The extortion terror is extreme in hilly districts, where the five parties' movement is strong. The ceasefire code of conduct signed by the Maoists with the government prohibits the rebels from extorting money. ("Kantipur," 8/22) ¶4. STUDENT UNREST -- ANNISU (R) threatens of agitation: ANNISU (Revolutionary),the Maoists' student wing Sunday issued a threat of launching "long and decisive" educational agitation starting September 7, if the government does not fulfill its 16-point demands. (Media reports, 8/26) ¶5. BUSINESS/ECONOMY -- China allows 14 flights a week: The Chinese government has agreed to allow the Royal Nepal Airlines to increase its flights to China to 14 a week and also start operating in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. ("The Himalayan Times," 8/24) West Seti Project: The Australia-based power developer Snowy Mountain Engineering Corporation (SMEC) has strongly denied media reports that it had abandoned the 750 MW West Seti hydropower project in the Far Western Region in Nepal. The project, with investment of US$ 860 million, will be the largest single foreign investment in Nepal. ("The Kathmandu Post," 8/23) -- Vegetable oil export to be simplified: The three-day Nepal-India Inter-Governmental Committee meet ended Wednesday with India agreeing to adopt a new arrangement for the import of Nepali vegetable cooking oil into India after a discussion with Nepali manufacturers (Media reports, 8/21) -- Nepal, India power talks begin: Nepali and Indian officials Wednesday commenced talks on exporting Nepal's electricity to India, a report said Thursday. With the completion of 144 MW Kali Gandaki "A" power project, Nepal is currently in a position to export up to 80 MW electricity during the monsoon and 30 MW during dry season. ("Kantipur" and others, 8/21) ¶6. OTHERS -- Lured with the bait of Gulf jobs, young girls land up in Indian brothels: Anti- trafficking campaigners say they have uncovered a ring of human traffickers who lure innocent Nepali women by promising them lucrative jobs in Gulf countries. Such women are lured on the basis of forged documents but are mostly sold to Indian brothels, they add. ("The Kathmandu Post," 8/25) -- Pakistan Embassy staffer asked to leave: The Pak istan Embassy of ficia 1 , Masood al ia s Mustafa, who was allegedly found carrying "counterfeit Indian currency" has been asked to leave the country following an understanding reached between the Nepali and Pakistani authorities, government sources revealed today. ("The Kathmandu Post," 8/24) -- 216 died of flood, landslide: Home Mi ni stry : Flood and lands 1 ide th i s year ha s killed altogether 216 people, so far. In addition, 52 are missing and 85 were injured, Home Ministry said Wednesday. (Nepalnews.com, 8/21) MALINOWSKI